Eben Alexander (author)

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Eben Alexander III
Born (1953-12-11) December 11, 1953 (age 70)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(A.B., 1975)
Duke University School of Medicine
(M.D., 1980)
Occupation(s)Writer, neurosurgeon
Website www.ebenalexander.com

Eben Alexander III (born December 11, 1953) is an American neurosurgeon and author. His book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife (2012) describes his near-death experience that happened in 2008 during a coma due to bacterial meningitis. [1] He asserts that the coma resulted in brain death, that consciousness is not only a product of the brain and that it can go on to an afterlife.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Early life and education

Alexander was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. [2] He was adopted by Eben Alexander Jr and his wife Elizabeth West Alexander and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with three siblings. [3] [4] He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (A.B., 1975), and the Duke University School of Medicine (M.D., 1980). [5]

Medical career

Alexander has taught and had appointments at Duke University Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute et al. [5]

While practicing medicine in Lynchburg at the Lynchburg General Hospital, Alexander was reprimanded by the Virginia Board of Medicine for performing surgery incorrectly. In 2007, twice within a month, he operated on the wrong segment of patients’ spinal column. In one of the cases, Alexander did not initially reveal his mistake as he believed the surgery had been beneficial; even though it wasn't the intended operation. He was sued by the patient for damages totalling $3 million in August 2008. The case was dismissed by the plaintiff in 2009 without comment from an attorney. Due to these mistakes, Alexander temporarily lost his privileges at the hospital and was forced to pay a $3,500 fine to the Virginia Board of Medicine. Alexander completed ethics and professionalism training to maintain an unrestricted medical license in the state. [6]

By 2008, Alexander was clinical director of the Brain Program at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation in Charlottesville. [7]

Near-death experience

In November 2008, Alexander was suffering from bacterial meningitis inflaming his brain and spinal cord. [8] He was flailing and in seizure, therefore the doctors administered him sedatives to calm him down.

Writing career

Proof of Heaven

Alexander authored Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife in 2012. The book expounds on his near-death experience while suffering from a bacterial meningitis and under a coma. Alexander describes how the experience changed his perceptions of life and the afterlife.

The book was a commercial success but also was the subject of scientific criticism in relation to misconceptions about neurology, such as conflating medically induced coma with brain death. [5] [9] [10] A 2013 article in Esquire magazine refuted claims made in the book. [5] [9] The doctor who treated Alexander stated that certain details cannot be true, such as claims Alexander made about speaking clearly at times he would have been intubated.[ citation needed ] The Esquire article also reported that Alexander had been terminated or suspended from multiple hospital positions, and had been the subject of several malpractice lawsuits and that he settled five malpractice suits in Virginia within a period of ten years. [5] [11]

Among the discrepancies, was that Alexander had written the cause of his coma was bacterial meningitis, despite his doctor telling the reporter that he had been conscious and hallucinating before being placed in a medically induced coma. [5] [12] In a statement responding to the criticism, Alexander maintained that his representation of the experience was truthful and that he believed in the message contained in his book. He also claimed that the Esquire article "cherry-picked" information about his past to discredit his accounts of the event. [12]

Proof of Heaven was also criticized by scientists, including Sam Harris who described Alexander's NDE account on his blog as "alarmingly unscientific", and that claims of experiencing visions while his cerebral cortex was shut down demonstrated a failure to acknowledge existing brain science with little evidence prove otherwise. [13] Neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks agreed with Harris, and argued that Alexander had failed to recognize that the experience could have been the result of his cortex returning to full function at the outset of his coma, rather than a supernatural experience. [14] In 2012 Alexander responded to critics in a second Newsweek article, [15] where he said that he vividly remembers having periods of hallucination and explains that there was a massive difference between them and his 'fully immersive' visions of the afterlife. Alexander describes the hallucinations in his book, saying that they were disjointed and centred around both random events and his doctors. He then compares them to the "hyper-real" experience of the afterlife, and says they do not match up. He also made a prediction in his book that secular critics, which included himself before his coma, would attempt to discredit him and his experience without looking into it properly.

Alexander presented related lectures around the world in churches, hospitals, medical schools, and academic symposia, besides appearing on TV shows including Super Soul Sunday with Oprah Winfrey. [16] [17] Alexander has also expanded on his NDE in the Congress of Neurological Surgeons [18] and the peer-reviewed Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association . [19] [20] Proof of Heaven was included on The New York Times Best Seller list for 97 weeks. [21]

The Map of Heaven

Alexander's second book, The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife, was published in October 2014, where he again asserted the existence of an afterlife and that consciousness is independent of the brain. Alexander framed his observations with quotations from spiritual teachers and paired them with the recent work of scientists with the aim of bridging religion and science. [22] He cross-referenced spiritual experiences from readers and different religions to build his case on what heaven looked like. [22] The Map of Heaven was number 12 on the New York Times bestseller list during the week ending November 2, 2014. [23]

Living in a Mindful Universe

Alexander's third book, Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Heart of Consciousness, was coauthored with Karen Newell, cofounder of Sacred Acoustics and published in 2017.

Personal life

In 2000, Alexander located his birth parents but he was initially informed that his birth mother did not then wish to meet with him. [24] Later on his birth mother changed her mind and agreed to meet with him. In 2007, Alexander was finally able to meet with both his birth parents and his birth siblings. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coma</span> State of unconsciousness

A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. The person may experience respiratory and circulatory problems due to the body's inability to maintain normal bodily functions. People in a coma often require extensive medical care to maintain their health and prevent complications such as pneumonia or blood clots. Coma patients exhibit a complete absence of wakefulness and are unable to consciously feel, speak or move. Comas can be derived by natural causes, or can be medically induced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurosurgery</span> Medical specialty of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system.

Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viral meningitis</span> Medical condition

Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is a type of meningitis due to a viral infection. It results in inflammation of the meninges. Symptoms commonly include headache, fever, sensitivity to light and neck stiffness.

A vegetative state (VS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative state, the patient is classified as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). This diagnosis is classified as a permanent vegetative state some months after a non-traumatic brain injury or one year after a traumatic injury. The term unresponsive wakefulness syndrome may be alternatively used, as "vegetative state" has some negative connotations among the public.

James H. Austin is an American neurologist and author. He is the author of the book Zen and the Brain. It establishes links between the neurophysiology of the human brain and the practice of meditation, and won the Scientific and Medical Network Book Prize for 1998. He has written five sequels: Zen-Brain Reflections (2006), Selfless Insight (2009), Meditating Selflessly (2011), Zen-Brain Horizons (2014) and Living Zen Remindfully (2016).

<i>90 Minutes in Heaven</i> 2004 book by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey

90 Minutes in Heaven is a 2004 Christian book written by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. The book documents the author's death and resurrection experience in 1989. 90 Minutes in Heaven remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for more than five years and has sold over six million copies. The book has also been adapted into a feature-length film, released in theaters on September 11, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eben Alexander (educator)</span> American scholar and ambassador

Eben Alexander was an American scholar, educator, dean, and diplomat.

Pam Reynolds Lowery, from Atlanta, Georgia, was an American singer-songwriter. In 1991, at the age of 35, she stated that she had a near-death experience (NDE) during a brain operation performed by Robert F. Spetzler at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Reynolds was under close medical monitoring during the entire operation. During part of the operation she had no brain-wave activity and no blood flowing in her brain, which rendered her clinically dead. She claimed to have made several observations during the procedure which medical personnel reported to be accurate.

James Winston Watts was an American neurosurgeon, born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute as well as the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Watts is noteworthy for his professional partnership with the neurologist and psychiatrist Walter Freeman. The two became advocates and prolific practitioners of psychosurgery, specifically the lobotomy. Watts and Freeman wrote two books on lobotomies: Psychosurgery, Intelligence, Emotion and Social Behavior Following Prefrontal Lobotomy for Medical Disorders in 1942, and Psychosurgery in the Treatment of Mental Disorders and Intractable Pain in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurointensive care</span> Branch of medicine that deals with life-threatening diseases of the nervous system

Neurocritical care is a medical field that treats life-threatening diseases of the nervous system and identifies, prevents, and treats secondary brain injury.

Paul Bucy was an American neurosurgeon and neuropathologist who was a native of Hubbard, Iowa. He is known both for his part in describing the Klüver–Bucy syndrome, his academic life as a teacher in the neurosciences, and for his founding in 1972 and editing Surgical Neurology – An International Journal of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience from 1972 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meningitis</span> Inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord

Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasionally photophobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Laureys</span> Belgian neurologist (born 1968)

Steven Laureys is a Belgian neurologist. He is principally known as a clinician and researcher in the field of neurology of consciousness.

<i>Proof of Heaven</i> 2012 nonfiction book by Eben Alexander

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife is a 2012 New York Times bestselling nonfiction book and autobiographical book written by the American neurosurgeon Eben Alexander and published by Simon & Schuster. The book describes a near-death experience Alexander had while suffering from what should have been a fatal case of acute, gram-negative Escherichia coli bacterial meningitis, while on a ventilator and in a near death coma for one full week, with death eminently predicted by his medical experts - Alexander describes how the experience changed his perceptions of life and the afterlife. The book was a commercial success but also was the subject of scientific criticism in relation to misconceptions about neurology, like relating to medically induced coma as brain death.

<i>The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven</i> Book by Kevin and Alex Malarkey

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven: A True Story is a best-selling 2010 Christian book that purported to tell the story of Alex Malarkey's experiences in heaven after a traffic accident in 2004. It was published by Tyndale House Publishers in 2010. Alex's father Kevin Malarkey is credited as a co-author along with Alex, although Kevin holds sole copyright. Alex later admitted in writing the story was made up and he never went to heaven. The book was then pulled from publication by its publisher. The book was a commercial success, selling over a million copies. It was adapted into a television film in March 2010.

Eben Alexander Jr (1913–2004) was an American academic neurosurgeon and a native of Knoxville, Tennessee. He is known for his notable education and training of neurosurgeons, his many recognition awards, and for his editorship of Surgical Neurology — An International Journal of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience from 1987 to 1994.

Anita Moorjani is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller, Dying to be Me.

<i>Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion</i> 2014 book by Sam Harris

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion is a 2014 book by Sam Harris that discusses a wide range of topics including secular spirituality, the illusion of the self, psychedelics, and meditation. He attempts to show that a certain form of spirituality is integral to understanding the nature of the mind. In late September 2014, the book reached #5 on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers list.

Jeffrey Long is an American author and researcher into the phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs). A physician by training, Long practices radiation oncology at a hospital in Kentucky. Long is the author of Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences, which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. In 1998, he founded the Near Death Experience Research Foundation, which is concerned with documenting and researching NDEs.

Subramanian Kalyanaraman is an Indian neurosurgeon and a former head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. He was known for his pioneering techniques in stereotactic surgery and is an elected fellow of a number of science and medical academies including the National Academy of Medical Sciences and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Medical Sciences in 1969.

References

  1. ↑ Greyson, Bruce (September 2018). "Full Neurological Recovery From Escherichia coli Meningitis Associated with Near-Death Experience" (PDF). The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease . "His medical records suggest that his coma was not drug-induced, as his brain function and level of consciousness were clearly impaired and on a downward trajectory before sedation and started to improve before sedation was discontinued."
  2. ↑ Burkhart, Jesse (December 5, 2012). "Best-seller 'Proof of Heaven' author remembers Winston-Salem roots". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Renowned Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander Dies at 91". Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ Washburn, Mark. "'Proof of Heaven' author discusses his adoption at the Westin uptown". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dittrich, Luke (August 2013). "The Prophet: An Investigation of Eben Alexander, Author of the Blockbuster "Proof of Heaven"". Esquire . New York City: Hearst Communications, Inc. pp. 88–95, 125–126, 128. Page 95: "On August 6, 2008, the patient filed a $3 million lawsuit against Alexander, accusing him of negligence, battery, spoliation, and fraud. The purported cover-up, the changes Alexander had made to the surgical report, was a major aspect of the suit. Once again, a lawyer was accusing Alexander of altering the historical record when the historical record didn't fit the story he wanted to tell."
  6. ↑ Thompson, Dave (July 28, 2013). "Neurosurgeon reprimanded by state board". The News & Advance. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ storyware (August 22, 2009). "Landmark Progress in Noninvasive Treatment of Brain Disorders". Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ "To Do No Harm | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Harris, Sam (October 12, 2012). "This Must Be Heaven" . Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ Sacks, Oliver, "Seeing God in the Third Millennium", The Atlantic Monthly (December 12, 2012).
  11. ↑ Jarrett, Christian (December 27, 2013). "Butterfly-riding Neurosurgeon Hits Turbulence". Wired. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Jeff Bercovici. "Esquire Unearths 'Proof of Heaven' Author's Credibility Problems". Forbes . Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  13. ↑ Harris, Sam (October 12, 2012). "This Must Be Heaven" . Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Sacks, Oliver, "Seeing God in the Third Millennium", The Atlantic Monthly (December 12, 2012).
  15. ↑ Eben Alexander (November 18, 2012). "The Science of Heaven". Newsweek. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  16. ↑ Ingrid Peschke (October 24, 2013). "Dr. Eben Alexander Says It's Time for Brain Science to Graduate From Kindergarten". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Dr. Eben Alexander Shares What God Looks Like". OWN TV. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  18. ↑ Alexander, Eben (April 15, 2016). "Becoming Conscious: A Neurosurgeon Discusses his Transformational Experience". Congress of Neurological Surgeons (Spring 2016).
  19. ↑ Alexander, Eben (2015). "Near Death Experiences, the Mind-Body Debate & the Nature of Reality". The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. 112 (January/February 2015): 17–21. PMC   6170087 . PMID   25812265.
  20. ↑ Alexander, Eben (2015). "Near Death Experiences: The Last Word". The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. 112 (July/August 2015): 275–282. PMC   6170063 . PMID   26455057.
  21. ↑ "Best Sellers". Paperback Nonfiction. The New York Times. September 21, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  22. 1 2 Pearson, Patricia (October 8, 2014). "Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  23. ↑ "New York Times". New York Times. November 2, 2014.
  24. ↑ Burkhart, Jesse (December 5, 2012). "Best-Seller 'Proof of Heaven' Author Remembers Winston-Salem Roots". Journalnow.com (Winston-Salem Journal).
  25. ↑ Washburn, Mark. "'Proof of Heaven' Author Discusses His Adoption at the Westin Uptown". Charlotte Observer.com.
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