How God changes your brain : breakthrough findings from a leading neuroscientist

Author

• Newberg, Andrew

Additional Author(s)

-

Publisher

New York: Ballantine books, 2010

Language

English

ISBN

9780345503428

Series

Subject(s)

• NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
• SPIRITUALITY
• NEUROSCIENCES-RELIGIOUS ASPECTS

Notes

. Bibliography: p. 259-333. Index: p. 335-348

Abstract

God is great--for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Based on new evidence culled from brain-scan studies, a wide-reaching survey of people's religious and spiritual experiences, and the authors' analyses of adult drawings of God, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and therapist Mark Robert Waldman offer the following breakthrough discoveries: - Not only do prayer and spiritual practice reduce stress, but just twelve minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process.
• Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety and depression and increases feelings of security, compassion, and love.
• Fundamentalism, in and of itself, can be personally beneficial, but the prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain.
• Intense prayer and meditation permanently change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values and the way you perceive reality.
Both a revelatory work of modern science and a practical guide for readers to enhance their physical and emotional health, How God Changes Your Brain is a first-of-a-kind book about faith that is as credible as it is inspiring.

Physical Dimension

Number of Page(s)

xii, 348 p.

Dimension

20 cm.

Other Desc.

ill.

Summary / Review / Table of Content

Author's note --
Part 1: Religion And The Human Brain --
1: Who cares about God? --
Prelude to a neurological and spiritual revolution --
2: Do you even need God when you pray? --
Meditation, memory, and the aging brain --
3: What does God do to your brain? --
Neural varieties of spiritual practice --
Part 2: Neural Evolution And God --
4: What does God feel like? --
Varieties of spiritual experience --
5: What does God look like? --
Imagination, creativity, and the visual representation of spirituality --
6: Does God have a heart? --
Compassion, mysticism, and the spiritual personalities of the brain --
7: What happens when God gets mad? --
Anger, fear, and the fundamentalist in our brain --
Part 3: Transforming Your Inner Reality --
8: Exercising your brain --
Eight ways to enhance your physical, mental, and spiritual health --
9: Finding serenity --
Meditation, intention, relaxation, and awareness --
10: Compassionate communication --
Dialogue, intimacy, and conflict transformation --
Epilogue: Is God real? --
Personal reflection --
Appendix A: Compassionate communication --
CDs, workshops, and online research --
Appendix B: How to participate in our research studies --
Appendix C: Meditation and mindfulness --
Books, CDs, and resources --
Acknowledgments --
Endnotes --
Index.

Exemplar(s)

#	Accession No.	Call Number	Location	Status
1.	01821/18	612.8 New H	Library - 7th Floor/CLC	Available