The Mystical Mind
Subtitle: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience (Theology and the Sciences)
Edition: 1st Ed edition
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Published: August 1999
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 228
ISBN-13: 9780800631635
Subjects: Christian mysticism; Christian spirituality; Comparative religion; Mysticism; Religion; Religion - Commentaries / Reference; REL; REL047000; Neuropsychology; Psychology of Religion; Experience (Religion); Psychology
First sentence: Throughout the ages, human beings have endeavored to understand their place in the universe.
Description: "How does the mind experience the sacred? What biological mechanisms are involved in mystical states and trances? Is there a neurological basis for patterns in comparative religions? Does religion have an evolutionary function?" "This pioneering work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Mapping the basic functions of the brain, the authors focus on structures most relevant to human experience, emotion, and cognition. On this basis they plot just how the brain is involved in mystical experiences. Successive chapters employ this understanding to explore mythmaking, ritual and liturgy, meditation, near-death experiences, and theology itself. Original, daring, and widely acclaimed, the authors' research bears exciting implications for philosophy, science, and the future of religion itself."--Jacket.