How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist

PROFOUNDLY STIMULATING, CONTROVERSIAL, AND CONVINCING

This book convinced me to devote myself to the spiritual practice of meditation, because the benefits to my health seem overwhelming. With over a 1000 references in the endnotes, the authors, who are neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrate how contemplating on any spiritual, moral, or materialistic goal improves the health of your body and mind. The book has exercises to eliminate stress, anxiety, and depression, and meditations that they have proven to fight off age-related disorders. Perhaps the most controversial and intriguing idea they propose is that any form of contemplation of God-even if you're an atheist-causes the brain to grow new connections in areas responsible for cognition, social awareness, and emotional regulation. A spectacular book that also shows how Americans are changing their religious values and becoming more tolerant of others. Optimistic and radical. I'm giving this book as a Christmas present to all my friends and co-workers.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

God Imagined

In seminary (a real seminary, not the Christianist indoctrination academy that pass for seminaries) theology is often taught in context of imagination. Theology is a creative phenomena and is accessible to everyone. As such, empowering inspiration, codes of behavior, devotional impulses, and attention to conscience are inductive rather than deductive and, too often, coercive. Much of what passes for religion is no more than a projection of a person's fears and insecurities dressed in a specific language, imagery, and story.
This book is another in a series of liberating texts. It does not liberate one from the god so much as it demonstrates that there is a specific synaptic and structural benefit to belief and that benefit can be had without putting one's attention on any object. The idea is as old as many religions if one removes symbol and culture, metaphor remains. It is not what you believe but that you believe. This book opens the door to possibilities of spiritual liberty never before made so clear. This book should be required reading for anyone brave enough to enter the spiritual quest and ready to find answers that might not agree with his or her preconceptions.
Thank you Dr. Newberg and Mr. Waldman. Thank you for helping us understand that it is possible to have devotion, spiritual practice, and a healthy life without the confines of superstition and fear.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Excellent motivator

I purchased this text when it came out in 2009, and read it cover-to-cover upon purchase. The book is well written, through, and inspirational/motivational for practices that are practical and beneficial for living a healthy way of life. It also provides the research that backs the benefits of long-term spiritual practices; especially meditation. These finds are in black-and-white, which is good for the skeptic towards following/cultivating a spiritual/religious tradition. There are certain elements of the book, when applied, show quick results, and others take a bit longer, but still the research shows, if one sticks with it, results will happen for one's benefit and the others. As a twenty-first century mediator, the information within the pages, intuitively are sound, and it is rewarding to read it in black-and-white--an affirmation so to speak. Presently, I am working on a second read, and finding more gems I missed from the first pass. This book is a treasure for anyone's library who values a spiritual way of life and the lasting benefits living such a life has on the brain.

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