Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife (21 page)

    birth of,
12

    
E. coli
drawing by,
75
,
98–99
,
115

    and father’s illness,
14–15
,
74
,
75
,
92
,
98–100

    and father’s return,
110
,
111–12
,
115

Alexander, Eben Jr. (father),
50–52
,
163

Alexander, Eben III:

    adoption of,
52–58
,
64–65
,
163–64
,
170–71

    and alcohol use,
56–57

    biological family of,
55–56
,
58
,
59–67
,
95
,
144
,
165
,
168–69
;
see also under
Webster

    birth of,
62

    in coma,
see
coma

    and depression,
57–58

    fantasies and delusions of,
115–19
,
185–86

    as living proof,
135
,
171

    medical training of,
7–8
,
12
,
50
,
65
,
130

    as N of 1 (unique case),
89–92

    and paranoia,
117–18
,
120

    recovery of,
120–23
,
124

    and religion,
34
,
147–48

    return to earth,
79
,
108–10
,
111–14
,
115–19
,
120–21

    skydiving adventures,
2–6
,
61
,
85
,
116
,
118–19

    telling his story,
10
,
124–25
,
126–28
,
135
,
136
,
144
,
162
,
170–71

    unique NDE of,
9
,
77–79
,
89–92
,
135
,
149

    and Years of Not Knowing,
66

Alexander, Eben IV (son),
34

    birth of,
12

    and
E. coli
drawing,
75
,
115

    family heritage project of,
54

    and father’s illness,
27–28
,
33
,
75

    and father’s return,
111
,
112
,
120
,
124
,
126–27
,
136

    and physical conditioning,
18

Alexander, Holley (wife):

    as artist and teacher,
12

    at church,
147

    and family,
34
,
59

    at the hospital,
18
,
26
,
42
,
88
,
90–94
,
97–101
,
105

    and husband’s return,
108
,
111–12
,
117
,
118
,
122

    marriage of Eben and,
11–12
,
54

    and onset of coma,
14–16

Alexander, Jean (sister),
see
Sullivan, Jean Alexander

Alexander, Phyllis (sister):

    and author’s birth family,
59

    and author’s return,
108
,
113–14
,
120–21
,
122

    birth of,
53

    at home,
99–100

    at the hospital,
33–34
,
36–37
,
42
,
53
,
89
,
90–91
,
93
,
94
,
97
,
120–21

    
and onset of coma,
26
,
27

    rainbow’s appearance to,
105
,
113

Alexander-Heyward, Katharine Dayton (Kate),
100

amnesia,
78
,
86

angels,
84
,
104
,
169

    as familiar NDE vision,
131

    guardian angels,
95–96
,
102
,
131

    
see also
Girl on Butterfly Wing

APACHE II score,
25

atoms,
150

awareness,
130
,
158
;
see also
consciousness

bacteria:

    
E. coli, see E. coli
bacteria

    gram-negative type,
25
,
27
,
42
,
92
,
149
,
183

    Gram’s stain classification of,
23

    resistant to antibiotics,
43

bacterial attack,
21–22

bacterial conjugation,
20

basal ganglia,
187
,
188

belief, power of,
155

Big Bang,
157

binaural beats,
159

Black Death,
43
,
50

bliss,
124

Bohr, Niels,
154

brain:

    absence of,
8
,
129–30
,
135

    access to,
35

    adaptability of,
95

    attack on,
17–19
,
20–21
,
42
,
132–33
,
149

    as barrier,
72
,
80

    and cardiac arrest,
134

    and cerebrospinal fluid,
19
,
20

    in
coma vigile
state,
107

    concreteness of,
35

    and consciousness,
8–9
,
34
,
80–81
,
130
,
140
,
149
,
152

    CT scan of,
23
,
183

    and fantasy,
118
,
141

    as filter,
81

    freedom from limitations of,
9
,
85

    and
grand mal
seizure,
16
,
183

    and ICU psychosis,
118
,
120

    and memory,
115
,
117
,
141
,
185
,
188

    MRI of,
36

    and neuroscientific hypotheses of NDEs,
141–44
,
185–88

    oxygenated blood to,
134

    reality modeled by,
80
,
138

    and reboot phenomenon,
142–43
,
188

    reentry of,
119

    sophistication of,
138

    subcortical regions,
188

    superpowered,
6

    surgical repair of,
36

    thinking outside the brain,
85

    and true thought,
84–85

brain death, revised definitions of,
9
,
134

brainstem damage,
187
,
188

brain waves,
158–59

Brennan, Robert,
23
,
26
,
42–43
,
106

cardiac arrest,
133–34

cardiopulmonary bypass pumps,
134

cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
134

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),
19
,
21–22

    
E. coli
invasion of,
20

    glucose level,
25

    and lumbar puncture,
21–22

Chalmers, David,
The Conscious Mind,
151–52

Children’s Home Society of North Carolina,
53–54
,
59
,
63–64

choice, conscious,
84–85

Chuck (skydiving buddy),
3–6
,
85

Cicero,
165

clairvoyance,
153

coma:

    and arrival at the hospital,
17–19
,
183

    author as N of 1 in,
89–92

    author’s APACHE II score,
25

    author’s consciousness in,
29
,
30–31
,
76–78
,
95
,
155
,
160
,
162

    author’s CSF glucose level,
25

    
author’s Glasgow Coma Scale,
25

    and feeling of powerlessness,
90

    and ICU psychosis,
118
,
120

    images gathered in,
38–41
,
45–49
,
68–73
,
103
,
108–10
,
141
,
143
,
147
,
154
,
159–61

    implications of,
9

    as in-between state,
87
,
106–7

    language bypassed in,
46

    medical records of,
25
,
132
,
135

    messages to author in,
40–41

    neocortex shut down in,
8
,
9
,
133
,
141–42
,
144
,
186
,
188

    onset of,
13–16
,
24
,
149
,
183

    and patient’s family,
33–34
,
90
,
105–7

    patient’s hands and feet in,
98

    patient’s physical appearance in,
74–75

    reality of,
9–10
,
39
,
78
,
129–30
,
185

    recovery from,
98
,
144
,
184

    and risk of dying,
26
,
106
,
183

    sounds heard by author in,
29
,
38–39
,
45
,
70
,
102
,
131
,
147

    telepathic communication with patients in,
88

    and termination of antibiotics,
105–7

    underworld existence in,
29–32

    and vegetative state,
26
,
105–6

coma vigile
state,
107

compassion,
85

Conscious Mind, The
(Chalmers),
151–52

consciousness:

    in author’s coma experience,
29
,
30–31
,
76–78
,
95
,
155
,
160
,
162

    as basis of all existence,
154–55
,
162

    behavioral psychology of,
158

    and the brain,
8–9
,
34
,
80–81
,
130
,
140
,
149
,
152

    deep truths in,
158

    enhanced state of,
158

    extended phenomena of,
153

    and free will,
48
,
81
,
83–84

    life force in,
156

    loss of, in brain death,
134

    out-of-body,
153
,
158
,
159
,
161

    physiology of,
158–59

    profound mystery of,
154

    and quantum mechanics,
154

    and reality,
150
,
154

    recovery of,
120–23

    and science,
151–52
,
171

Core:

    author’s arrival in,
45–49

    lessons learned in,
81
,
82
,
95
,
102
,
109

    memories of,
107
,
131
,
151

    message received in,
71

    moving back and forth in,
68
,
70

    Orb in,
47
,
48
,
102
,
160

    Spinning Melody in,
70
,
102

    ultra-reality of,
78
,
117
,
185

cortex,
20
,
159
,
187

Creator,
see
God

CSF glucose level,
25

CT (computerized tomography) scan,
23
,
183

Cushing, Harvey,
51

Daly, Peggy,
97
,
100
,
108

dark energy/dark matter,
82
,
155

death:

    and afterlife,
152–53

    author’s return from,
121
,
136

    feigned by lower animals,
141
,
185

    revised definitions of,
9
,
134

Descartes, René,
149

disappointment,
102

DMT dump,
142
,
186

dream confirmation,
137–39

Eccles, Sir John C.,
140

E. coli
bacteria,
19–21

    in bacterial meningitis,
23–24
,
91–92
,
144
,
183

    brain attacked by,
20–21
,
122
,
144

    DNA swaps of,
20
,
42–43

    as gram-negative bacteria,
42
,
149

    in Israel,
43–44
,
89

    reproduction of,
19–20

egg, analogy of,
160

Einstein, Albert,
1
,
76
,
147
,
162

electrons,
150

emotions, spaciousness of,
102–3

endogenous glutamate blockade,
185