In a short audio piece, Christina von Dreien talks about a simple, big question: does our consciousness arise in the brain? Christina is a medium from Switzerland.
Two Ways of Seeing the World
Christina puts it like this: if you believe there is only matter, then you also have to believe that consciousness arises in the brain.
"In the worldview most people on Earth currently live with, it is assumed that we are only this physical body. And if you assume we are only matter, then you also have to assume that consciousness arises in the brain."
Consciousness is connected to the brain as long as we are here – but it does not arise there.
"But if you open up to the fact that there is more than just matter, you also recognise that consciousness is connected to and coupled with the brain as long as we are here on Earth – but does not arise in the brain."
The Brain as Receiver
Her image for this is very plain:
"You can imagine it like this: as a soul, we connect with this physical body. And this connection happens, among other things, through the brain. And the brain is like a receiver or a translator for the impulses that come from the soul."
The brain, then, is not the sender. It is the receiver. It picks up what comes from the soul and translates it into what we need here on Earth.
What Near-Death Experiences Show
Christina points to people who have had near-death experiences. During these experiences they were outside their body – and they could still perceive, think, and feel.
"There are many reports of people who had near-death experiences and were outside their bodies during them. And they could still perceive everything, they could think, feel, and remember."
We are not our brain. We are consciousness that works through the brain.
The Question of Memory
A lovely observation in her piece is about memory. If memories were only stored in the brain – why do we often no longer remember our earliest childhood, even though those impressions still shape us?
"It is often assumed that memories are stored in the brain. But if you consider that we often cannot remember things from earliest childhood that are nevertheless stored in us […], you realise that memory goes much further."
Christina notes that people who leave their bodies can suddenly remember everything again – including things they had long forgotten in life. A picture that has been showing up in near-death research for decades.
A Simple Conclusion
Christina ends her piece without big words:
"So we are much more than just this body and much more than just this brain. And it is actually a very beautiful insight to know that our consciousness is eternal and that it does not die when the body dies."
If you would like to compare Christina's view with the scientific research, you'll find articles here on studies that examine exactly this question empirically – for instance on Jeffrey Long and the NDERF database, on Pim van Lommel's Lancet study, or on the meta-analysis by Patrizio Tressoldi. And for anyone still attached to matter: even modern physics tells us that matter does not really exist – it is only an illusion. There is only energy and information, but no matter.
Source:
• Christina von Dreien, Entsteht unser Bewusstsein im Gehirn?, YouTube audio with still image, 2025 (German).
• Direct link: youtube.com/watch?v=4VQ3pBXPDHg.