INSPIRE #506: HOW SPIRITUALITY CHANGES THE BRAIN!!!

Dr. Andrew Newberg on How Spirituality & Spiritual Practices Change the Brain!

Listen to the podcast below!

BOOKS BY DR. ANDREW NEWBERG:

     

SHOW INTRODUCTION:

If you’ve ever wanted to know what enlightenment really is, and if there’s a way to get there, then do we have the How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain show for you!

Today I’ll be talking with best-selling author, Dr. Andrew Newberg from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, a pioneer in the neurological study of religious and spiritual experiences known as neurotheology, and co-author of a phenomenal new book, along with Mark Robert Waldman, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain: The New Science of Transformation

And that’s just what I want to talk with him about today, about the new science of transformation, and what it means for all of us.

That plus we’ll talk about automatic writing, sufis and brain scans, mediums and parietal lobes, why you might not want to study demons, what to do when being chased by dinosaurs, what in the world a sea of infinite doubt has to do with anything, and the spiritual significance of unpopped popcorn on the stove!

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MORE ON DR. ANDREW NEWBERG:

Dr. Andrew Newberg is the director of research at the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear medicine.

Andrew has been asking questions about reality, truth, and God since he was very young, and he has long been fascinated by the human mind and its complex workings. While a medical student, he met Dr. Eugene d’Aquili, who was studying religious experiences. Combining their interests with Andrew’s background in neuroscience and brain imaging, they were able to break new theoretical and empirical ground on the relationship between the brain and religion.

Andrew’s research now largely focuses on how brain function is associated with various mental states—in particular, religious and mystical experiences. His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people’s spiritual experiences and attitudes. He has also evaluated the relationship between religious or spiritual phenomena and health, and the effect of meditation on memory. He believes that it is important to keep science rigorous and religion religious.

Andrew has also used neuroimaging research projects to study aging and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

SHOW NOTES:

Dr. Andrew Newberg Online: Website

Key Topics:

  • What was the fundamental question about humanity that bothered Dr. Newberg?
  • What is enlightenment?
  • What is a little e experience and a big E experience
  • How can we learn about spirituality and enlightenment through the fmri
  • What’s the importance of “stop trying”
  • What does the big E have to do with a person’s purpose or sense of meaning?
  • What’s the importance of an empty cup?
  • What can we learn from an online survey on enlightenment and the brain
  • What does the frontal and parietal lobes have to do with anything?
  • What happens in the brain of meditators during meditation?
  • What can we learn from people who speak in tongues?
  • What can we learn from Brazilian mediums?
  • What happens to the brain during channeling or mediumship?
  • What happens to the brain during automatic writing?
  • What are different levels of human awareness?
  • What can we learn about automatic writing?
  • What are the benefits of a daily practice?
  • What can we learn from the LovingKindness Meditation?
  • What’s the power of forgiveness and what does it do to the brain?
  • What are the key steps to prepare the brain for enlightenment
  • What’s the power of OM?
  • What’s the power of drumming?
  • What’s the importance of mantras or repeating words?
  • Go to http://www.andrewnewberg.com

Related Podcasts:

INSPIRE #343: The Incredible “Brain Power” of the Heart & How to Harness It! + Meditation! (Howard Martin, “Heart Intelligence”)

INSPIRE #338: Understanding Your Child’s Brain/Body Type to Help Them Thrive! (Robert Keith Wallace, PhD & Fred Travis, PhD”Dharma Parenting”)

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