It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.

Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.

Thank you.

 

Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.

 

Harvard Neurosurgeon Confirms The Afterlife Exists

page: 1
53
<<   2  3  4 >>

log in

join
share:
+37 more 
posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 02:04 AM
link   
What a great article this is!

I shall get to my personal views at the end of the information I would like to share from the article.
Harvard Neurosurgeon confirms the afterlife exists.



Before his experience, he did not believe existence of a non-physical spirit. Trained in western medical school and surrounded by medical colleagues who are deeply invested in the materialism view of the universe, he thought that the idea of a soul was outlandish. Like most “skeptics”, he believed stories of the afterlife to be hallucinations or products of the human imagination.

Dr. Alexander changed his mind after he was in a coma for seven days caused by severe bacterial meningitis. During his coma he experienced a vivid journey into what he knew to be the afterlife, visiting both heavenly and not so heavenly realms.


I know that usually people dismiss the notion of near death experiences as simply being hallucinatory states that the mind creates however this neurosurgeon refutes this standard claim in a few different ways.


1. A primitive brainstem program to ease terminal pain and suffering (“evolutionary argument” – possibly as a remnant of feigned-death strategies from lower mammals?). This did not explain the robust, richly interactive nature of the recollections. - See more at: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com...



2. The distorted recall of memories from deeper parts of the limbic system (for example, the lateral amygdala) that have enough overlying brain to be relatively protected from the meningitic inflammation, which occurs mainly at the brain’s surface. This did not explain the robust, richly interactive nature of the recollections. - See more at: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com...



3. '___' dump. '___', a naturally occurring serotonin agonist causes vivid hallucinations and a dream-like state. I am personally familiar with drug experiences related to serotonin agonist/antagonists ('___') from my teen years in the early 70s. I have had no personal experience with '___' but have seen patients under its influence. The rich ultra-reality would still require fairly intact auditory and visual neocortex as target regions in which to generate such a rich audiovisual experience as I had in a coma. Prolonged coma due to bacterial meningitis had badly damaged my neocortex, which is where all of the serotonin from the raphe nuclei in my brainstem (or '___', a serotonin agonist) would have had effects on visual/auditory experiences. But my cortex was off, and the '___' would have no place in the brain to act. - See more at: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com...



4. A reboot phenomenon – a random dump of bizarre dis-jointed memories due to old memories in the damaged neocortex, which might occur on restarting the cortex into consciousness after a prolonged system-wide failure, as in my diffuse meningitis. Especially given the intricacies of my elaborate recollections, this seems most unlikely. - See more at: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com...



5. Unusual memory generation through an archaic visual pathway through the midbrain, prominently used in birds but only rarely identifiable in humans. It can be demonstrated in humans who are cortically blind, due to occipital cortex. It provided no clue as to the ultra-reality I witnessed and failed to explain the auditory-visual interleaving. - See more at: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com...


Here is an interview contained within the article of Dr. Eben Alexander describing his experience.





To me the statement "life is school for the soul" is an wonderfully succinct description of my views. Ever since I was about 4 and I learned that when I breathe I give life to the trees and that when they breathe they give life to me, I understood there to be an intelligence behind the reality I was experiencing.

I remember going to Lutheran school and questioning why I had to. I did not understand the message that they were attempting to relay to me and my mother agreed. She told me that she felt connection to the earth and the animals and this is where she found god. I agreed wholeheartedly.

As I have grown I have come to learn that there is good reason for people to mock the religions that teach fear of god. It is absurd and an age old method of controlling the minds of the masses. I have learned from my own experiences that we are divine beings that are playing a game in which we forgot who and what we are, this to me implies that the greatest of jokes is being played out by the devoted Atheists!

All in all as we progress in all other aspects of our existence we shall inevitably come back to our connection with our spirits. We are seeing the destructive tendencies of a humanity that has lost this, resulting in hubris and greed and a disconnect from our own environment. These kind of NDE's are here to remind us that we are much more than just our physical form!


edit on America/ChicagoFridayAmerica/Chicago03America/Chicago331amFriday3 by elementalgrove because: (no reason given)


+4 more 
posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 02:22 AM
link   
my kneejerk reaction is to immediate set in and debunk, show how his thinking and hypothesis is flawed, etc.
and I will in a minute, but first it reminds me of something else..

Many a years ago, I enjoyed chatting on a religious debate channel on IRC.
It was a heavily moderated respectful channel that allowed debate under guidelines (basically dont be an ass, make actual debates verses just mock).

Atheists and Theists were actually friends in there and sure, things could occasionally get heated, but we got to know each other. One person in particular struck me as interesting. a jewish guy who worked on neural networks and robotics. professor, etc. he was an atheist until he had a nde.
this was a intelligent man. by intelligent, I am talking mensa level intellectual powerhouse, and he went from atheist to adopting a religion
although he said the religion he adopted wasn't accurate, he chose it because there was some similarities, but it was what he found to be a qualifying respect he gained.

I discussed potential reasons for his NDE, such as oxygen issues, chemical reactions, etc..and he understood that it is possible this was the answer, but in his mind, after considering every possible scenario, he was sure in his mind that what happened was a real event, and said he is far more convinced that sitting at his desk typing is the illusion. it felt far more real, he seen the body, etc etc..basically he woke up for a minute and had clarity and sense of self..
he was my superior by leagues intellectually, and could quote darwins theory of evolution to me, and do circles around my personal skepticism, and he became a believer based on a experience.
..that always stuck with me. Normally I dismiss a lot of people, especially online, but he was one of those few stories you hear and truely do wonder.

That mixed with my personal subjective "proofs" (ghost stories), I truly do wonder what is going on. I mean, who knows. I do wish there was that one irrefutable evidence given to the world, but then again, imagine if it was proven without a doubt there was more after life...it would be a disaster no matter what. perhaps if there is truly something after, it has to remain officially hidden, but not fully..just forever enough to keep wondering, but also not enough to state matter of factly..

now, off to read this article (which I feel I read before)



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 02:40 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX

SaturnFX thank you kindly for contributing to this thread with your take on NDE.

I appreciate your perspective given that you seem to be a person of intelligence based solely upon your open mind! I see there no reason for atheists and theists to have any kind of hostility in any way shape or form. We are all existing in a world that is full of mystery. We are all doing our best given the experiences we have had to figure out exactly what it is that is going on.

I have always found the ritual use of certain substances in order to experience mystical states of consciousness a form of research. It crosses all cultures and there are a myriad of different methods experimented with. Once I learned that our brains produce one of the most potent of these substances, usually at birth and death, my belief in life after death was solidified.

With science we are beginning to get to a place that is nothing short of miraculous and also worrying from certain perspectives. There is the notion that man is an animal and nothing more. We look around the world today and there is ample evidence to point to that would verify this. Yet there is the other more simple perspective of cultures that live close to nature and honor it as the embodiment of the divine as it is.

From my humble view, we need to have serious discourse about spirituality. Fortunately this appears to be happening in areas that are scientifically studying the use of substances used throughout human history in within the organization of MAPS.

Doing amazing work!!

I would also like to introduce you to a man named Stanislav Grof, he has pioneered research in this field for over the past 50 years and him and his wife developed a method of elucidating these experiences through breath work called Holotropic Breathwork.

Stanislav Grof, highly recommend his books!



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 02:46 AM
link   
a reply to: elementalgrove

I have Dr Alexander's Proof of Heaven book, which I must admit I didn't ever read all the way through. I kinda gave up when he started sounding too religious. But I will say that when neuroscientists put forward their case for an afterlife it does add a lot of weight to the evidence even though it is still anecdotal.
I must have another try at reading it..thank you for reminding me about this.


"I must give up what I am, in order to become what I must be "



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:02 AM
link   

originally posted by: elementalgrove
your open mind!

a open mind is the only way knowledge enters..but you gotta be open for all possibilities, however, a good filter is needed also...gotta weed out the garbage


I see there no reason for atheists and theists to have any kind of hostility in any way shape or form.

Actually a NDE discussion, afterlife, etc isn't technically part of an atheists view for or against...atheism is (meant to be) simply a non-belief in a deity/s...thats it. no official stances on aliens, ghosts, wizards, afterlife, etc..
you will find a lot of atheists are skeptics also, and plenty of skeptics are cynics.
I am an atheist (agnostic variety) and somewhat of a skeptic..never a cynic. I want to explore new ideas and entertain random hypothesis


I have always found the ritual use of certain substances in order to experience mystical states of consciousness a form of research.

Yeah, thats a no go. Dont get me wrong, I was a teen also, but the reality of the situation is that you're just messing up your senses / scrambling your brain and any experiences you have are purely synthetic.
if you are seeking truth, you need your wit about you, not a chemical cocktail going on in your brain.


From my humble view, we need to have serious discourse about spirituality.

I kinda disagree
We need better tools to collect evidence first off..once we have strong evidence..objective evidence demonstrating supernatural / extradimensional / whatever it is, then we can start discussing the why..for now, its simply not there to have a rational discussion on. Thats how religions start. people fill in random bs when there is no evidence, and then everyone gets stabby once disagreements start.
We done need more religions and cults..we need commonsense methods on making better tools to sense and measure the odd things in our reality. full spectrum cameras and the like built into smartphones is a nice start.


Holotropic Breathwork.

lay off the drugs man. this is a guy who simply is inducing hyperventilation to create oxygen deprivation in the brain
this isn't exploring the cosmos..its just killing your braincells
hitting your head with a hammer a few times will also give you equal "enlightenment".

I recommend meditation..and clean up before you do perm damage already.



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:05 AM
link   
I don't know what to think because I have never experienced it. It is like God...you can read all you want and make any conclusions based on everything available to study. The thing is, until you have a personal experience with God, you can't really "know." I will read the full article and probably reply more. S+ F until I get a few minutes! Thanks for the cool link!



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:07 AM
link   
a reply to: elementalgrove

its interesting that in this age we need a neurosurgeon to confirm what most of us already know...

Deep inside we all know this life isn't the end of the line... We've always known it, yet many choose to deny

As we progress in our understanding it will become more clear to everyone.... and eventually we will have "physical" proof... its only a matter of time


edit on 25-3-2016 by Akragon because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:08 AM
link   

originally posted by: cosmickat
a reply to: elementalgrove

I have Dr Alexander's Proof of Heaven book, which I must admit I didn't ever read all the way through. I kinda gave up when he started sounding too religious. But I will say that when neuroscientists put forward their case for an afterlife it does add a lot of weight to the evidence even though it is still anecdotal.
I must have another try at reading it..thank you for reminding me about this.


"I must give up what I am, in order to become what I must be "


It may be anecdotal however it does seem to permeate across the various cultures that have explored these altered states of consciousness. I believe I shall be taking a look at his book as well.

Love the quote by the way!



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:08 AM
link   

originally posted by: cosmickat
a reply to: elementalgrove

I have Dr Alexander's Proof of Heaven book, which I must admit I didn't ever read all the way through. I kinda gave up when he started sounding too religious. But I will say that when neuroscientists put forward their case for an afterlife it does add a lot of weight to the evidence even though it is still anecdotal.
I must have another try at reading it..thank you for reminding me about this.


"I must give up what I am, in order to become what I must be "


So, one thing in the whole spirituality 101 thing is that people experience what they expect.
This neurosurgeon guy may have been a bit of an atheist, but before he was, he was religious. he discusses how he had religion but when he became a doc, it sort of ebbed away from him..simply from learning about the brain and such, natural.
So then he had a nde
now, regardless of what may have really happened, what he believed was happening was..he was experiencing a afterlife..and so, pulling from his expectations from a earlier life, no doubt he would start seeing symbols of his belief
If he was buddist, he would probably have met krishna, or if he was muslim, muhammed, etc..that kind of thing.
It was his reference point of such subject matter.
So..I guess if he is telling the truth to the best of his ability, and something truly did happen to him outside of just the last dance of a dying brain, it still doesn't mean its the truth..just his perception and perhaps desired view of it all.
Same with people who say they experienced hell. programming.



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:12 AM
link   

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: elementalgrove

its interesting that in this age we need a neurosurgeon to confirm what most of us already know...

I never met anyone who "know" we exist after body death. many believe deeply.



Deep inside we all know this life isn't the end of the line... We've always known it, yet many choose to deny

I think the word you are seeking is hope, not know
explain it..how does it make any sense. it doesn't. there is no relatable context


eventually we will have "physical" proof... its only a matter of time


Would be great, but until that time, its just a hope..a wish..a belief.

Some people however do have subjective evidence that can be quite convincing no doubt..but even they dont..!!know!!



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:15 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX


I never met anyone who "know" we exist after body death. many believe deeply.


Well this isn't in person... but you just did...

Hows it goin?


I think the word you are seeking is hope, not know
explain it..how does it make any sense. it doesn't. there is no relatable context



Nah... hope still leaves doubt

There is no need for hope when it is already a reality


Would be great, but until that time, its just a hope..a wish..a belief.

Some people however do have subjective evidence that can be quite convincing no doubt..but even they dont..!!know!!


Funny thing is you've been there... You came from there, as did i... and everyone you and i know...

Most just are not permitted to have those memories... but some retain past life experience...




posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:18 AM
link   
a reply to: elementalgrove

I wrote about Alexander a few years ago - Neuroscientist Has an NDE.

For some reason, intuition or whatever, I've lost faith in his recollections even though the imagery has really struck a chord in me. That isn't to suggest a dismissive attitude to NDEs or the possibility of some forms of afterlife. The area of NDE research is a fascinating one and controversial; people should read all sides before taking the hard stances we see around here.

Pim Van Lommel's work is arguably more constructive than Alexander's because he advocates for more research instead of evangelical messages of change. I find that reading the literature raises excellent and profound questions rather than answers. Yeah, a lot of people are able to make their minds up and cry foul or insist on NDE reality. For me, these accounts enchant without ever becoming conclusive.

Like Saturn mentions, our own personal experiences add salt to the internal dialogue. I'm not alone in saying I've had experiences that lend themselves to other-worldly explanations or, at least, exist on the threshold between known and unknown - WTF moments.



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:25 AM
link   

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: SaturnFX


I never met anyone who "know" we exist after body death. many believe deeply.


Well this isn't in person... but you just did...

Hows it goin?


I think the word you are seeking is hope, not know
explain it..how does it make any sense. it doesn't. there is no relatable context



Nah... hope still leaves doubt

There is no need for hope when it is already a reality


Would be great, but until that time, its just a hope..a wish..a belief.

Some people however do have subjective evidence that can be quite convincing no doubt..but even they dont..!!know!!


Funny thing is you've been there... You came from there, as did i... and everyone you and i know...

Most just are not permitted to have those memories... but some retain past life experience...


le'sigh

ok fine
see, I know...absolutely know that when we die, we find out we are actually just dreaming, the true real reality is we awake and realize we are a space potato. we got plucked, and giant space demons are currently about to chop us up into chips.

I know this..totes
and I have equal proof as you have with yours
so
who is right?

you dont know man..you hope, you believe, you wish...and you might even strongly suspect
but what if whatever experience you experienced wasn't real?
what if it was some sort of extradimensional creature implanting memories, or visions
what if you met not an angel, but a alien who was simply messing with you
I appreciate the desire to force yourself into certainty, I do..my brother died and in some intense grief, I experienced some profound ghost moments, but even with that, I cant commit to it being anything other than a unknown mixed with a hope.

so, can you be honest with yourself? can you admit you dont actually know?
What makes you soo certain?
Chances are I have had more overt experiences than you yet I dont know anything...and thats because I have to remain honest in this situation...and demand more.



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:27 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX

yes! agreed...I have always believed that we would "see" or experience the exact thing that our mind had been conditioned to experience at this transitional phase. For me it does not take anothing away from a belief in an afterlife. In my opinion it strengthens it. At the moment of death...and given the trauma of the act of physical death it makes sense that there would be a "safety net " if you like, affording us a sense of familiarity to get us through the process.
Having read a lot of accounts it does seem that different religious belief's have a corresponding NDE experience.
The ones that I have read, where a totally negative NDE has occurred, involving hell-like experiences are truly awful but interesting also...why is it a few people report these NDEs? Have they just convinced themselves they are going to Hell?



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:29 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX




Yeah, thats a no go. Dont get me wrong, I was a teen also, but the reality of the situation is that you're just messing up your senses / scrambling your brain and any experiences you have are purely synthetic.
if you are seeking truth, you need your wit about you, not a chemical cocktail going on in your brain.



Considering that our brains create one of the most potent substances for creating an altered state of consciousness I do not see how it can be construed as "scrambling" your senses or brain. I tend to think of it as opening the mind to different frequencies/dimensions our limited senses allow. To imply that it is only the carelessness of a teenager to explore such a realm is far to simple a view for me to have.

When we look to nature and our plant friends we find benefits from them all over the place, from the nutrition we receive to the treatment of disease. I mean we are hardwired to benefit from cannabis. This has been scientifically proven with the discovery of the endocannabinoid system.




We need better tools to collect evidence first off..once we have strong evidence..objective evidence demonstrating supernatural / extradimensional / whatever it is, then we can start discussing the why..for now, its simply not there to have a rational discussion on. Thats how religions start. people fill in random bs when there is no evidence, and then everyone gets stabby once disagreements start.
We done need more religions and cults..we need commonsense methods on making better tools to sense and measure the odd things in our reality. full spectrum cameras and the like built into smartphones is a nice start.



I believe we have the only tool that can be used in exploring altered states of consciousness, that being our own minds. Your need for objective evidence of something that happens with a humans consciousness is unnecessary to me. I believe that the many, many generations of people that have explored such realms are scientists in their own right and throughout the myriad of cultures have come to similar positions.




lay off the drugs man. this is a guy who simply is inducing hyperventilation to create oxygen deprivation in the brain
this isn't exploring the cosmos..its just killing your braincells
hitting your head with a hammer a few times will also give you equal "enlightenment".

I recommend meditation..and clean up before you do perm damage already.



How is it that you came to the conclusion of hyperventilation to create oxygen deprivation? There is far more going on with holotropic breathwork. Meditation is a part of it. Naturally meditation is a wonderful tool for mastery of the mind, but to dismiss the ample amount of research of altered state exploration on the premise that it damages the body, to me is absurd.



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:34 AM
link   

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: elementalgrove

I wrote about Alexander a few years ago - Neuroscientist Has an NDE.

For some reason, intuition or whatever, I've lost faith in his recollections even though the imagery has really struck a chord in me. That isn't to suggest a dismissive attitude to NDEs or the possibility of some forms of afterlife. The area of NDE research is a fascinating one and controversial; people should read all sides before taking the hard stances we see around here.

Pim Van Lommel's work is arguably more constructive than Alexander's because he advocates for more research instead of evangelical messages of change. I find that reading the literature raises excellent and profound questions rather than answers. Yeah, a lot of people are able to make their minds up and cry foul or insist on NDE reality. For me, these accounts enchant without ever becoming conclusive.

Like Saturn mentions, our own personal experiences add salt to the internal dialogue. I'm not alone in saying I've had experiences that lend themselves to other-worldly explanations or, at least, exist on the threshold between known and unknown - WTF moments.



Thank you for your input Kandinsky, I searched to see if this had been posted before but I see the difference in wording led to me now finding yours!

I look forward to diving into Pim Van Lommels work! NDE's are a fascinating area of study and profound is the right word! There is no way to come to a conclusive understanding of another's subjective experience. Our own inner exploration is where we find our answers.

We are all on our own journey so naturally whatever information/experiences we have shall dictate the kind experience one could expect. Add to that the possibility of reincarnation and the unconscious memories from past lives and we really do not have much ground to stand on when it comes to certainty of anything!



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:35 AM
link   
a reply to: elementalgrove

Nice Story!

However .... after hearing about how Harvard is harboring and abetting snowflakes. I can't say that i believe what this guy is saying.


Harvard doesn't have a 'great' record for Human Dignity nor do they give a # about the second amendment. So that being said, i will believe it when i'm Dead and can fully confirm what this douche is saying is valid.




posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:36 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX


le'sigh

ok fine
see, I know...absolutely know that when we die, we find out we are actually just dreaming, the true real reality is we awake and realize we are a space potato. we got plucked, and giant space demons are currently about to chop us up into chips.


I would hope to be a baked potato as opposed to being hacked up




I know this..totes
and I have equal proof as you have with yours
so
who is right?


Perhaps both of us are... IF you believe that life will not exist after your body expires... maybe it won't...

i have my doubts on that though...


you dont know man..you hope, you believe, you wish...and you might even strongly suspect
but what if whatever experience you experienced wasn't real?


Can't actually say i've had an experience... no NDE... never seen a ghost in my life... nothing


I appreciate the desire to force yourself into certainty, I do..my brother died and in some intense grief, I experienced some profound ghost moments, but even with that, I cant commit to it being anything other than a unknown mixed with a hope.


Well that is nifty... You've had all these experiences... me? Not a one... not a single "experience" with the afterlife... i had a dream about my grampa once though...

Yet you can't see it...


so, can you be honest with yourself? can you admit you dont actually know?
What makes you soo certain?
Chances are I have had more overt experiences than you yet I dont know anything...and thats because I have to remain honest in this situation...and demand more


im being completely honest... its there... it exists... not a shred of doubt

Proof on the other hand... its like proving God exists... Can't prove the existence of God to anyone but yourself...

And if you know my posting tendencies, you'll also know im not religious in the least... in fact i have a strong distaste for religion

We are more then just a physical body...

I did a whole series on this subject a few years back...

Who are you?

The best part is, you don't even have to believe me... doesn't matter in the least... You will find out eventually




posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:37 AM
link   
a reply to: SaturnFX





So..I guess if he is telling the truth to the best of his ability, and something truly did happen to him outside of just the last dance of a dying brain, it still doesn't mean its the truth..just his perception and perhaps desired view of it all.
Same with people who say they experienced hell. programming.


You are correct, it means that he is telling his truth.

If we open pandoras box and find that life continues after death this lead inevitably to the question of reincarnation and potentially the continuing of past life memories in our unconscious. Following this through we have no idea what kind of collective influence we have running through our minds in the forms of symbols.

I feel as though we have barely scratched the surface of who and what we are.
edit on America/ChicagoFridayAmerica/Chicago03America/Chicago331amFriday3 by elementalgrove because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 25 2016 @ 03:37 AM
link   
I've read that in some operating rooms there is an object in the room that can only be seen when one 'floats above themselves' in a NDE, as in on top of a cabinet. Those that claim to experience NDE get asked to describe what they saw, the object never gets mentioned...



new topics

top topics



 
53
<<   2  3  4 >>

log in

join