The Mind and the Brain

Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

By: Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Sharon Begley

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2002 Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Very well written

At first I thought I would struggle to understand this book. While there is a lot of medical terminology, it is extremely well written and packed full of Revelations for me, or should I say confirmations. It seems like every new physiological understanding that he mentioned in this book is almost intuitive. I kept saying out loud, "Of course".

Do Not Mistake The Message Here For Dualism!

This is not a throwback to the old mind/matter dualism of Descartes, though it does decidedly (and, I believe healthfully and rightly) break with some of the tenets of hardcore behaviorism and inflexible functionalism. In short, the authors do view the brain as the seat of thought and emotion and all lower and higher cognitive functions, but they view the mind as something other than "byproduct of a dynamic, like the noise that is emitted by a lawnmower," as some radicals have asserted. Rather, the mind is a Gestalt, a whole greater than the sum of its biological parts, a living dynamic with "a life of its own": and that Gestalt is something special and real--the minds, the personalities, the psychic beings that we are.

brilliant insights Mind -body Spirit Attention

If you could sum up The Mind and the Brain in three words, what would they be?

Mind body Spirit brain correlaries and the use of Intention and Attention to change intranced patterns and to creat altrnate results and states fof mind adn thus reality

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought his reading was clear and insightful and well tempered

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the last 1/4 Changing reality andinner and outer states thorugh the use of will and attention .

Any additional comments?

Excellent science but most of all the proof that we co create our reality and that reductionist materialism is aremnant of old non science.
the practical uses of intentional focus and willful use of dynamics to create alternate results and reality.
If you ar into the mind body spirit movement and or the brain sciences this gives you a great amount of ammo to prove that our intentions are powerful if we use various techniques.

Understand the casualties of scholar denialism?

Would you listen to The Mind and the Brain again? Why?

If you have no 'agenda', i.e. if you are open, repeated reading or listening will reveal deeper meaning, greater significance. If you think not, do it then, just to prove you are right.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mind and the Brain?

The very long human history of retarding and destroying discoveries is objectively documented by many. Evidence in fascinating detail: "The Mind and the Brain" provides an insiders experience of a scientific revolution and the human causalities perpetrated by scholar denialism. One isn't required to have formulated a 'better' model before revealing the intellectual corruption of the existing one. Humans suffer and die when the various but small 'information mafia' succeed. This work points to objective data/findings from which rational and I would add, obvious arguments are made.

Have you listened to any of Arthur Morey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Arthur Morey's delivery is most agreeable for me. In fact, the best I've experienced so far.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Scholars Holocaust

Any additional comments?

Do not permit any reviewer to pursuade you that this work has anything whatever to do with religion or your constructs of it. I would say, one who suggests so has (a) not read the book or (b) has made 'enemy' with what is, and conjured supporting attributes upon it.

Life application

What did you love best about The Mind and the Brain?

Experience is a good teacher. This book explains why. OCD patients have a bad habit. This book describes the four step process to break the bad habit. Learn how a stroke patient can regain some lost functionality. Learn how some students with language problems overcame them. Learn what some serious musicians facing career ending decisions done to overcome the struggle.
You could summarize the above in less than 30 minutes. But it would not include the history or the series of scientific experiments that changed the thinking of the scientific community.
Some Christians believe in “free will”. Others believe in predestination. The author makes the case for free will but from a Buddhist perspective.
And while many of the Ten Commandments contain “shall not”, the scriptures also contain some things to do. Philippians 4:8…Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest… think on these things.

What other book might you compare The Mind and the Brain to and why?

Talent is Overrated. Some of the research presented by both books blends together.

Good Science plus a little religious magic

Most of this book (the actual science) was very interesting, with a lot of valid and important ideas about neuroplasticity.

If you have OCD or know someone who has read the same author’s Brain Lock (which has much of the practical information without the metaphysics). This book is good. the narration excellent and there is a short PDF is available with diagrams of the parts and uses of the brain and nerve cells if you are not already familiar with these.

The book is largely conversational and easy to listen to, but from time to time drops into metaphysical discussions. The last third the book takes off to a somewhat unscientific path attempting to demonstrate that the soul must exists and connects to the body via quantum effects. Having such ideas is not inherently unscientific, but, to be science a clear hypothesis should be stated along with an experiment differentiating the cases. Here the book is quite weak. The logic seems to be 1) We don’t understand consciousness 2) We don’t understand quantum effects 3) Quantum theory has elements of consciousness and randomness 4) The author’s religion (Buddhism) supports the idea of a non-brain mind learning to control the brain. Thus) mindfulness must control the brain via quantum effects through randomness. Now I believe consciousness is a product of quantum effects (as is everything else) but that does not imply the mind is separate from the brain. The brain seems quite capable of changing itself and capable of all the practical aspects of OCD treatments without resorting to magic.

Very well researched

For my taste the book could have been shorter. More research than I needed, monkey experiments were tough to get through, theories from many other sources to back up the premise that the mind can change the brain. I did get a great deal out of the book and was then inspired to get a hypnosis book about the Mind changing the brain, by two different Doctors. It is good to know we are not "stuck" with the brain we have, we can make improvements.

One of the best books ever written

This is truly one of the best books ever written and gives hope that through the exercise of free will man can change. This book rings and feels true. If man has no choice about creating the quality of his or her life, life has no meaning.

Exception book on Brain Pasticity

Overview of the research of Michael Merzenich, Edward Taub, and Jeffrey M. Schwartz showing how the research can be applied to OCD, Turrets, and other brain disorders can be modified and eliminated with a four step process. There is also wonderful discourses comparing and relating the work to mindfulness practices from Buddhist meditation. I like the depth of theory, practice, and philosophy from the perspective of William James. Also and interesting weaving of supportive concepts from quantum mechanics with highlights from Henry Stapp. He also manages to show the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics, entanglement, the uncertainty principle are related to free will and moral responsibility. Beautiful story with solid scientific principles trying to address the show how one can utilize mental effort or mental force to plastically modify ones brain to become free from compulsive actions and thoughts. It is one of my favorite texts. I see that few have the courage to under take such a broad field of study and explanations in an effort to help those who often have little hope or recourse to change their situation. Authur Morey does a splendid reading as usual.

The scientific discovery of conciousness

This book describes a hopeful look into our future as a potentially new species. The book also ties in the quantum realm in a way that hadn't occurred to me before reading it.