Eben Alexander (author)

This article is about the neurosurgeon and author. For his great-grandfather, see Eben Alexander (educator).

Eben Alexander III
Born	(1953-12-11) December 11, 1953 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American
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 2008 near-death experience and asserts that science can and will determine that the brain does not create consciousness and that consciousness survives bodily death. Alexander is also the author of the 2014 book The Map of Heaven which builds on the claims in his previous book, and coauthor of the 2017 book Living in a Mindful Universe which describes his personal journey since 2008.

Early life and education

Alexander was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was adopted by Eben Alexander Jr and his wife Elizabeth West Alexander and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with three siblings. 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).

Medical career

Alexander has taught and had appointments at Duke University Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 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.

While practicing medicine in Lynchburg at the Lynchburg General Hospital, Alexander was reprimanded by the Virginia Board of Medicine for performing surgery at an incorrect surgical site, two times over the course of a month. In one instance, Alexander altered his operative report because he believed the surgery had diminished the patient's symptoms. He was sued by the patient for damages totaling $3 million in August 2008, but the case was dismissed by the plaintiff in 2009. As a result of the mishaps, Alexander lost his privileges at the hospital and was forced to pay a $3,500 fine to the Virginia Board of Medicine and complete ethics and professionalism training to maintain an unrestricted medical license in the state.

Following the release of his 2012 book Proof of Heaven, Esquire magazine 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.

Writing career

Proof of Heaven

In 2012, Alexander authored a semi-autobiographical book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, in which he asserted that his self-experience of out of body and near-death experience (NDE), while in a meningitis-induced coma in 2008, suggested that consciousness is independent of the brain and that death is a transition phase into another realm. Alexander said in a New York Times interview that he had preferred a title of "An N of One" (a medical trial size of one patient) instead of "Proof of Heaven". He said, believers in heaven were not happy with the title because, "This is not scientific proof."

Alexander's book was excerpted in a Newsweek magazine cover story in October 2012. Alexander provided a slightly more technical account of the events described in his book in an article, "My Experience in Coma", in AANS Neurosurgeon, the trade publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Since the release of the book, he has presented hundreds of lectures around the world in churches, hospitals, medical schools, and academic symposia, besides appearing on TV shows including Super Soul Sunday with Oprah Winfrey. Alexander has also expanded on his NDE in the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the peer-reviewed Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association.

Proof of Heaven was included on The New York Times Best Seller list for 97 weeks.

Criticism and reaction to Proof

In a 2013 investigation of Alexander's story and medical background, Esquire found what it said were discrepancies with regard to Alexander's version of events in the book. 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. 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 argued that the Esquire article "cherry-picked" information about his past to discredit his accounts of the event. A review of his medical records published in the The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease suggested that his coma was not drug-induced and that Alexander's description of his experience was consistent with other near-death experiences rather than a dream or hallucination.

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. 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. In 2012 Alexander responded to critics in a second Newsweek article, 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.

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. He cross-referenced spiritual experiences from readers and different religions to build his case on what heaven looked like. The Map of Heaven was number 12 on the New York Times bestseller list during the week ending November 2, 2014.

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. Published in 2017, the book discusses attempts to understand the true nature of consciousness backed by scientific findings and cultivating a state of harmony with the universe and our higher purpose. The authors also discuss awareness of spiritual realms and developing experience that leads to profound understanding for a more harmonious and peaceful world.

Personal life

In 2000, Alexander located his birth parents but learned his birth mother did not want to meet him. His birth mother eventually changed her mind and Alexander met his birth parents and siblings in 2007.

External links

• Official website