Interview with Darron Eastwell

We each have a story. How we perceive ourselves and respond to events of our journey, enable us to grow and also offers opportunities enrich the world.  During a recent professional event, I had the privilege of meeting Darron Eastwell. This versatile author and speaker has experienced major shifts and its a delight to share our interview. 

In a nutshell, please describe yourself.

I’m 44 years old, married 20 years, father of 2 kids. I live in Buderim, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland (Australia).

Of course, there is far more to you than initially meets the eye. Would you say you had a conventional career?

Well, my main work life was a 25-year banking career with National Australia Bank (NAB). Since leaving high school, this was my only employer. I'm originally from country Victoria.  However, due to my NAB roles, I relocated many times for different job opportunities.  While holding Business Banking management roles, I moved around Victoria, South East Queensland and Central Queensland before settling back on the Sunshine Coast in 2015.

Sounds like you come to thrive on change.  What has driven you through it all?   

Working for a large, corporate bank in demanding, high-pressure jobs consumed me. However, I really enjoyed the opportunities the bank provided.  After all, I never finished high school or gained any specialized education qualifications. I stuck with my banking career, worked my way up. I used to say I have a “Street-smart” degree.

Your life demonstrates that being adaptable enables us to respond well to whatever comes. Tell us how your work priorities have affected your family life.

I have always been a highly-dedicated family man with my family being my number one priority as I was the “bread-winner” for many years.  My wife and I chose to raise our kids so that they didn’t have to attend day care or after school day care. So, Bianca stayed home, looked after the kids while I went to work, traditional family compared to these days, we were very fortunate.

Sounds like you had your life pretty much planned out and the details were coming together. What caused your life to change dramatically?

Due to my mountain bike accident, our roles were reversed. Bianca had to be my carer then go out and work while I stayed home and continued rehabilitation and recovery.

How did your life focus and values change in all this?

I no longer feel that my high-pressured, corporate banking job is important. I feel like I was just a number to them. All I want to do now is gain part-time employment so I’m not consumed by work. Creating a healthy work-life balance enables me to enjoy the Sunshine Coast, all life has to offer. 

Share some key life challenges and how you respond.

Pre-accident, life was great. I didn’t have a worry in the world other than what most people would worry about. (i.e. how long would it last?) Yet, job satisfaction with NAB was nearing an expiry date and I still didn’t own my family home I had to work to pay the bills. 

My key life challenge was no doubt was on 23/05/2015 when I had my mountain bike accident, which changed my life forever. Even three and half years later, I still have zero memory of that day and the following 12 months after the accident due to the injuries. This is probably a good thing. Injuries sustained from the mountain bike accident were as follows: Fractured Skull, Fractured Neck (occipital condyle fracture), Fractured T7 Vertebrae Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (Diffuse Axonal Injury).  I was in a medically- induced coma for 10 days. I had a Glasgow Coma Score of 5 (GCS range from 3-15 -the lower the number, the more severe the injury; GCS of 3 equals a dead person).  Once I awoke from the coma, I had Post Traumatic Amnesia for 32 days.  Given the duration, this indicated a very severe TBI.

What you describe feels like a huge shake-up and perhaps a wake-up call on many levels. What else stands out for you?

I was in 3 different hospitals for a total period of 2 months, spending 6 weeks in the Princess Alexandra Hospital Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit where I had to undergo rehab Occupation Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Balance Therapy. It was full-on.

Wow! You are certainly one resilient spirit! As your experience points out, challenges may seem economic or physical on the surface, but beneath it all, it is our attitude, will, how we respond mentally and emotionally, that determine what plays out.  

Yes. I had to re-learn life's simplest of skills, basically relearn to live independently again.  But I was so focused on getting well, nothing got in the way. I felt I had so much to live for including; my family, where I lived, my house, the lifestyle we had set up for ourselves.  I just wanted to be healthy again. My drive for recovery came from my perseverance and 'never give up' attitude, which I still have to this day.

What you say here invites readers to quietly ponder what is really important, what they really want. Its not usually what first comes to mind. What brings you the greatest joy?

My greatest joy is that I now live a quality, healthy life with my loving family on the Sunshine Coast in our family home which we built 10 years prior. I’m living my dream. I am now able to spend more time with family, exercise more and play my guitars more.

Ahh! So, you are also a musician! Have you always played? 

Well, I did not make much time for that hobby before my accident. My wife and I always spoke about returning to the coast, not having to relocate again.  We wanted to live a simple, uncomplicated lifestyle, enjoying the beaches, the sunny coast, warm climate.  We feel motivated to be outdoors.  We wanted our kids get to grow up in such a beautiful part of not only Australia, but the world.

As the saying goes, ‘Ask and it is given.’ You have given yourself your most heartfelt wish. Tell us, in your own words, how setbacks can be seen as gifts.

Set-backs can be gifts as they can change how you think what's really important.   Without your health, you little to feel joyful about.

Many people who have Near Death experiences (NDEs) also have out-of-body experiences (OBEs).  My NDEs and OBEs have changed the way I see myself and the world. Consider also people like Dannion Brinkley- he died twice by lightning and wrote At Peace in the Light & Saved by the Light. We also feel the impact of OBEs explored in Interview with William Buhlman and others on this blog.  How did having an NDE and OBE change you?

Surviving my near-death experience (NDE) has made me a better person and appreciate life more and I now realise how life can change in a heartbeat.  My brain is empty now. I am noticably calmer.

My mind echoes: I am not going to be a victim. I am not going to be negative about what happened. I believe everything happens for a reason. Positivity is so powerful. Having a positive mindset can assist with overcoming the impossible. I wouldn’t change what happened to me for a second. It has enabled so many doors to close but more doors have opened.

This echoes that saying, "When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." Let us know what windows inspire you, what nourishes your soul?

I’m inspired to live the best version of this new Darron, inspired to remain happy & healthy and share my story of survival against the odds. My wife is the biggest inspiration. Without her support, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

What a heart-warming story of connection with your family, your deeper self to inspire the world. This is a perfect lead in to tell us about your new book.

My book is, The Day I Broke My Brain. Basically, this is what I did through my accident.

It reminds me of Proof of Heaven by and the implications explored in Interview with Dr. Eben Alexander and the the book and Ted Talk Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.

As previously shared, due to my injuries, post-traumatic amnesia and severed memory problems, my occupation therapist suggested that I start writing a daily journal.  This   improved my memory and fine motor skills such as writing. I began with my name, address and where I had lived, my family’s names ages.  Then, I wrote about my thoughts, emotions and anything that I felt like writing.  This went on for about 6 months before I thought of the idea that I could have a book on my hands about my survival and rehabilitation story. Thus, over a period of 12 months, the daily journal writing evolved to have greater detail.  I had longer and longer writing sessions, all by hand, to the point when I had finished my book in its manuscript version.  I still have the hand-written notes today.

Other than assisting in your rehabilitation, what is your hope for this book?

Besides writing the book to help me deal with or at least uncover what happened to me, my hope is to help other people impacted by brain or other severe injury, to provide inspiration or motivation for healing. My recovery is proof that you can recover, not always 100%, but at least to redefine a high-quality and independent life. I now see life is far more than what I thought is was before my accident. Having a book is the modern version of a business card. It provides creditability, paves the way for new connections, and new career opportunities.

 Your story is one of determination and empowerment. It reminds me of the attitude of quadruple amputee Kyle Maynard who wrote No Excuses. What do you foresee next?

My hope is that it continues to sell, provides opportunities for me to meet new people. Talking at public events provides more income and eventually help with me gaining employment. My ultimate goal would be if the book could be put to movie as I think its a great story a positive story of someone beating the odds and overcoming such an injury it changed his entire life for the good.

How do you envision your book can help people?

I think my book can help people not only impacted by brain injury, but it can help anyone who is lacking the drive, motivation to improve their life, change mindset to see that nothing is really bad.  We do not have to wait for tragedy or an NDE to trigger the change.

What else have you done and are you doing to contribute to a new level of well-being?

After 12 months of traditional rehabilitation in hospital, I had had enough of it and was screaming out to do something else to feel happy.  Hence, I thru myself into physical exercise, music therapy, meditation, yoga, and naturopathic supplements.  In addition, I didn’t drink a drop of alcohol for two and half years.  Now, I only drink very small amounts, changed my diet to try and eat more healthy foods, intermittent fasting and eat brain foods.

Congrats on reaching a new level of balance and well-being. Who is your book's intended audience?

My audience is brain injury survivors, their families and individuals in need of motivation due to challenges. It is estimated about 700,000 people in Australia are living with a brain injury and in America around 3,000,000 people are impacted by brain injury.  Clearly, many people impacted by a situation related to my own.

 Where can people obtain a copy of your book?

The book has been purchased in 17 different countries so far or reading my blog on my website www.darroneastwell.com.au

As the result of your bike accident, how has your outlook and life perspective shifted?

I love my family and extended family more than ever. I no longer fear dying.

I relate to other people who have survived near death experiences (NDEs), tragedies or overcome trauma, sickness and injury. I can relate better to these kinds of people.

I don't have patience for materialistic people who are not realistic or they show no compassion for others. In general, I feel I am a calmer, more relaxed person because of my experience and enjoy the simple little things these days better, especially chatting to people 

As you look forward, how do you see your life unfolding?

I foresee my life unfolding like this:

•          I will continue to live on the Sunshine Coast with my family & finally can call it home
•          I will continue to visualize making a difference and seeing ths happen as in The Answer by Allan & Barbara Pease (I have used this technique 15 years and know it works)
•          I will return to working in 2019 in a part-time capacity
•          I will secure a job for which I am training now  (as a barista within the coffee industry)

Like yourself, I can attest to the effectiveness of feeling my way into a new lifestyle and way of being. Our life focus shifts with our awareness and priorities. It happens with perfect timing. As Gandhi echoes: happiness happens when what we think, do and say, are all in harmony.  Bobby Davro says a measure of success is happiness and peace and mind. How do you view success?

I will be successful at what ever I'm doing as that is how I am programmed.  When I do things, I have to do it right and put in 150%. I have high expectations for myself.

If you had a piece of advice or a vision to leave with our audience, what would it be?

Never take life for granted, go for your dreams or what makes your happy and ensure you live a healthy uncomplicated life.

Please share anything else you would like to add, including events, websites, links, broadcasts or any other ways our audience can connect with and learn more about you.

Here are some links to articles about me. Invite readers to visit my website, and find information relevant to their own journey.

https://profilemag.com.au/darron-eastwell-survival/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8V19BhrUPo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLwWEupGWds 

http://surviving-brain-injury.blogspot.com.au/2017/06/new-tbi-book-introduction-day-i-broke.html

http://tbihopeandinspiration.com/May2017.pdf  (Refer to pages 16-19)

https://www.braininjuryaustralia.org.au/stories/day-broke-brain-darron-eastwell/ 

https://issuu.com/myweeklypreview/docs/mwp460 Refer to page 24

http://myweeklypreview.com.au/people/defying-the-odds/

http://www.booksofbuderim.com.au/events-galore-at-books-of-buderim

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-day-i-broke-my-brain-darron-eastwell/prod9781548296902.html

https://www.facebook.com/tbihopeandinspiration/photos/pb.397557900320241.-2207520000.1497447898./1319116004831088/?type=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8V19BhrUPo  

https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/life-threatening-accident-now-a-story-of-inspirati/3238030/

Thanks Darron.  We know you are an inspiring success and continue to enrich all thoe lives you touch. You invite us all to recognize blessings where we are, and to appreciate who we are and how we can assist each other. 

Notice our collective reality arises from what we choose to believe about information our elders leave us, and whether we choose to question it. If we insist on believing we are separate from God/ Source and each other, then life is about living in separation. Many people believe God condones violence as a means of conflict resolution and feel separate from what does not affect them personally. Behavior arises from belief. Our big challenge is to find ways to get people to see, feel, act collectively. The issue is we often seek to solve problems at every level except the level at which problems exist. What if creating heaven wherever you are and its the prime objective? Imagine a life without fear, guilt or anger. Imagine the end of frustration and anxiety, and negative feelings. Imagine experiencing awe and wonder, the impulse to give freely, all expressing itself through you due to your expanding awareness. We can begin to create this in lives of those we touch. It is a matter of making conscious connections. Internal shifts transform external experience.

3 Signs you close in on what matters

(Image credit: NASA Space Telescope)

At least part of you is looking for signs of a shift or change in your life.  Consider three signs you get closer to what matters: 

1. You realize limitations of ordinary language

Myths and symbols exist to reach mans's higher centres which  function in higher states of consciousness.  The intent is to transmit ideas inaccessible to the intellect and to transmit them in such a way that they cannot be misinterpreted or modified from their divine blueprint. The more often sacred geometry and sounds are felt, the more you sense shifts occurring within.  True understanding is only realized when the vibration, frequency of myths, symbols registers in the appropriate centre and activates paths of bio-circuitry.  

2. You are drawn to spiritual places and travel journeys

Myths are originally created for higher feeling centres and symbols for higher thinking centres. Crop circle tours as well as trips to ancient monoliths, archtectural sites and energetic vortices are gaining in popularity. People are growing more conscious and aware of their own dormant and awakening energy centres which are mirror reflections of the earth awakening and reactivating her own energy centres. Ayahuasca journeys are one example described as a spiritual reset button to cleanse the body and soul. Notice where you have been, what you are drawn to and what sort of travel you are already doing inside yourself. Astral travel and Near Death Experiences (NDEs) are other kinds of spiritual journeys that offer clues to the puzzle.

3. It hits everything is a sythesis to be unpacked  

At some stage, it hits that what matters is contained in every book, film, encounter, relationship, dream and experience. Its simply up to each of us to grow conscious of the lesson or teaching we are offering ourselves. The meaning of a symbol and the revelation of its essence can only be given and understood by a person who knows (and can this decode energetically) what it means.  This echos why you can watch a film muliple times and experience different ah-ha moments and the same happens with reading and re-reading books.  You only get out of each expeirence the energetic information that aligns with your level of consciousness. Each human being is thus an initiate in The Mystery School of Life.

Interview with Dr. Eben Alexander

I am delighted to share this dialogue with Dr. Eben Alexander. Ever since I read his initial book, Proof of Heaven, I felt deeply touched by what he so eloquently presents as a view of reality beyond what many consciously see as their own.

Having myself had more than one Near-Death Experience (NDE) in this lifetime, conversing with Dr. Alexander enables me to gain new insight into NDEs, the brain, Science, and Spirituality.  Exploring these topics here helps me to better understand, accept and integrate more of myself, and even begin to touch on what human existence is really about.  

Thank you Dr. Alexander. I feel privileged that you create time in your busy life for this interview, not only for me, but for the world that now has access to it.

As an experienced neurosurgeon and traditionally-trained scientist, you have earned the respect of the medical establishment and patients through years of medical practice. Your books Proof of Heaven, Map of Heaven, and most recently, Living in a Mindful Universe, are all inviting readers to question their sense of reality, especially popular Western views of life and death. How has writing your books affected your sense of heaven, purpose of fulfillment in this lifetime?

Following my NDE, and hearing about those of others, my view of what is real has changed profoundly. The lessons that continue to unfold provide the content of my books. My experience and its interpretation have offered insights into a far more robust worldview, in which consciousness is fundamental in the universe and generates all of emerging physical reality, and in which human beings have far more potential than conventional science acknowledges in manifesting their free will over unfolding reality. I have come to believe that part of my mission is to share this information with others. We are all eternal souls, loved deeply by God/Source, and this physical life is but one small aspect of consciousness and one of many opportunities for our souls to grow. This knowledge alone has given many people hope and solace in the midst of grief when losing loved ones from this lifetime. And for others, it has opened up new ways of thinking about the world they live in and their broader soul’s purpose.

Like the film Avatar by James Cameron invited an audience of over 1 billion to rethink how they see themselves and the world,  Ready Player One , a new Steven Spielberg film, is to invite a wide audience to realize each human has complete control of the virtual universe it creates. The protagonists in the four new Avatar films in production, also enter new worlds to escape, only to discover something much bigger than themselves. As you share in your books, the protagonists in these films awaken, see with new eyes. Their focus, or reason for living, changes.

After emerging back in this world from your coma, you cite feeling ‘shaken up,’ Similar to Jill Bolte Taylor who had a unique Stroke of Insight, you share key points of reference had lost meaning. How did an NDE alter your sense of being human? What does it feel like to shift and integrate consciousness into our collective ‘human’ notion of reality?

While I was having my NDE during the time in coma, I had no recollection of who I was in this lifetime – I did not reflect on being a man named Eben, a physician, a father, or even a human being per se. I simply was a being that was led on a journey of observing many things. I had no reference of religion to influence my interpretation of what was going on around me. In a sense, my brain (and prior human prejudices) was off-line so I could experience the full spectrum of consciousness. Later, as I returned to my body and my day-to-day existence here, I felt shaken up, trying to integrate the broader knowledge I now have with what I slowly remembered as my human life circumstances.

At first I could not speak or recognize loved ones at my bedside. I knew I had to “come back” for my youngest son, Bond (although I did not remember him as “my son,” only as a deeply entangled soul for whom I had connection and responsibility), and as I would later realize, to share my story with millions of people who have expressed a resonance with it, or who found hope and comfort from learning about my journey. Within two months I had regained all my previous knowledge including that gleaned from almost three decades spent in academic neurosurgery. I had difficulty sleeping, but I used the extra awake time to write down all that I could recall from the experience, and later to study the voluminous literature supporting a much broader vision of consciousness, quantum physics and the nature of human spirit. I now have a new life partner, nine plus years after my NDE. I am closer to my sons and have become better acquainted with my birth family.

Although I hear about other NDE experiences, your sharing here touches me in new ways. As it happens, I stopped breathing at birth and had other NDEs after accidents for reasons I did not consciously understand until recently through Breathwork. In my denial of life, I did not really know what it truly felt like to live. I did not wish to face what I could not change. Much like yourself, I also knew I was meant to 'come back' and am in process of living my destiny. Love how on Gaia, you teach about accessing spiritual realms , invite people to re-view deeper meaning in life experiences.

In this light, you share that surviving a rare form of brain meningitis and coma altered how you value illness, pain medication and injury. Tell us about that. What sorts of lessons can we all take away from perceived adversity?

Whether through illness, injury or trauma of another sort, these events are challenges in our lives. They are often the result of our soul’s planning or our soul group’s joint planning prior to incarnation. Their purpose is to give our individual and collective soul experiences from which to grow, strengthen relationships, learn about love and compassion for others, or how to give and receive. The lessons can be many, and we may not learn everything the first time, so we sometimes experience a challenge recurring in another form, to apply the wisdom gained thus far and go deeper in our learning, teaching and understanding on a particular subject.

Among the lessons and gifts received, I felt much gratitude and joy. The feeling of being loved completely, without judgment or conditions, is very healing on all levels – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.

Indeed. Your story is, as Time Magazine states, forcing Science to see the Afterlife differently. It is a friendly reminder that more than one kind of intelligence and way of understanding the reality exists. Every experience we create invites us to review what we think we know. Its worth noting you offer a recommended reading list to expand on the basis of your experience. I really resonate with stories of transplant recipients who develop new affinities based on consciousness transferred in their newly transplanted organs.

We have a unique and beautiful opportunity to grow here, in the density of the physical realm. We should treasure each moment, as we learn much about love that reflects the immense love of pure consciousness. Each time we are on “the other side” it is not forever, but for a period of time between incarnations or journeys that invigorate and educate our souls.

Your response resonates deeply.  Human beings are so often taught to focus on the external world, to take their bodies, mobility, current use of their minds, training or skills for granted, unless/until something happens that prevents doing what is habitual.  Losing what we think is important can trigger a new appreciation, deeper understanding of who we are and why we exist. Part of being human involves the experience of duality, comparing thoughts so the mind can have a reference for ideas. Yet, as you point out, we are far more than thought, multi-dimensional beings, in truth.  We can be wounded without conscious awareness and blind to aspects that only reveal themselves as our perception expands.

Now that you have tasted what it is like to see worlds from expanded consciousness, what, in your view, is the biggest issue for this physical world? 

 Lack of acknowledging and embracing our spiritual nature, thinking that the physical is all that exists and our lives are birth to death and nothing more – these are among the greatest travesties most challenging our modern cultural understanding.

Spiritual nature is gaining increasing attention in the Western world which itself is founded on material and physical principles. Please offer related evidence and an example to clarify your point. 

The most common and profound evidence that the materialist world view is wrong consists of the profound nature of “placebo effect” in medicine, yet we continue to educate medical and nursing students from the disproven “physicalist” position – it is high time to face reality, and utilize a world view that fully incorporates “mind-over-matter.” We may not be able to test things in a laboratory exactly the way one might test a chemical reaction, but the preponderance of evidence from NDEs, after-death communications (ADCs), mediumistic communications, past-life memories in children indicative of reincarnation and similar human experiences, reviewed under specific protocols, provide the evidence not only of the soul surviving physical death, but of its return through multiple incarnations. Consciousness demands a far grander world view than our conventional physicalist one – our new book, Living in a Mindful Universe, portrays this evolving world view in a more complete fashion than prior works trying to unite science and spirituality.

Love the views and examples you offer in this new book. It draws attention to the fact that everything is energy first.  Conditioned perception can distort that. Nothing happens except in the mind, including illusion of separation. This said, what is the solution to the biggest issue you see?

As radical as it may sound, Love is fundamental to the solution. Compassion for one another on a very deep level can bring all kinds of change for the good. In addition, although I cannot put it into words, I was astounded by the science at work in the universe that I could observe during my NDE. There truly is convergence of science and spirituality, although humans have not been able to explain it yet in earthly terms. But we can come closer, as more souls become actively engaged and enlightened in working together for solutions.

Swami Vivekananda said, "Spirituality is the science of the soul." Emerging scientific research and increasingly common experience like NDEs, reveal what appear to be separate disciplines are connected yet often misunderstood. 

As a womb twin survivor (WTS), familiar myself with OBEs and worlds beyond the physical, I have always been connected to expanded consciousness you cite awareness of as the result of your illness. I have long been surrounded by physicians in my family, close relations and colleagues, who see and experience the world very differently. Issues can arise in relating to people who do not see or accept the existence of different realities.

In light of all that has happened to you, what enables you to feel most alive and grounded in this world, continuing in your scientific role, knowing what you know about expanded reality? 

Well, for one thing, I know what my training taught me and how rooted in materialist science I was. So, I understand colleagues who are cautious when listening to my story. It does sound incredible when viewed from that strict mindset. As a scientist, I feel it is incumbent on me to more deeply examine the research around NDEs and other spiritually transformative experiences in order to convey to my physician and scientific colleagues in particular ways to expand awareness and consider consciousness from a far wider perspective.

What has changed and what remains the same?

I no longer see patients, but have a deeper understanding of the healing power within all of us. My role as a “healer” is far greater than I imagined before, but every step in my life was necessary to serve the role I now serve. Now I encourage people to become more involved in their physical and emotional healing through the daily practice of meditation, heart-centering and personal empowerment. Personally, I try to spend at least one hour each day reconnecting to the spiritual realm and the guides I encountered there through a practice of meditation using the sounds of Sacred Acoustics. This keeps me grounded in the reality of knowing myself as an eternal spiritual being. But the real gift of near-death and related experiences applies very directly to how we live our lives in these incarnations – this grander perspective (including the notion of reincarnation and living multiple lives here on earth) is crucial in allowing us to live our lives to the highest purpose and meaning we came here to experience.

It is valuable to hear you echo that healing power inside ourselves is often underestimated.  One view echoes humans are cosmic instruments that are in or out of tune. Western approaches to healing are not all evolving at the same pace.   As you say in your blog, we have cause for great hope in this world. We only experience what we are ready and willing to accept, individually and collectively.

In reality, we are all connected through the binding force of love at a spiritual level -- there is no separation.

In your books and public talks, you highlight the view that Science and Spirituality must come together for the world to move forward. What are you witnessing about the illusion of separation in Religion? 

Religions often focus on the differences between their varying dogmatic beliefs.  This takes us away from the “oneness and primacy of mind” that was so clear to many founding fathers of quantum physics (Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, etc.).

How is quantum physics closing the perceived gap with spirituality?

The leading edges of studies on the nature of consciousness, especially in light of ever-refined experimental evidence in quantum physics indicating the absence of an objective physical reality independent of the observing mind, not only support the reality of our spiritual nature as fundamental – they demand it. Our true free will is the gift of this emergent synthesis.

You and individuals like Canadian Wilder Penfield who redrew the map of the brain, determine memories are not stored in the brain. During The Ottawa International Writer’s Festival, October 21, 2017, you speak about The Mindful Universe and say “the brain is a reducing valve. The main role of the brain is to limit, inhibit and restrict conscious awareness. This has survival value.” How is the role and usefulness of this ‘reducing value’ changing?

The conventional neuroscience I was taught in medical school in the late 1970’s was based in physicalism (the notion that only physical “stuff” exists), and assumed that consciousness was the epiphenomenon of the chemical reactions and ion fluxes in the brain. One obvious implication is that our sense of free will is completely illusory – if our very consciousness is just the illusion of awareness resulting from those physical interactions in the substance of the brain, where might one inject any form of “free will”? Modern consciousness studies provide far more robust explanation of all variety of human experience through “filter theory,” which was first discussed by luminaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – William James, Henri Bergson, FCS Schiller, and Aldous Huxley, to name a few. This reducing valve of the brain is necessary so that we may perceive and comprehend the world around us in an orderly fashion.

As it happens, as an undergraduate McGill student, I volunteered at the Montreal Neurological Hospital where Dr. Penfield spent his career. I also participated in a brain experiment there which involved being injected with radioactive isotopes. My brain activity was tracked and studied through Magnetic Resonance Imaging and other techniques. How do you feel about what  is not traceable by current scientific instruments? What does this reveal about consciousness?

Becoming more aware of our expanded consciousness beyond the brain provides the opportunity to know ourselves on a grander level and to feel the sense of our collective connection.

Monks and other experienced meditators have had brainwaves studied during meditation. Varied scientific results are documented. The widespread view is that most humans are not using full brain capacity. Popular views assume ‘enlightenment’ involves using 100% brain capacity. Hence many people work harder, in efforts to activate greater brain capacity, striving toward enlightenment. Another view is using no brain power reflects enlightenment. What is your view?

Given that the brain and physical reality emerge from consciousness itself, and that mental function is not produced by the brain but filtered through it, it is irrelevant to discuss what percentage of brain we are using to support mind. Experiments using fMRI and magnetoencephalography in patients under the influence of psychotropic substances (e.g. psilocybin, DMT (ayuhuasca), LSD, etc) reveal that the most vivid experiences correspond to less active junctional regions in the brain (especially what is known as the “default mode network”). The state of creative flow, for example, when we are fully engrossed in an activity and lose awareness of time, is correlated with decreased brain function in the frontal lobes’ executive center. It seems that getting the brain out of the way allows us to access more of the spiritual realms, and of Collective Mind.

This view is shared by Om Swami in his book,  Kundalini-An Untold Story, as well as insights shared by Gopi Krishna and other yogis who convey directly the nature of enlightenment. 

Your work provides great insight that empowers millions of people who are on a quest for a deeper connection with the divine. Your books attest to the existence of a universal dimension characterized by peace, acceptance and unconditional love that is accessible to all of us. What role, in your view, does the human brain have in connecting humanity with God?

The brain is simply the filter that allows expression of the mind, and of primordial consciousness. I see the source of that human (and all sentient being) consciousness as the ultimate source of all that is – the God-force so universally found amidst accounts of NDEs and related spiritually-transformative experiences (STEs), that infinitely healing power of unconditional love. In a very real sense, our human consciousness is connected directly with God – we expand our awareness of it through a practice of going within.

You make it sound so simple. Funny, the Western world often teaches things are complicated.  From your view, what can each of us do to connect more deeply to the universal mind?

Begin and continue a practice of daily meditation. Learn to recognize and distinguish between the neutral observer within and the constant mind chatter consisting of our thoughts (including the voice of our ego). Release emotional trauma, which might be blocking us from reaching an expanded state of awareness. Open the mind, and trust that the loving force of the universe will provide all that you need to come to a deeper understanding. There are many methods to choose from and each of us is unique.

That echoes Paramahansa Yogananda who says meditation is the act of becoming one with the Soul. It means seeing we are more than the body and its perceived limitations. Meditation thus points to existence of God. What can people access to help them get beyond limits of the mind? 

For those who have not yet established a regular practice, and especially those who feel the chattering “monkey mind” voice in their head is forever blocking their ability to go deep within, I strongly recommend the powerful meditative tools of Sacred Acoustics.

Agree whole-heartedly about the power of sound. Such meditation triggers shifts in perception. Many meditation techniques exist. What specific meditation would you suggest that would enable people to be more present?  Which parts of the brain do you feel influence growing awareness? 

The recordings of Sacred Acoustics who create brainwave entrainment audio are created using a proprietary blend of monaural and binaural beats combined with harmonic principles. I have worked closely with Sacred Acoustics to develop and test many of their audio products.  Due to what I believe is a profound effect of the lower brain stem, I find them most effective in quieting the mind and reaching expanded states of awareness. Beginners find them very useful and experienced meditators often report going deeper than before. They offer a free download of a 20-min meditation called “Om”. Highly recommend tuning in to this.

What you express here reinforces how spending time immersing in nature is essential to listening to our own inner music. As singer Grace Vanderwaal echos, we must close our mobile phones  (and put other external technology aside) to listen and hear what is so often overlooked.  Breathing deeply along this crazy ride of life helps us realize there is so much more than this.

What kinds of exercises can we do to better get to know the inner self?

The 33-Day Journey into the Heart of Consciousness is our free on-line companion course to the book Living in a Mindful Universe. Each day for 33 days, we offer a bite-sized nugget of a concept from the book and a related practice that can be applied in daily life. These are derived from material in the book and are techniques or practices that my co-author, Karen Newell, and I have found quite valuable.

More broadly, I recommend a frequent (e.g. daily) practice of “going within,” that is of centering prayer or meditation that successfully labels the “voice in our head” or our linguistic brain (also largely the voice of the ego) as merely “our annoying roommate,” allowing a broadening of our sense of conscious awareness connecting with higher soul and providing a bridge to the Collective Mind. This greatly expanded awareness allows a refreshing and even revolutionary perspective.

Imagine you dine with 5 people you have not yet met (from past/present/future). Who would they be and what would you like to ask them?

Each would be asked the Big Questions of the fundamental nature of reality, the binding force of Love, and of the meaning and purpose of our existence:

Jesus Christ –

Albert Einstein –

David Bohm –

C.S. Lewis –

Siddhārtha Gautama (Buddha) –

Absolutely love your choices! I would be delighted to join this group encounter and at some point, hear the nature of what is discussed.  Imagine asking fictional characters to ask to dinner too. The topics we wish to ask those we admire tell us a lot about ourselves.  For now, if you could share an insight, revelation or advice for our readers to take away, what would it be?

All of the answers lie within. Dedicate the time to meditate each day, because the very reason for the existence of your soul and this precious lifetime are to become more of who you truly are. The way to achieve that is by aligning more to your spiritual nature.

Please share anything else you feel would benefit our readers.

Each and every soul plays a crucial role in the evolution of consciousness. We are absolutely responsible for all of the choices in our lives. Given the justice and balance that is inherent in the universe, we are wise to realize we will reap what we sow, and living the golden rule, or treating others as we would like to be treated, is essential in providing the smoothest route possible to enlightenment.

Dr. Alexander, again, I truly appreciate your presence during this timely conversation as I know our readers do also. When people speak, audiences can listen with interest or curiousity, and sometiems with the intent to reply.  Yet, communicating as you do so openly right now, on this timeline, sharing insight, invites each of us to listen more closely to ourselves. I invite our readers to read your books, attend events and take steps to deepen understanding of the mind.

In order to share our gifts and be heard in this world, we must hear ourselves clearly first. As the great Confucius echoes, "I hear. I know. I see. I remember. I do, I understand."

Short Bio

Eben Alexander, M.D., was an academic neurosurgeon for over 25 years, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School in Boston. He has a passionate interest in physics and cosmology. He is a New York Times Best-selling author, speaker and event facilitator. Visit his website to explore information about his books, consciousness as well as details of his current events.