After the Bell Tolls, Then What? ---The Amazing Saga of Dr Eben Alexander III

The question of what happens to us at the time of bodily death has been widely debated by theologians, philosophers, and scientists throughout the ages. While some hold that we have a soul or a spirit that survives, others have a more mechanistic view. They believe that our consciousness is simply the result of brain function, the firing of neurons. Thus, when the brain dies, that is the end of us. But, in truth, this is all hypothetical. No one really knows---or do they? Dr. Eben Alexander thinks he has the answer.

Dr Alexander is a seasoned neurosurgeon who was trained at Duke and Harvard. In spite of a religious upbringing, his scientific background coupled with his life experiences, had led to him to be a religious nonbeliever. He had no expectation of an afterlife. And then something happened that dramatically changed all that. Dr. Alexander had a near death experience!

He woke up one morning several years ago with a debilitating headache and backache. Within a short period of time he was in a coma, suffering from a rare strain of bacterial meningitis. In the hospital, his doctors were not hopeful regarding his chances of survival, much less recovery. He remained in that coma for seven days, hovering between life and death. And then, remarkably, he woke up, dazed and confused, but with vivid memories of what had occurred while in the comatose state. Amazingly he suffered no neurological damage whatsoever. As he pondered all that he remembered and the fact that he had emerged unscathed, he attempted to find scientific reasons to explain it all. Could he have had hallucinations as a result of the disease? Was the lack of adequate blood flow, and thus lack of sufficient oxygen to his brain an explanation? In the end, he had to abandon looking to science for answers, and accepted the conclusion that he couldn't at first believe. His consciousness had left his body!

Last month, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Alexander when he was here as one of the keynote speakers at the IANDS yearly conference.(International Association for Near Death Studies) Although I had seen him make a short appearance on "Through the Wormhole" on the SCI channel, I knew little about him and had no idea what to expect. When I encountered him in person, the presentation I had seen on TV paled in comparison to the dynamic, personable individual that I met. Eben Alexander is excited about what happened to him. He is enthusiastic to get his message out. And that message is emphatically, "There is an afterlife. I know. I've been there!"
When he spoke at the conference, he had all who attended hanging on to his every word. Most were brought to tears by his narrative. Even the strongest skeptics had to be left with some doubt! I'm not going to give away the details of his story because Dr Alexander will be a guest of the Rhine this Friday night, Oct 7th, at the Stedman Auditorium. So if possible, anyone who can, should hear this in person. If not, he is in the process of writing a book which will reveal all. I will only remark again that he is convinced that there is life after death, that he experienced it, and that it is good!

The survival question is not often addressed at the Rhine, not because we don't find it of interest or importance. In fact, J.B. Rhine considered it to be the tacit issue that underlied much of his research. He recognized though that life after death did not lend itself well to the scientific method! The possibility of nonlocal consciousness, however, is often cited as a reasonable explanation for the paranormal phenomena that we do research. While, at this point, we can demonstrate that certain PSI events do occur, the underlying mechanism by which they occur, remains a mystery.
So, what really does happen when we die? Is, in fact, the mind separate from the body, having it's own eternal existence? For some, Eben Alexander's account of his journey into another dimension, in spite of a nonfunctional brain, will just give further credence to their already held belief that an afterlife is a reality. For others, skepticism will remain, or perhaps there will be absolute disbelief. However, as difficult as it may be to fully grasp this concept, sooner or later, each and every one of us are inevitably going to find out! Until then, we will probably just have to wonder!

-- Cynthia Nigro Ph.D.

The PSI of Solving Crimes

Last Friday, one of the world's most well known psychic detectives was a guest speaker at the Stedman Auditorium. Noreen Renier started out years ago as a single mother working in public relations and advertising, with no interest in the paranormal. She was totally unaware that she might have any special abilities. And then, quite unexpectedly, one night while visiting friends, she claims that she "connected" with one of their deceased grandmothers!

This was the remarkable beginning to her unconventional career as a psychic! And although there are not an abundance of real world applications for work in this area (not yet,anyway!) Noreen began working with law inforcement helping them to solve crimes. By her report, she has now been involved in more than four hundred cases in the United States and six foreign countries. She has been featured in numerous television programs, and has authored two books.

In person, Noreen appears to be about as open and down to earth as a person can be. She says she is as astonished by the dimension of her capabilities as are the clients who utilize her services. While apparently she has located missing persons, and led police and FBI agents to criminals they were seeking, she admits that, left to her own devices, she can hardly find her way around the supermarket!

In her talk, Noreen intrigued the audience when she presented cases and discussed various aspects of her work. While she omitted many of the more graphic and disturbing details, it is clear that what she does is quite serious and involves situations that fortunately most of us will never have to deal with. These include murder, abduction, tragic accidents, and mysterious disappearances.

The method she uses to obtain her knowledge is known as Psychometry. This involves her holding an object, such as a piece of jewelry, or an article of clothing , belonging to someone and accessing information. For reasons we don't entirely understand, these revelations come to her through visions or impressions. While this is happening, she often goes into a trance state, and when finished, often has no recollection of what she said.

While there are a known number of people who appear to have this gift---of being what is called a psychometrist----Noreen feels that anyone is capable of it. When recounting her first experiences, which as stated, were quite a shock to her, she then made an effort to develop her skills by learning different techniques, and ongoing practice.

Now, in addition to her forensic work, Noreen gives courses and workshops to help others develop their own psychic abilities. It is her belief that one's sixth sense can be trained ,just as any of the other five senses, to evolve to greater levels of mastery. She recounts that her students have been able to produce amazing results.

As with all areas of PSI, the underlying mechanisms of psychometry, need to be subjected to much more scientific research. At the Rhine, we are planning to commence controlled studies with many gifted individuals to assess their abilities. We hope that in doing so, we might not only illuminate the mysterious capabilities of the mind, but also put an end to the ongoing controversies in the scientific world with regard to the paranormal.
-- Cynthia Nigro, Ph.D.

REALITY AND THE EXTENDED MIND Part 1