A groundbreaking work of science that confirms, for the first time, the
independent existence of the mind-and demonstrates the possibilities for
human control over the workings of the brain.
Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is
merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the
physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon
Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly
the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.Dr Schwartz, a leading
researcher in brain dysfunctions, and Wall Street Journal science
columnist Sharon Begley demonstrate that the human mind is an
independent entity that can shape and control the functioning of the
physical brain. Their work has its basis in our emerging understanding
of adult neuroplasticity-the brain's ability to be rewired not just in
childhood, but throughout life, a trait only recently established by
neuroscientists.
Through decades of work treating patients with obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), Schwartz made an extraordinary finding: while following
the therapy he developed, his patients were effecting significant and
lasting changes in their own neural pathways. It was a scientific first:
by actively focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and
toward more positive ones, Schwartz's patients were using their minds to
reshape their brains-and discovering a thrilling new dimension to the
concept of neuroplasticity.
The Mind and the Brain follows Schwartz as he investigates this newly
discovered power, which he calls self-directed neuroplasticity or, more
simply, mental force. It describes his work with noted physicist Henry
Stapp and connects the concept of 'mental force' with the ancient
practice of mindfulness in Buddhist tradition. And it points to
potential new applications that could transform the treatment of almost
every variety of neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke-and
could lead to new strategies to help us harness our mental powers. Yet
as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is
the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of
mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will,
and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice.
