Over three-plus decades, a starry-eyed media, mostly secular, has done with near-death and similar experience exactly what fundamentalists have done with religion: They have literalized it, presented it journalistically as they would a new archeological find, turned experiences of the indescribable into the prose of factual reporting. And because NDEs so often sound very like traditional teachings about heaven and occasionally hell, not only the experiencers but religious and secular audiences alike take them as literal, factual truth.
Proof of Heaven! they cry. Evidence of Afterlife!
They make for great media. And great media creates stars of experiencers. She was right there, at the gates! He was actually in heaven, saw all this stuff! Wow. Special. You have been to the light; tell us what we are to do!
The problem is that NDEs and their kin are experiences, not of the material world but of the human psyche, and the psyche is not public domain but private. A whole psyche goes into an NDE—ego, shadow, temperament, concepts and all—so when the individual comes out with a brand new world view, a whole transformed sense of reality, that psyche is still grounded in the old ego, shadow, temperament, and all. Human may be transformed in some ways, but it is still human, and with a history.
What is needed is a few years of living quietly to process the event and integrate it into a reshaped wholeness that can survive daily life. (Not by accident did Jesus retreat to the wilderness, and the Buddha to sit under his tree, Teresa to her cell in Avila.)
But the media wants stories and stars now. There is no time to reflect. Producers and editors, managers, directors, and handlers all have ideas about how personal stories can be polished just a bit to create a particular effect, how details can be shifted for greater impact, how inconvenient information can be overlooked and titles made to sound more salable. And soon hustlers are saying, we want to build a new organization around you, hooking the experiencer further to the great “You are so special” machine, and the person finds himself on the tightrope walk between a genuine passion to share new understandings and the almost certain distortion of being managed, balancing old and new, private and public, all in the glare of public adulation, which is narcotic. It is an impossible do-it-yourself task.
Proof of Heaven! they cry. Evidence of Afterlife!
Now Esquire and author Luke Dittrich have produced a carefully researched, skillfully written article focusing on weak spots in Eben Alexander’s professional life and character. The article is so adroitly done–so well done, skeptics will say–it quietly manages to throw a heavy veil of distrust over Alexander, his book, and even his published NDE account.
http://nhneneardeath.ning.com/forum/topics/esquire-challenges-dr-eben-alexander-s-credibility-story
http://www.esquire.com/features/the-prophet
Eben Alexander is not the first near-death experiencer or author of note to find himself trapped between his humanness, his NDE, and an unforgiving publicity machine. This has happened again and again…and again. But he began at an elevated social level (“He’s a neurosurgeon!”) and was very quickly marketed to the skies by a savvy publisher, media attention, public appearances, and astronomical book sales. He shares with most other NDErs a conviction of having privileged information of value to humankind.
It is only inevitable that while Alexander would come to believe at least part of that adulation, others would be looking for the clay in his feet. It is equally inevitable that the materialist culture would look for ways to discredit his non-materialist NDE and his conclusions about it. The trap is that he has shared, like his ardent NDE followers, in the passionate but naïve dream that if only a person of science claims truth for NDEs, a paradigm will shift and the world will believe.
Despite grandiose media depictions of individuals who have had exalted spiritual visions, what the Esquire article points out is that they hold their treasure in earthen vessels (St. Paul said it, I didn’t). We do well to keep our expectations of experiencers in check. Everyone has shadow. Everyone has secrets. Hubris may be hubris; but it is our own doing if we buy it without thoughtful reflection. No NDEr is perfect and no interpretation of an NDE is the only one possible. We share in this story. It is absurd to expect perfection and unfair to claim that authors’ failings necessarily make them charlatans.
The article’s fallacy, however, is basic: its author’s inability to see the real issues. Further, some clever factual twisting of his own suggests that Dittrich should not, perhaps, be the first to be throwing stones. The cynical responses of commenters reflect less on Alexander and more on their own credulity and lack of realistic perceptions, not to mention their absence of compassion for dragging someone else’s shadow issues through the public square.
Does Alexander’s history of shifting facts into his favor weigh against him? Of course. That is a personal message to him from his NDE; the Dalai Lama may have spotted his need to deal with it. But does that destroy the genuineness of his experience or the value of his insights? No, though it suggests we haul out our old discernment kit. The great spiritual leaders, the founders of the world’s enduring traditions, have always been flawed in one sense or another; yet the message flows despite, or even encouraged by, human failings.
Does that flawed personal history say anything about the worthiness of Alexander as a spokesperson? No. The myriad of people who have been helped by his words are no less helped now; his words can continue to help and heal. How he deals with this public exposure will answer the question of character.
Most importantly, does the Esquire article diminish the far larger question of what NDEs, including Alexander’s, may tell us about the limits of materialism and the existence of a spiritual dimension to human consciousness? Dealing only with personal attack, the article does not even notice those questions, which continue unabated. Meantime, while we wrestle with the paradoxical nature of the prophet, Eben Alexander is discovering the price of spiritual enlightenment.
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Thanks to David Sunfellow at New Heaven, New Earth for alerting me to this story.
Hi Nancy — you have written an excellent commentary with deep insights into this issue. I hope that Eben will respond to the Esquire article in detail. Also it would be good if Eben would allow one or more NDE researchers access to the primary documents from his experience, so that an objective assessment can be done. The lessons of this experience are valuable to all of us.
I just wrote a letter to a friend in jail. He’s a spiritual teacher. I believe in him because he’s made a profound difference in Robert, one of my boys. Rob is now a spiritual seeker and scholar who meditates everyday. Before he was incarcerated, I would describe him as a “walking gland” and I wasn’t sure which one of his heads had the brain. Now, in our correspondence, he’s teaching me things.
In the letter I said, it seems now that everyone who has an NDE has to write a book about it. It’s like the NDE super stars have arrived. So and so is going to give a lecture at….This in itself is not a bad thing. It opens up more perspective and clarity.
In my short experience I learned two things. I can function and exist as just an individual consciousness that’s truly me. And also, there’s many other planes of existence other than the one I physically exist in now.
I learn the most from reading the individual NDEs experienced by the other “little people” like me. I tend to avoid “books”.
There is another parallel to this in music, and here I’m talking about spontaneous Improvising soloists making music in the moment.
When they’re having a truly great moment, they’ve tapped into the flow of the universe. I’ve heard them say “I thought of nothing” “It was like something just took hold of me, and all I did was get out of the way so it could happen”.
Some of these people who could tap into this plane were the most difficult nasty people I’ve ever met. Some of the most famous were drug addicts who’d con the gold out of your teeth just to get a fix, and lie and steal from you. Some were so egotistically obnoxious that you’d run for cover as soon as they took the horn out of their mouth.
The proof for me was as I listened, I was grabbed up, taken away, and I experienced it with them. They took me there. This artistically is called a “gift”. But to me it’s the ability to tap into the universal spiritual plane that’s there for all of us.
Thanks, Dave. Excellent parallel.
Ok, there so many things science still don t understand fully about brain function, but it is so absurd to atribute to the god of the gaps things that it is almost sure that will have an explanation in the future. So many people let the wishfull thinking rules their way of thinking. It is time to give rational thinking a chance. Near death experiences means exactly that: NEAR. Only someone who returns from deaht could tell us something interesting. No one has done that yet.
The head in the sand approach which states lack of proof of NDE’s is proof of non existence of NDE’s is very dangerous. For those of us who have experienced the other side, no one could convince us otherwise, the experience of Divine Love is so profound.
Having brought abilities back with me and still experiencing both realities on a daily basis makes it even more real. I don’t believe in miracles, they are merely science that we currently do not understand. That being said, there is a lot happening that current science does not understand.
Near death experiences are exactly that: NEAR. They are not death experiences. No one is half alive, half dead. People want to believe so hard there is an afterlife. It s called: wishfull thinking. The only evidence that this neurosurgeon has is that when he was without his complete control of his conssiousness, his senses has let him known there is a being that has comunicated with him. Oh..my goodness….how in earh can we still pay any attention to these nonsenses….
The way you come on leads me to believe that you’ve never had a near death experience of any depth or any kind. This makes it very easy for you to pass “intellectual judgement”.
A true seeker never slams the door of rejection in the face of anything.
Very wise, Nan! Very compassionate. Very balanced. Love the St. Paul quote. The paradox of being human – **inevitably** flawed or with Shadow, yet capable of glorious visions and acts.
I think American culture is extremely idealistic about its celebrities, and consequently also extremely critical and prone to disillusionment. We have to stop thinking they’re godlike in the first place, and then not have a fit if they are imperfect.
Well Done Nancy!
I thought you were right on target. I really don’t care about the particulars in his life history and I know he has had trouble in his life which he stated somewhat is his book. Of course, the title of the book is fantastic to say the least. I reviewed his book on Amazon and alluded to the same sort of point you were making. He had an life-changing experience to be sure but he is not telling us he knows everything about God, heaven etc… Such experiences are highly symbolic but the media is ill-equipped to understand this sort of experience. Dr. Alexander seems to have that evangelical enthusiasm that comes from such an experience–good for him. But if people really listen to him and read his book he confesses there is so much more to God etc… than can be articulated or understood. That often gets missed by the public and media. To Eben’s credit he is pursuing a deeper understanding of what he went through so he knows this is only the beginning. Like you said, he is learning what the price is for his STE. However, so what.
God Bless, Bob
Sir, the difference between rational and magical thinking is that through one of those two ways of thinking you don t accept a claim until there is evidence, but with the other one, you accept a claim not only without evidence, but usually against them. It is time to leave once and for all the middle ages, and enter in the rational era. Let s not accept claims of invisible beings, ghosts, spirits, demons, angels, etc. so common in those obscure times, and let s be sceptical of these absurd and mithological claims.
try this. The true impact of deep understanding only manifests itself within you when you Stop Thinking and allow it to happen. People who are afraid reject everything usually with an element of superior anger. True inner realization is something that manifests itself when you get out of your own way.
I agree with you Nan, but there is much more to this. Knowledge is kept from individuals whose consciousness is not developed sufficiently to prevent them from misusing the knowledge. The people who are most critical of Eban’s experience function in a consciousness of competition and separateness. Of individual identity that is not developed to a level where they can hold two opposing concepts without legalistic defense of their own position as though the existence of their ego self depends upon their being correct. There is a reason that you do not give your pearls to the swine lest they turn on you!
Eban’s experience was not very profound in the realm of many NDE experiencers. But it was profound to him and to many others who will learn and grow from hearing his message. His timing is perfect in delivering his message of hope at a time when many people are experiencing the fear of loss of individual control & security. My hat is off to him.
Man……..do you give the most accurate description of the type of mentality that creates the static unrelenting character of the human condition. It’s dead on the money.
Me in my crude cave man style put it like this. “Everybody’s right, and everything’s all screwed up anyway”.
Only Nancy could write such well constructed observations about the Esquire article. I thought her comments about how we deal with (or deny) our shadow nature is very central to the problem of how we perceive others and ourselves in light of a luminous experience. I have never been comfortable with NDE superstars who become the “new” mouthpiece of God. A deep nde should produce within the experiencer a great humility which seeks not its own glory but the universal good for all.
We have a tendency in our culture to absolutize our belief systems using dualistic terms of good/bad, black/white, right/wrong, etc to describe the ineffable in mechanical terms. We tend not to feel comfortable with any sense of ambiguity or uncertainty. We want THE answer. And we want it NOW. The metaphor of the elephant and the blind men as mentioned above is very apropos to this dilemma. No one can wrap their bone encased brains around the undefinable. We should be able to suspend a rush towards judgment or conclusions. Like Nancy said we should be able to sit with it and let it sink in without having to necessarily define it right away.
Nancy, thank you for framing a rational response to the dissonance created by the Esquire article.
Ah, Norm, you always have known how to get to me. Thank you. Knowing where you’re coming from (farther than Seattle) makes this a very special comment.
Thank you very much for this masterful post. Is a deep lesson about how to approach and NDE story, may be we will never know how much is true about this man’s story, very sad if it was about money or fame. How is it possible, if he really had a spiritual experience, to write a book edited to make it more profitable, just look at the title: Proof of Heaven, is good for a fiction’s book, a best seller book but doesnt seem so right for an NDE account. I dont judge him, I can only suppose that perhaps is only human weakness or there is no limit to a man’s greed, or so many other things, and if the credentials of the renowned neurosurgeon, that based his authority, are muddy so the amazing story suposed to be a milestone in the field is in quicksand, reminded me … be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves… in any case this post is a lesson of wisdom and that in this profound subject there is no such thing as an easy approach, only a lifelong study ahead.
I see also a lesson of how to profit with the NDE that surprised me because when I tried to read the article ” The prophet” in the link to the esquire I found …Read it now for $ 1.99 nothing expensive if I want to learn more about such a revelation but is about proof of heaven or proof of money?.
Guillermo, thank you for voicing what many people are thinking. There are two issues at work in this situation. One is the question of honesty: the Esquire article states that in his professional life before the NDE, Alexander more than once “adjusted” facts. Further, some statements made in the book seem not to be supportable. So far as I can tell, these mis-statements seem trivial (does it really matter whether there was a rainbow?); but in the context of reported dishonesty elsewhere, they raise the question, “How much of what he says can we believe?”
I admit to being troubled by how quickly many people leap to the cynical conclusion that because of the Esquire article, Alexander can’t be trusted about anything. That is absurd, but it surely does become the quicksand you mention.
About the the second issue, I begin by saying I do not for an instant believe that Alexander wrote his book just to make money. I believe totally that he, like almost every other NDE author, felt driven to share the truth he had discovered in his experience. Like most NDErs, he was unprepared for the meat-grinder machine of media and publication processes.
Because he was a neurosurgeon, a major publisher saw him and his story as a very good financial prospect; being a neurosurgeon did nothing to protect him or give him the considerable skills required to navigate the publishing machine.
Alexander had nothing to say about the title for his book; that was decided by the publisher. Of course his book was edited to make it more profitable–that’s what publishers do. Once under contract, authors have very little say about such things.
Especially for a first-time author–and one still reeling from an experience like Alexander’s–the pressures are constant and hard to imagine from outside. This is where we, as observers, must be clear-eyed and discerning about what we allow to sway our trust.
In the same vein, it is Esquire, not Alexander, charging $1.99 to read the article. This is a new tactic to counter our expectation of being able to read their online magazines for free. I don’t like it, either, but it is not unfair of the publisher to want us to pay for using their product.
Thanks especially for your saying, “in this profound subject there is no such thing as an easy approach, only a lifelong study ahead.” Oh, yes!
The light told me not to tell them as I was sent back to here. I should have listened and processed my emotions for a year or two. My sister took me to a shrink because I had changed. Then the state thought I was having problems but the state shrink, this lady had studied NDEs. Anyway no meds. For Me! I find myself being carful who I talk around. Eben Alexander was brave and nieve at the same time. This sight is about the only let out I have. My church envited me as long as I shut up!
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Donald, careful is a wise approach! And yes, processing the emotions can take ages and ages. Very important yet often overlooked in all the excitement. I agree that Eben Alexander has been both brave and naive. Glad you’re here.
Hi Donald, I thought your experience was very touching–especially the disbelief by the people you shared it with. You must have felt very alone for a while. You can thank the media (who, like Nancy mentioned are juvenile in their understanding) for at least making the phenomenon known widely enough that the psychiatrist did not force you into internment or drugs.
Your case is the first I have ever heard when the LIGHT told you not to share. Seems unfair. It is like giving someone the formula for the universal theory of everything and then to expect you to remain silent. It could have been specific to your situation knowing what the outcome could have been.
I would suggest if you have not already contacted the IANDS website to do so. Also another great site is David Sunfellow’s NHNE website (Near Heaven, Near Earth)–it is loaded with info and stories like your own. He has links to this website as well. You might consider looking into another church that embraces ndes without prejudice. Good luck brother and thank God that LOVE is real.
Norm, you do bring the “Seattle touch”–understanding and practical resources together. A gift. Thanks for this reminder of great resources.
My four years past my NDE has gave me time to research and realize the fear and denial of the public. If the publishers took charge it would be a helpless feeling. I made a promise to not return within societies demands. The pressures placed on most NDEs is wrong and we need empathy to understand. The gift of a NDE is life changing and beyond comprehention. My concern is more for what I found on the other side, unconditional love.
My mistake, The word meat grinder set me off. My compassion for others gets the best of me. You said it right that we have to remain clear eyed and focused. I have not read Ebans book but at this moment honesty seems to be in question. God help us if we can cross that bridge. I hope that we can protect others from the same traps.
I would like to thank everyone here for education and wakeup call. It has been a privilege to have my eyes open and realize that no matter the position or status, we are the same. Thank you! DHHC
Nancy, your wisdom continues to blow me away!
These stories don’t go away, even if someone makes up a story, or part of a story. Most of us have had something happen that defies traditional experiences of time ans space. Once we have personally had that happen, and we know it is true, it is like knowing that grass is green. We have experienced something more…even if we can’t order up those experiences. I can trust my own heart. Our love to you!
Yes, Val, trust your own heart! Love to you,too. Welcome to the blog.
The problem is that it appears that his treating physician was interviewed and said that she had induced the coma as part of his treatment and that during the 7 day period he would sometines regain consciousness, although he was delirious when he did. This will all be in the medical record. This is pretty devestating to Alexander’s claim thata his neo cortex was “off” duriung thge time he was in the coma and that the coma waqs uninterrupted from start to finish. Would like to see Alexander respond to this charge by his treating physician. As far aws Sam Harris’s charge that it is impossible for mempory to exist outside the brain, I would suggest that he talk to a physicist familiar with Consciousness and read Dean Radin’s book on Consciousness. The central problem with the arguments of the secular materialists is that they base their whole arguement within the context of the Newtonian regulated material world, completely ignoring the underlying reality of the Quantum Field which operates according to laws that are inconsistent with those of Newtonian Laws of motion. In other words, their arguements only apply to part of reality, so they have limited value, especially where they have no explanation for creation, which, at its most basic level, is the collpase of the wave function. i.e a possiblity wave with no mass or other features (charge, spin, etc), a “No Thing”, collapses into a measurable particle with mass (e.g.an atom). “Something”. Something from No Thing is the ultimate act of creation and almost every physicist interested in the subject believes that this act of creation is influenced by Consciousness. Moreover, there are plenty of studies, including those conducted by the US Army that demonstrate the genuineness of “distance viewing”, which seems to likely involve the expansion of the consciousness (awareness) of the distance viewer beyond his or her body to the view site, sometimes thousands of Kilometers. Thus, I am skeptical of the intellectual foundation of the Materialst position and therefore the Materialists like Harris whose critique is based upon flawed assumptions. I think that it is certainly conceivable that consciousness can have recorded memory, if for no other reason than the fact that the underlying quantum field is essentially information.
I do hope that Dr. Alexander disseminates a point by point refutation of his critics and especially addresses the statements attributed to his treating physician which are devestating to his central argument that his expereince could not have been a result of the biological processes of his brain.
Read my next post, going up within the next couple of days. It may clarify some issues.
I would like to direct you to an article by Robert Mays which refutes the Esquire article (please see links below). I have not read Dr Alexander’s book, but only seen his interviews. The Dalai lama words seem to have been completely twisted in the Esquire article. The session with the Dalai Lama is there on you tube.
http://iands.org/images/stories/pdf_downloads/esquire%20article%20on%20eben%20alexander%20distorts%20the%20facts.pdf
I would like your opinion on something ….
I have had Eben’s experience on a shelf in my head for awhile, and am only now getting into it. My question has to do with his given approach to “evil.” He says:
“Evil was present in all the other universes as well, but only in the tiniest trace amounts. Evil was necessary because without it free will was impossible, and without free will there could be no growth—no forward movement, no chance for us to become what God longed for us to be. Horrible and all-powerful as evil sometimes seemed to be in a world like ours, in the larger picture love was overwhelmingly dominant, and it would ultimately be triumphant.”
From my perspective, there is something wrong with this picture. People toss the word “evil” around, as if it was something people choose to do … and this is not the case.
Coming in from the direction that “everything is the brain” and that the brain’s job is to teach the quantum-self (what you’d call spirit / soul) and that thing we call “evil” is nothing more than a bio-mechanical glitch regarding said “brain” (psychological / psychiatric / or bio-mechanical), why would “OM” believe that having these kinds of people surrounding us – was necessary?
This picture would be equivalent to a parent looking out a window at their children butchering their dog in the back yard, and doing nothing about it because it was – necessary. The overall picture would be summed up like this:
“You are loved and cherished.
You have nothing to fear.
There is nothing you can do wrong.”
If, as Eben wrote:
“Love is, without a doubt, the basis of everything. Not some abstract, hard-to-fathom kind of love but the day-to-day kind that everyone knows—the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse and our children, or even our animals. In its purest and most powerful form, this love is not jealous or selfish, but unconditional. ”
Then our nuking of Japan during WW2 was – necessary?
ISIS beheadings are – necessary?
I’m using extreme examples here to make a point. According to Eben, OM believes these approaches are needed – I believe there is something else going on here. Take some time out, watch this documentary on Charles Manson, and ask why THIS was “necessary.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoDThyV8c84
“That evil could occasionally have the upper hand was known and allowed by the Creator as a necessary consequence of giving the gift of free will to beings like us.”
Seriously?
What’s called “negative NDEs” are easy to spot – unless we make them less “negative.” If we powder them up with words of a supreme being who is SO much more intelligent than we are, and no one stops to ask a question, where exactly are we on the road of understanding? If this approach is coming in from “another source,” it’s almost like attempting to insure its place in the overall picture. Evil is necessary – just sit back and relax because OM will take care of everything.
According to Eben:
“We can only see what our brain’s filter allows through. The brain—in particular its left-side linguistic/logical part, that which generates our sense of rationality and the feeling of being a sharply defined ego or self—is a barrier to our higher knowledge and experience.”
Really? Both hemispheres should work together … and a hard data picture should be nothing more than a breakdown of that picture into its component parts. “Science” has a problem with the esoteric, but then “doubting science” does nothing to prove or disprove it.
Thus far, I believe this is nothing more than deception – you’d label it a negative NDE. I don’t even have to take the stand regarding “Eben made this up from a dream-like experience” … I just look at the given data.
It we take the last 6000 years of history into this picture, it’s been nothing but a growing picture of war, bloodshed, and control of the common people. According to Eben, OM thinks this is necessary for us. I think this is nothing more than the spiritual negative side making an argument for its continued existence.
What do you think?
Jim, this needs a full post for response. But I’m on the road with a family emergency and will have to wait. It’s a huge question, this business of evil. Time to talk about it. Thanks.
You ask: Does Alexander’s history of shifting facts destroy the genuineness of his experience or the value of his insights?
Yes. “Shifting facts” is called lying. If he lied about something as important as someone’s vertebrae/health to protect his ability to make money, then he is certainly capable of lying about his coma to make money. His previous huge lies destroy his credibility.
You ask, “Does that flawed personal history say anything about the worthiness of Alexander as a spokesperson?” Yes. Someone we with no credibility makes a lousy spokesperson. (And why would God choose such a liar to bring this long-awaited info to mankind?)
It’s like saying we should believe anti-vaxxers. Substitute anti-vaxxer for Alexander : “The myriad of people who have been ‘helped’ by anti-vaxxers are no less helped now; their words can continue to help and heal.”
As far as the ER doctor. The quote supposedly refuting the Esquire account is ALSO out of context, because it does not explain anything (and leaves out words, as noted with “…”).
The only real pieces of info we need to put all this in perspective is, was he clinically completely brain dead? Was his coma induced? Did not see the doctor say he was brain-dead (why would they leave him on machine for FIVE days if he was??) Nor see her refute that he was in medically-induced coma.
If he was not brain dead, if he was in induced coma, then it becomes possible and probable that his story were hallucinations/dreams. The fact that a guy obsessed with space, parachuting etc would have THIS story makes it all the more likely he dreamed it up, consciously or not.
(The highly suspicious Chuck story, including– missing logs– also increases credibility problems, and possibility it is all fixtion.)
ALL these critical questions could be answered by release of all his records and permission for medical staff to speak, which he refuses to do, which is HIGHLY suspect. He has no good reason NOT to, release, but plenty of reasons to withhold–like Trump and his taxes, Jan 6 documents, etc).
Finally you lambast the Esquire writer for materialism without comparing his salary/materialism to Alexander’s. How much money has this proven liar made off his fantastical stories? How much did the writer make?
There are so many logical fallacies in all this.