The spiritual doorway in the brain : a neurologist's search for the God experience / Kevin Nelson.

  • Nelson, Kevin
Date:
[2012]
  • Books

About this work

Description

The world's leading neurologist on out-of-body and near-death experiences shows that spirituality is as much a part of our basic biological makeup as our sex drive or survival instinct. In his cutting-edge research, Nelson has discovered that spiritual experiences take place in one of the most primitive areas of the brain. In this eloquent, reverent book, he relates the moving stories of patients and research subjects, brain scan analysis, evolutionary biology, and examples of transcendence from literature to reveal the machinery in our heads that enables us to perceive miracles--whether you are an atheist, Buddhist, or the most devout Catholic. Ultimately he makes clear that spiritual experiences are not the exception in human life, but rather an inescapable and precious part of every one of us.--From publisher description.

Publication/Creation

New York : Plume, published by the Penguin Group, [2012]

Physical description

viii, 326 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Notes

"A Plume book."
"Previously published in a Dutton edition"--Title page verso.

Contents

Prologue: At the foot of the bed -- pt. 1: The architecture. What is a spiritual experience? : From fear, to pinball, to fields of daisies ; The three states of consciousness : and where spiritual arousal happens ; The fragmented self : how we become our own false witness -- pt. 2: At the doorway. The varieties of near-death experience : telling stories ; The brain at death's portal : light and blood ; The ancient metronome : the tempo from fear to spiritual bliss ; The borderland of dreams and death : what may come? -- pt. 3: The other side. The beauty and terror of oneness : deep within the mystic's brain -- Epilogue: A new birth of wisdom.

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    JIB.AM
    Open shelves

Permanent link

Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9780452297586
  • 0452297583