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been taught. "It's an extension of our spiritual existence, our person- al growth and everything that sur- rounds that," they say. Malibu- and New York-based psychotherapist Dr. Paul Hoke- meyer found that some patients returning from NDEs experienced a profound shi that displaced ele- ments of the personality that were not serving them. ey came back with a renewed awareness about the more qualitative aspects of life. "Many come back feeling more connected to the universe in all of its totality, whereas before the trauma, they felt more of a separation," said Hokemeyer. "A erward, they fell more integrated with the oneness of the world." Dr. Eben Alexander, bestselling author of Proof of Heaven, would agree. e neurosurgeon su ered a near-fatal onset of meningitis and spent seven days in a coma on a ventilator. "I was encountering the reality of a world of consciousness that exist- ed completely free of the limitations of my physical brain," Dr. Alexander remembers. He says he learned that the hardships people experience in life are there, "by plan and inten- tion," and encourages others to see hardships as, "gi s that allow our souls to grow." Dr. Alexander believes his NDE provided a way for him to expand his understanding of the relationship between consciousness and the brain that goes far beyond anything ex- plained in his old paradigm as a phy- sician prior to his illness. He also sees that transcendent place as the re ec- tion of a world undergoing change, with people reawakening from their traumas with a renewed desire to make the world a better place. is is consistent with Hoke- meyer's ndings. He observed that when people return from an NDE, " ings that used to bother them before are now irrelevant. Commer- cial interests and motivations move to the background and in their place come peace of mind, wholeness and serenity. ere is a surrender that occurs. A lot of things an individu- al may have striven for, or clung to, melt away." THE JOURNEY BACK Lisa Garr's NDE journey not only led her to a higher consciousness, but to a career that includes her lo- cal KPFK radio program, e Aware Show, and her book, Becoming Aware, in which she examines how an accident (brain damage sustained from losing control of her bike during a race in 100°F heat) shi ed her outlook on life and the world. "One minute, I was on my bike," she recalls, "and the next, I was at the bottom of the hill looking up at my bike. As I tried to climb the hill, I kept losing my balance and then I found myself dri ing. I was at that moment that I experienced one of the most incredible states of consciousness in my life. I found myself instantly out of pain and not in my body. I was not aware of the physical presence of my body, of the physical containment of the body. I felt the greatest sense of ex- pansion—no limitations, everything was seamless." Dr. Alexander explains it this way: " e best way to look at [NDEs] is a deeper consciousness coming to us in whatever fashion is most appro- priate. My soul journey had every- thing to do with the fundamental nature of consciousness… of trying to make sense of the deeper lesson: remembering our divine connection to the oneness we all share, and that we are directly linked to our very ex- istence with that powerful, in nite- ly loving creator of the source that all is." Dr. Alexander recovered rela- tively quickly, but it took several years for Garr to regain the power of speech she'd lost and to fully re- cover. During the process she re- gained consciousness intermittent- ly, and felt she wanted to get back to, "this place of space, expansion, and harmony." e higher state of consciousness she experienced pro- pelled a quest to learn more about the mind's inner workings. "While I was healing, I found my- self consuming new information about how the brain works," she says, when discussing how she came to write the book. "I wanted to ex- plore how we can learn to expand the mind and open that space to greater possibilities. e brain can be used to heal, by getting negative thinking under control." It took Ava Kaufman two years to regain her health and get her life back on track. Since then she's launched 501c3 Ava's Heart (AvasHeart.org ) to help other trans- plant patients. To date, the organi- zation born out of her ultimately successful transplant has helped 200 patients and their families with their medical expenses. "When you survive something like that, you realize how much power you have," says Kaufman. " at power enabled me to start a successful non-pro t with no mon- ey. I learned that the only thing that really matters is love." 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" at power enabled me to start a successful non-pro t with no mon- ey. I learned that the only thing that ey. I learned that the only thing that really matters is love." really matters is love." august/september 2015 25