Mystical Mind (Theology and the Sciences) (Theology & the Sciences) [Paperback]

Eugene D'Aquili (Author)

Book Description

Series: Theology & the Sciences | Publication Date: August 1, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How does the brain generate and process mystical states? What are the neurological explanations for religious experiences? How does the mind create myth, religious ritual and liturgy? The late D'Aquili (Brain, Symbol, and Experience) and Newberg, a researcher in nuclear medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, explore these and other questions in their exhilarating study of religion and the science of mind. The authors contend that since the "mind and brain are responsible for all of our experiences, they are also the mediator for our experience of God." Using the insights of neurology and neuropsychology, they develop a "neurotheology" that serves to explain how the mind functions to create religious experience. In the first section, the authors map out the structure of the brain, focusing on the parts that are most significant for understanding human emotion and cognition. Here the authors contend that the mind and brain form a kind of "mystical union," and they examine the ways in which the mind/brain provides "our advanced methods of experiencing and interpreting the external world." The second section explores the relationships between myth, ritual, liturgy and the mystical mind. D'Aquili and Newberg assert that "all religious and spiritual phenomena, including the concept and experience of God (Absolute Unitary Being), are generated by the brain and central nervous system." The book's final section argues that "Absolute Unitary Being (Pure Consciousness or God) paradoxically and counterintuitively generates experience and the world (including the brain)." D'Aquili and Newberg make difficult scientific concepts understandable and accessible as they formulate this fresh approach to religion and science. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

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, including co-authoring Brain, Symbol and Experience (1990).

Andrew B. Newberg, M.D., is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology and Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He is author, with d'Aquili, of numerous research studies underlying this volume

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800631633
• ISBN-13: 978-0800631635
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Innovative Model to Integrate Theology and Science, July 31, 2000

By 

Dr. Stephen M. Sagar (Ancaster, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystical Mind (Theology and the Sciences) (Theology & the Sciences) (Paperback)

The reader is initially introduced to archetypal and mythical concepts of good and evil, the fall and resurrection, and the theosophical concept of God. The authors describe the development of religion and the role of ritual. They try to develop the argument for a universal "metatheology" which crosses the boundary between religion and science. The book takes a cognitive approach, using process theory to describe domains of experience. Neurobiological and anatomical correlates are emphasized by quoting recent evidence from functional imaging (such as photon emission tomographic scans). The authors designate this approach as "neurotheology" which "refers to the study of theology from a neuropsychological perspective".

The reader is introduced to basic neuroanatomy and the functions of the brain. The authors then describe their own categorization of domains of experience, termed "cognitive operators". These include locations in the brain which deliver the experience of wholeness, in contrast to other sites which deliver the experience of the parts. They introduce the concept of "spiritual intelligence" , which is the integrating and transcending function of the cognitive operators. This process creates transformation or a reframing of the gestalt or world view. Myth is discussed as a transcendent cognitive process which can explain reality and catalyze transformative integration of multivalent experiences. In a nut shell, the neurobiological basis of spiritual experience may provide the physical explanation for personal evolution and adaptation to life crises and change. Ritual may entrain the cognitive operators to process new information and allow integration to occur. The authors discuss the salient experiences of "absolute unitary being" and the "near death experience" to illustrate the neurobiology of transformative experience.

The authors conclude with a summary of their philosophy of a "metatheology and megatheology". Their emphasis is on the brain as a neurophysiological processing system of spiritual experience. This neurological function can be accessed through the rituals of religious practice, such as liturgy. They conclude that their scientific viewpoint should transcend the boundaries of religious organization "without violating their essential doctrines".

The book attempts to integrate spiritual experience and religious philosophy with neurobiological process theory. It is not comprehensive in its discussion of current theories of consciousness, neuroscience or process theory, but does provide a useful introduction of these concepts. It is a complex book which may be a challenge to both theologians and medical scientists. Despite the emphasis on neurobiology, it is not atheistic in its approach, but provides some evidence that the experience of Spirit has a neurobiological correlate. Since our current Western culture emphasizes the objective evidence of science, this book may encourage some agnostics to re-evaluate a spiritual approach to life's vicissitudes.

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just dense enough to be chewy, April 3, 2000

By 

Jane Harper "postmodern Catholic, PhD, NP" (Carbondale, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystical Mind (Theology and the Sciences) (Theology & the Sciences) (Paperback)

This book was not what I expected; it was better. I was primed for a pop-science/new-age lightweight discussion full of simplistic generalizations; what I got was a solid theoretical work that's not too dense for the nonspecialist. If you read and comprehend "Scientific American" magazine, you can handle this book, and will probably enjoy it. The authors have thorough backgrounds, although in neuroscience rather than theology, but they don't try to dive too deep into theological constructs. My only quibble is that, as a specialist, I would have liked more documentation of the studies on which the theories were based.

This is a book about humans using our neurologic apparatus to construct meaning in the world, and some possibilities as to how this might occur. Read, and weep at the beautiful complexity of life, and be awestruck at the wonders of the divine Designer.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Neuropsychology of Mysticism, December 26, 2006

By 

Creb (Aurora, IL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mystical Mind (Theology and the Sciences) (Theology & the Sciences) (Paperback)

The Mystical Mind may be viewed as a modern version of William James' Varieties of Religious Experience. Andrew Newberg (who completed this volume after the death of co-author Eugene Aquili) has a unique background to warrant such a lofty comparison. He is a physician and a scholar with expertise in research methods, neuropsychology, comparative religions, and philosophy. Though the approach of neuropsychology dominates this work, Newberg moves seamlessly to other models as the focus and purpose of analysis requires. He utilizes this broad range of conceptual tools to examine the continuum of mystical phenomenon, from the creation of myth to the sense of peace related to the performance of rituals to the profound mystical state of Absolute Unitary Being (AUB).

The book is divided into three sections. The first provides an overview of the central nervous system and cognitive functions. In the second section, a neuropsychological model for understanding the continuum of religious and mystical experiences is presented. Finally, the third section suggests how a theology based on neurology (neurotheology) can serve as both a meta-theology (i.e. a basis of understanding the entire range of world religions and theologies) and a mega-theology (i.e. a basis for developing a universal theology).

The author presents compelling evidence that everything that we know or experience is dependent upon and mediated by the brain. In particular, he relies on the study of patients with strokes and brain tumors, who loose function in the areas predicted by neuropsychology. It is also validated by the experiences that are generated through electrical stimulation of specific areas of the brain and by imaging data of patients and monks in deep meditation.

Because of this intimate connection between the brain and the mind Newberg adopts the term brain/mind. This term reflects the reality that the brain and the mind must be viewed as a single, inseparable totality and that a focus on one or the other reflects the manner of observation rather than a difference in that which is being observed. This integrated concept of brain/mind is also central to the metaphysics he takes up in the final section.

In the second section of the book, Newberg applies the neuropsychological model he has developed to the religious phenomenon of myth, ritual, liturgy, near-death experiences, and mystical experiences. In the interest of brevity, I will restrict this review to his discussion of mystical experiences. When one examines descriptions of the most profound mystical experiences (AUB) across time and cultures, one is struck with their general similarity and one significant difference. Mystics universally indicate that these experiences are beyond words, space, time, all dualities (including self-other), and are characterized by a profound sense of absolute unity and oneness. It is viewed as more vivid and "real" than our ordinary consciousness and has the power to transform lives. However, some mystics attach this experience to a neutral affective state (e.g. void consciousness of Buddhism) while others attach it to a state of ultimate bliss and ecstatic rapture (e.g. unio mystica of Christian mysticism). Newberg's neuropsychological analysis of these experiences explains both these similarities and their differences.

AUB may be reached through both the active (i.e. beginning with the sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system that mediates arousal) and passive (i.e. beginning with the parasympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system that mediates homeostasis and quiescence). I will focus on parasympathetic side and substantially simplify the neuropsychological processes. In this form of meditation, one begins with the intent to clear one's mind of thought and to withdrawal from sensory stimulation. As the meditation deepens, the subjective sensation of a relaxation grows to profound quiescence. As elements of the parasympathetic nervous system become fully aroused they "spill over" into and activate the sympathetic nervous system. When both the sympathetic and parasympathetic portions of the autonomic nervous system are maximally aroused, one experiences AUB. If this experience is accompanied by the arousal of the limbic system, the experience is accompanied by rapturous ecstasy (unio mystica), if not, the experience is one of void consciousness.

This simplification does not do justice to the neurological detail and complexity of Newberg's model. But it does give the reader a sense of how he relates profound mystical states to neurological structures and activity. Though he acknowledges that this model is a work in progress, and far from perfect, it is validated by an impressive body of scientific evidence.

The final section of this book focuses on philosophy, neurotheology, and metaphysics. Newberg suggests that neuropsychology offers a scientific model (i.e. metatheology) for examining the religions and theologies of the world as well as a basis (i.e. megatheology) for creating a new theology based in science. But perhaps the most fascinating and controversial portion of this work lies in its metaphysical speculation.

In building any metaphysical system, it is necessary to establish a starting point and it is generally assumed that this may begin by focusing on the fundamental reality of experience (i.e. idealism) or on observation (i.e. empiricism) and both result in intractable problems. If one begins with experience one is left unable to acknowledge the reality of other sentient beings and if one begins with observation (and the underlying assumption of dualism) then one, paradoxically, must deny the reality of one's own subjective experience. What Newberg suggests, is that the starting point of metaphysics be the experience of AUB, an experience that is neither subjective nor objective, but the source of both subjectivity and objectivity. This resolution of opposites is analogous to what happens in myth, where opposites are unified and the binary operator in the brain is overpowered by the holistic operator. Again, this presentation is overly simplistic and the reader is urged to study Newberg's fascinating depiction of this process.

In my opening paragraph I compared The Mystical Mind to William James' Varieties of Religious Experience. That was the highest complement I could offer Andrew Newberg and this amazing book. I hope this review has given readers a glimpse into the Mystical Mind and encourages them to delve into this extraordinary work.