Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist

There is here such a wealth of information about the subject, that I must recluse myself from reviewing the book other that to place it on the list of works I will surely read again. Excellent, provocative, exciting, and it works.

An interesting scientific report on overall effects on the brain when practicing prayer and meditation. However this study identifies all aspects of different God types as well as meditation practices. Some good practical exercises are included. All resources are referenced and some other studies are recommended.

No matter what your religious belief is or is not, this is an interesting book. It seems to suggest that spirituality is encoded into our brains. That's kind of an curious idea! The book did not touch me deeply but it held my attention and gave me a bit to think about.

It is informative and interesting to know what areas of the brain are stimulated by meditative activity defined as "God's action" but the book seems to loose its focus toward the end. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who will be reading the results of this type of research for the first time.

After learning to yawn, stretch every day, and say my "se, ta, na ma" chants (which purposefully mean nothing), I learned to stop worrying and Love the Nuclear Bombs and that the New York Times gave us fake news in that "GOD is dead."

Until they started to use the terribly undefined word "spirituality"... Cudda been awesome but that is just my own reaction to one thing that annoyed me. Still very readable, enjoyable and recommendable.

I was disappointed with the science content of this book. Its heavy on opinions, low on relevant citations. I was much more impressed with Sharon Begley's work in Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain.

-- PhD candidate in Psychology and Neuroscience

Details about this book appeared in Time magazine a few weeks ago, featuring Newberg's and Waldmans research on spirituality and the brain. They touted it as a "self-help field guide to the health benefits of spirituality" and meditation practice. Then it was featured in Oprah magazine, so as a mental health professional, I had to see what their research was all about.

What I found was a brainstorm of some of the most amazing research on how spiritual practices change the structure and function of our brain. Like the classic book, Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James, the authors, who are neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania, summarize a dozen different ways the human brain processes spiritual experiences.

For example, one part of the brain can generate images of an angry god; another, feelings of a compassionate god; yet another part of the brain can generate doubtful thoughts, and so on. They also present new data showing how Americans are becoming less religious but more spiritual as they embrace images of a universe that is scientific yet mystical. Their online survey of a thousand participants shows that nearly everyone holds radically different concepts of "God." They even track, using people who draw pictures of God, how this concept begins as a face in a child's brain, and that the more a child thinks about god, new abstract conceptualizations begin to form in different parts of the brain.

The authors show many brain scans of many different practitioners (religious and secular) which demonstrate that the more intense one contemplates any spiritual issue-or even evolution or the Big Bang-the more it changes the structure and function of other parts of the brain in healthy ways (for example, meditators from Christian, Buddhist, and nonreligious backgrounds permanently alter their thalamus, and thus their perception of reality), which makes their deepest beliefs feel "neurologically real." This explains the book's title, for even atheists, when they try to make sense out of religion, grow new dendrites in important areas of the brain that appear to slow down the diseases we get as we age.

Fortunately, the authors put the neuroscience in terms anyone can grasp, and they proceed to give explicit instructions that the reader can use to stimulate their precuneus (a key center of consciousness), the frontal lobes (logic, reason, motivation), and the anterior cingulate (compassion, intuition, and social awareness). There's so much practical and provocative material, that the best way to review this book is to briefly describe each chapter:

Ch 1: "Who Cares About God?" - We all do, argue the authors, who introduce basic concepts of neuroplasticity, the neurologal "war" between beliefs and disbeliefs, and why any religious concept generate both anger and compassion in virtually everyone's brain.

Ch 2: "Do You Need God When You Pray?" The authors describe a new study showing how a 12 minute chanting meditation practice improved memory in older people with mild cognitive impairment (a precursor to Alzheimer's disease)in less than 8 weeks. They also show you how to create your own "brain enhancement" exercise program.

Ch 3: "What Does God Do to Your Brain?" This chapter explores the neural varieties of meditation and prayer, and how different parts of the brain create different perceptions of God. They also discuss how different neurochemicals and drugs alter spiritual beliefs and realities.

Ch 4: "What Does God Feel Like?" The authors' data shows that, for most people, God is more of a feeling than an idea, that everyone's spiritual experiences are unique, and that mystical experiences often generate long-lasting states of unity, peacefulness, and love.

Ch 5: "What Does God Look Like?" The authors collected adult drawings of God and compared them with pictures drawn by children. It turns out that the most sophisticated drawings are made by liberal believers, atheists, and agnostic college students. However, many atheists maintain childhood images, which could explain why god doesn't make any rational sense to them. The authors suggest that everyone has "God" neuron or circuit in their brain, and they show you where it is.

Ch 6: "Does God Have a Heart?" They examine the Baylor University survey depicting four "personalities" of God, but they present their own survey evidence showing that a previously unrecognized and large segment of Americans maintain a mystical and loving vision of nature, God, and people.

Ch 7: "What Happens When God Gets Mad?" Surprisingly, the authors (one is agnostic, and the other describes himself as being personally guided by evidence-based natural science)both find value in all spiritual practices and traditions. They found little evidence to criticize religious fundamentalism, except when it involves angry rhetoric. They point out the neurological dangers of hostility, fear, authoritarianism, and idealism, and they suggest that we all have a fundamentalistic and an atheistic mentality hardwired in the brain.

Ch 8: "Exercising Your Brain" Included are eight ways to keep your brain physically and mentally tuned-up. Even yawning appears to be an amazing way to calm down a dysfunctional brain, and they have about 40 references to support this claim. In fact, they include over a 1000 endnotes and references to support what many might think are widely speculative claims. For me, as a professional, this is wonderful, because it shows that they didn't cherry-pick the research; indeed they admirably point out the weaknesses to their own conclusions and work.

Ch 9: "Finding Serenity" This chapter, and the next, are filled with simple, well-tested meditation techniques to help any reader, of any religious or nonreligious persuasion, to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while enhancing cognition,memory, and greater sensitivity and empathy toward one's self and others. This well-documented research shows that nearly any meditation technique can be removed from its theological background to provide beneficial neurological and psychological changes. The authors also provide convincing evidence that only a few minutes of meditation, throughout the day, improves the functioning of the brain.

Ch 10: "Compassionate Communication" This is an original meditation exercise that can be used when dialoguing with others. It takes fifteen minutes to learn, and their research shows that it improves compassion social intimacy by 11%, even when done with with strangers. They then include nearly a dozen ways to quickly resolve interpersonal conflicts,all of which make sound psychological sense.

Finally, in the epilogue, the authors talk briefly about their own journeys into the murky domain where science and religion intersects.

This is a "must read" book for believers and nonbelievers alike, and it might even help, as the authors suggest, to bring a little more peace and tolerance into this world. God knows we need it!

Book titles are designed to sell books. The title, How God Changes Your Brain, however, does more than simply exaggerate its contents. It makes a declarative assertion, which the contents of the book do not justify. One cannot explain something through science that lies outside of its domain. The articulate author does well in explaining how various religious practices change the brain, which is altogether different from explaining how, or if, God changes the brain. The difference between these two assertions is categorical; one cannot bring in on the shoulders of science and practice, that which must be accepted on the premise of faith.
Don McKee

Unfortunately the print is so faint or light on this book, I don't like reading it and didn't realize until time to expire had run out. Beware for older people esp. it is very hard on ones' eyes! Others agree with me looking at it. Too bad I didn't try to read it sooner.

I enjoyed greatly the first two-thirds of the book (i.e. pg 1 - 144). The authors give lots of evidence (with clear references mostly from peer-reviewed journals) on how religious practices, e.g. meditation and prayers, can physically change the brain. Meditation and prayers can enhance the functioning of the anterior cingulate gyrus, and subdue the activation of the parietal lobe and amydala - essentially giving you a sense of compassion and removing the sensation of self-centeredness and negative emotions like anger and fear.

The book does talk about the concept of God. But don't expect a totally comprehensive account. As there is an underlying assumption that the mind is the physical brain, certain traditional Christian concepts have to be discarded by the authors outright. Personally, in spite of being a physician, I believe in the existence of a non-physical soul. My disagreement with the authors does not significantly diminish my enjoyment of the book.

The last part of the book (pg 149-248) talks about relaxation, meditation, and communication skills. It is difficult to assoicate these topics with God or religion. Although engaging on their own right, I find them slightly out of place.

As a practisting medical specialist, I am deeply fascinated by the scientific facts presented in this book. I particularly liked checking out the original articles in the endnotes section (pg 259-333). For instance, learning that yoga can change the level of NK (natural killer) cells is a revelation.

Periodically I am asked treat a patient who has been unresponsive to cognitive behavioral and or psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as psychopharmacologic interventions by medical specialists.
In these cases I explore spiritual dimensions of the patients life. At times, when clinically appropriate, I have suggested that patients consult with clergy to experiment with prayer as an adjunct to traditonal mental health treatment. Often times these patients ask " why would I pray?"
I have responded with a statement such as "It may help your brain".
Now, I suggest they read Newberg and Waldmans book "HOW GOD CHANGES YOUR BRAIN".
Chronically depressesd, demoralized, and hopeless patients have at times been struck by the scientific evidence of the effects of prayer on brain functioning.
I highly recommend this book as bibliotherapy for that subgroup of treatment resistant patients.

Martin E. Keller, Ed.D.ABPP
Diplomate in Clinical Psychology
11020 North Tatum Blvd.
Phoenix, Arizona 85028
602 996 8619

I wish Newberg stuck to the neuroscience. His presuppositions regarding spiritual matters and the people involved was annoying. For example he exclaimed incredulously that some fundamentalists were actually nice people. At times he identifies that unfortunate aspects of a personality, such as intolerance, are the true negatives. However an inherent political correctness, and a sort or postmodernist mush mind set detracted from the book. I think I would have preferred the material in a refereed academic paper, devoid of the theological and philosophical presuppositions that appear to be stricturing the authors.

The book "How God Changes your Brain" lends fresh insight into a very thought provoking subject. Personally, I gained amazing perspective on what I thougth I knew, and clarification on what I had assumed.

The hands on approach within this book truly captivated me. The exercises that Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg guided me though made a tremendous impact on my thought process. After practicing the 8 ways to energize your brain, I have become much more proficient with my time, and am thinking clearer than I have in years.

I had the opportunity to sit in the audience of a talk that Mark Waldman had conducted in the Los Angeles area. It was a TED talk, (TEDxConejo), and was nothing short of brilliant. I have never been in the presence of anyone that had such passion to teach compassion. Mark has the brain of Einstein, and the heart of Mother Teresa.

This book does contain some interesting conclusions; for example, frequent and purposeful yawning is good for you, but the title is very misleading, especially for Christians. The book is not about God as we know Him, but pretty much equates all "gods" and religious practices as the same, as far as achieving particular changes to brain circuitry is concerned. Some of the activities recommended in the book probably work just as physical exercise and various kinds of mental stimulation "work." But the link with God is tenuous since the God of this book seems to be pretty much just a re-hash of the same old vague new age spirituality . However, it is cheap, so take a chance if you're into that sort of thing.

I'm a professor of business at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and I have to say that I was blown away by this book, for the simple reason that I have a deep love for science, and a deep appreciation of meditation and spiritual practices. Like the previous reviews, I was surprised to see a neuroscience book be simultaneously recommended by Time Magazine and Oprah. I have followed Newberg and Waldman's research for years, and have actually used some of the focusing exercises they describe in their book to help my students do better in class. I think this is their best book yet, because anyone can use their simple exercises to help stay focused on their commitments, goals, and personal values. I plan to try out their new exercises, like Compassionate Communication, to see if I can improve social empathy with my fiance' as well as my students. I believe that they have solid documented research to show that the exercises in the book actually improve the sales potential of business people (this is based on a Stanford University study that taught a forgiveness meditation to executives at American Express). I recently found out that Waldman is conducting research at Moorpark College showing that sitting quietly or yawning for a few minutes before taking a class can improve student test scores by an entire grade point. This book goes beyond the normal self-help books because it is solidly grounded in Newberg's brain scan research showing how the simple exercises they offer in the book change the structure and function of the brain. Here are some of the points that particularly interested me:

1. Different parts of the brain construct different perceptions and experiences of the world, including one's concept of God.

2. Every human brain constructs a unique image and conception of reality and God.

3. Spiritual practices can be stripped of their religious beliefs and still benefit the brain. And they can also be adapted to traditions with different theological beliefs.

4. Meditation is good for everyone, whether you believe or disbelieve in God.

5. The longer you meditate, the more you change your brain in very positive ways.

I particularly like the research that showed how optimism, hope, faith, and positive thinking is the most important thing we can do to maintain a healthy brain.

Opinion

In "How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough from a Leading Neuroscientist" a link between science and religion attributes prayer/meditation to better mental health. The utilization of brain scans, experiments, surveys, and other research tools has shown a positive correlation of data between prayer/meditation and a healthy brain. The book is written in an easy to read format that allows a neuroscience novice to learn the benefits of religion and spirituality on the mind without having advanced knowledge of the inner workings of the brain. The book's title may be a little misleading, as the authors' claim that God changes the brain is not quite the message that the book presents, but rather, meditation and prayer are in fact the drivers of change in the brain.

Structure of the Book

The book is written with each of the ten chapters either answering a question, providing useful tools to stimulate the mind, or examples of how to pray/meditate. Each chapter is written in plain English and is free of technical jargon in order to teach the scientific concept of brain health. Each chapter could potentially stand-alone but are ordered in a way that allows the book's readers to build their understanding about spirituality and the mind. The book is also structured to allow believers and non-believers alike to find their own strategies for maintaining and improving their own mental health.

Interesting Elements

The authors show many different exercises, brain scans, and other visuals to provide detailed examples to relate the concept of equating prayer/meditation to a healthy mind. The book has examples of people from many different religious backgrounds, as well as atheists, who have shown the effects of having an altered thalamus based upon their spirituality outputs. Chapter 8, "Exercising Your Brain" offered quite ironically eight methods to keep the brain physically and mentally stimulated. The last two chapters in the book provided specific examples of meditation techniques to aid those interested in improving brain functioning. Another interesting addition to the book takes place in chapter five where the authors collect images from adults and children to see each persons interpretation of God and found that everyone views God differently. Chapter four was also interesting as it provides the revelation that people tend to experience God as a feeling rather than an idea.

Interesting Quotes

"Numerous studies have shown that the mere repetition of a sound, phrase, or finger movement over a period of time significantly reduces symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and anger, while improving the practitioner's perception of quality-of-life and spiritual well-being."

"Young children can only grasp the simplest of concepts because the neurological capacity to comprehend abstract concepts won't mature until adolescence."

"But meditation, prayer, and belief in a loving God may not be enough to eradicate the limbic system's tendency to distrust people who appear to look or think differently."

Recommendation

I recommend this book to those who have time and interest in prayer or meditation. This book provides a simplistic background to a complex scientific process and is a good guide to true and non-believers alike. This book functions as an explanation on the benefit of prayer and meditation, and goes on to transform into a how to guide for those truly interested in changing their brains. Coming from a religious background I found comfort knowing that prayer could be good for the brain and believe that everyone could stand a stronger and healthier brain. This book focuses more on brain health than the title implies and should be a must read for those who seek a link between science and religion.

This book is captivating, fascinating, insightful, and provocative. The authors' premise of this book basically states that certain religious practices does indeed changes the mind via the formation of new synaptic connections and activation of certain brain structures. The authors use extensive studies to support their arguments that all types of meditations across religious divides does change or transform your brain towards a positive mind and a person well-being. Some of the studies cited in this book cannot be disputed but I am a little confused as to how focusing on your breathing makes God change your brain. Apart from this concern, I believe that the book is very informative and people can read,digest the contents and use the parts of the book they like. I will encourage all to read it.

I recently attended a seminar conducted by author Mark Robert Waldmann. He was singularly the rudest presenter I've ever encountered in 50 years of attending seminars. I only stayed because the person providing my ride to the city chose to stay.

Waldmann pointed at participants and informed them they had various psychiatric disorders, telling one "obviously you would be familiar with borderline personality disorder," and telling another, "you would understand delusional," and also telling an author on neuroscience issues visiting the seminar "you're stupid, shut up," just prior to the seminar, then going outside to the courtyard to run, in shirt and coat.

He instructed people not to speak on breaks, and he did not allow but one restroom break all day. Then he closed by giving us an hour of his ill-informed views on nutrition, revealing that he is clearly not the scientist on his team. Guess what? An artist knows better than the American College of Nutrition which vitamins can be absorbed through the gut.

I was prepared to glance through this book and give it a one-star review. But that wouldn't be fair. The authors do explain neuroscience in terms anyone can grasp. They offer simple exercises stimulate the center of the brain active in consciousness, the lobes involved in logic, reason, and motivation, and the center related to compassion, intuition, and social interaction.

I can only speculate that the author who presented to us suffered damage to his anterior cingulate sometime prior to that day. However, if you are fan of books by Daniel Amen, this book is the next step in understanding the brain and religious devotion. I heartily recommend the book.

The findings, exercises and lessons in this volume should be some of the first subjects taught starting in pre-school and advancing right through to the last year in high school. The ideas and techniques herein (especially compassionate listening) could have wide ranging impact on diverse areas of human endeavor such as: Ministering, mental & physical health, teaching, hospice care, government and police & fire personnel training. I would venture to say that this material could be of great value in military training as well. I'm all for formal study and instruction of the three "R's", but what does it all mean when such a large part of our brain and financial trust are relegated to building bigger, better and smarter ways to kill each other?!

This book was exceptionally well written with substantial end notes and bibliography; clear, concise and very personable - this is a work that can truly make a positive, healthy and much needed difference in human affairs and communication. A 5 star read!

I agree with the reviewer who said that this book is about Spiritual Practices and how they improve your life.It is not however a work which provides deeper theological understanding of the concept of 'God'.
It rather shows how various spiritual practices work in terms of brain activity. It comes out strongly in favor of practices like Meditation which it claims are beneficial for spiritual health.It shows how daily prayer can have a positive effect on one's overall mood and feeling of life. Its second part contains techniques for improving one's spiritual health. This is the kind of work which hopefully will be of real use to many of its readers.

Not that many years ago, scientists were fond of telling you that you didn't ever add any more brain cells and your brain structure was pretty fixed at a young age. That so-called information was wrong. Today, we know that new brain cells and connections are being made all the time. By changing the way we live and think, we can make major changes in our brains . . . which, in turn, make other changes in our lives. What makes this book unique is that it addresses the effects of various mental, spiritual, and religious practices on the brain, body, and biochemistry. Spirituality isn't just for the spiritual world any more!

This book is a great blessing to me in explaining the major changes I've experienced over the last 14 years since I've been very active in meditation, prayer, and Bible study. I could tell that my mind was working differently . . . as well as my body, but I haven't found a book before this one that could explain all that has been occurring. I was also pleased to learn that I can expect to continue to experience positive changes. What a joy!

My pastor is fond of pointing out that whenever things seem a bit overwhelming that we should focus on Jesus and ask for His help. I knew from the Bible why that is good spiritual advice. Now I know why it's also good neurological and emotion-calming advice.

When I speak with people who are of different faiths or don't have much faith, I can tell that they are experiencing the world much differently than I am. In fact, I often describe part of the Christian faith as being experience based . . . feeling Jesus acting in my life, which can make it hard to comprehend when you haven't had the same experiences due to your focus being elsewhere.

I suspect that this book can be a great benefit to those who are interested in developing their brains and now realize that spiritual practices are very helpful in that regard. As a result, I suspect some will find faith who weren't looking for it. What could be nicer?

Anyone who is stressed out and has no idea how to calm down will clearly find very helpful ideas from here to apply.

The book's main weakness is in the authors' desire to describe to optimize the brain in ways that don't necessarily relate to any spiritual practice (such as the stout encouragement to yawn regularly and enthusiastically). I think that subject would have been more appropriate in another book, but I was mildly interested in what they had to say.

The book also advocates that people of all religions should accept that all other religions are equally valid, and no one should share views that their own religion offers special benefits. I don't think the authors made their case for that point being correct--it's just their personal opinions. I let that go in grading the book because I got so much insight out of the parts of the book that describe how prayer, meditation, and focus affect the mind and body.

I like to share my faith because it has been the best part of my life, one that just keeps getting better. In the same way that I tell people about a good new book, I also tell them about Jesus Christ. The authors seem to always ascribe less altruistic reasons for telling others about your faith. I pray that they will discover the joys of a richer spiritual life in future.

I am only interested in unbiased religious research and that is why I bought this audio program. However, I was unimpressed as I felt these authors had preconceived christian beliefs that colored there results and led to biased comments and conclusions.

As a student of psychology and human culture, I find this book to be ground-breaking in the sense that it begins to show, through the eyes of neuroscience, what is good and bad about religion and why.
Through scientific studies and opinions of two bright authors (one a believer, the other not)one can begin to see why religion is evolving into a far more controversial activity than it was 100 years ago. Neuroscientific studies show that what really attracts people to religious practice are things that are common to many thought systems, even music and comedy, and that what is now repelling people from religion is not really religion itself, but the potential competition, hostility and anger that it often promotes. A very important book for believers and non-believers alike.