Consciousness Beyond Brain Function | Neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander
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- Опубліковано 28 лис 2024
- On this Christmas day, when many of us think of departed loved ones, we have a holiday special for you: A frank conversation with neurosurgeon and near-death experiencer Dr. Eben Alexander, on the survival of consciousness beyond brain function.
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Having lost my 12 year old boy tragically, you guys give me so much hope. Not that this should be your goal, but that what I have experienced and intuited since losing him, you seem to be confirming through data and logic.
Thank you.
He is up there somewhere. May god console your soul, man.
@@Mr00000111 I believe that too. I also believe it’s probably more incomprehensible than we can imagine
@@bradtexas377 Go into your heart and find him He is always there.
You are both like ripples on the lake. The lake unites you eternally...
I had an NDE when I was 4 years old. I was upset that I came back. I had a total sense of love and acceptance - no judgement. Later when scientist said that consciousness resided in the brain, I was appalled. Thank goodness we have people like Dr. Eben Alexander to help counter this claim. If your interested in learning from others that had similar experiences to mine, check out Kenneth Ring's book "living in the Light".
Such an important message to move humanity towards light.
How marvellous - thank you
Great messages Eben. Love the part about how it's not about getting the most toys and competition vs cooperation. It's high-time we all learned that important lesson.
This one gave me goosebumps! I'm so thankful for having learned English and then come across such a life changing wisdom 🙏
Thank you for reminding friend 🙏
Bravo Dr. Alexander for opening our eyes to understanding the facets our individual conscience and how we are all linked together….
Interesting to see Essentia in open conversation with Eben Alexander. Philosophy in action.
Thanks to the Internet philosophy is finally moving outside of the Ivory Tower and back where it belongs: in the world, among all people seeking for wisdom.
Excellent interview -- thanks Bernardo & Essentia.
Do you just take what this man says as gospel or could it be he's made pot fulls of cash with his nde which he!has milked this cash cow as!long as your not a critical thinker.
@@dogsbollox4335 I tend to give him the benefit of doubt; yet he is extremely articulate. I do not however share his beliefs in heaven.
Yet, it's only from his Christian faith. I do believe in repeating lives.
Thank you for this interview with Dr. Alexander. I ordered his three books. He seems to have connected a lot of dots-not so much to explain all mysteries, but to affirm that they actually exist.
"I am aware of my thoughts, therefore I am". Yes.
Thank you so much for sharing this conversation.
This is an excellent interview wherein Eben once again articulates SO WELL both his personal experience as well as the implications of consciousness linked to the divine.
I am very concerned with 2 areas of society’s materialistic trajectory currently.
1) Currently, our nervous systems are increasingly being perturbed by electromagnetic emissions from telecommunications hardware. This hardware includes active cell phones, routers, and cell towers.
I find there is a very real emotional transition from emotional states that are, on average, more vibrant, calm, peaceful, and energetic when I am physically not within range of any active devices, verses, emotional states that are more apathetic, distraught, and disassociated when I am within range.
My hypothesis is that, much like the disassociated state of mind experienced while being in a dark room and being made to view a strobe light (visible-spectrum light), portions of our nervous system that link to our mental and emotional states are being similarly affected by the strobe-like oscillations of radio frequencies (microwave-spectrum light) emitted from the telecommunications hardware. These emissions transmit through our bodies and influence the conductive pathways of our nervous systems along the way.
2) Neuralink. The communion we have with the divine through our mind is sacred. Is it problematic in any way to this sacred communion to introduce such an interruptive element to our physical brains?
I would like to know what Eben thinks about these subjects.
Wonderful interview 👏 Thank you all !
So glad to see this interview on Essentia Foundation!! NDEs are invaluable and essential in laying materialism to rest. Would love to see a conversation between Bernardo and Eben, especially with regard to the self-awareness of the universal mind. Bernardo often says that mind at large does not possess meta cognition but this seems in contrast to what NDErs (like Eben) report experiencing firsthand. Would be a fascinating discussion to hear! Thank you! Bravo!
I think mind at large doesn't possess meta-cognition in a recursive and closed human-like way. This assertion doesn't imply that it doesn't possess cognition of a very different order, in a way which is impossible for us to understand right now.
Get ‘em Eben. Love this guy. And it is all true
I have found Bernardo's modern prophetic wisdom pretty recently and just few days ago I started reading Eben's book. Amazing.
Bernardo and Eben convo please!
Indeed this would be good considering that Kastrup has spoken about his dislike, which is probably not the right term but I lack a better one, for free will while Alexander speaks about this in a positive way. At least some spiritual traditions that I have encountered, indeed all ones that I can remember, convey the importance of free will, seemingly as a 'good' above all others, at least in our current existence. It would be interesting to see them elaborate on this.
@@crazykyy bernardo is not against free will.
where did you read that?
@@ekekonoise in a recent interview, Kastrup spoke that the idea of free will comes with it the idea that in doing so we must accept the notion that mind at large must wish for suffering to exist. Kastrup as also repeatedly stated that he does not choose his thoughts or feelings, and that he does not exist as a separate agent. Here I am quoting him as an example: "So how could something that doesn't really exist have free will?" (This is from "Does analytic idealism have free will? AMA w/ Bernardo Kastrup".). He admits an ability to do things like choose a mortgage package, but it is unclear whether he thinks that this is an actual choice or just the perception of choice. Based on his other words, I gather that he thinks the latter.
@@crazykyy from kastrup's blog:
'In summary: my formulation of idealism states that reality is the unfolding of experience in a kind of cosmic mind. Since this entails that all choices are purely subjective, my metaphysics endorses our intuitions about freewill. Yet, it is inevitable that the unfolding of experience must obey determining factors: whatever processes unfold in the cosmic mind, they must necessarily be the result of the inherent properties of the cosmic mind. Its behavior and choices can only be a deterministic consequence of what it essentially is; there is nothing else they can be. In this sense, existence is 'mentally deterministic.' Finally, since all factors involved in this unfolding of experience in the cosmic mind are necessarily internal to it (there being nothing external to it), our intuitions about freewill are again endorsed: choice is fully determined by the internal subjective dynamics of our true selves.'
it's a nuanced position, you have a point. i think free will is actually the most fundamental stuff. weird that bernardo thinks somewhat otherwise, since hes such a shcopenhauer admirer
@@ekekonoise *Will* is nature's nature. Free will is a contextualization of *will,* since the word "free" always depends on the context where it is used.
Interesting and exhausting. One track guy. Good for him. Fortunately I don’t need to die to know. LOVE is the binding force that holds the constellations of all things together…
Thank you both …INSPIRING
Eben if you are listening I so wish that I could also have an expanding consciousness experience like you
There are many forms of expanding Consciousness that humans experience, although not as wonderfully explicit as his.
Looking carefully into the description of what dr. Eben Alexander experienced, he was concious traveling to what he calls heaven while he was in coma; his brain was completely destroyed cell by cell.
However, there is some baffling, frustrating and unclear points about his description.
First...he said that he was conscious as an observer but he was unconscious about himself and his family on earth; he didn't remember anything about what he had experienced back on earth.
According to his book, Proof of Heaven, he didn't even recognize who he himself was or people around him including his sons when he got back from coma.
It was only after a few weeks later when he got his normal brain function back that he started recognizing his family members and getting the knowledge back that he had gotten here on earth.
Of course, he was amnesiac from the damage by the bacterial infection...but if we should be conscious beyond our brain, don't we have to know who we are, at least in heaven, if not on earth where we might be under the influence of physical body like brain?
It would be so frustrating if my mom didnt recognize me in heaven.
If anybody has an idea or answer to this, please let me know. I will really appreciate it.
Awareness is not individual.❤️
Dr Eben Alexander said that he didn't recognize who he himself was during the journey through heaven in his nde. It seems to be quite different from others with nde. Can it be because he was brain dead during the 7 days of coma, which means the consciousness was still under the influence of brain function?
I've listened to other NDEs and have been suspect. Especially since I nearly died twice, with no NDE.
The only explanation is that shortly before my emergency Medical event, I had a dream of driving into a Danger Zone. I was stopped at a Guard Station where I was prevented from passing through.
At no time during my extended ICU Hospitalization was I fearful of dying. Then, while in a Rehab another rather unexpected event occurred.
I was whisked off to two different local hospitals. It was clear to me that nurses expected me to die. Again, I had no fear. Although, at the first hospital I thought it could be a possibility. Here I am, 20 years later - disabled yet very much alive!
I don’t think everyone who comes back remembers .Only a few are chosen to remember the experience just like everyone who gets intoxicated remembers last night’s 😊events .
* [00:06] Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon, shares his near-death experience (NDE).
* [00:21] Alexander initially thought his NDE was a hallucination, but the damage to his brain shouldn't have allowed for such an experience.
* [00:48] Evidence suggests the brain may not be the sole source of consciousness.
░
* [03:57] Dr. Alexander believes his near-death experience (NDE) was linked to reuniting with his birth family.
* [05:04] His NDE and miraculous recovery challenge traditional medical understanding.
* [06:13] Dr. Alexander now believes consciousness is not created by the brain, but rather something we access.
* [07:36] Amnesia during NDE allowed Dr. Alexander to experience reality without bias.
* [08:33] Damaged brain shouldn't have allowed for NDE experience, challenging materialism.
* [09:14] NDE included a gateway to a spiritual realm where souls reunite.
* [11:07] Dr. Alexander describes a higher spiritual realm filled with joy and light.
* [11:49] He witnesses the Divine Breath, a loving God force, similar to what prophets described.
* [12:43] We can explore consciousness through meditation/prayer, not just near-death experiences.
* [14:49] Deep time allows for soul evolution beyond our earthly perception of time.
* [15:04] Core realm filled with infinite love and knowledge, the source of all consciousness.
* [17:22] NDE involved returning to Earth through a collective act of love (prayer).
* [18:19] NDE memories reveal most experience happened early in coma.
* [19:15] Dr. Alexander felt a pull to return to Earth for the sake of his son.
* [21:17] NDE involved a sense of self expanding to encompass the universe.
* [22:24] NDEs suggest consciousness survives death, expanding beyond limitations of physical brain.
* [22:52] Reincarnation memories hint at past lives influencing our current lives.
* [24:57] NDE experiencers often report the reality they saw as more real than our physical world.
* [25:38] NDEs reveal life review from the perspective of those impacted by our actions.
* [26:33] NDEs suggest connection to soul groups with a sense of purpose.
* [27:02] NDEs point to a God force as the origin of our consciousness.
* [29:22] Dissolve ego boundaries through meditation to connect with the God force.
* [30:18] Meditation helps us realize we are more than our ego mind.
* [31:40] NDEs suggest real lessons are learned and lived in the physical world.
* [33:18] NDEs are common and point to a deeper reality beyond materialism.
* [34:02] NDEs offer a transformative experience with lasting impact.
* [35:11] Dr. Alexander's NDE occurred during a time when his brain couldn't produce hallucinations.
* [36:47] Brain scans of people on psychedelic drugs show reduced brain activity during NDEs.
* [37:15] NDEs suggest consciousness comes from a primary mind, not the brain.
* [38:24] NDEs can lead to spiritual awakening and even physical healing.
* [40:44] Scientific studies on NDEs quadrupled after Dr. Alexander's book.
* [41:23] Science is waking up to the reality of consciousness beyond materialism.
* [42:17] Quantum physics supports the idea of mind over matter.
* [44:22] NDEs show we are all connected and should treat each other better.
* [45:04] The Golden Rule is validated by NDE life reviews.
* [47:42] Brain scans on psychedelics show NDEs occur outside the brain.
* [48:53] NDEs show mind over matter can heal the body.
* [49:06] Meditation & sacred acoustics can aid healing and awareness.
* [50:17] NDEs suggest connection to departed loved ones beyond physical death.
* [51:56] NDEs suggest a deeper connection between all consciousness.
* [52:40] Many scientific efforts support the reality of consciousness beyond the brain.
* [54:13] Materialism leads to a false sense of separation and harms the planet.
* [55:40] Consciousness is a natural part of the world, not supernatural.
* [56:22] Brain damage can sometimes enhance consciousness (e.g. terminal lucidity).
* [58:11] People with almost no brain can still have consciousness.
* [59:22] Consciousness creates reality, not the other way around.
* [01:00:05] Consciousness is the universe's self-awareness.
* [01:01:21] Love is the most important reality at the core of the universe.
* [01:03:26] Live with love, compassion and kindness for all beings.
* [01:04:09] Science should focus on the question of consciousness, not just methods.
* [01:05:19] Materialist understanding of consciousness is incomplete.
Can we get Essentia videos in audio podcast format on Spotify for listening on the road?
The gateway valley sounds similar to CS Lewis' The Great Divorce.
this is what Descartes actually said in the Meditations:
“Adeo ut, omnibus satis superque pensitatis, denique statuendum sit hoc pronuntiatum, Ego sum, ego existo, quoties a me profertur, vel mente concipitur, necessario esse verum”
“De sorte qu’après y avoir bien pensé, et avoir soigneusement examiné toutes choses, enfin il fault conclure, et tenir pour constant que cette proposition: Je suis, j’existe, est nécessairement vraie, toutes les fois que je la prononce, ou que je la conçois en mon esprit.”
“So after considering everything very thoroughly, I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.”
- Descartes 2nd Meditation 25
Thank you for sharing. Just an observation: to say that God is scientificaly proved (1:02:41) not is just bad for science and religion, but also can be a dangerous assumption that can lead to religious extremism and fanatism.
I agree; not that God exists, yet many grasp at straws, as is, in order to find the false sense of peace inside themselves, instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.
If God exists, my belief is that there is only One. Christians and all the other Religions of our World can duke it out amongst themselves. (Is this happening now? In Covert forms?) IDK...just a thought.
Not the biblical God. A source of everything, humanity calls God.
based
I’m surprised that Eben has been allowed to speak with Essentia, since his track record is kinda shady. This channel has had some great people in it, like Markus Müller, etc. Dr Eben has had malpractice lawsuits and his book has been criticized for having factually inaccurate information.
I love this channel and I really believe in Kastrup’s project, so seeing Eben here is not a pleasant sight for me.
I'm genuinely interested since I've never seen that information even though I watched a couple of interviews with Dr Eben and would google him every time. What's are the sources of this information and what's the malpractice in question?
Interesting info! Would you have any links? I haven´t found anything online.
Same thoughts. His timing is very suspicious, after his malpractice ordeal, now making money off NDEs books/speaking. Love Essentia but I don't believe these two are in the same tier.
How can materialism be defeated if neuroscience works under materialism?
Like Quantum work out well for microchips but has stalled for a century on the two-slit experiment? Scientific materialism seems to be limited. Perhaps it is also limiting.
Neuroscience does not require materialist assumptions.
@@anduinxbym6633 You mean like brain or neurons? Retinas, tympanum, or dendrites?
@@allenheart582 None of those things are materialist assumptions. The observation and study of the world around us can take place without the assumption that there exists a material universe outside of mind from which mind emerges. Ex, you can test and find correlates between reported experience and brain activity without making assumptions about the fundamental nature of that which you study.
@@anduinxbym6633 You have evidence that Consciousness is a phenomenon that exists independent of the brain? Consciousness is a brain activity?
Great interview. I also read your book.. Proof of Heaven. I am not preaching. In the Holy Quran, it is mentioned multiple times that the entire life system and the universe is encompassed by Rahmat, akin to the Arabic word meaning love (blessings) from the Almighty!
The woman 'interviewing' must have one burnt ear, this guy is non-stop!
HEBREWS 9:27💣💥👑💥💣💥👑💥🧠
20:13
My father died when I was 10! 6 months later I had a lucid dream about my dad! Woke up in the dream and he was at the end of my bed? And I said, what are you doing? Here you died and he said I didn’t die I just went away then I got really pissed and I said do you know what mom‘s been going through since you went away and he said Steve you don’t understand it’s like a radio. I’ve change the station and I’m not on the same station. You all are of course that didn’t help me much so he took me out into the universe and show me some things which I don’t quite remember then he was talking me back in bed and asking me if I was OK and I said yes I understand now!
The dream was too specific to be just a regular dream.
This sounds like the successor to Pim van Lommel
van lommel studied ndes during cardiac arrest. Recent study by Sam Parnia showed that brain activity even 1 hr into cardiac arrest the brains showed extremely heightened brain activity as seen in beta and gamma waves. It was always argued, including lommel, that there is no brain activity during cardiac arrest. Parnia's study shows this was incorrect. So it may be the brain produced the nde experience during cardiac arrest and consciousness did not leave the brain to witness the afterlife.
9:30
Then why do those who die experience absolutely nothing?
They do not experience nothing at all. The dissociation just ends.
@@LukasOfTheLight - well i experienced nothing and 80 percent of people who have had an NDE also experience nothing.
@@benji-5796 And? The fact that one-fifth do is more than enough to make the obvious point that physicalism is failing to explain relevant phenomena. Idealism is simply the most rational meta-physics.
@@LukasOfTheLight are you a fan Bernardo kastrup?
@@benji-5796 No.
There's a certain cognitive dissonance going on... what I'm hearing is right on - the message really resonates with me - but what I'm seeing is a man living in a luxurious house, the carbon footprint of which is equal to that of scores of people living in Africa; no doubt a big car on the drive and jet flights hither and yon to appear at conferences worldwide. Stoking an ego? Correct?
Humanity needs to get rid of the conception of 'God' in a biblical sense. That God is a fantasy and manmade God. Humanity is living in the Dark Ages of perception towards what the Divine really is. The only conception I believe what humanity can define the Divine is, Love & Light.
Hard to take someone seriously when they talk about free will without providing any philosophic justification for this dubious claim. Even more shocking to here this claim coming from a neurosurgeon.
How is free will a "dubious" claim?
@@churka5984 because it doesnt stand up to either logical or empirical scrutiny
What’s your NDE experience?
He had no free will.
This is why so many are becoming Ex-Christians.
This person talks to much
You haven't met my Ex-Wife. lol
It’s an interview, he’s there to talk. Would be a bit odd if he just sat there