How God Changes Your Brain

426 Pages·2009·2.17 MB·English

by  Andrew Newberg

ALSO BY ANDREW NEWBERG, M.D.,
AND MARK ROBERT WALDMAN

Born To Believe:
God, Science, and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs

Why We Believe What We Believe:
Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth

ALSO BY ANDREW NEWBERG, M.D.

Why God Won't Go Away

(WITH EUGENE D'AQUILI AND VINCE RAUSE)

The Mystical Mind

(WITH EUGENE D'AQUILI)

ALSO BY MARK ROBERT WALDMAN

Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious, Vols 1–4

(Shadow, Seeker, Lover, Healer)
The Spirit of Writing

Love Games

Dreamscaping

(WITH STANLEY KRIPPNER)

The Art of Staying Together

TO OUR STUDENTS, PATIENTS, AND
RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS:

You have helped to redefine the religious landscape of
contemporary American society by demonstrating the beauty,
diversity, optimism, and health benefits associated with
the spiritual practices of the world.
CONTENTS

Author's Note
ONE. RELIGION AND THE HUMAN BRAIN
Who Cares about God?
1.
Prelude to a Neurological and Spiritual Revolution
Do You Even Need God When You Pray?
2.
Meditation, Memory, and the Aging Brain
What Does God Do to Your Brain?
3.
The Neural Varieties of Spiritual Practice
TWO. NEURAL EVOLUTION AND GOD
What Does God Feel Like?
4.
The Varieties of Spiritual Experience
What Does God Look Like?
5.
Imagination, Creativity, and the Visual Representation of Spirituality
Does God Have a Heart?
6.
Compassion, Mysticism, and the Spiritual Personalities of the Brain
What Happens When God Gets Mad?
7.
Anger, Fear, and the Fundamentalist in Our Brain
THREE. TRANSFORMING YOUR INNER REALITY
Exercising Your Brain
8.
Eight Ways to Enhance Your Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health
Finding Serenity
9.
Meditation, Intention, Relaxation, and Awareness
Compassionate Communication
10.
Dialogue, Intimacy, and Conflict Transformation
EPILOGUE: Is God Real?
A 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
AUTHOR'S NOTE

Throughout most of this book Mark and I will be speaking to you with a
united voice, for we have closely collaborated on the research we present.
Thus, we liberally substitute I and we, and only occasionally specify
ourselves as individuals, since the anecdotes we relate tend to reflect our
shared experiences and values. However, when I is used to talk about the
brain-scan research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, it is in
reference to myself, as are most of the anecdotes that refer to childhood and
college experiences. But research is never a solitary venture, so you'll often
find references to our work, which includes not just Mark, but also the
members of my research staff at the university, without whom I could not
possibly conduct the work I do. For a list of those who have contributed to
the research gathered in this volume, please see the acknowledgment page
at the end of this book.
Of all the fields of science and medicine, neurophysiology is one of the
most difficult topics to talk about in simple terms, especially when it comes
to issues concerning consciousness, logic, emotional processing, and the
reality-processing mechanisms of the brain—issues that are essential to
address when dealing with the neurological correlates of spiritual
experiences and religious beliefs. We have made the information as “user
friendly” as possible, but generalizations often leave out important
qualifications and concerns. Therefore, for those who desire additional
information, we have provided extensive peer-reviewed references—over a
thousand—in the endnotes to substantiate the conclusions we have drawn.
RELIGION
AND THE
HUMAN BRAIN
Our time is distinguished by wonderful achievements in the fields of
scientific understanding and the technical application of those insights.
Who would not be cheered by this? But let us not forget that knowledge and
skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. Humanity
has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and
values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity owes to
personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all
the achievements of the inquiring and constructive mind.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN, THE HUMAN SIDE