Restructuring the Brain (or the Renewing of the Mind)

In the book, The Anatomy of the Soul, Dr. Curt Thompson writes about the "surprising connections between neuroscience and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationship."  (http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Soul-Connections-Neuroscience-Relationships/dp/141433415X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349964671&sr=8-1&keywords=anatomy+of+the+soul)
The studies of the human brain are bearing out the value of prayer and the spiritual disciplines that God's people have practiced for centuries.

In this post I will quote a portion of this book, then in the next few weeks I plan to share simple practices that he suggests to help restructure the brain, which is necessary for genuine transformation in our lives. It's what the scripture calls the "renewing of the mind."

In Chapter 9 ("The Prefrontal Cortex and the Mind of Christ") Thompson says the following, which is the conclusion of his look at Psalm 86:11 "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.":

"Last, the psalmist reveals his understanding of the natural direction in which his petition leads: 'that I may fear your name.' In this context, the word fear does not refer to our brain stem's predominant reactivity to a threat, or our mindless fearful implicit memory. Instead, this refers to being overwhelmed with awe in the presence of God's power and beauty. This beauty is so deep that it would be painful were it not tempered by reliance 'on your faithfulness' to create eyes to see with 'an undivided heart.'

"The contemplative tradition suggests that to be so acutely aware of God's beauty in anything leads to awareness of God's beauty in everything, save that which is evil. Thus, we see God's beauty and presence in those people whom we consider to be our enemies, as well as in the brokenness and chaos of this world. And we are compelled to become agents of mercy and justice where they are so desperately needed. It is not difficult to see how a differentiated, undivided heart leads to differentiated, undivided communities.

"The creation of an undivided heart, an integrated prefrontal cortext, leads to justice, mercy and humility...Journeying on the high road...is not an exercise limited to what happens in our individual minds. It affects us as groups of people.

"The great myth of modernity as it applies to neuroscience is that we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We can attain ultimate mindful peacefulness and, by extension, cultural utopia without an Ultimate Other to save us from ourselves. The ongoing terrorism, global warming, mounting third world debt, along with our own proclivity for insatiable consumption, should quickly wake us from that daydream..."