The 30 Minute Expert Series - Proof of Heaven in 30 Minutes: The Expert Guide to Eben Alexanders Critically Acclaimed Book

INTRODUCTION

At a Glance

This book is an extended review of Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeons Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, MD. Proof of Heaven is Alexanders account of his life-altering 2008 near-death experience (NDE). While he was in a coma that incapacitated his brain, Alexanders consciousness went on a spiritual journey that brought him directly into the presence of God. Alexander contrasts the narrative of this experience with the story of the desperate life-and-death battle being waged by his earthly body as it fought an insidious case of meningitis. A neurosurgeon with a deep scientific understanding of how the brain works, Alexander completely changed his scientific and spiritual perspectives on life after his NDE.

The review begins with a brief introduction to Proof of Heaven. Next comes a section that includes information about the author, a summary of the responses to the bookthe good and the not so good, from professional reviewers as well as bloggers and other interested readers. This is followed by a synopsis, a detailed discussion of the books key concepts, and advice on how these lessons can be applied in everyday life. Finally, the main points of this review are briefly touched upon in a way that may well inspire you to get your own copy of Alexanders book. Also included are a list of key terms used in Proof of Heaven and recommendations for further reading for those who are interested in NDEs and scientific explorations of life and death.

Understanding
Proof of Heaven

ABOUT THE BOOK

In November of 2008, neurosurgeon Eben Alexander contracted an extremely rare case of Escherichia coli bacterial meningitis, a condition that few victims survive. Against incredible odds, Alexander fully recovered from his seven-day coma and his raging, brain-destroying infection. Before he regained consciousness, Alexanders doctor pegged his chance of survival at 3 percent. The odds that he would regain his cognitive abilities and memories were even slimmer. His recovery was astounding, but according to Alexander, what happened to him while he was in the coma was the true miracle. Though his neocortex, the part of the brain thats responsible for higher-level functioning, was inactive the whole time, his conscious mind experienced rich spiritual worlds that are recounted in great detail in Proof of Heaven.

Prior to his brush with death, Alexander had established himself as a respected neurosurgeon, whose illustrious career had included fifteen years as an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and innumerable publications. He was aware of the stories that near-death experience (NDE) patients told about traveling to other worlds and talking to God, but he firmly believed these experiences to be fantasies. Before his own NDE, he thought that consciousness ended with the death of the brain. Now he is convinced of life after death.

Since its hardcover publication in October 2012 by Simon and Schuster, Proof of Heaven has been widely reviewed and debated around the world. The book has spent approximately six months on the New York Times best-seller list since its publication, and it has been featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine and in dozens of other secular and religious publications.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eben Alexander III was born in 1953 in Charlotte, North Carolina. His adoptive father, Eben Alexander II, was chief of neurosurgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His great-grandfather was a prominent Greek scholar who served as President Grover Clevelands ambassador to Greece.

Alexander graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 and from Duke University School of Medicine in 1980. After completing a cerebrovascular fellowship in England, he returned to the United States and spent fifteen years in Boston working and teaching neurosurgery at Brigham and Womens Hospital, the Childrens Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. During his twenty-five-year career, he has authored or coauthored more than one hundred and fifty papers and articles and presented two hundred professional papers around the world.

Prior to his NDE, Alexander was absolutely committed to traditional scientific conventions about consciousness, God, and reality. It was only after he wrote about his remarkable experience that the true meaning and power of his journey became clear to him.

Alexander lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, with his wife Holley. He has two sons, Bond and Eben IV.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

The Upside

Upon publication, Proof of Heaven generated a flood of articles and reviews. While most mainstream reviewers do not deny the authenticity or sincerity of Alexanders experiences, his extraordinary claims all but guarantee an incredulous reception. This means that even the articles that praise the book in some manner tend to qualify that praise. For example, while Peter Stanford of Londons Guardian appreciates how afterlife accounts help fulfill our human need to understand the nature of life and death, he also says that any attempts to describe the afterlife are futile.

Certain religious publications offer stauncher support for Proof of Heaven. Gordon Houser noted in the Mennonite that Alexanders account encouraged him, but he notes that, in the end, belief is a matter of faith. The review concludes that despite Alexanders credentials, most nonbelievers... will simply deny the truthfulness of his experience.

Online reviews of the book were overwhelmingly positive, and many reviewers on Amazon.com praised Alexander for validating their own NDEs or beliefs. Other reviewers, including some with scientific backgrounds of their own, like Charles T. Tart, gave the book a qualified thumbs-up, suggesting that people with open minds should absolutely consider reading it.

The Downside

Given the unique perspective of its author and the controversial title, Proof of Heaven has provoked controversy across the board. While scientists have deconstructed Alexanders book, pointing out blatant factual errors, religious leaders have complained that he misinterpreted his experiences or was perhaps duped by sinister forces.

In his Huffington Post review of the book, Victor Stenger, author of God and the Folly of Faith, directly rebuts Alexanders claim that no scientific explanation can be made for his journey into the afterlife. He calls Alexanders claim nothing more than the classic argument from ignorance, which forms the basis of almost all ostensibly scientific arguments for the existence of the supernatural. Mark Martins review in Salon.com is tinged with more cheek, but it still dismisses Alexanders experience. He writes, A posthumous future where You have nothing to fear... sounds like infinite boredominhuman and alienating in its contentment. In a review for the Center for Biblical Spirituality, Donald S. Whitney specifically counters Alexanders spiritual and religious claims, concluding that Alexander is an untrustworthy source.

Some of the more secular readers on Amazon.com similarly dismiss Alexanders credibility. After an extensive point-by-point rebuttal of Alexanders scientific claims, Amazon reviewer Paul W. concludes that the book cannot be trusted since it cloaks its emotional conclusions in pseudoscientific misinterpretations.

SYNOPSIS

In the first few chapters of the book, Alexander describes how he and his wife, Holley, relocated from Boston to Lynchburg, Virginia, with their two sons, Eben and Bond, returning to their Southern roots. All was going well until he awoke one day in November 2008 with severe spinal pain, which he chose to ignore despite his wifes pleas to call 911. When he finally arrived in the emergency room, he soon entered into a deep coma.