The Hidden Spring

A Journey to the Source of Consciousness

By: Mark Solms

Narrated by: Roger Davis

For Mark Solms, one of the boldest thinkers in contemporary neuroscience, discovering how consciousness comes about has been a lifetime's quest. Scientists consider it the "hard problem" because it seems an impossible task to understand why we feel a subjective sense of self and how it arises in the brain.

Venturing into the elementary physics of life, Solms has now arrived at an astonishing answer. In The Hidden Spring, he brings forward his discovery in accessible language and graspable analogies.

Solms is a fearless guide on an extraordinary voyage from the dawn of neuropsychology and psychoanalysis to the cutting edge of contemporary neuroscience, adhering to the medically provable. But he goes beyond other neuroscientists by paying close attention to the subjective experiences of hundreds of neurological patients, many of whom he treated, whose uncanny conversations expose much about the brain's obscure reaches.

Most importantly, you will be able to recognize the workings of your own mind for what they really are, including every stray thought, pulse of emotion, and shift of attention. The Hidden Spring will profoundly alter your understanding of your own subjective experience.

©2021 Mark Solms (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

It’s a heavily packed book—better read in text

It’s a great theory of consciousness from one the leading man in the field. It’s a heavy packed with scientific material (and also referencing other theories), so it’s better to read it in text form which I plan to do after finishing the audio version.

Greek Reason, Human Consciousness Explained !!

This changes, at least, the wording of most every nuero book I've read, that's lots in recent years.

This book, this writer, on every level delivers a coup de gras. The writer, like an Olympic fencing champion, swishes away a universe of creepy crawly consciousness seekers, at the same time, the blades tip is at science writing's
throat.

Switching from 8+hours of TV, to audible, taking advantage of hearing speed, by Brian & Body the writers bemoaning their inability to cope with consciousness is a steady stream This book is as a satisfying as it gets.

Weeks ago, on completing Hidden Spring, I looked outside, I expected a mega phone to be going down the street letting us all know, ...

Brian Doidge and plasticity, move over. Mr. Porges, polyvegal.., great stuff but go sit with Norman. Lay intellectuals are on top Swashbuckler Mark Solm, salivating for more and a writing community's answers.

Amazing Book

I loved this book, i was abled to connect and understand it, welll narrated .

YES!

YES!!! I predict it won’t be long before Mark Solms’ ideas will be commonplace and universally deemed accurate. Intelligent humans will laugh at so many of the current theories. Consciousness is as fundamental as life itself!

Darwinian Goggles

Solms analysis of human feelings is interesting, thoughtful, and creative. I admire his attempt to locate the neural origin of feelings and his exploration of their functional value. However, I believe his view that feelings arise from multiple homeostatic mechanisms that govern our personal survival is incomplete. Some of our most intense feelings (eg. orgasms) have nothing to do with personal survival; they are concerned with gene survival. Indeed human feelings are better organized around the three essential elements required for reproductive success: survival to reproductive age (hunger, pain etc.), reproduction (desire, jealousy etc.) and offspring survival (eg. love, pride, etc.).
Human brains did not evolve to accurately represent the true nature of reality; they evolved for the sole function of enhancing the survival of our genes. Although the external environment is teeming with electromagnetic radiation and air pressure waves, without consciousness it is both totally black and utterly silent. Of course there is no sweetness in sugar and no noxious smell in old rotten eggs; these conscious evaluative feelings evolved to discriminate between threats and benefits to our reproductive success. In essence, we all see the world through Darwinian Goggles that add light, love, and meaning to the silent coin of being.
(See “Why We Feel; The Science of Human Emotions.”)