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Reviews

Mark was truly the most spectacular speaker we've had in years. He's warm and unpretentious, and very very funny, especially when he's describing the neural circuits of the brain. He can take the most complex topics in science and turn them into an entertainer's delight. He also brings fabulous animated videos and unusual audio recordings, all of which kept the workshop exciting. Make sure you ask him to bring Mildred the Cauliflower--she really knows her stuff!

Pam Geagan Camarillo Church of Religious Science

Books

Speech Topics

Compassionate Communication: 5 Minutes to Intimacy

What if I were to tell you that there is a profoundly simple way to establish an intimate conversation with anyone, even a stranger, in less than 10 minutes? The research we have gathered at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that each person can achieve this goal with only a few minutes of training By incorporating simple techniques used in meditation and psychology people can have a deeply meaningful dialogue on virtually any topic, a conversation that is free from anger, anxiety, and defensiveness. When we enter such a dialogue, we listen better, communicate more clearly, and establish mutual compassion, even when we are talking to someone who holds profoundly different beliefs.

The Compassionate Communication workshop provides fun afternoon of experiential exercises that can be easily incorporated into personal or business relationships.

Born To Believe

Where do our beliefs come from, and why do we hold on to some of them even if there is evidence to the contrary? Why, for example, do we continue to be fascinated by God, religion, haunted houses, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and miracle cures, even when science can dispute many of these claims? We believe because our brains are designed to interpret and seek out such possibilities in the world.

In this presentation, Mark explores the nature of reality itself, showing how the brain creates its own original map of the world. These maps, however, are filled with inaccuracies that color our perceptions, emotions, and beliefs.

But beliefs can be easily manipulated by others, and Mark explains how good people can be persuaded to perform evil deeds. By identifying these pitfalls, we can learn to embrace beliefs that are constructive both to ourselves and to society.

Spirituality and the Brain

In this presentation, Mark presents an overview of his and Dr. Newberg's ongoing research on the biology of prayer, meditation, and consciousness. What happens in the brain of a Buddhist meditator as he or she contemplates pure awareness, and why is the neurological experience so similar to nuns who are intensely focusing on God? What happens when a Pentecostal practitioner begins to speak in tongues? Is this a form of delusion, or an exceptionally creative process? And what happens when an atheist contemplates God? Does the cognitive dissonance recorded in the frontal lobes explain why we all have difficulty accepting beliefs that differ from our own?

Different parts of the brain generate different forms of spiritual experience, and religious practitioners have learned how to consciously control neural circuits that, until recently, most neuroscientists believed were inaccessable to the voluntary control of our minds. Mark explains how prayer and meditation - be it religious or secular - enhances our physical and emotional health, even to the point of strengthening neuronal activity that usually deteriorates with age.