The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

By: Jeffrey M. Schwartz   Sharon Begley  

Buy it now at Amazon.com!

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

In his work treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz made an extraordinary discovery: by focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and toward positive ones, his patients were able to make permanent changes to their own neural pathways. In The Mind and the Brain Schwartz explores this power -- the power of the mind to shape the brain.

Through research and case studies, he demonstrates the brain's ability to be drastically rewired, not just in childhood but throughout life -- a paradigm-shifting discovery that could transform the treatment of every neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke.

Schwartz's landmark book challenges the idea that we are merely biologically programmed automatons and proves that we have the power to shape our brains and, consequently, our destiny -- a revolutionary insight that continues to provoke debate among those who care about the future of man's role in the universe.

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A fascinating read - I found the discussion of brain experiments fascinating. Additionally, the discussions of will and neuroplasticity and the brain's rewiring of itself (as a function of our own mental effort) were very interesting, and as another reader mentioned, inspiring. This is a complex book overall, and within that it's a good starting ground from which other scientific literature can grow. I recommend it.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A brilliant voyage into the power of human consciousness - The Mind and the The Brain is a true testament to the power of human consciousness which is well beyond the mere firing of neurons and chemical activity. The book dives into areas of neurology, sociology, biology, and quantum physics in a fluid and dynamic way. There are case studies on the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental disorders including, OCD, depression, and the effects of stroke.

A brilliant discussion of the power of the human spirit (mental force and free will). For decades, scientists discounted results that didn't coincide with current established thought and this book does a wonderful job of presenting research on the power of consciousness. Depending on your views of animal testing, some portions of this book may be a difficult read as some of the most groundbreaking research was done on animals. Those results were also reproduced in humans by trying various experiments on the treatment and rehabilitation of stroke victims.

If there were ever a book to read on the relationship between the physical brain and the esoteric mind, this is it. Most scientists tend to shy away or even disparage subjective realities like the mind or consciousness, this book dares to apply science to what is arguably the true final frontier, human consciousness.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Lots of food for thought and heart - I add my thoughts to the other 59 reviews, almost all of which I have just read. Overall this is a remarkable book, worth the effort at times of struggling through some of the details, but definitely a book to read and reread. I agree that Dr. Schwatrz and writer Begley do not fully succeed in convincing most readers that there is something going on in the Universe and within individuals that "proves" the reality of Spirit.(See: Larry Dossey,MD's several books on the power of words, the power of prayer, and many other non-physical phenomena).
Most of the findings and descriptions of the role of mind and/or thinking on neurophysiological functioning, both pathological and enahncing, is exciting and encouraging. As a psychiatrist for the past 61 years, and a feader since the age of 6, I find this a highly meaningful piece of writing, notwithstanding all its warts and blemishes. I agree that the details of animal abuse could have been left out without diminishing the rest, but who is perfect? I hope Dr. Schewartz will do more writing and sharing.

Customer Review: 1 out of 5
Stuck in duality - In general I found the book engaging and interesting, but it has one short-coming and a premise which is a couple of thousand years old.
The short-coming is that the book is too much of a biography of his scientific career. The ancient premise is that there is some duality, that the brain is the mind, but there is "more". This "more" he calls "mental force" or free will. It's basically the soul in the mind, which is based on his premise that the mind is nothing but a machine, which is of course an unacceptable idea to him and most others. The problem is that his premise is wrong - he has not yet come to grips with the fact that the complexity of the brain itself is so enormous that it, in itself, has the ability to choose between many paths of thinking, and thus create free will. Invoking quantum physics (I know little, but what I understood seemed like gibberish) is unnecessary, but apparently feels good to someone who still needs to cling to something outside of the physical brain. He doesn't call it "soul", but it is really just a more scientifically bolstered version of the same thing.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Good Read, Slightly Didactic - Short Review:
I wanted a book on how to increase brain performance, that is not the focus of this book. The book is about the advances in neuro-sciences and how it challenges the ideas of materialism and suggests that the brain can grow and develop throughout life. The author gives good information which can easily be cross referenced. Difficult concepts are explained for the average reader. The author tends to repeat information and conclusions in the middle of the text slowing things down a little.

Long Review:
When I bought this book I was looking for a something like a guide to practical neuro-plasticity. This book does not fit that description. Despite that fact I found the book enjoyable and refreshing. The author's focus is primarily on the ability of the brain to change significantly throughout life through focused study or practice while providing some idea about how this might be accomplished. In suggesting that this change is possible the ideas of hard materialism are challenged. Essentially the work is an attempt show that scientific endeavor supports the existence of the will or some volitional force that is simple not accounted for by traditional materialism.

The book itself contains excellent general and specific information and data about topics such as neurology, philosophy and quantum physics. Additionally, this book contains enough in the way of references to easily allow the reader to find similar works of interest. If the reader desired the author's claims can easily be cross referenced giving the work a level of integrity all too often missing in popular literature. The author has also written in a clear manner, logically laying out ideas and discussing concepts that are likely to be foreign to the average reader.

The most significant criticism is a propensity to read the same material over and over. It is common to see a number of studies and anecdotes that support the author's conclusion reiterated and highly detailed. This appears to be an attempt to make as solid a case as possible against the materialist mind set in the neuro-sciences in general. The irony is that the author laments the scientific community's reluctance to embrace change, even in the face of evidence, but then proceeds to present his case over and over. For the average reader this means that the middle of the book can be somewhat slow.

--> Find out more about "The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force" at Amazon.com or Order Now