Psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz on the importance of The Spiritual Brain

The Spiritual Brain is a very important book. It clearly explains non-materialist neuroscience in simple terms appropriate for the lay reader, while building on and extending work that Sharon Begley and I began in The Mind and The Brain, and work that Mario and I collaborated on in academic publications.

Of utmost importance is the fact that The Spiritual Brain clearly shows that non-materialist neuroscience is not simply a controversial view held by some neuroscientists. It is a coherent and theoretically very well-grounded perspective that can play a critical role in developing more effective treatments for many medical and psychological disorders. Further, it creates natural links between physical and spiritual health by stressing the need for the active participation of people in their own treatment planning and implementation.

The Spiritual Brain greatly contributes to the on-going paradigm shift that is revolutionizing our understanding of the relationship of the spirit, the mind, and the brain in the 21st Century.

Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD
Research Psychiatrist, UCLA
Author of Brain Lock and The Mind and The Brain

I love the way Dr. Schwartz focuses on the positive developments that Mario and I discuss. Many fine books trash materialism. But so what? Where do you go if you are not a materialist? We provide examples of non-materialist neuroscience in action, as he notes, and those examples may have key implications for treatment of currently intractable or difficult disorders.

Here are some articles and interviews with him:

Articles co-authored by Stephanie and Jeff:
"Brain Management . . . Law Firm Leadership on the Neuro Frontier" (article excerpt is found here)
"Lead Your Brain Instead of It Leading You" (article excerpt is found here)
"Law Students: Create A Well-rounded Life"

Interview of Jeff Schwartz about his work with Leonardo DiCaprio on the movie The Aviator
Interview of Jeff Schwartz about his book The Mind and the Brain
Jeffrey M. Schwartz — Wikipedia
NPR interview of Jeff Schwartz about The Mind and the Brain