Eben Alexander’s best-selling book Proof of Heaven may recount not a supernatural experience but an account of a delirious chemically-induced fever dream.
You might remember the story. Alexander is a neurosurgeon who claims that he went to heaven and back during a coma. His book, Proof of Heaven, became an instant bestseller with over two million copies sold. In a new Esquire article, both Alexander’s account of heaven, and even his qualifications as a neurosurgeon, have been questioned .
Though his book has been criticized for being “anti-scientific” before, a new round of accusations simply points out a few relevant details that could derail his entire near death experience.
Originally, Alexander claimed that his experience occurred whole his brain was “shut down” due to bacterial infection. Now, a doctor who was on duty in the ER when Alexander had his experience in 2008 said that he was in fact placed in a chemically-induced coma .
This could reasonably mean that his near death experience occurred when he was coming out of his coma, not during the insisted period of brain shut down which would make consciousness impossible.
According to Dr. Laura Potter, the doctor in question, Alexander was “conscious but delirious” when he was aroused.
Furthermore, the Esquire reporter investigating Alexander’s account was reportedly told to not bring up the discrepancies in his account by the author himself.
Since the story came out, Alexander has told the Today show that he still stands by “every word” in the book, calling Esquire’ s story “cynical” and “cherry-picked.”
What do you think? Could Eben Alexander have experienced heaven, or is there enough doubt in the story to suggest a scientific explanation?
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