First Published in New Age Consciousness on Medium

Dr Eben Alexander is an American neurosurgeon. He was a staunch atheist, who believed that NDEs were the result of oxygen being restricted in the brains of people who were near death. This changed when he experienced such an event himself and was rushed to hospital. He was suffering from a rare form of E-coli bacterial infection to the brain that left him in a coma and fighting for life.

He wasn’t expected to live, as the bacteria were eating his brain. If he recovered, doctors said that he would be in a vegetative state. Discussions were in progress about whether to turn off his life support, as his cerebral cortex was no longer functioning. Then, after seven days he opened his eyes and recounted a remarkable story.

The Doctor’s Consciousness Went On A Journey

Dr. Alexander, as he lay without a functioning cerebral cortex, had the adventure of a lifetime. He saw strange beings that he knew were from a higher plane of life. “There was a sound, a low booming noise that felt like an expression of joy. The noise was tangible, and I knew the beings were making it.”

He felt, rather than sensed, the things that were happening. There was a young woman floating along next to him. They were riding on a carpet and they were surrounded by multitudes of butterflies with intense, iridescent colors that were “out of this earth”. He felt, rather than heard, the woman speaking words of pure love that had nothing to do with romantic or erotic notions.”You are loved and cherished forever. We have nothing to fear. You can do no wrong.“

Communication took place via a form of telepathy and questions were answered instantaneously. He didn’t want to leave this place of love and protection but it was intimated that he had to come back to earth. For the first time, he felt a profound sense of relief. It wasn’t his time yet to leave.

Doctor Alexander Is A Very Changed Member of the Medical Profession

This doctor is just one example of a sceptic who has been challenged and transformed by experiencing a Near Death Event. When Dr Alexander opened his eyes, the meningitis had gone and his cortex functioned normally. You can imagine how difficult it was for this renowned doctor to reconcile his NDE experience with his training, and to share his experience with his medical colleagues in the very hospital where he worked and where he had been treated.

Conventional medical science tells us that no one can experience or dream while their brain is switched off. Dr. Alexander knows differently. He has written a book about his adventure, as he calls it: Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. His views of life, death, and consciousness have changed forever.

How Many Others Are There?

Other well-known people who have experienced NDEs claim that they are changed forever by the experience. Dr Mary Neal is an orthopaedic surgeon who, in 1999, recovered from a waterfall accident that should have killed her.

Dr. Peter Fenwick is an English neuropsychiatrist, whose story departs from the norm, since he did not personally experience an NDE. His beliefs were radically changed when he read Raymond Moody‘s book Life After Life. Initially skeptical of Moody’s anecdotal evidence, Fenwick reassessed his opinion after a discussion with one of his own patients, who described a near-death experience very similar to that of Moody’s subjects. Since then, he has collected and analysed more than 300 examples of near-death experiences. His research has shown that consciousness is not solely located in the brain, but appears to come from the outside as well.

In fact, there are millions of people having these experiences, many of them now being recorded through hypnosis. Amazingly, all of these accounts, when discovered under hypnosis, have many similar traits and aspects.

Researchers of Near Death Events

Researchers of NDEs have been working for decades on the phenomenon. One such person is Dr Michael Newton, who was head of the Michael Newton Institute until his death in 2021. Through over 30 years of research via the eyes of 7000 clients he was able to map a working model of the spirit world. Known as a pioneer of afterlife exploration, his dedicated research has led to insight into our Life Between Lives (LBL) as presented in his books Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls.

Dr. Raymond Moody is thought to be the founding father of Near Death research. His book, Life After Life, published in 1975, first got me interested in the subject. Other writers include Helen Wambach, Reliving Past Lives, Dr. Grayson’s After, Dr. Brian Weiss’s Many Lives, Many Masters, and Michael Newton’s books.

Explanations From Medical Materialists Refuted by Those Who Experience NDEs

Consciousness ends with the death of the body = No, it continues in some form afterwards, coming in part from the outside

Lack of oxygen to the brain causes these experiences = People are conscious on some level and remember details of their dying experience

This could be from brain damage = Brain damage recovers mysteriously after these experiences

Hallucinations as one nears death = People are more and more lucid, according to hypnotists, as they come closer and closer to the point of physical death

If You Want to Go Further

Hook up with a hypnotist or a recommended professional who is working in this field. Read some books on the topic. Refer to online accounts, such as Quora podcaster, author and film director, Richard Martini‘s experiences and ongoing research.

He states that ‘we exist prior to incarnation, we plan our lifetimes with the help of and guidance of teachers, guides and council members. We bring only a portion of our conscious energy to a lifetime and the rest stays home. That “home portion” is accessible to anyone by bypassing the filters on the brain that block information not conducive to survival.’ (Hacking the Afterlife, on Quora)

Much of the evidence for these beliefs is based on thousands of hypnotised regressed patients who all talk of similar experiences of The Afterlife.