How God Changes Your Brain

Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist

By: Andrew Newberg MD, Mark Robert Waldman

Narrated by: James C. Lewis

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

God is great-for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Based on new evidence culled from brain-scan studies and a wide-reaching survey of people's religious and spiritual experiences, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, MD, and therapist Mark Robert Waldman offer the following breakthrough discoveries: Not only do prayer and spiritual practice reduce stress, but just 12 minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process. Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety and depression and increases feelings of security, compassion, and love. Intense prayer and meditation permanently change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values and the way you perceive reality. Both a revelatory work of modern science and a practical guide for listeners to enhance their physical and emotional health, How God Changes Your Brain is a first-of-a-kind book about faith that is as credible as it is inspiring.

©2009 Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman (P)2014 Tantor

Enlightening .

I enjoyed the simplicity and eloquence.
I'm glad to have come across this book,
It speaks my language.
Thank you.
Nora S

Excellent book, very instructional

Great book. I was hoping it wouldn't be too technical and I was happily impressed. It was something I could follow and also incredibly strong is what it was offering, insightful, researched, and experienced. So glad I listened.

Very enlightening

Though the book is not religious, it definitely explains ways to connect further with God your higher power however, you see is divine. The information about how meditation and religious practice like centering prayer in the rosary changes the brand, new positive ways, free and lightning and informative.

A book to support the understanding of the mind

loved the book, the narrative was inspiring, presenting a clear point, God, not God, the brain develops, changes, and is up to us to use the potential, just if we understand it. this book presents it. i will read it a few more times for the exercises and to rally use it in my everyday life.

Lots of good information!

The whole book makes you think about how we process the thought of god. It’s written in a respectful manner also to all religions. I enjoyed the book a lot!

Thought provoking

I am interested in the connection between the brain and the mind, and particularly interested how we process beliefs and spiritual experiences. It took me a few chapters to understand where Dr. Newberg was going with this and I had to listen to some sections twice to grasp their intent. But I found this book, overall, to be very thought provoking and enlightening. While Dr. Newberg tries to maintain an objective, impartial view of his research, I did think that his personal beliefs caused him to define what , in his view, is "healthy spirituality" . (loving, peaceful, affirmative thoughts and actions, lacking anxiety, anger, judgmentalism, etc). I am not sure that anxiety, anger and judgement are always bad. But, overall, I gained a better understanding of how the brain works to generate thoughts, feelings, and to prompt us to action in the areas of belief and spirituality

Fascinating

I love all things neuroscience and spirituality, so the two together are utterly fascinating. Excellent information in accessible communication. It also spends several chapters teaching you ways to meditate.

So many pearls!

This book is chalked full of new studies, research, and practical ways to implement the findings to experience the same results as those in the original tests. I’ve been studying these topics for years and walked away encouraged, with a deeper understanding of the “why” behind the things I teach, and many practical exercises that can be done to experience better brain health through faith, exercise, yawning, and many styles of meditation.

Depth of research

I loved this book. The authors are brilliant, compassionate, understanding, insightful, and I am grateful that they shared their knowledge and research with us. I have already purchased a hard copy of their newest book. I registered with their website and plan on following their ongoing research. I have already started to share and promote their work with my community of persons on a path to enlightenment. As a result I am changing my meditative and contemplative practice to include many of their suggestions. THANK YOU!

First half is fascinating

The first 8 chapters are fascinating and bring up some interesting concepts. I give those chapters full 5 stars.

The last half of the book delves into meditation as communication practices. Helpful if you are looking for that but is really a whole different book.