# Proof Of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into The Afterlife with Dr. Eben Alexander III ![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QOSb3G53HsA/maxresdefault.jpg) ## Intro [(00:00:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=0s) - The video is an interview with Dr. [[Eben Alexander (author) | Eben Alexander]], author of the book "[[Proof of Heaven | Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into The Afterlife]]". [(00:00:18)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=18s) - Dr. Alexander's book, which details his own [[Near-death experience | near-death experience]] (NDE), reached the number one spot on the New York Times Best Seller list. [(00:00:30)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=30s) - Dr. Alexander began researching NDEs, including his own unusual experience, after he had already written down his own experiences. [(00:01:24)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=84s) ## Ebens background [(00:01:40)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=100s) - The speaker was raised in a scientific family, his father being an academic [[Neurosurgery | neurosurgeon]] who instilled in him a strong belief in science as the way to truth. [(00:02:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=120s) - He studied chemistry, then attended [[Duke University School of Medicine | Duke Medical School]], followed by neurosurgical training at Duke and [[Harvard University | Harvard]]. [(00:02:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=132s) - He spent 15 years on the faculty of [[Harvard Medical School]] at Brigham and Women's and Children's hospitals, believing he understood how the brain, mind, and consciousness worked. [(00:02:18)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=138s) ## A week in a coma [(00:04:45)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=285s) - The duration of the [[Near-death experience | near-death experience]] felt like years, even though the coma lasted for a week. [(00:05:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=331s) - The experience unfolded primarily during the deepest part of the coma, with some connections to earthly events occurring around the fifth, sixth, and seventh days. [(00:06:03)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=363s) - The severity of the meningitis resulted in the loss of personal memories, which contributed to a clearer understanding of the profound nature of near-death experiences. [(00:06:58)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=418s) ## A new level of consciousness [(00:07:30)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=450s) - Meningitis likely caused a complete shutdown of the speaker's neocortex, the part of the brain responsible for human consciousness, memory, and sensory experiences. [(00:08:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=505s) - The speaker believes the profound, interactive experiences during their coma should have been impossible with a non-functioning neocortex, leading them to conclude the experience was not a product of their brain. [(00:09:06)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=546s) - The speaker posits their experience demonstrates consciousness exists independently of the brain and suggests the eternal nature of the human spirit and soul. [(00:10:32)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=632s) ## The most compelling evidence [(00:10:40)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=640s) - The speaker's physicians were unable to determine the cause of his bacterial meningitis, which is a very rare disease, particularly in adults with no underlying medical conditions. [(00:11:27)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=687s) - The speaker's condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to a coma within hours of the onset of symptoms. [(00:11:43)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=703s) - Based on the speaker's medical history and lack of response to antibiotics, his chance of survival was estimated to be around 2%, with no expectation of neurological recovery. [(00:12:15)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=735s) ## The purpose of the story [(00:12:30)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=750s) - The speaker initially planned to write a neuroscientific report explaining how the experience of ultra-reality was possible with no brain activity. [(00:14:09)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=849s) - The speaker's son advised him to write down everything he remembered without consulting any external sources, leading him to spend six weeks documenting his experience. [(00:14:29)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=869s) - The speaker believes his experience, along with similar ones, points to a reality more real than the earthly realm, challenging the materialist view of life and death. [(00:15:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=917s) ## Credentials [(00:16:35)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=995s) - People find his background as a [[Neurosurgery | neurosurgeon]] lends credibility to his claims about the afterlife. [(00:16:41)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1001s) - He believes the most valuable aspect of [[Near-death experience | near-death experience]] accounts is the love expressed by those who have returned from that realm. [(00:17:39)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1059s) - He claims that although he didn't remember his neurosurgical knowledge when he woke up, his experience during his coma helped him to confirm his own experience through reading other near-death experience accounts. [(00:18:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1092s) ## Skeptics [(00:18:40)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1120s) - Some people are more receptive to hearing about near-death experiences from people who are not scientists. [(00:19:06)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1146s) - It is important to approach discussions about near-death experiences with an open mind and healthy skepticism to determine the truth. [(00:19:58)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1198s) - Understanding consciousness is a complex issue, and neuroscientists had to learn a significant amount about it, including the hard problem of consciousness and the enigma of quantum mechanics interpretation. [(00:21:09)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1269s) ## People love stories [(00:22:55)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1375s) - Humans enjoy and are captivated by stories. [(00:22:55)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1375s) - It is impossible to perfectly recount events in chronological order, but it is a necessary human construct. [(00:23:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1392s) - The speaker will attempt to arrange events chronologically, as was done when writing their book. [(00:23:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1397s) ## Where did it start [(00:23:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1405s) - The speaker's first awareness during a coma was a monotonous realm devoid of personal memories, resembling a "boiling mud" with occasional grotesque animal faces. [(00:23:36)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1416s) - A spinning white light with a beautiful melody appeared, opening a portal to a verdant valley where the speaker, as a speck on a butterfly, flew amidst other butterflies, flowers, and dancing figures. [(00:24:20)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1460s) - A girl on the butterfly communicated telepathically that the speaker was loved and cherished, followed by a warm breeze that felt like a divine, all-loving creator. [(00:26:19)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1579s) ## Floating in the butterfly wing [(00:31:40)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1900s) - The afterlife realm is a real place that is more fundamental than the Earthly reality. [(00:33:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=1992s) - Consciousness is not a product of the brain, but rather exists independently of it. [(00:33:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2011s) - The brain acts as a filter that limits our awareness of the spiritual realm. [(00:33:42)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2022s) ## The Butterfly Experience [(00:36:10)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2170s) - The speaker recounts a vivid memory from a [[Near-death experience | near-death experience]], emphasizing its literal nature and dismissing interpretations of it as metaphorical. [(00:36:18)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2178s) - The speaker acknowledges skepticism surrounding the experience but maintains its authenticity, revealing that the book contains a condensed version of the story, with omitted details shared in presentations and a subsequent book. [(00:36:40)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2200s) - The speaker draws parallels between their experience and the works of [[Elisabeth Kübler-Ross]], citing her observations of butterflies carved by children in concentration camps and accounts of "butterfly angels" during the [[Joplin, Missouri | Joplin]] tornado as evidence supporting the significance of butterflies in the afterlife. [(00:38:03)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2283s) ## Free Will [(00:40:05)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2405s) - Evil in the world makes human free will possible. [(00:40:18)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2418s) - God's unconditional love for every person is beyond human imagination. [(00:41:19)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2479s) - Belief in [[God]] allows humans to feel the power of that belief and manifest it as reality. [(00:41:49)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2509s) ## Hell [(00:42:55)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2575s) - People who inflict pain and suffering on others will experience that same pain and agony in the afterlife during their life review. [(00:43:41)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2621s) - There is no eternal damnation as depicted in traditional [[Christianity]] because God is seen as too loving and perfect to allow for it. [(00:44:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2657s) - Hardships, challenges, diseases, and illnesses are viewed as opportunities for the soul's growth and learning. [(00:44:54)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2694s) ## Leaving The Core [(00:46:13)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2773s) - The speaker describes being taught many things in the core but then being sent back to a previous state without warning. [(00:46:38)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2798s) - The speaker describes being brought back from this previous state by the prayers of others. [(00:48:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=2911s) - The speaker states that prayer has tremendous power and is comforting to the soul being prayed for. [(00:50:39)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=3039s) ## Spoiler Alert [(00:53:35)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=3215s) - The speaker was adopted and reunited with his biological family after his son researched their family history. [(00:54:22)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=3262s) - The speaker believes the girl on the butterfly wing in his experience was his biological sister, Betsy, who died in 1998. [(00:58:15)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=3495s) - The speaker believes that consciousness is eternal and independent of the brain, and that the true purpose of life is spiritual. [(01:00:45)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA&t=3645s)