4.03/5
Author: Eben Alexander
Publication Date: Oct 23, 2012
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover,Kindle,Audible Audiobook,Audio CD
Rating: 4.03/5 out of 61042
Publisher: Clarion / Simon
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Jan 29, 2013
I might have rated Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife three stars had the author replaced the title with the subtitle. If you’re looking for proof of heaven or just an insightful and critical exploration of NDEs, you are better off moving on.Apr 24, 2013
very cleverly written and marketed trash. Those who want to believe are going to believe regardless, but all the "convincing" arguments he makes can easily be discredited:Nov 11, 2012
For those like myself that struggle with their faith and what happens to us when we pass, this book gives a compelling view from a scientist and a self proclaimed skeptic. As a scientist, I feel today's religions use their dogma to control morality. When something doesn't fit into their belief system they want you go along just "because."May 18, 2013
I am a Near Death Experiencer. I was really excited when I ran across Dr. Eben Alexander's book on his Near Death Experience. I spent last night and most of today reading his book.Nov 29, 2012
For reason's unknown, I have been fascinated by questions of mortality since I was a teenager. Deeply skeptical of religion, I have always had a profound felt sense that we are a part of something vastly greater than we can even imagine. It seems absolutely absurd to me that all of this that we are engaged in is the result of some cosmic accident and that the Universe is simply random and ultimately meaningless. But, we live in a scientific age where if you cannot label something and test it it For reason's unknown, I have been fascinated by questions of mortality since I was a teenager. Deeply skeptical of religion, I have always had a profound felt sense that we are a part of something vastly greater than we can even imagine. It seems absolutely absurd to me that all of this that we are engaged in is the result of some cosmic accident and that the Universe is simply random and ultimately meaningless. But, we live in a scientific age where if you cannot label something and test it it isn't real. So, our intuition must just be largely ignored because it is too subjective and untestable. My understanding of what has opened us up more and more to metaphysics is that it has emerged from the shadows since the revolutions in quantum mechanics, the study of the subatomic universe, where cause and effect and all other Newtonian laws have been shattered. Since objectivity has been shown to be impossible, given the indivisible nature of fundamental reality, the limits of science have been severely circumscribed. So, when a hard bitten scientist like Eben Alexander, the author of this book, finds himself in an after death realm that was to him as real--no MORE real than the life he was untethered from for 7 days, it gives more credence to the view that there are vast, other dimensions beyond our own. It is why I read books like this despite the skepticism of the larger scientific community (after all, what else could they do but protest?) I also read, My Stroke of Insight, by the Harvard Brain researcher, Jill Bolte Taylor a few years ago. Both books are fascinating treatises on the possibilities that exist beyond our three dimensional reality here on earth. Dr Alexander's book goes well beyond Jill Bolte Taylor's, in that she recognizes that she had a profound experience beyond the reality she had constructed as a brain researcher, an experience that fundamentally altered her sense of existence but one which she was much more circumspect about defining. What Dr. Alexander does is to assert his absolute, unshakeable belief that he experienced a much more profound reality that was much more than the mere misfirings of neurons in an unconscious brain. He is absolutely certain that he entered a realm that is just as "real" as the one we exist in on this plane.Jan 03, 2013
This book should be called "A Doctor's Description of His Illness and How His Body looked to Everyone Else". Oops, guess that is too long - sort of like the book, too long. I actually was going to give the book one star, but Dr. Alexander went to a lot of effort to tell us about him and his illness and to interview people who told him what his body looked like while he was ill. The little discussion there was of the NDE (or up to the point when I decided to put the book down because life is too This book should be called "A Doctor's Description of His Illness and How His Body looked to Everyone Else". Oops, guess that is too long - sort of like the book, too long. I actually was going to give the book one star, but Dr. Alexander went to a lot of effort to tell us about him and his illness and to interview people who told him what his body looked like while he was ill. The little discussion there was of the NDE (or up to the point when I decided to put the book down because life is too short), was rather nightmarish. If he was inspired to become a better person after his serious illness, it was because he got a glimpse of hell. Heck, what he saw is making me try to be a better person. Having read Dr. Kubler-Ross, Dr. Mary C. Neal and Betty J. Eadie's books, among other accounts, and knowing people who have had NDEs, Dr. Alexander's book just does not offer "Proof of Heaven". Don't waste your time - life is too short - and don't waste your money - there are better books out there to spend it on. ...moreApr 13, 2013
This nonfiction book about a neurosurgeon who suffers from a severe infection of the brain - so severe that it shuts down his neo-cortex and he drops into a deep coma - is one of the best Near Death Experience books I've ever read.Apr 28, 2013
I will acknowledge that I am rating and reviewing this little less than halfway through. Full bias disclosure: I will also readily acknowledge that from the moment I heard about Alexander's account, I desperately wanted to read it—and believe it. The reason is simple: The snippets to which I'd been exposed in interviews and reviews so closely mirrored an experience with my late husband less than a week before his actual death and a full two years before this book's publication. His eyes were I will acknowledge that I am rating and reviewing this little less than halfway through. Full bias disclosure: I will also readily acknowledge that from the moment I heard about Alexander's account, I desperately wanted to read it—and believe it. The reason is simple: The snippets to which I'd been exposed in interviews and reviews so closely mirrored an experience with my late husband less than a week before his actual death and a full two years before this book's publication. His eyes were closed and he was unresponsive for mere minutes, but when they opened with a look of awe, wonder and yet, pure love and serenity, I smiled and said, "Where were you?" and his immediate response was, "Heaven, I hope. It was beautiful. Love is all and all is love." And to my joyful tears, "And you are love, so you will always be with me." I already believed in an afterlife. I still do. Scientific or spiritual arguments won't change that. I also believe that in my human form I can't possibly know what it will be. But I do admit to seeking validation — and comfort — that what I imagine to be true just may be. And that one day I will be reunited with my love. As other reviewers have said, neither believers nor nonbelievers will be swayed by Alexander's account. Personally, I do find it more compelling that he, as a scientist, was not just skeptical, but absolutely dismissive of an afterlife before his experience. And just as this book is just one man's story, mine is just one woman's hope. ...moreNov 26, 2012
This was a hard book to get through because the author tried to prove through scientific method throughout that his experience was real. Important, but not your typical NDE book. I thought it had some invaluable insights to life and purpose. "How do we get closer to this genuine spiritual self? By manifesting love and compassion. Why? Because love and compassion are far more than the abstractions many of us believe them to be. They are real. They are concrete. And they make up the very fabric of This was a hard book to get through because the author tried to prove through scientific method throughout that his experience was real. Important, but not your typical NDE book. I thought it had some invaluable insights to life and purpose. "How do we get closer to this genuine spiritual self? By manifesting love and compassion. Why? Because love and compassion are far more than the abstractions many of us believe them to be. They are real. They are concrete. And they make up the very fabric of the spiritual realm." pg. 85. "One of the biggest mistakes people make when they think about God is to imagine God as impersonal. Yes, God is behind the numbers, the perfection of the universe that science measures and struggles to understand. But...Om is "human" as well-even MORE human than you and I are. Om understands and sympathizes with our human situation more porfoundly and personally than we can even imagine because Om knows what we have forgotten and undertands the terrible burden it is to live with amnesia of the Divine for even a moment." pg. 85-56. "Ultimately, none of us are orphans. We are all in the position I was, in that we have OTHER FAMILY: beings who are watching and looking out for us-beings we have momentarily forgotten, but who, if we open ourselves to their presence, are waiting to help us navigate our time here on earth. None of us are ever unloved. Each and every one of us is deeply known and cared for by a Creator who cherishes us beyond any ability we have to comprehend. That knowledge must no longer remain a secret." pgs. 95-96. Well stated and vitally important--if we can just keep that in perspective! ...moreDec 17, 2012
I read this book because I know these people in it. I worked at Lynchburg General during this time. I have read my share of books about the Afterlife and NDE's. Having said that, I do not believe that this book is like any of the others that I have read. I have seen a lot of very ill-tempered comments and reviews about this book many of which seem to seek to tear down the character or intent of the author. In my opinion, that is unfair and not a review of the book. I did not find anything wrong I read this book because I know these people in it. I worked at Lynchburg General during this time. I have read my share of books about the Afterlife and NDE's. Having said that, I do not believe that this book is like any of the others that I have read. I have seen a lot of very ill-tempered comments and reviews about this book many of which seem to seek to tear down the character or intent of the author. In my opinion, that is unfair and not a review of the book. I did not find anything wrong with it. I believe that Dr. Alexander only sought to tell his story. I do NOT believe that he intended to try and coax anyone into adopting his personal beliefs. If you want to see the thoughts of a Physician who experienced the strangest and most significant thing in his life and what conclusions he came to, then this is a great book. If you are not interested in a simple factual account of his experience or if you think he should add a lot of flash and trash to make the book more marketable then this is not for you. ...moreJul 01, 2013
I wanted to like this book but there were so many signs of improbability to the story I just couldn't do it. By the end of the book I was sure that the author and his editors were selling snake oil.Oct 26, 2012
Ever since I read this stinker, a book bent on manipulating you into Christianity, and not in proving an afterlife, I had been kind of keeping an eye out for a book that was a credible counterpart to it. I had heard stories of NDEs previous to reading Heaven is For Real, and new such credible cases did exist.Jan 02, 2013
This book is about a neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, who suffered an attack of E. Coli bacterial meningitis that resulted in temporary brain death, and a Near Death Experience (NDE). The overarching premise of the book is that based on his experience of the NDE that death is not the end, that heaven exists, and that he is a scientist and was a skeptic and therefore is qualified to scientifically analyze what happened to him in objective terms. Fair enough, game on.Aug 02, 2013
It is beautiful to witness the courage it would take for a scientist to publicly express his discovery of faith. No small feat. For believers, the book is a message of hope. For skeptics, its another object of ridicule. Regardless, it is a gift to a humanity that is struggling under the weight of its own ambitions, greed, and fear in an increasingly uncertain world.Nov 25, 2012
So I'm absolutely biased as I'm part of the Chapter 33 camp; It's a hobby of mine to read about quantum mechanics, string theory, consciousness etc. - I love it! Also, I've meditated, periodically, for over 15 years, which may explain my fascination with writings about consciousness. Anyway, biased as I may be, Dr. Alexander's book contains concise neuroscience, interspersed with his life story and details of his NDE. Appendix B is must read as it lists 9 hypotheses for alternate explanations of So I'm absolutely biased as I'm part of the Chapter 33 camp; It's a hobby of mine to read about quantum mechanics, string theory, consciousness etc. - I love it! Also, I've meditated, periodically, for over 15 years, which may explain my fascination with writings about consciousness. Anyway, biased as I may be, Dr. Alexander's book contains concise neuroscience, interspersed with his life story and details of his NDE. Appendix B is must read as it lists 9 hypotheses for alternate explanations of his experience, all of which he logically discounts (though 8 & 9 are probably the weakest). I did NOT, as some other reviewers did, find this to be overwhelmingly religious. Not at all. His mention of religion and the church seems to merely illustrate his own new understanding of the way in which religion tries to articulate something that is inarticulable. I'm not religious by any stretch, but I respect those who are. To worry over that part of his story misses the point of the book entirely. I give it a 5 star good read and recommend it to anyone with a curiosity on the subject. I suspect we will hear more from Dr. Alexander. ...moreFeb 15, 2013
Just started listening to the audio version of this book and am enjoying it so far. As a devout Christian, all I need do is attach the familiar religious labels I know to the author's experiences and it all fits together. I love his scientific view and indepth discussion of the brain. I studied neurology for a semester and found it be to very interesting as well as extremely difficult "matter".Oct 22, 2012
I was asked to read this in exchange for a free copy. What we have here is yet another person-this time a doctor- who wants his 15 minutes of glory by writing religious nonsense of some sort in hopes that the gullible, ignorant religious among us will fill his coffers with money while giving him the attention he craves. This reminds me much of the crap in Heaven is Real where a minister father sought to make up a passel of lies and attribute them to his little child. The only difference here is I was asked to read this in exchange for a free copy. What we have here is yet another person-this time a doctor- who wants his 15 minutes of glory by writing religious nonsense of some sort in hopes that the gullible, ignorant religious among us will fill his coffers with money while giving him the attention he craves. This reminds me much of the crap in Heaven is Real where a minister father sought to make up a passel of lies and attribute them to his little child. The only difference here is that no child is involved.Jan 08, 2013
A fascinating addition to the Near Death Experience stories. A previously very skeptical brain surgeon had a powerful NDE and clearly receives the message that a loving power forms the universe. The three main messages he received were 1) You are loved and cherished 2) You have nothing to fear and 3) There is nothing you can do wrong. These echoed thoughts I found in Anita Moorjani's book about her NDE titled Dying to be Me: "I no longer feared death, cancer, accidents or any of the myriad A fascinating addition to the Near Death Experience stories. A previously very skeptical brain surgeon had a powerful NDE and clearly receives the message that a loving power forms the universe. The three main messages he received were 1) You are loved and cherished 2) You have nothing to fear and 3) There is nothing you can do wrong. These echoed thoughts I found in Anita Moorjani's book about her NDE titled Dying to be Me: "I no longer feared death, cancer, accidents or any of the myriad things that used to concern me...I know that I - along with everyone else - am a powerful, magnificent, unconditionally loved, and loving force." And "...I wasn't judged for anything during my NDE. There was only compassion, and the love was unconditional."Jan 04, 2013
A year ago, I recommended the stellar book “Sum†(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...) to a relative of mine. This Christmas, they gave me “Proof of Heaven†as a gift. I can see why they may have thought I would have interest in both these books; they are both about the afterlife, and both written by neuroscientists. That is where the similarity ends. Whereas “Sum†is insightful, idea rich (what Neal Stephenson might call “Idea Pornâ€), endlessly creative, and deliberately presented as a A year ago, I recommended the stellar book “Sum†(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...) to a relative of mine. This Christmas, they gave me “Proof of Heaven†as a gift. I can see why they may have thought I would have interest in both these books; they are both about the afterlife, and both written by neuroscientists. That is where the similarity ends. Whereas “Sum†is insightful, idea rich (what Neal Stephenson might call “Idea Pornâ€), endlessly creative, and deliberately presented as a series of fictional thought experiments, “Proof of Heaven†is clichéd, stale, and laughingly presented as science. Whatever your philosophical or spiritual beliefs about the afterlife are, this book has almost nothing to contribute to your understanding of them. There are no new insights here, except that people can be wonderfully misled by their own thoughts and memories. Still, given the discussions that this book provokes, it is worth reading and discussing in some detail.Nov 10, 2012
I was so excited when I heard about this book from a friend. I am fascinated with people that have had NDE's. I was especially interested since this man is a scientist and doctor and didn't believe it when his patients told him what they saw in their own NDE. I did read many of the reviews before I purchased the book so I was aware that the author did not detail a lot of his actual experience and what he saw in Heaven, but I was still very excited to read it. The author describes his experience I was so excited when I heard about this book from a friend. I am fascinated with people that have had NDE's. I was especially interested since this man is a scientist and doctor and didn't believe it when his patients told him what they saw in their own NDE. I did read many of the reviews before I purchased the book so I was aware that the author did not detail a lot of his actual experience and what he saw in Heaven, but I was still very excited to read it. The author describes his experience in the Core, the Gateway and the realm of the earthworm's eye view. He did not explain what the Core or Gateway was. He used these words, but what exactly are they and where did he get those terms? He describes the first place he goes to as being in mud with blood and veins as if he were a worm in muck. That was confusing and strange. There was very little description or explanation of what he saw. I am glad to have read the book, happy that he is getting his message out, and I do believe him, but this book leaves the reader unsatisfied in my opinion. Anita Moorjani's "Dying To Be Me" was a better book for help from her heavenly visit. She gives more details and it is a better story all around. ...moreAug 22, 2014
This is the testimony of a neurosurgeon about an impending death experience during bacterial meningitis. He tells us what he saw, how he felt, his interpretation of the events, and finally the lessons he learned from them. I will not lie, I had a lot of trouble reading this book, as the title indicates, it is very religious. Not really being a believer, it was very difficult to stay focused, which does not prevent me from respecting the beliefs of the author, on the contrary.Aug 08, 2013
This book was compelling in many ways. First of all it moves along (except in a few chapters when the author gets a bit philosophical) with several subplots woven into the main story. Second it is well written, and I especially enjoyed hearing the author's voice on the recorded version of the book. Third, the author's description of his illness, coma and experiences while in coma were amazing. And it was fun to read about an atheist learning to believe there is more to life than our physical This book was compelling in many ways. First of all it moves along (except in a few chapters when the author gets a bit philosophical) with several subplots woven into the main story. Second it is well written, and I especially enjoyed hearing the author's voice on the recorded version of the book. Third, the author's description of his illness, coma and experiences while in coma were amazing. And it was fun to read about an atheist learning to believe there is more to life than our physical existence. An appendix is included where the author lists possible scientific ways his spiritual experiences could be explained non-spiritually. He disproves all of those explanations. However, I think he left out a main explanation of his experience--that there will be a way to explain his experience scientifically in the future. I personally believe that there is a Oneness where our spirits go after the body dies, and I doubt that an atheist would be swayed to become a believer after reading this book (and I doubt an atheist would be motivated to read the book). In any event, I think this is an important book to read.Nov 09, 2012
I am an avid reader and an exceptionally rare reviewer. But this book touched me deeply so I will offer my thoughts on the book: Perhaps it is because I desperately needed something positive and much larger than the incredibly divisive and engulfing 2012 election cycle that I gravitated to this book or that loss of loved ones has never been completely put to rest. I thoroughly enjoyed the balance that his science/medical background gave to his story. I, like the author, seem to have spent so I am an avid reader and an exceptionally rare reviewer. But this book touched me deeply so I will offer my thoughts on the book: Perhaps it is because I desperately needed something positive and much larger than the incredibly divisive and engulfing 2012 election cycle that I gravitated to this book or that loss of loved ones has never been completely put to rest. I thoroughly enjoyed the balance that his science/medical background gave to his story. I, like the author, seem to have spent so much of my life in waning faith. I found his compelling and credible story of great comfort. I hope to hold onto those threads of faith and weave a blanket in which I can wrap myself in and allow me personal growth and aid in becoming a more loving me. There are many reasons to pick up this book. The most simple is because it will make you feel good... And I don't know anyone that couldn't use some additional feel good in their life. ...moreDec 18, 2012
Proof of Heaven—do not let the title fool you that this is a Christian tome about streets of gold and pearly gates. Eben Alexander, M.D., a well-respected neurosurgeon, saw many medical cases in which patients claimed to have seen deceased loved ones or heaven. He dismissed them all as chemical processes in the brain—until he had his own near-death experience while in a seven-day coma. Alexander states that while in his coma his neo-cortex was non-functional. The only thing keeping his body Proof of Heaven—do not let the title fool you that this is a Christian tome about streets of gold and pearly gates. Eben Alexander, M.D., a well-respected neurosurgeon, saw many medical cases in which patients claimed to have seen deceased loved ones or heaven. He dismissed them all as chemical processes in the brain—until he had his own near-death experience while in a seven-day coma. Alexander states that while in his coma his neo-cortex was non-functional. The only thing keeping his body alive was his brain stem.Mar 25, 2013
Gobbled this book right down because the author's near-death experience isn't the most amazing part---it was his perfect credentials for influencing everyone's opinion about that experience!Take your time and choose the perfect book.
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