Rating: 
Summary: My Mind and My Brain Loved This Book
Review: I've always been fascinated by the workings of the brain, so I knew I had to read this book after reading a brief excerpt in "The Wall Street Journal." The idea that mindful attention to the workings of the brain can cause physical changes in the brain is a radical departure from recent scientific thinking. For many years, it has been believed that the brain is "hard-wired," a process completed early in childhood, and the adult brain can not be rewired in any significant way. The work of Dr. Schwartz and his colleagues demonstrates that the brain can be retrained to overcome the effects of illness or injury, at any age.I am not a scientist, so I'll admit that some of the scientific explanations caused my brain to do some heavy lifting. And, there were parts of the chapter on the Silver Spring Monkeys I found too disturbing to read. That aside, this book excited me about the possibilities to retrain the brain. Dr. Schwartz's work has been primarily with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients, but the implications for other mental disorders, as well as victims of stroke and brain injury, are monumental. This book also got me excited about learning other subjects it touches on, such as quantum physics and Buddhism. (Really!) If you are ready to expand your thinking on this important subject, you will certainly want to read "The Mind and the Brain."
Rating:
Summary: Paradigm Shift
Review: Let me state briefly what I think about this book. If this book, with its gutsy thesis, gets a wide reading among cognitive scientist, neuroscientists, psychologist, and philosophers specializing in philosophy of mind, it will produce a real and far-reaching paradigm shift in discussions on the mind-brain connection. If it gets a wide reading among non-specialist layfolks, it will change many, many lives. One statement on page 95 gives the thesis succinctly: "Conscious, volitional decisions and changes in behavior alter the brain." Schwartz offers plenty of evidence for this claim from PET scans of individuals suffering from OCD. On page 93 he writes: "The results achieved with OCD supported the notion that the conscious and willful mind differs from the brain and cannot be explained solely and completely by matter, by the material substance, of the brain. For the first time hard science--for what could be 'harder' than the metabolic activity measured by PET scans?--had weighed in on the side of mind-matter theories that...question whether mind is nothing but matter." If these assertions intrigue you, you will enjoy the book. If you hold an opposing view you will also appreciate the substantial intellectual challenge this book offers your theory. I think probably one of the most important contributions this book makes is to affirm the common sense belief that we have some control over our lives and we can change for the better. The self-help gurus who urge reprogramming the mind/brain and behavior consistent with the reprogramming were right, at least in regard to the matter of self-control. If you'd like hard science (as well as passionate encouragement) that supports you in your efforts to control yourself, you will enjoy this book. If you make money giving self-help seminars, you need this book. If you want hope for changing for the better, you need this book.
Rating:
Summary: Paradigm Shift
Review: Let me state briefly what I think about this book. If this book, with its gutsy thesis, gets a wide reading among cognitive scientist, neuroscientists, psychologist, and philosophers specializing in philosophy of mind, it will produce a real and far-reaching paradigm shift in discussions on the mind-brain connection. If it gets a wide reading among non-specialist layfolks, it will change many, many lives. One statement on page 95 gives the thesis succinctly: "Conscious, volitional decisions and changes in behavior alter the brain." Schwartz offers plenty of evidence for this claim from PET scans of individuals suffering from OCD. On page 93 he writes: "The results achieved with OCD supported the notion that the conscious and willful mind differs from the brain and cannot be explained solely and completely by matter, by the material substance, of the brain. For the first time hard science--for what could be 'harder' than the metabolic activity measured by PET scans?--had weighed in on the side of mind-matter theories that...question whether mind is nothing but matter." If these assertions intrigue you, you will enjoy the book. If you hold an opposing view you will also appreciate the substantial intellectual challenge this book offers your theory. I think probably one of the most important contributions this book makes is to affirm the common sense belief that we have some control over our lives and we can change for the better. The self-help gurus who urge reprogramming the mind/brain and behavior consistent with the reprogramming were right, at least in regard to the matter of self-control. If you'd like hard science (as well as passionate encouragement) that supports you in your efforts to control yourself, you will enjoy this book. If you make money giving self-help seminars, you need this book. If you want hope for changing for the better, you need this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mind-bending
Review: Obsessive-Compulsive disorder and other mental problems, the history of philosophy as it touches upon the will and consciousness, dualism and materialism, Buddhist mindfulness, animal experiments, neurology, psychology, quantum physics, mysticism--this book has something to say about all these topics. No matter which of these topics are of interest to you, I think you'll find the linkages the author makes to the wider picture understandable and meaningful. He could have left out a lot of the details about experiments on monkeys, and not lost much. Some of what he says sounds like common sense, so much so that he quotes Schopenauer's dictum that the truth is first reviled, then disputed, and finally embraced as self-evident. The common-sense view that the adult brain can physically change in response to input and mental effort has been anathema in neuro-psychology, apparently. What is most interesting about this book, to me, is the bottom line--that quantum processes control the brain, and that quantum processes mean that physical reality is dependent on mind or consciousness . I think this accords more with universal mysticism than with a fundamentalist view of God creating the universe as external to Himself. In this quantum view, Consciousness not only creates matter but also inheres in it. Or at least that's where Dr. Schwartz's view leads me.
Rating: 
Summary: Dont be misled by the title
Review: Scholarly and valid, but doesnt really expand on its intriguing premise.
Much better is Gordon Rattray Taylor's Natural History of the Mind
Rating:
Summary: Nails in the coffin of determinism
Review: Schwarz outlines scientific evidence of "neuroplasticity", the ability of the neurons in the brain to form new connections. Neuroplasticity is the result of "Attentiveness", or Mental force, and in illustrating this concept, Schwarz clearly designates between the Mind and the Brain. The Mind can change the Brain. Schwarz ties neuroplasticity to quantum mechanics, and thus tries to create a Unified Theory of Consciousness. This is an excellent book to challenge determinists (like Rita Carter) who insist that there is zero free will and we are entirely the result of biochemistry. Schwarz uses examples of scientific and psychological experiments to prove his point--this is not just abstract philosophical argumentation like so many other "Brain-philosophers" getting published today. The author addresses the infamous Libet experiment that apparently proved epiphenomenalism (the idea that consciousness has no casual impact on the brain, and the neurons work first before the mind "decides"), and this is one of the most important aspects of the book, as Libet's experiment is trotted out repeatedly to prove determinism. However, Schwarz's free will is not idealized. His interpretation of the mind is more like a sleepy sailor on a mini-sailboat. The sailor is the mind, the boat is the brain, and the wind is nature. If the sailor isn't alert, the wind will guide the boat wherever the wind takes it. However, if the sailor is attentive, he can guide the boat however he wishes. Focus and attention are necessities--when we act rashly or go w/ our immediate reaction, we are just being guided by the wind. Schwarz is a Buddhist, but his conclusions can be applied to any philosophy or religion. His more "weird" conclusions are the result of confronting the "weird" realities of Quantum Mechanics and non-locality. If there are any weaknesses in the book, it's two: 1.) the middle section on the monkeys is unnecessary, repetitive, and disgusting. He proves his point w/ human research, no need to bring this depressing garbage up of tortured monkeys, you can skip these chapters, and 2.) He is a little too hard on Descartes, as much modern day philosophers are. Is not the division between Mind and Brain, between Quantum wave fluctuation and Newtonian particles, merely updated versions of Cartesian duality? The lines may be blurred between the Mind of Volition and the Matter of classical physics, but they remain distinct on some level, if not in form than in purpose. Schwarz's dualism is far more Cartesian than modern-day postermodernism or deterministic biochemistry. "Cogito Ergo Sum" is reinforced by "Mindfull Attentiveness", not undermined.
Rating:
Summary: Nails in the coffin of determinism
Review: Schwarz outlines scientific evidence of "neuroplasticity", the ability of the neurons in the brain to form new connections. Neuroplasticity is the result of "Attentiveness", or Mental force, and in illustrating this concept, Schwarz clearly designates between the Mind and the Brain. The Mind can change the Brain. Schwarz ties neuroplasticity to quantum mechanics, and thus tries to create a Unified Theory of Consciousness. This is an excellent book to challenge determinists (like Rita Carter) who insist that there is zero free will and we are entirely the result of biochemistry. Schwarz uses examples of scientific and psychological experiments to prove his point--this is not just abstract philosophical argumentation like so many other "Brain-philosophers" getting published today. The author addresses the infamous Libet experiment that apparently proved epiphenomenalism (the idea that consciousness has no casual impact on the brain, and the neurons work first before the mind "decides"), and this is one of the most important aspects of the book, as Libet's experiment is trotted out repeatedly to prove determinism. However, Schwarz's free will is not idealized. His interpretation of the mind is more like a sleepy sailor on a mini-sailboat. The sailor is the mind, the boat is the brain, and the wind is nature. If the sailor isn't alert, the wind will guide the boat wherever the wind takes it. However, if the sailor is attentive, he can guide the boat however he wishes. Focus and attention are necessities--when we act rashly or go w/ our immediate reaction, we are just being guided by the wind. Schwarz is a Buddhist, but his conclusions can be applied to any philosophy or religion. His more "weird" conclusions are the result of confronting the "weird" realities of Quantum Mechanics and non-locality. If there are any weaknesses in the book, it's two: 1.) the middle section on the monkeys is unnecessary, repetitive, and disgusting. He proves his point w/ human research, no need to bring this depressing garbage up of tortured monkeys, you can skip these chapters, and 2.) He is a little too hard on Descartes, as much modern day philosophers are. Is not the division between Mind and Brain, between Quantum wave fluctuation and Newtonian particles, merely updated versions of Cartesian duality? The lines may be blurred between the Mind of Volition and the Matter of classical physics, but they remain distinct on some level, if not in form than in purpose. Schwarz's dualism is far more Cartesian than modern-day postermodernism or deterministic biochemistry. "Cogito Ergo Sum" is reinforced by "Mindfull Attentiveness", not undermined.
Rating:
Summary: Startling Conclusions
Review: The conclusions drawn by this author fly in the face of hundreds of years of cognitive science. Yet more and more researchers are coming to the same conclusion -- that the brain's plasticity allows it to change to meet changed circumstances. Schwartz spends a considerable amount of text explaining OCD, but it is experience with OCD that supports his conclusions. A tough read in parts, but very startling information for the status quo.
Rating:
Summary: A scientific explanation for affirmations and prayer.
Review: There has been much written about the power of the mind to manifest, heal the body, etc. Jeffrey Schwartz explains why this power works. And in doing so he takes us into the realm of Quantum Physics leaving us to ponder "reality" itself. An excellent review of the latest mind/brain research. My only complaint is Schwartz did not leave us with a website for further mind/brain exploration.
Rating:
Summary: The Quantum Mind Matters !
Review: This book is on the leading edge of thought in the worlds of Consciousness and Neurology. In fact, the book's thesis is quite contrary to Classical Western Thought , which is descended from a Newtonian worldview dealing only with measurables;it is broadly termed "materialism" - and posits that there is no such thing as a "mind" , and the whole subjective world can be completely reduced to firing patterns of neurons in the brain. That is - "free will" is an illusion, and all behaviours are either conditioned responses OR are completely subordinate to the dictates of genes and other congenital limitations. Schwartz, a practitioner of Buddhist meditation and inventor of the 4-step behavioral/congnitive method of OCD treatment, resoundingly says "NO!". His experiences with mindfulness (a buddhist concept) applied to OCD reveal the stunning plasticity of the brain. Plasticity - being able, even in mature adults, to re-map and re-wire itself in response to experience and stimulus. This ability is harnessed in OCD treatment, to laboriously create alternate pathways in the brain, so that patients eventually overcome their "compulsive" behaviours. Plasticity of the brain finds many humane applications - one great example in the book is a cure for dyslexia in children. Schwartz makes the logical conclusion - with numerous examples of nerological studies, including the infamous Silver Spring Monkeys deafferentation experiments - that human will or volition , or "mind" acts upon the "matter" in the brain and causes radical reorganization to reflect the kinds of stimulus. He makes a strong case for the role of experience and stimulus in shaping our brains from gestation, infancy, childhood, and indeed, for the rest of our lives ! He then volunteers the help of quantum physics to come up with a hypothetical "mental force" that acts upon the neurotransmitters and calcium ions in the synapses of our brains, thus either enabling, or disabling certain actions and thoughts. He is proposing that the "explanatory gap" that yawns between the Mind and Matter be dissolved by a quantum physics explanation. Giving us a quick tour of quantum theory - Schroedinger's wave equation, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the collapse of the wave function ; and a quick tour of the human birth and tying these together with a lot of circumstantial evidence, Schwartz does a convincing job. A considerable debt is owed, in years of inhumane treatment, disfigurements and drastic surgical procedures, to the non-human primates who "volunteered" their lives for advances made in this field. To me, an outsider, it seems like every important step forward came at the expense of a monkey's skull being split open.
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