Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment [Hardcover]

David Perlmutter (Author), Alberto Villoldo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2011

The quest for enlightenment has occupied mankind for millennia. And from the depictions we’ve seen—monks sitting on meditation cushions, nuns kneeling in prayer, shamans communing with the universe—it seems that this elusive state is reserved for a chosen few. But now, neuroscientist David Perlmutter and medical anthropologist and shaman Alberto Villoldo have come together to explore the commonalities between their specialties with the aim of making enlightenment possible for anyone.

Joining the long-separated worlds of science and spirit, Perlmutter explores the exciting phenomena of neurogenesis and mitochondrial health, while Villoldo brings his vast knowledge of shamanic and spiritual practices to the table. Together they draw from the most powerful tools in each discipline to create the Power Up Your Brain program, a ground-breaking, five-week plan that helps prime the brain for enlightenment. With nutritional advice, dietary supplements, physical exercise, shamanic practices, meditation, and visualizations, Perlmutter and Villoldo guide readers, step by step, through a program to help them clear their minds from previous trauma and open themselves up to experience the inner peace, vast insight, and extraordinary creativity that define the experience of enlightenment, paving the way to successfully face the challenges to come.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dr. Perlmutter and Dr. Villoldo bring together the long-separated disciplines of science and spirituality to help us gain access to the parts of the brain that define us as human beings. This book applies leading-edge science to our quest for enlightenment and gives us practical tools, including specific dietary and lifestyle recommendations, to improve our well-being.”

— Andrew Weil, M.D., author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Healthy Aging

“The shaman and physician for millennia were the same person until the 19th century when they were split apart in the name of science. Now through the lens of 21st-century science, Villoldo and Perlmutter bring them back together, illuminating the web that links together our physical and metaphysical energy. For anyone feeling a loss of energy of body or soul, Power Up Your Brain is your guide to restoration and rejuvenation of your deepest energies.”

— Mark Hyman, M.D., New York Times best-selling author of  The UltraMind Solution

“This is the book we’ve been waiting for! With leading-edge information that’s easy to understand, Alberto Villoldo and David Perlmutter have masterfully woven 21st-century science with the indigenous wisdom of the past to reveal the ‘missing link’ in the modern story of life—the role of our brain’s health in the quality of our spiritual experience. In doing so they offer us a practical wisdom that we can use to empower our lives immediately! This book is a must for anyone seriously interested in moving beyond the con­ven-tional ideas of what enlightenment is and how to achieve it.”

— Gregg Braden, New York Times best-selling author of The Divine Matrix and Fractal Time

“This book is a treasure. It is a guidebook to enlightenment filled with the wisdom and experience of the authors. It relates the practical aspects of science to the spiritual and mystical realities of the nature of life. It clarifies what our potential is as human beings and directs us in the steps we need to take to achieve our potential and utilize the healing energy available to us all.”

— Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and 365 Prescriptions for the Soul

“I seldom use the word ‘brilliant,’ but this book is. It expands our awareness of the untapped potential of our brain,
offers cutting-edge neuroscience, and is written by two experts with decades of hands-on clinical practice. See for yourself why Dr. Perlmutter is my personal neurologist and mentor.”

— Naomi Judd, singer, songwriter, and author of Naomi’s Guide to Aging Gratefully

“This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. Combining modern scientific knowledge and shamanic practices, it lucidly explains how to restore the health of the brain at the cellular level.”

— David R. Hamilton, Ph.D., author of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

David Perlmutter, M.D., FACN, is a board-certified neurologist and fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He serves as medical director of the Perlmutter Health Center and the Perlmutter Hyperbaric Center in Naples, Florida and is also an adjunct instructor at the Institute for Functional Medicine. He is the author of three books and numerous journal articles. Dr. Perlmutter has appeared on 20/20, Larry King Live, CNN, Fox News, Fox and Friends, the Today show, The Oprah Show, and The Early Show on CBS.

Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., has trained as a psychologist and medical anthropologist, and has studied the healing practices of the Amazon and the Andean shamans for more than 25 years. While at San Francisco State University, he founded the Biological Self-Regulation Laboratory to study how the mind creates psychosomatic health and disease. Dr. Villoldo directs The Four Winds Society, where he trains individuals in the U.S. and Europe in the practice of shamanic healing. He directs the Center for Energy Medicine at Los Lobos, Chile, where he investigates and practices the neuroscience of enlightenment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Hay House (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140192817X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401928179
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very unique book February 4, 2011

By Elizabeth Santos

Format:Hardcover

Dr. Perlmutter (a neuroscientist) and Dr. Villoldo (a medical anthropologist) do a remarkable job of combining science and spirituality. When I first picked up the book I thought it might read like a textbook but the authors explain medical and historical facts in a very interesting and readable way. Power Up Your Brain is informative and inspiring, an important read especially for people who know deep inside that they're capable of producing and creating so much more.

66 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Power Up Your Life! February 4, 2011

By Meredith L. Geller

Format:Hardcover

I LOVE `Power Up Your Brain'...and could not put it down.
The brilliant doctors who joined forces to write this book truly bring together the link between mind, body and spirit with scientific evidence to back it all up.
It is a myth that we only use about 20-30% of our brain but in fact do use 100%. However, Dr. Perlmutter and Dr. Alberto Villoldo teach us that our brain's true capacity is infinite and provide practical steps to unleash these new pathways and access more brain power and consciousness.

91 of 103 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read! February 1, 2011

By music lover

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read Power Up Your Brain in one sitting, and recommend it highly. It is a wonderful balance of "right brain" and "left brain" information and philosophy, so it will appeal to - and speak clearly to - a huge and diverse audience. It is a clear prescription for health on many levels, presented with integrity by two excellent writers who know their material exceedingly well.
I purchased this book from Amazon.