How God changes your brain : breakthrough findings from a leading neuroscientist / Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Newberg, Andrew B., 1966- author.

Waldman, Mark Robert, author.

Contributor:

Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spirituality.

Neuropsychology.

Neurosciences--Religious aspects.

Neurosciences.

Physical Description:

xii, 348 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

regular print

Edition:

Ballantine books trade paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Ballantine Books Trade Paperbacks, 2010.

Summary:

God is great -- for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Based on new evidence culled from their brain-scan studies on memory patients and meditators, their Web-based survey of people's religious and spiritual experiences, and their analyses of adult drawings of God, this research team has concluded that active and positive spiritual belief changes the human brain for the better. What's more, actual faith isn't always necessary: atheists who meditate on positive imagery can obtain similar neurological benefits. This is both a revelatory work of modern science and a practical guide for readers to enhance their physical and emotional health and to avoid mental decline. Newberg and Waldman explain the eight best ways to "exercise" your brain and guide readers through specific routines derived from a wide variety of Eastern and Western spiritual practices that improve personal awareness and empathy.

Contents:

Who cares about God?: Prelude to a neurological and spiritual revolution

Do you even need a God when you pray?: Meditation, memory, and the aging brain

What does God do to your brain?: The neural varieties of spiritual practice

What does God feel like?: The varieties of spiritual experience

What does God look like?: Imagination, creativity, and the visual representation of spirituality

Does God have a heart?: Compassion, mysticism, and the spiritual personalities of the brain

What happens when God gets mad?: Anger, fear, and the fundamentalist in our brain

Exercising your brain: Eight ways to enhance your physical, mental, and spiritual health

Finding serenity: Meditation, intention, relaxation, and awareness

Compassionate communication: Dialogue, intimacy, and conflict transformation

Is God real?: A personal reflection.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-333) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9780345503428

0345503422

OCLC:

422760402

Publisher Number:

99981005961