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initially reveal his mistake as he believed the surgery had been beneficial; even though it wasn't the intended operation. He was sued by the patient for damages totalling $ 3 million in August 2008. The case was dismissed by the plaintiff in 2009 without comment from an attorney. Due to these mistakes, Alexander temporarily lost his privileges at the hospital and was forced to pay a $ 3,500 fine to the
Virginia Board of Medicine. Alexander completed ethics and professionalism training to maintain an unrestricted medical license in the state.
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both random events and his doctors. He then compares them to the "hyper-real" experience of the afterlife, and says they do not match up. He also made a prediction in his book that secular critics, which included himself before his coma, would attempt to discredit him and his experience without looking into it properly.
387:
In 2000, Alexander located his birth parents but he was initially informed that his birth mother did not then wish to meet with him. Later on his birth mother changed her mind and agreed to meet with him. In 2007, Alexander was finally able to meet with both his birth parents and his birth siblings.
205:
While practicing medicine in
Lynchburg at the Lynchburg General Hospital, Alexander was reprimanded by the Virginia Board of Medicine for performing surgery incorrectly. In 2007, twice within a month, he operated on the wrong segment of patients’ spinal column. In one of the cases, Alexander did not
357:. Alexander framed his observations with quotations from spiritual teachers and paired them with the recent work of scientists with the aim of bridging religion and science. He cross-referenced spiritual experiences from readers and different religions to build his case on what heaven looked like.
304:
article, where he said that he vividly remembers having periods of hallucination and explains that there was a massive difference between them and his 'fully immersive' visions of the afterlife. Alexander describes the hallucinations in his book, saying that they were disjointed and centred around
432:
Page 95: "On August 6, 2008, the patient filed a $ 3 million lawsuit against
Alexander, accusing him of negligence, battery, spoliation, and fraud. The purported cover-up, the changes Alexander had made to the surgical report, was a major aspect of the suit. Once again, a lawyer was accusing
272:
Among the discrepancies, was that
Alexander had written the cause of his coma was bacterial meningitis, despite his doctor telling the reporter that he had been conscious and hallucinating before being placed in a medically induced coma. In a statement responding to the criticism, Alexander
299:
agreed with Harris, and argued that
Alexander had failed to recognize that the experience could have been the result of his cortex returning to full function at the outset of his coma, rather than a supernatural experience. In 2012 Alexander responded to critics in a second
269:. The Esquire article also reported that Alexander had been terminated or suspended from multiple hospital positions, and had been the subject of several malpractice lawsuits and that he settled five malpractice suits in Virginia within a period of ten years.
254:
in 2012. The book expounds on his near-death experience while suffering from a bacterial meningitis and under a medically induced coma. Alexander describes how the experience changed his perceptions of life and the afterlife.
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The book was a commercial success but also was the subject of scientific criticism in relation to misconceptions about neurology, such as conflating medically induced coma with brain death. A 2013 article in
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magazine refuted claims made in the book. The doctor who treated
Alexander stated that certain details cannot be true, such as claims Alexander made about speaking clearly at times he would have been
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Alexander presented related lectures around the world in churches, hospitals, medical schools, and academic symposia, besides appearing on TV shows including
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maintained that his representation of the experience was truthful and that he believed in the message contained in his book. He also claimed that the
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who described
Alexander's NDE account on his blog as "alarmingly unscientific", and that claims of experiencing visions while his
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inflaming his brain and spinal cord. He was flailing and in seizure, therefore the doctors put him into a medically-induced
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and his wife
Elizabeth West Alexander and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with three siblings. He attended
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was shut down demonstrated a failure to acknowledge existing brain science with little evidence prove otherwise.
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20:
651:
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Alexander of altering the historical record when the historical record didn't fit the story he wanted to tell."
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353:, was published in October 2014, where he again asserted the existence of an afterlife and that
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422:"The Prophet: An Investigation of Eben Alexander, Author of the Blockbuster "Proof of Heaven""
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article "cherry-picked" information about his past to discredit his accounts of the event.
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379:, was coauthored with Karen Newell, cofounder of Sacred Acoustics and published in 2017.
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The Map of Heaven: How
Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife
377:
Living in a
Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Heart of Consciousness
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139:
779:"Dr. Eben Alexander Says It's Time for Brain Science to Graduate From Kindergarten"
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113:
85:
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This article is about the neurosurgeon and author. For his great-grandfather, see
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827:"Becoming Conscious: A Neurosurgeon Discusses his Transformational Experience"
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421:
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121:
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210:
143:
912:
871:
846:"Near Death Experiences, the Mind-Body Debate & the Nature of Reality"
430:. New York City: Hearst Communications, Inc. pp. 88–95, 125–126, 128.
1024:"'Proof of Heaven' Author Discusses His Adoption at the Westin Uptown"
497:"'Proof of Heaven' author discusses his adoption at the Westin uptown"
685:
209:
By 2008, Alexander was clinical director of the Brain Program at the
1005:"Best-Seller 'Proof of Heaven' Author Remembers Winston-Salem Roots"
445:"Best-seller 'Proof of Heaven' author remembers Winston-Salem roots"
154:
Alexander was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was adopted by
681:"Esquire Unearths 'Proof of Heaven' Author's Credibility Problems"
226:
117:
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554:"Landmark Progress in Noninvasive Treatment of Brain Disorders"
142:
is not only a product of the brain and that it can go on to an
1046:
252:
Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
127:
Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
365:
bestseller list during the week ending November 2, 2014.
933:. The New York Times. September 21, 2014. Archived from
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while in the coma. He asserts that the coma resulted in
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and author. In 2008, he went under a medically-induced
891:
The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association
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The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association
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80:
62:
37:
30:
1139:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
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672:
470:"Renowned Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander Dies at 91"
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325:Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association
579:"To Do No Harm | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson"
318:. Alexander has also expanded on his NDE in the
804:"Dr. Eben Alexander Shares What God Looks Like"
652:"Butterfly-riding Neurosurgeon Hits Turbulence"
221:In November 2008, Alexander was suffering from
283:was also criticized by scientists, including
178:Alexander has taught and had appointments at
8:
164:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
67:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
188:University of Massachusetts Medical School
27:
1099:Duke University School of Medicine alumni
1079:21st-century American non-fiction writers
902:
861:
523:"Neurosurgeon reprimanded by state board"
355:consciousness is independent of the brain
192:University of Virginia School of Medicine
650:Jarrett, Christian (December 27, 2013).
601:
599:
112:(born December 11, 1953) is an American
887:"Near Death Experiences: The Last Word"
397:
1144:Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina
1009:Journalnow.com (Winston-Salem Journal)
961:"Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven"
959:Pearson, Patricia (October 8, 2014).
954:
952:
7:
1003:Burkhart, Jesse (December 5, 2012).
751:Eben Alexander (November 18, 2012).
733:"Seeing God in the Third Millennium"
632:"Seeing God in the Third Millennium"
443:Burkhart, Jesse (December 5, 2012).
777:Ingrid Peschke (October 24, 2013).
1154:21st-century American male writers
825:Alexander, Eben (April 15, 2016).
168:Duke University School of Medicine
73:Duke University School of Medicine
14:
1149:Near-death experience researchers
1084:American male non-fiction writers
831:Congress of Neurological Surgeons
320:Congress of Neurological Surgeons
16:American neurosurgeon (born 1953)
1074:21st-century American physicians
1069:20th-century American physicians
856:(January/February 2015): 17–21.
521:Thompson, Dave (July 28, 2013).
1129:Physicians from North Carolina
1124:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
1104:Harvard Medical School faculty
420:Dittrich, Luke (August 2013).
180:Duke University Medical Center
1:
897:(July/August 2015): 275–282.
558:Focused Ultrasound Foundation
552:storyware (August 22, 2009).
211:Focused Ultrasound Foundation
370:Living in a Mindful Universe
200:Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
184:Brigham and Women's Hospital
1134:Quantum mysticism advocates
1114:Nautilus Book Award winners
1170:
243:
196:Boston Children's Hospital
18:
349:Alexander's second book,
21:Eben Alexander (educator)
885:Alexander, Eben (2015).
844:Alexander, Eben (2015).
375:Alexander's third book,
150:Early life and education
120:while being treated for
753:"The Science of Heaven"
160:Phillips Exeter Academy
1119:Near-death experiences
1089:American neurosurgeons
1028:Charlotte Observer.com
527:The News & Advance
501:The Charlotte Observer
322:and the peer-reviewed
166:(A.B., 1975), and the
57:, North Carolina, U.S.
712:"This Must Be Heaven"
611:"This Must Be Heaven"
449:Winston-Salem Journal
361:was number 12 on the
217:Near-death experience
132:near-death experience
130:(2012) describes his
931:Paperback Nonfiction
741:(December 12, 2012).
738:The Atlantic Monthly
710:(October 12, 2012).
640:(December 12, 2012).
637:The Atlantic Monthly
609:(October 12, 2012).
533:on February 15, 2020
229:for his own safety.
223:bacterial meningitis
213:in Charlottesville.
1094:Angelic visionaries
992:. November 2, 2014.
250:Alexander authored
937:on October 6, 2014
583:www.thecrimson.com
476:on August 25, 2018
335:The New York Times
110:Eben Alexander III
32:Eben Alexander III
359:The Map of Heaven
344:The Map of Heaven
311:Super Soul Sunday
156:Eben Alexander Jr
107:
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48:December 11, 1953
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1049:
1047:Official website
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1022:Washburn, Mark.
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986:"New York Times"
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495:Washburn, Mark.
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472:. Archived from
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337:Best Seller list
332:was included on
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330:Proof of Heaven
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281:Proof of Heaven
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63:Alma mater
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927:"Best Sellers"
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833:(Spring 2016).
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233:Writing career
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81:Occupation(s)
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70:(A.B., 1975)
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50:(age 70)
40:
36:
29:
26:
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968:. Retrieved
964:
939:. Retrieved
935:the original
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557:
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535:. Retrieved
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474:the original
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114:neurosurgeon
109:
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86:neurosurgeon
76:(M.D., 1980)
25:
1064:1953 births
708:Harris, Sam
607:Harris, Sam
588:December 7,
563:December 7,
295:and writer
293:Neurologist
136:brain death
124:. His book
1058:Categories
941:October 1,
762:August 31,
392:References
285:Sam Harris
122:meningitis
44:1953-12-11
480:April 30,
267:intubated
144:afterlife
55:Charlotte
913:26455057
872:25812265
810:June 14,
806:. OWN TV
788:June 14,
757:Newsweek
692:July 13,
661:June 27,
302:Newsweek
84:Writer,
970:July 3,
904:6170063
863:6170087
717:May 26,
616:May 26,
427:Esquire
275:Esquire
262:Esquire
202:et al.
138:, that
92:Website
911:
901:
870:
860:
686:Forbes
656:Wired
314:with
972:2020
943:2014
909:PMID
868:PMID
812:2014
790:2014
764:2015
719:2018
694:2013
663:2020
618:2018
590:2023
565:2023
539:2019
508:2019
482:2014
456:2019
227:coma
118:coma
101:.com
38:Born
899:PMC
895:112
858:PMC
854:112
146:.
97:www
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