The Science of Life After Death: New… book by Stephen Hawley Martin
What happens when we die?
The question has been around since the first humanoid climbed down from a tree and walked onto the ancient African savanna:
Does our consciousness continue? Is it possible to communicate with the living? How? Are we reborn? If so, how can this be reconciled with modern scientific principles? Or can it? Is something missing from current biological and reproductive theory?
Scientists at The Universities of Virginia, Maryland and Arizona as well as The Windbridge Research Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential and others have been researching these questions and now have answers. The author, host of the network radio show THE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE, shares what he has learned from them in this down-to-earth, pleasurable-to-read book meant for the general public.
After all, we all will eventually cross the border and enter into what William Shakespeare called ‘that undiscovered country.’ As long as we have to take the trip, wouldn’t it make sense to have an idea where, if anywhere at all, we’re headed? This description may be from another edition of this product.
As the talk show host of a popular weekly internet podcast, “The Truth About Life,” it became clear to bestselling author Stephen Hawley Martin as he interviewed dozens of near death survivors, psychics, researchers into the paranormal, as well as quantum physicists and medical doctors, that humankind is on the cusp of a transition to a new understanding of the true nature of reality.
Why Martin believes consciousness survives death – Search
Martin’s conclusion rests on a single overarching claim: materialism cannot account for subjective experience.
He argues that if consciousness can occur when the brain is offline, then consciousness must be primary, not emergent. This leads to the implication that death ends the body, not awareness.
Context within Martin’s broader work
Martin’s other books—You Are Not Your Brain, Death Is Fiction, Fear an Illusion, and Life Goes On—reinforce the same thesis: Bing Videos
Consciousness is fundamental.
The brain is a receiver, not a generator.
Evidence from NDEs and reincarnation supports survival of awareness.
Loving Life Beats the Fearing Death!!! – Search
Fear of death is based on a mistaken scientific worldview.
These themes strongly suggest The Science of Life After Death is part of the same conceptual lineage.
A symbolic comparison between his model and other afterlife frameworks
Side‑by‑Side Comparison: Martin vs. Mainstream Neuroscience
Concept
Martin’s View
Mainstream Neuroscience
Nature of Consciousness
Consciousness is non‑local, fundamental, and exists independently of the brain.Consciousness is an emergent property of neural networks and electrochemical activity.
Brain’s Role
The brain is a receiver/filter of consciousness, like a radio tuning a signal.
The brain is the generator of consciousness; damage to neural tissue directly alters awareness.
Near‑Death Experiences (NDEs)
NDEs occur because consciousness continues functioning when the brain shuts down.NDEs are hallucinations caused by hypoxia, neurotransmitter surges, or cortical disinhibition.
Evidence from Children’s Past‑Life Memories
Veridical details suggest reincarnation and continuity of personal identity.
Memories are shaped by confabulation, suggestion, or cultural reinforcement.
Mediumship & Psi PhenomenaControlled studies show information transfer beyond physical senses.
Results are attributed to cold reading, chance, or methodological flaws.
Death
Death ends the body, not consciousness; awareness persists in another domain.
Death ends all subjective experience because neural activity ceases.
Implications for Identity
The “self” is non‑physical and survives bodily death.
The “self” is a neural construct that dissolves when the brain stops.
Interpretation of Anomalous CasesAnomalies reveal cracks in materialism and support survival.
Anomalies are outliers explainable by known or future neuroscience.
Philosophical Foundation
Idealism / panpsychism: mind precedes matter.
Physicalism: matter precedes mind.
Why the Two Views Diverge So Sharply
🜂 Martin’s model
Martin begins with subjective experience—the irreducible “I”—and argues that no physical description can explain qualia. He treats consciousness as the ground of being, with the brain acting as a limiter that shapes raw awareness into personal identity.
🜁 Neuroscience’s model
Neuroscience begins with observable mechanisms—neurons, synapses, oscillations—and builds upward. If you change the brain, you change consciousness. If the brain stops, consciousness stops. This framework is anchored in measurable, reproducible data.
Non‑obvious insight
The deepest disagreement isn’t about NDEs or reincarnation—it’s about causation.
- Martin: consciousness → brain → experience
- Neuroscience: brain → consciousness → experience
Everything else flows from this single fork in the road.
Concise takeaway: The strongest near‑death experience (NDE) evidence comes from cases where conscious awareness appears to occur during periods of absent or severely impaired brain function, combined with veridical perception (accurate details later confirmed). These cases challenge a strictly brain‑based model of consciousness and remain the most debated data points in the field.
The strongest NDE evidence (organized by evidentiary weight)
1. Veridical perception during medical “non‑conscious” states
These are cases where people accurately describe events that occurred while they were clinically unconscious or without measurable cortical activity.
- Pam Reynolds (1991)
- Underwent hypothermic cardiac arrest; EEG flatline.
- Reported surgical details: the bone saw, conversations, instruments.
- These details were later verified by the surgical team.
- Maria’s Shoe (1977)
- Patient described a shoe on a third‑floor ledge—visible only from outside the building.
- Social worker verified the shoe exactly as described.
- The dentures case (Netherlands, 2001)
- A man revived from cardiac arrest recognized the nurse who removed his dentures while he was unconscious.
- The nurse confirmed the event; the patient described the room and actions accurately.
Why these matter: They suggest perception without sensory input, which is difficult to reconcile with a strictly materialist model.
2. NDEs during cardiac arrest (the “gold standard”)
Cardiac arrest is one of the clearest windows for studying consciousness because:
- Blood flow to the brain stops within seconds.
- EEG activity drops to near‑zero.
- The cortex cannot support conscious experience.
Yet many NDEs occur precisely during this window.
Key study: The AWARE Study (2014, Sam Parnia)
- 2,060 cardiac arrest patients across 15 hospitals.
- One patient reported detailed events during a 3‑minute period of no heartbeat.
- His description matched staff actions and machine sounds.
Why this matters:
If consciousness requires brain activity, experiences during cortical shutdown should be impossible.
It’s Not Jesus? The First Person You Meet After Death Will Shock You | Biblical WisdomMost people assume that the moment they die, they’ll open their eyes in eternity and see Jesus waiting with outstretched arms. It’s a comforting thought, right? One that’s preached at funerals, whispered in hospital rooms, and passed down through generations. But what if I told you the Bible paints a far more layered, more mysterious picture than we often realize? What if the very first being you meet after you take your final breath… isn’t Jesus at all? Stay with me. This isn’t some wild theory or fringe idea. We’re going to walk through Scripture together, carefully, honestly, and reverently. And by the end of this, you might find yourself not only surprised—but spiritually awakened.
The Truth About Life – The New American
Marilu Henner has an amazing memory because of this rare medical condition
Through the years, Henner has been a staple of the entertainment and television industry. She starred in the award-winning show “Taxi,” clocking in 114 episodes. But of course, she didn’t stop there. In fact, she is one of the highest-paid Hallmark stars and a fan-favorite on the network. But she has recently shared more insight into the rare medical condition that she lives with.
Often, when we hear news about health conditions affecting people’s memories, we brace ourselves for the worst. But that isn’t the case for practiced actor Marilu Henner. Henner coins herself as a “memory expert” on her Instagram and has shared details about the medical condition responsible for her ability to recall every day of her life.
Henner was diagnosed with hyperthymesia, nicknamed Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, according to ABC News.
“When somebody gives me a date or a year or something, I see all these little movie montages, basically on a time continuum, and I’m scrolling through them and flashing through them,” she told the outlet, explaining how her memory is similar to a scene-selection screen when watching a movie. Henner discovered her rare gift with memory when she was young, but she assumed it was just an interesting quirk – not one of the rarest medical conditions in the world.
“Even when I was 5 years old, people would say to my parents, ‘What’s with that kid and her memory? She remembers the last time I was here and everything that happened,'” she said (via Brain and Life). As she got older, Henner’s career choice benefited from her ability to quickly memorize lines. But it wasn’t until much later that she learned that she had a Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory.
Marilu Henner learned that she is a memory wizard
Actor Marilu Henner had always been gifted when it came to learning, but she didn’t realize that her memory was near supernatural until the 2000s. According to Brain and Life, “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl — who knew Henner and her wicked ability to recite any memory perfectly — had been pitched a story to cover concerning Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. But Stahl didn’t think that the topic was newsworthy because Henner had a similar ability. It took a few years, but eventually, Henner underwent an MRI and answered questions while taped for a segment of “60 Minutes” covering HSAM.
From there, Henner had another accolade to add to her resume: “memory wizard.” She became a consultant for memory tips, per AARP, and even released a book all about her condition: “Total Memory Makeover.” While some with HSAM find the condition overwhelming — the constant bombardment of all their memories interrupting their everyday lives — Henner says that, for her, it’s a blessing. “I get asked if it’s hard remembering all the bad things that have happened to me — but the bad memories, you’re going to remember those anyway,” she told Brain and Life. “I happen to be able to cushion that and the happy memories with all those nice middle-of-the-road memories that make up your life … Your memory is your story, it’s your life, it’s everything.”
3-year-old Colton Burpo visited heaven in 2003. Where is he years after the events of Heaven Is For Real? | 