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Basic Reading in Neurotheology
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A collection of articles.
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Psychology
~ Deja Vu
~ Romantic Experience ~ Sexuality ~ Consciousness ~ Archetypes ~ Meditations ~ Evolution ~ Near-Death Experiences ~ God ~ Enlightenment ~Enhanced Visual Acuity ~ Sacred Lands
~ FREE SPIRITUAL APTITUDE TEST ~ (off-topic) WHAT CAUSED THE BIG BANG? (A Speculative hypothesis) ~
Ghostbusting
with Shakti ~ More
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Articles:
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About the God Helmet. This article discusses the Koren Helmet, often mistakenly called
the "God Helmet". Some 'straight dope' about a misunderstood technology
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The Origins of Spirituality in Human Evolution.
When Humans acquired language, we began to think about death in some very new ways. This created a new feeling
of being threatened whose source lay in our own thoughts. People responded to this new threat by finding a sense
of spirituality that allowed us to come to terms with our mortality. This article owes many of it's concepts to
the work of Dr. Michael Persinger.
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The Role of Mystics and mysticism in Human Evolution. Our populations consistantly produce a small percentage of people
who experience profound altered states, imposing behavior patterns that offered benefits to our social groups early
in our evolutionary history. This is a simplifed version of a paper that appeared in the Journal NeuroQuantology in 2010.
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Darwinian Reincarnation The idea of rebirth takes an important step towards science when it is integrated with Darwin's
Theory. Another version of this
same paper, complete with thick scientific jargon, has been published by a peer-reviewed scientific journal, The Journal for Near-death Studies, and that qualifies it as a scientific hypothesis for
many scientists. Rebirth is now within the domain of science, and it looks very different from the traditional
presentations. An earlier draft of this work even received critical approval from His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.
Nihongo
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Questions and Answers on Darwinian Reincarnation. Easier reading on this new hypothesis
in neurotheology.
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The Spiritual Personality.
Doing spiritual practice (or having a spiritual awakening), has an impact on the brain, the mind, and personality.
These changes happen are pretty easy to predict, and very similar processes have been found in people with a certain
type of epilepsy, which Hippocrates called "The sacred disease." The altered states of consciousness
experienced through spirituality create some interesting 'traits'.
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Deja Vu
The experience of deja vu is one of
the most common spiritual experiences known. That is, if you enjoy it. If you don't, its more a matter for the
right kind of doctor than a temple. Deja vu is a change in the perception of the present moment, and it can be
used to enhance some kinds of meditation practices, such as Zen. This one is for you if you do meditation, are
simply trying to live in the present, or if you are one of those who experiences deja vu often.
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The 'Sensed Presence.' This one is about that odd feeling that you are being
'watched' or that you're 'not alone'. This is the feeling that there is someone behind you, but when you turn to
look, there's nobody there. This chapter explains some of the basic theories. A lot of the other material won't
make sense without it. 'Read me second.'
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The Neurology of Romantic Love. In many ways,
romantic love looks similar to devotional religious feelings, and its disappointments look very much like 'The
Dark Night of the Soul'. Neuroscience for the hopeless romantic. Ever beat yourself up for getting hurt in love?
You won't hit as hard after you've read this. People who are interested in Tantra might choose to begin here.
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Sex and Consciousness Too much drive? Too little? Read this.
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Enlightenment This
essay takes a guess at what may have happened to the Buddha's brain the night of his enlightenment.
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Guided spiritual exercises from brain
science (more effective than you'd
think). Most people who respond to these techniques do so almost instantly. Some of the material covered in this
chapter has been accepted in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Some of it is too new for that.
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Glasses for Enhanced Visual Acuity. A first-hand account of how I developed a pair of
glasses that induces a stunning enhancement in vision. If you have ever had moments where you were seeing as though
your eyes had been polished from the inside, and wondered if it was possible to re-capture those moments, you should
read this.
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GOD The experience of God is one of the most powerful spiritual experiences a person can have. It has
deepened the faith of those who have had it, enriching their lives, and inspired people to kill in "His"
name. This article talks about how meeting God is one example of a much larger group of experiences called 'Visitor
Experiences'. Brain science has reached the point where it can understand these experiences, and although it doesn't
arrive at the conclusion that there really is a God, it does find a great value in prayer. This article isn't for
people who believe in God, nor is it for atheists who think "there's no God and that's that'. The truth isn't
that simple. The God effect may involve several effects. This article owes a debt to Michael Persinger's "Neuropsychological
Bases of God-Beliefs".
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Evolution of God An
article based on a lecture given in March 2005 at the Winchester "Art & Mind" festival. Easier reading.
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God And the Brain - A Video Lecture Hosted by Google Video
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Out Of Body Experiences A recent study by Dr. Olaf Blanke has implicated the Angular Gyrus,
(an area on the surface of the brain) in out of body experiences. This article replies to that study to the effect
that there are other areas in the brain that may be involved. If researchers take Dr. Blanke's interpretation of
his results at face value, they may miss other avenues of inquiry.
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Sacred Lands. A look at HARBIN HOT SPRINGS,
a spiritual resort and retreat center in Northern California, that's also in one of the most geologically active
places in the world. Geomagnetic changes interact with magnetic processes in the brain, producing 'power spots'
where it takes extra awareness just to get by, and where UFOs can occasionally be seen. A close look at this magical
place, long held to be sacred by Native Americans in the area, reveals some new facets of human consciousness in
its interaction with the earth.
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Inventing Shakti Non-technical
article about how Shakti was invented.
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Stimulating
My Brain As A Spiritual Path This article is a response to a lot of e-mail I've received
wanting to know about my own spiritual process. Well, I don't have one. Instead I have a story to tell about learning
about my own consciousness. I'm not following enlightenment, I'd just like to enjoy my life while its actually
happening, and to be able to be at one, not with the universe, but with my own species, one specimen at a time.
My spiritual search brought me to some incredible experiences, but right from the beginning of my awakening, I
felt the teachings I was being offered were nonsense. I wanted to look at spirituality again, from the ground up,
wich brought me into neurotheology. So, here's my story, more or less. When its finished, you'll find that I accept
many of the things that psychics, gurus, and religions teach, but in very different forms. I also accept the idea
of surrender to one's chosen path. For me that includes the rules of science as much as 'being here, now.'
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The Gay Brain A non-technical article on why some men are gay, and others aren't. We still need more evidence
before we can say how valid this hypothesis is, but its a start.
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Archetypes Another way of looking at the Jungian Theory of Archetypes that discusses how we
might be more likely to see the archetypes in others than in ourselves. Evolution may have provided us with some
hard-wiring that allows us to see them in others, giving us an almost instinctive feeling for how to relate with
different types of people. Re-written 5/2000 to remove the technical jargon.
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Terrorism "I would kill in God's name" What do people willing to be violent for God
have in common? And just how different is a terrorist madman from an ordinary religious believer?
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For Skeptics A short essay offering a distinction between skepticism towards beliefs and toward
experiences. Beliefs are easily 'debunked', but experiences call for explanations.
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Mind Control Looking at the possibilities for Mind Control first
means deciding what the mind is, and what control consists of. Mind Control seems a lot less possible when we stop
to look at what these words mean. Or, perhaps, we find that it's all around us all the time, and just isn't a threat
to anyone's freedoms. Meditation controls the mind, but is it mind control?
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More difficult articles (literary agents - keep
out)
Consciousness. Where does the phenomena of conscious awareness come
from? This hypothesis suggests that consciousness functions to mediate states of consciousness. Simple answer for
a vexing question. Not easy reading.
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Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) in Thailand. The
experience of dying is different in different cultures, and Thai NDEs provide one of the best examples of culture-specific
'altered state' experiences uncovered so far. The most common response to these Thai cases (11 in all) by non-specialists
is "These are REALLY weird". Unlike western NDEs, Thai NDEs do not usually begin with out of body experiences,
but rather with guides from the underworld. One case even includes a gigantic talking turtle.
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Thai Near-Death experiences in context. This article discusses how Thai NDEs make sense when
looked at in terms of their cultural and religious context. Illustrations include downloadable images of Heaven
and Hell from Southeast Asia. These graphics are kept larger than usual due to the extensive and fascinating detail.
We apologize to those with slow modems. An article accepted for publication by the Journal of Near-Death studies
was edited from this study. CLICK
HERE for the same article without
illustrations.
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Discussions with the Author
Would you like to have a discussion with the author of these articles?
A series of 'podcasts', emphasizing spirituality, is being prepared for this site based on interviews and question-and-answer
discussions on a wide range of themes. If you would like to have a (recorded) conversation on any of the subjects
on this site (or any other you think is appropriate) click HERE to fill out a request form.
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Other themes:
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Being Investigated by the FDA The FDA requires pre-marketing approval for all devices
promoted for medical use. I learned that medical use even includes research proposals. The investigation consisted
of a letter from them, and my reply to them. No action was taken.
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Persinger
replies to critics | Persinger Publications | Paranormal Studies | Granqvist attempt to replicate Persinger research has several serious flaws | The tectonic strain theory of paranormal and UFO events | 3-Day Geomagnetic forecasts |
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Dr. M.A Persinger On magnetism and the brain - YouTube Interview 1 |
Interview
2 | Interview 3
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Dr. Persinger on a range of topics on Google Video
(Daily routine, Psychotropic drugs, Koren helmet, A few philosophical comments, and more)
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Brain myths - Busted! (Msn article)
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