“Living in a Mindful Universe”
Dr Eben Alexander & Karen Newell
Book review
Dr Alexander is a US neuro surgeon who contracted meningoencephalitis. His outer brain, the neocortex, was basically fried by an infection which is almost always fatal. The few survivors usually have permanent brain damage. In his case, after 7 days in a coma, doctors were advising his family to prepare for the worst.
However, he survived and then remarkably recovered full brain function over the ensuing months. Although he initially lost all memory prior to the infection, he was able to clearly recall a Near Death Experience (NDE) which occurred during the coma. He wrote a best-selling book on this whole episode ‘Proof of Heaven’. In it he recalls his experience travelling beyond the veil, and realising that after death there is a wonderful place we all go to, where we encounter loved ones who have already passed on, and where the pervading feeling is love.
As a materialist scientist he found his experience difficult to accept at first, especially knowing that his brain was so badly damaged it couldn’t have hallucinated the experience. But he’s done extensive research in the interim, including among the medical profession and found that these NDE’s are not only very common, but remarkably similar in the experience, especially of the all-encompassing feeling of love. Survivors no longer harbour any fear of death, because their NDE has given them the assurance that everything is going to be just ok when that happens.
In this latest book, 9 years on, Dr Alexander in association with Karen Newell, have conducted further research, including into quantum physics, and looked at how that experience has affected how he lives his life day to day now. He concludes that living in the present moment, mindfully and treating everyone with love and respect is the only valid response. Ultimately he realised that we are all one, even though we perceive ourselves in our own minds as separate entities. Also surrendering our need to control outcomes (due to our fear), and handing that stuff off to the Universe to take care of, takes all of the stress out of the situation, stops thought created toxicity from further inflaming our poor bodies, and sets us on the best pathway to healing.
They review the value of meditation as a means of getting in touch with our soul level selves. They have conducted extensive research with Binaural soundtracks that better enable the brain to relax into the theta (4-8Hz) and alpha (8-12 Hz) brain-wave states below thought where meditation is most effective. These are available widely, including on Spotify. See also sacredacoustics.com for an example. Note they are best listened to with headphones for reasons I won’t go into here.
Without assistance I know many people struggle to attain thoughtless awareness. However, we can acknowledge any thought that arises, witness it, let it pass on by without engaging with it, and then do the same with the next one. In this way we create a separation from our true ‘soul-selves’ and the random thought activity which happens to us, but is not actually us. Eventually with practice the thoughts do diminish.
Another fascinating area they consider is the location Mind. Science has always considered that the Mind is generated by the brain, and that memories are stored in the brain. Unfortunately, science has never been able to prove this. There is no way to point to an area of the brain where the location of your memory of your first day of school resides, for example. Dr Alexander also states that his neocortex, the outer layer of the brain where executive functions process, was basically fried during his coma, so there is no way that part of the brain could have produced the experience of, and memory of, his NDE. The thinking is the Mind may incorporate the wider body in some respect, especially the heart and gut. It’s thought that emotions are “messages from our soul”, transmitted via the heart and gut.
But also they now strongly believe that the Mind (and memory) actually exists outside of the physical structure of the body too. If one believes in an afterlife, then we would have to agree with that conclusion, since there is no way we could take any memory of loved ones, or even have an experience in the afterlife, if it was tied to the expired physical body.
The authors go on to conclude that we each are part of the larger mindful universe, in fact that we are the universe.
“The mindful universe in which we live is self-aware. And learning, and evolving – your coming to know this fully, and living it, is the pathway toward perfect harmony with all that is… It is up to each of us individually to accept the invitation to break out of the illusion of the physical world as all that that exists and to acknowledge our spiritual nature, and how it resonates with the fundamental nature of the universe.” Dr Eben Alexander
If you would like to discuss these concepts, and perhaps explore the potential for an expanded state of awareness through bodywork, or otherwise approach a way to heal yourself, then please book a session with me.