Bliss Brain

Author: Dawson Church
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 1401957773
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
Award Winner in the Science category of the 2020 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest Award-winning author and thought leader Dawson Church, Ph.D., blends cutting-edge neuroscience with intense firsthand experience to show you how you can rewire your brain for happiness-starting right now. Neural plasticity-the discovery that the brain is capable of rewiring itself-is now widely understood. But what few people have grasped yet is how quickly this is happening, how extensive brain changes can be, and how much control each of us has over the process. In Bliss Brain, famed researcher Dawson Church digs deep into leading-edge science, and finds stunning evidence of rapid and radical brain change. In just eight weeks of practice, 12 minutes a day, using the right techniques, we can produce measurable changes in our brains. These make us calmer, happier, and more resilient. When we cultivate these pleasurable states over time, they become traits. We don't just feel more blissful as a temporary state; the changes are literally hard-wired into our brains, becoming stable and enduring personality traits. The startling conclusions of Church's research show that neural remodeling goes much farther than scientists have previously understood, with stress circuits shriveling over time. Simultaneously, "The Enlightenment Circuit"-associated with happiness, compassion, productivity, creativity, and resilience-expands. During deep meditation, Church shows how "the 7 neurochemicals of ecstasy" are released in our brains. These include anandamide, a neurotransmitter that's been named "the bliss molecule" because it mimics the effects of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. It boosts serotonin and dopamine; the first is an analog of psilocybin, the second of cocaine. He shows how cultivating these elevated emotional states literally produces a self-induced high. While writing Bliss Brain, Church went through a series of disasters, including escaping seconds ahead of a California wildfire that consumed his home and office and claimed 22 lives. The fire triggered a painful medical condition and a financial disaster. Through it all, Church steadily practiced the techniques of Bliss Brain while teaching them to thousands of other people. This book weaves his story of resilience into the fabric of neuroscience, producing a fascinating picture of just how happy we can make our brains, no matter what the odds.

Mind to Matter

Author: Dawson Church
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 1401955258
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 361

Book Description
Best Health Book of 2018 - American Book Fest. Best Science Books of 2018 - Bookbub. Every creation begins as a thought, from a symphony to a marriage to an ice cream cone to a rocket launch. When we have an intention, a complex chain of events begins in our brains. Thoughts travel as electrical impulses along neural pathways. When neurons fire together they wire together, creating electromagnetic fields. These fields are invisible energy, yet they influence the molecules of matter around us the way a magnet organizes iron filings. In Mind to Matter, award-winning researcher Dawson Church explains the science showing how our minds create matter. Different intentions produce different fields and different material creations. The thoughts and energy fields we cultivate in our minds condition the atoms and molecules around us. We can now trace the science behind each link in chain from thought to thing, showing the surprising ways in which our intentions create the material world. The science in the book is illustrated by many authentic case histories of people who harnessed the extraordinary power of the mind to create. They include: Adeline, whose Stage 4 cancer disappeared after she imagined "healing stars" Raymond Aaron and two of his clients, each of whom manifested $1 million in the same week Elon Musk, who bounced back from devastating tragedy to found Tesla and SpaceX Graham Phillips, who grew the emotional regulation part of his brain by 22.8% in two months Jennifer Graf, whose grandfather's long-dead radio came to life to play love songs the day of her wedding Harold, whose 80% hearing loss reversed in an hour Joe Marana, whose deceased sister comforted him from beyond the grave Rick Geggie, whose clogged arteries cleared up the night before cardiac surgery Matthias Rust, a teen whose "airplane flight for peace" changed the fate of superpowers Wanda Burch, whose dream about cancer told the surgeon exactly where to look for it An MIT freshman student who can precipitate sodium crystals with his mind John, who found himself floating out of his body and returned to find his AIDS healed Dean, whose cortisol levels dropped by 48% in a single hour In Mind to Matter, Dawson Church shows that these outcomes aren't a lucky accident only a few people experience. Neuroscientists have measured a specific brain wave formula that is linked to manifestation. This "flow state" can be learned and applied by anyone. New discoveries in epigenetics, neuroscience, electromagnetism, psychology, vibration, and quantum physics connect each step in the process by which mind creates matter. They show that the whole universe is self-organizing, and when our minds are in a state of flow, they coordinate with nature's emergent intelligence to produce synchronous outcomes. The book contained over 150 photos and illustrations that explain the process, while an "Extended Play" section at the end of each chapter provides additional resources. As Mind to Matter drops each piece of the scientific puzzle into place, it leaves us with a profound understanding of the enormous creative potential of our minds. It also gives us a road map to cultivating these remarkable brain states in our daily lives.

What the Hands Reveal about the Brain

Author: Howard Poizner
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262660662
Category : Biolinguistics
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
What the Hands Reveal About the Brain provides dramatic evidence that language is not limited to hearing and speech, that there are primary linguistic systems passed down from one generation of deaf people to the next, which have been forged into antonomous languages and are not derived front spoken languages.

Posthuman Bliss?

Author: Susan B. Levin
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190051493
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 371

Book Description
Transhumanists would have humanity's creation of posthumanity be our governing aim. Susan B. Levin challenges their overarching commitments regarding the mind, brain, ethics, liberal democracy, knowledge, and reality. Her critique unmasks their notion of humanity's self-transcendence via science and technology as pure, albeit seductive, fantasy.

Bliss More

Author: Light Watkins
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0399180362
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
From one of America’s top meditation teachers and mindfulness experts comes a revolutionarily simple approach to everyday practice—especially if you don’t think you have the time or the patience. Imagine you’re sitting on a cushion with your legs crossed, ready to tap into unlimited joy. There’s just one problem: You can’t get comfortable (let alone still), and your head is full of way too many thoughts. The problem is not with meditation, or you, though—the issue may be with your approach. When properly understood and practiced, meditation should feel easy, calming, and comfortable. In Bliss More, maverick instructor Light Watkins provides the tools for making it E.A.S.Y. (Embrace, Accept, Surrender, Yield), dispels the biggest myths and misunderstandings, and shares real-world tips and straight talk for hacking into this ancient practice. The result: a happier and healthier you, inside and out. Watkins also shares candid testimonials from people whose lives have been enriched through his method, and extensive resources for transforming a daily chore into an enjoyable activity. Even the biggest skeptic will look forward to sitting for meditation every day. Whether you’re a novice or experienced practitioner, Bliss More will shed light on the path to a clearer mind, better sleep, and more bliss in everyday life. Praise for Bliss More “With Light Watkins as your guide, you will unlock the secrets to establishing a regular and powerfully healthy daily practice.”—Deepak Chopra, M.D. “Bliss More is one of the best meditation books I’ve ever come across for getting you started. Light Watkins has the gift of being able to demystify meditation in a way that will make you want to meditate, even if you feel your mind is too busy.”—Frank Lipman, M.D., author of 10 Reasons You Feel Old and Get Fat “If you’re ready to start a solid meditation practice, look no further.”—Rosario Dawson, actress “Light takes the world’s most powerful practice and turns it into something you can’t wait to do, something you’re actually excited about.”—Pam Grout, author of E-Squared and Thank & Grow Rich “Bliss More is a treasure trove of powerful, practical, and priceless techniques to finally master your meditation practice.”—Davidji, meditation teacher and author of Sacred Powers

Zen and the Brain

Author: James H. Austin
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262260350
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 876

Book Description
A neuroscientist and Zen practitioner interweaves the latest research on the brain with his personal narrative of Zen. Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." In the view of James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology"—because awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only when the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.

Long-term Potentiation

Author: Tim V. P. Bliss
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780198530305
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 440

Book Description
In the thirty years since its discovery by Terje Lomo and Tim Bliss, Long Term Potentiation (LTP) has become one of the most extensively studied topics in contemporary neuroscience. In LTP the strength of synapses between neurons is potentiated following brief but intense activation. LTP is thought to play a central role in learning and memory, though the exact nature of its role is less clear. In spite of years of research, there are many questions about LTP regarding its functional relevance that remain unanswered - for example, is it a model of memory formation, or is the actual neural mechanism used by the brain to store information?This volume presents a state of the art account of LTP. It begins with lively accounts, by the scientists most closely involved, of the discovery of LTP and of the experiments that established its basic properties and induction mechanisms. Later contributions contain reviews and new research that cover the range of molecular, cellular, physiological and behavioural approaches to the study of LTP. Provocative, accessible, and authoritative, this book makes it clear why LTP continues in equal measure to puzzle and beguile neuroscientists today.Advance praise for Long Term Potentiation: 'This book provides a definitive overview of the development of ideas about synaptic plasticity and about the wide range of current research in this fascinating field.' Colin Blakemore, University of OxfordReadership: Neuroscientists from postgraduate level upwards

The Hippocampus Book

Author: Per Andersen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195100273
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 892

Book Description
The hippocampus is one of a group of remarkable structures embedded within the brain's medial temporal lobe. Long known to be important for memory, it has been a prime focus of neuroscience research for many years. The Hippocampus Book promises to facilitate developments in the field in a major way by bringing together, for the first time, contributions by leading international scientists knowledgeable about hippocampal anatomy, physiology, and function. This authoritative volume offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date account of what the hippocampus does, how it does it, and what happens when things go wrong. At the same time, it illustrates how research focusing on this single brain structure has revealed principles of wider generality for the whole brain in relation to anatomical connectivity, synaptic plasticity, cognition and behavior, and computational algorithms. Well-organized in its presentation of both theory and experimental data, this peerless work vividly illustrates the astonishing progress that has been made in unraveling the workings of the brain. The Hippocampus Book is destined to take a central place on every neuroscientist's bookshelf.

Sorrow and Bliss

Author: Meg Mason
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063049600
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
"Brilliantly faceted and extremely funny. . . . While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." — Ann Patchett “Improbably charming...will have you chortling and reading lines aloud.” — PEOPLE The internationally bestselling, compulsively readable novel—spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark, and tender—that combines the psychological insight of Sally Rooney with the sharp humor of Nina Stibbe and the emotional resonance of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Martha Friel just turned forty. Once, she worked at Vogue and planned to write a novel. Now, she creates internet content. She used to live in a pied-à-terre in Paris. Now she lives in a gated community in Oxford, the only person she knows without a PhD, a baby or both, in a house she hates but cannot bear to leave. But she must leave, now that her husband Patrick—the kind who cooks, throws her birthday parties, who loves her and has only ever wanted her to be happy—has just moved out. Because there’s something wrong with Martha, and has been for a long time. When she was seventeen, a little bomb went off in her brain and she was never the same. But countless doctors, endless therapy, every kind of drug later, she still doesn’t know what’s wrong, why she spends days unable to get out of bed or alienates both strangers and her loved ones with casually cruel remarks. And she has nowhere to go except her childhood home: a bohemian (dilapidated) townhouse in a romantic (rundown) part of London—to live with her mother, a minorly important sculptor (and major drinker) and her father, a famous poet (though unpublished) and try to survive without the devoted, potty-mouthed sister who made all the chaos bearable back then, and is now too busy or too fed up to deal with her. But maybe, by starting over, Martha will get to write a better ending for herself—and she’ll find out that she’s not quite finished after all.

How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain

Author: Andrew Newberg, MD
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 1781807132
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description
The bestselling authors of How God Changes Your Brain reveal the neurological underpinnings of enlightenment, offering unique strategies to help readers experience its many benefits. In this original and groundbreaking book, Dr Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman turn their attention to the pinnacle of the human experience: enlightenment. Through his brain-scan studies on Brazilian psychic mediums, Sufi mystics, Buddhist meditators, Franciscan nuns, Pentecostals, and participants in secular spirituality rituals, Newberg has found the specific neurological mechanisms responsible for an enlightenment experience - and how we can activate those circuits in our own brains. In his survey of more than one thousand people who have experienced enlightenment, Newberg has also discovered that in the aftermath they have had profound, positive life changes. Enlightenment offers us the possibility to: · become permanently less stress-prone, · break bad habits, · improve our collaboration and creativity skills, and · lead happier, more satisfying lives. Relaying the story of his own transformational experience as well as including the stories of others who try to describe an event that is truly indescribable, Newberg brings us a new paradigm for deep and lasting change.