Science is science and spirituality is spirituality and never the twain shall meet … most of the time. As most of us know, science is all about the material world. Anything which cannot be measured or monitored or be verified by the five senses is not considered ‘real’. Spirituality is far more about faith, belief and that which transcends the material world, perhaps even creates and maintains the material world. Scientist generally have little room for a ‘spiritual world’ since there is no ‘spiritual world’ that can be measured with instruments, tested in a lab, monitored with cameras or has a mathematical formula to verify spiritual reality. For the vast majority of scientists spirituality, and especially the concept of an afterlife or heaven, is a quaint superstition.
So, it always catches my interest when I hear that a scientist has a spiritual experience so powerful, so real, that it literally transforms the scientist personally. For a scientific thinker to discovers that spirituality is real is akin to what happens when someone who believes the earth is flat discovering the earth is round. Many people can brush off a spiritual person having a spiritual experience. I mean, isn’t that what spiritual people do? Spiritual people often have strange, inexplicable spiritual experiences. But, when a trained, working, medical scientist has a powerful spiritual experience that they are willing to document, that always catches my attention.
Such is the case is of Dr. Eben Alexander, an academic neurosurgeon, who was teaching at Harvard Medical School and other universities. Like most of his peers, Dr. Alexander considered the ideas of an afterlife, spirits and angels something OK for others to believe in, but not a trained scientist. Yes, he considered himself a good Christian who occasionally attended church, but the ‘miraculous’ side of Jesus, the ancient superstitions of heaven, hell, angels and am afterlife, those were not for him.
The prevailing view among scientists is that near-death experiences involving lights, tunnels, meeting spirits and so forth are no more than the brain hallucinating due to lack of oxygen or the mind’s way of escaping the trauma, particularly the trauma of dying. Whatever people experienced near death was nothing more than the brain, the mind, grasping at spiritual imagery gathered over a life time, nothing more. Near death experiences are basically categorized in the scientific community as nothing more than the cortex of the brain ‘malfunctioning’. Also, in recent experiments, the brain can be ‘fooled’ into experiencing similar experiences. But to a traditional, strict scientist and others who believe that only the material world is real there is and can be no such thing as a spiritual afterlife. Could that be more of an assumption than truth? Why cannot there me more to the universe than the physical?
The cortex of the brain is special. It is where ALL of our self awareness takes place. Without the cortex of the brain there is no ‘us’, no one is home, so to speak. It is where all our experiences of life take place. So, Dr. Alexander knew what trouble he was in when he was admitted to the hospital with a brain infection. He had contracted a rare bacterial meningitis that was attacking his brain. His chances of survival were slim to none. If Dr. Alexander survived at all he knew it would be in a vegetative state. Shortly after being admitted to the hospital, Dr. Alexander was dropped into a deep coma. His brain’s cortex shut down. Doctor’s ran CT scans, hook-up Dr. Alexander up to life support, ran every test possible and began monitoring his brain activity looking for any sign of hope. The general opinion was, based on a wealth of scientific evidence, that Dr. Alexander was gone. Only someone forget to tell Dr. Alexander he was gone. Because according to him in an article published in the magazine Newsweek (Oct. 2012), he crossed over to a spiritual world as real as the material world he left and for a week went on a spiritual adventure few will ever experience.
Dr. Alexander claimed he found himself in a spiritual dimension where sight and sound seemed to blend together. In a dark blue sky with beautiful clouds he witnessed joyful, spiritual beings streaking through the heavens. And sound they made was musical, but more than musical, something like a joyful hymn. But is was a joyful hymn you would feel on your skin. The idea of an ‘objective observer’ dropped away and Dr. Alexander says he felt he was not outside looking at something, but a part of everything he saw.
What could be called a ‘spirit guide’ met Dr. Alexander and told he would experience many amazing things, that all his questions would be answered, and that eventually he would have to go back. All Dr. Alexander could think was ‘back where?’. I can only imagine that he’d have to wonder why anyone would want to leave such a place. And so, for a week, Dr. Alexander explored the spirit world, the afterlife, heaven, call it what you want. He got his answers which he said were so direct, yet so deep, that he knew it would take a lot of time to digest. For example, Dr. Alexander says he discovered that the universe of Einstein and Jesus are the same universe explored from different perspectives. Also, that we as human beings are part of the whole universe, not a piece that can be separated from it. And, lastly, that God’s love of each living thing is absolute. You can do nothing to sperate yourself from that love.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, a determination was made to discontinue this treatment. I assume that means it was time to disconnect Dr. Alexander from life support, cease medical treatment, and let nature take it’s course. But before the doctor’s could act, Dr. Alexander’s eyes opened and he was back. In fact, he was getting well. Scientifically, it appeared that his brain and body had somehow fought off the infection and minimal damage was done. A spiritually inclined person might call it a miracle. Doctor’s likely would say that somehow Alexander overcame incredible odds to survive.
What strikes me is that Dr. Alexander’s account printed in Newsweek is very similar of other people’s accounts of heaven or the afterlife recorded through out history. Many of the ‘lessons’ new to him are lessons that have been taught by spiritually enlightened individuals for thousands of years. What makes Dr. Alexander’s story compelling is that he has all the scientific documentation to show he could NOT have been aware of anything for a week. Further, few are as qualified to interpret the scientific documentation of his coma as Dr. Alexander (since he is the expert who teaches all the other doctor’s how to read such data).
Frankly, I very much look forward to seeing Dr. Alexander’s book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife
Much has been written about Out of Body Experiences or OBE, astral projection, the soul, the afterlife and/or heaven. For the Most part, these ideas have been scientifically rejected and cast into the paranormal category. This strikes many as unfair since the research has at best been very limited. If would be good if some real scientific open mindedness and exploration of these concepts could be generated. Even now, many are jumping to conclusions the exclude the possibility of an afterlife: That Dr. Alexander discovered an new part of brain awareness, that some hallucinogen was introduced to his brain and so forth. Why jump to such conclusions that automatically exclude an afterlife? Why not be open minded to all possibilities, including an as yet unexplored, non-material dimension?
Psychics are a group that has embraced the reality of the spirit world or afterlife and the existence of spirits, spirit guides and angels since the beginning of recorded history. One has to wonder if maybe some of them are on to something very real. If talking with a psychic about such things interests you, or you would like to get some answers about what is going on today in your life, let me make a couple of recommendations. Psychic Barbara and Psychic Coffee, both talented clairvoyant mediums, have impressed me with their answers and spiritual insights. You can reach either or both at 1-866-407-7164. Another place to check out some talented psychics is Authentic Psychics, you can contact them at
1-800-888-5523.
I hope you enjoyed this article on a scientist’s possible encounter with heaven or the afterlife.
