The Mystical Mind

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 pathbreaking work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Building on an explanation of the basic structure of the brain, the authors focus on parts most relevant to human experience, emotion, and cognition. On this basis, they plot how the brain is involved in mystical experiences. Successive chapters apply this scheme to mythmaking, ritual and liturgy, meditation, near-death experiences, and theology itself. Anchored in such research, the authors also sketch the implications of their work for philosophy, science, theology, and the future of religion.

Author: Eugene D'Aquili, Andrew B. Newberg
Publisher: Fortress Press
Published: 08/30/1999
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.00w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9780800631635
Award: Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/17/1999 pg. 72
Christian Century 11/08/2000 pg. 1159

About the Author
D'Aquili, Eugene: -

The late Eugene d'Aquili, M.D., Ph.D., was, until his recent death, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. A pioneer in neurological research of religion, he published in the area for twenty-five years.

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