Psychology: states of consciousness Books

Book SynopsisHow to Catch A Dream is the ultimate toolkit to become a lucid dreamer to create a happier and more fulfilling waking life.Theresa Cheung shows us that the way forward is to understand that consciousness/spiritual awareness is the fundamental ground of all experience.' DEEPAK CHOPRADream expert Theresa Cheung gives you everything you need to dream bigger and better in just three weeks.Week One: Dream Seeker Everybody dreams, but not everybody remembers them. Not only will week one help you to recall your dreams, it will also help boost your creativity and encourage healthier sleep hygiene for a dreamy night's sleep.Week Two: Dream Deeper Now your dream recall will be more consistent and you'll be aware of how linked your waking and dreaming lives are. Now it's time to dive deeper into your intuition and start trusting yourself more.Week Three: Dream Catcher By week three you will be sleeping better, dreaming bigger and feeling more connected to yourself. Equipped with this knowledge aTrade Review‘The best bit on the show [ITV’s This Morning] was dreams with Theresa. She is quite transcendent.’ DERMOT O’LEARY ‘Theresa offers fascinating and practical advice to aid people in personally exploring mind-bending concepts and applying them to their own lives.’ EBEN ALEXANDER, author of Proof of Heaven and Living in a Mindful Universe ‘Ms. Cheung's done it again – and better than ever! How to Catch a Dream is a brilliant yet completely accessible compendium of scientifically-based insights, time-tested meethods, and exploratory practical tips for those of us who know that our dreams contain essential keys to unlocking self-understanding, creativity, and success in life. Bravo to Cheung's unique ability to unite science with spirit – and bring it all home with a 3-week program that really works!’ Julia Mossbridge, MA, PhD. Executive Director, TILT: The Institute for Love and Time How to Catch a Dream took me on a fun-filled journey to more expansive thinking when awake as well as in my dreams. This book will blow your mind. Garret Yount, PhD. Molecular Neurobiologist, The Institute of Noetic Sciences

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Book SynopsisA great night's sleep starts long before your head hits the pillowWhen it comes to getting the sleep we need, we tend to focus on perfecting a bedtime routine in the hour before bed but, in doing so, we're missing the biggest factor that dictates our sleep quality: how we spend our days.In this groundbreaking and practical guide, sought-after sleep psychotherapist Heather Darwall-Smith explores how our always-on' lives are wreaking havoc when the time comes to rest. In doing so, she reshapes our understanding of sleep, and the struggles that surround it, to offer powerful insights for meaningful change.With practical exercises and expert guidance, you'll learn:What the stress of daily life is doing to your nervous systemSimple ways to reset, rest and recover during the day that will transform your sleepThe impact that environment, technology, nutrition, hormones and exercise have on you and your sleepHow to solve your sleep issues by looking at your whole lifeThis book will transform your relationship with sleep and help you create the conditions for a restful night, so you can wake up to a brighter, more energised tomorrow.

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Book SynopsisIan Wallace is a qualified psychologist who specialises in dreams and the dreaming process. He is a regular guest on the Steve Wright show, frequently appears in the press and on television and is the author of the bestselling Top 100 Dreams. For more information about Ian and his work visit ianwallacedreams.com or follow him on Twitter @ ianwallace.

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Book SynopsisSigmund Freud (1856-1939) was born in Moravia; between the ages of four and eighty-two his home was in Vienna: in 1938 Hitler's invasion of Austria forced him to seek asylum in London, where he died in the following year. His career began with several years of brilliant work on the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. He was almost thirty when, after a period of study under Charcot in Paris, his interests first turned to psychology, and another ten years of clinical work in Vienna (at first in collaboration with Breuer, an older colleague) saw the birth of his creation, psychoanalysis. Freud's life was uneventful, but his ideas have shaped not only many specialist disciplines, but the whole intellectual climate of the twentieth century.Anna Freud (1895-1982), the youngest daughter of Sigmund Freud, not only became a leading authority on child analysis, in both its theoretical and clinical aspects, but also a principle exponent of her father's work. During her lifetiTrade ReviewHe was possessed of exceptional literary gifts. There can be no question that he was a great writer: to read him is to be beguiled by him... his influence on all of us was enormous, and it would be as impossible to return to a pre-Freudian way of thinking as to return to a pre-heliocentric theory of the solar system * The Times *The great founder of psychoanalysis * The Times *

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Book SynopsisJohn Bargh''s Before You Know It moves our understanding of the mysteries of human behaviour one giant step forward. A brilliant and convincing book.' Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and David and GoliathHow much of what we say, feel and do is under our conscious control? How much is not? And most crucial of all: if we understood how our unconscious worked if we knew why we do what we do could we finally, fundamentally, know ourselves?From checking a dating app to holding a cup of coffee or choosing who to vote for, our unconscious secretly governs everything we feel, think and do. In Before You Know It, Dr John Bargh the world's leading expert on the unconscious mind reveals the psychological forces that are at work behind the scenes as we go about our daily lives, and offers simple steps to improve your sleep, boost your memory and live better.Trade ReviewJohn Bargh's Before You Know It moves our understanding of the mysteries of human behaviour one giant step forward. A brilliant and convincing book. -- Malcolm Gladwell, author of 'Blink' and 'David and Goliath'Lucid, vivid, and entertaining; psychology reconceived through compelling and powerful storytelling. -- Gavin Francis, author of 'Adventures in Human Being' and 'Empire Antartica'This fascinating journey through the inner workings of the human mind reveals how our conscious thoughts and unconscious motives intertwine to shape who we are. An entertaining and intelligent book that will change the way you see yourself and the world around you. -- Jonah Berger, author of 'Contagious' and 'Invisible Influence'[A] sprightly book ... Daniel Kahneman referenced [Bargh] in the popular Thinking Fast and Slow ... A world-leading psychologist ... A useful textbook for anyone with a strong interest in the field. * Sunday Times *This book is a “must read” not only because it is about a fascinating topic – the nature of the unconscious mind – but because it is an engaging and accessible book by the scientist who did the groundbreaking research. Everyone should read it. -- Timothy D. Wilson

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Book SynopsisBuilding on the crucial insight that jokes use many of the same mechanisms he had already discovered in dreams, Freud developed one of the richest and most comprehensive theories of humour that has ever been produced.Jokes, he argues, provide immense pleasure by allowing us to express many of our deepest sexual, aggressive and cynical thoughts and feelings which would otherwise remain repressed. In elaborating this central thesis, he brings together a dazzling set of puns, anecdotes, snappyone-liners, spoonerisms and beloved stories of Jewish beggars and marriage-brokers. Many remain highly amusing, while others throw a vivid light on the lost world of early twentieth-century Vienna.

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Book SynopsisSigmund Freud was born in 1856 and died in exile in London in 1939. As a writer and doctor he remains one of the great voices of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisThe Psychedelic Experience, created by the prophetic shaman-professors Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzer and Richard Alpert, is a foundational text that serves as a model and a guide for all subsequent mind-expanding inquiries. In this wholly unique book, the authors provide an interpretation of an ancient sacred manuscript, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, from a psychedelic perspective. The Psychedelic Experience describes their discoveries in broadening spiritual consciousness through a combination of Tibetan mediation techniques and psychotropic substances.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPollan is always an entertaining writer, and a deep thinker with a light touch ... it's a trip - engrossing, eye-opening, mind altering. -- Sophie McBain * New Statesman *This fascinating insight into our relationship with mind-altering plants weaves personal experimentation with cultural history ... Pollan is the perfect guide through this sometimes controversial territory; curious, careful and, as his book progresses, increasingly open minded. -- Tim Adams * The Guardian *Expert storytelling ... Pollan masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways. -- Rob Dunn * New York Times Book Review *Brilliant, compulsively readable ... Pollan's storytelling is deft, forthright and fascinating. -- Charles Foster * The Oldie *Like it or not, we are undergoing a drugs revolution ... thankfully Pollan is here to guide us through this putative challenge ... [this] relatable, middle class New York plant fancier might be the ideal standard bearer for today's calmer, more scientific approach to the subject. -- Josh Glancy * Sunday Times *Pollan's intertwining of reportage, citizen science and historical scholarship is a delightful and informative read ... [he] has a rational optimism that might tempt even the most sober and sceptical to try to broaden their horizons. -- AJ Lees * Literary Review *Pollan is a gentle, generous writer. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *Michael Pollan weaves tales of drug experimentation into a historical account of our long relationship with them. -- Simon Ings * New Scientist *This Is Your Mind on Plants is witty, entertaining and polite, but it is not trivial. Subtly but assuredly, Pollan argues that which plants (and fungi) we are allowed and how depends, consciously or otherwise, on the interests of power. -- Josh Raymond * Times Literary Supplement *The descriptions of London's coffee house culture and Honoré de Balzac's barbarous habit of ingesting dry coffee grounds to fuel all-night scribbling sessions are worth the book's price alone ... The book is really about the relation between each plant and the humans who consume it, tackled in a non-judgmental and objective way that seeks to dispel the ignorance, prejudice and demonisation they attract. * Financial Times *Fascinating and occasionally terrifying ... His opium chapter is mesmerising. -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *A tour around three substances: caffeine, mescaline and opium. The first is legal, the others remain mostly illegal. Pollan offers us rich historical contexts for them that are often surprising. -- Peter Carty * Independent *Every now and then to be put in touch with what really matters - what could be more important than that? -- Emily Hourican * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisPhillip H. Wiebe provides a critical study of contemporary visions of Jesus. Based on accounts by thirty people, Wiebe discusses each vision in vivid detail and discusses such issues as why these individuals believe their visions were of Jesus, what impact the experience has had on their lives, how the visions differ from dreams, and the possibility that the visions were actually hallucinations.Trade ReviewWiebe's book shows the importance of exploring contemporary religious experience. * Paul Badham, Church Times *

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Book SynopsisWhat, if anything do dreams tell us about ourselves? What is the relationship between types of sleep and types of dreams? Does dreaming serve any purpose? Or are dreams simply meaningless mental noise--''unmusical fingers wandering over the piano keys''?With expertise in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, Owen Flanagan is uniquely qualified to answer those questions. And in Dreaming Souls he provides both an accessible survey of the latest research on sleep and dreams and a compelling new theory about the nature and function of dreaming. Flanagan argues that while sleep has a clear biological function and adaptive value, dreams are merely side effects, ''free-riders'', irrelevant from an evolutionary point of view. But dreams are hardly unimportant. Indeed, Flanagan argues that dreams are self-expressive, the result of our need to find or create meaning, even when we are sleeping. Rejecting Freud''s theory of manifest and latent content--of repressed wishes appearing in disguiseTrade Review"Flanagan's Dreaming Souls is, quite simply, a masterpiece: learned, lively, and surpassingly smart. Owen's voice in this book is so honest, direct, lovable and funny, it kept reminding me of Frank McCourt. And yet it IS neurophilosophy. It is about the whys and wherefores of our dreaming brains."--Patricia S. Churchland, Presidential Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, author of Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain "Owen Flanagan does it again. He takes one of the most fascinating and elusive topics in mind/brain research, the 'why' of dreams, and ropes it into a coherent notion that one and all can understand. I won't spoil it for you and tell you his intriguing idea. But I will tell you, I think he is on to something big."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind and The Mind's Past "Are dreams just the noise that the brain makes during sleep? Flanagan makes us take this question seriously as he builds dream consciousness into his new brain-based philosophy of mind."--J. Allan, Director of Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Harvard Medical School and author of Sleep, The Dreaming Brain, and most recently Consciousness "How important to have a philosopher dedicate himself to the basic questions of human psychology. Owen Flanagan challenges and synthesizes contemporary theories of mind to arrive at a provocative understanding of the relationship of dream and dreamer."--Peter D. Kramer, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, author of Listening to Prozac and Should You Leave? "An informative review of current research on sleep and dreams and a new theory about the nature and function of dreaming, presented with clarity, wit, and finesse.... Science writing at its best."--Kirkus Reviews "Excellent book to start off a science-oriented philosophy of mind...course. The style and content are engaging, and Flanagan provides an excellent introduction to the philosophical issues surrounding mind/brain research."--Ilya Farber, George Washington University "[An] intriguing book....Flanagan has developed an original, plausible, and empirically grounded account of the activity of dreaming. He has demonstrated...successfully, that his account is superior to the depth psychological and somatic noise alternatives. And he has done so in the form of an engaging, accessible, and often amusing book."--The American Journal of Psychology "Flanagan's Dreaming Souls is, quite simply, a masterpiece: learned, lively, and surpassingly smart. Owen's voice in this book is so honest, direct, lovable and funny, it kept reminding me of Frank McCourt. And yet it IS neurophilosophy. It is about the whys and wherefores of our dreaming brains."--Patricia S. Churchland, Presidential Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, author of Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain "Owen Flanagan does it again. He takes one of the most fascinating and elusive topics in mind/brain research, the 'why' of dreams, and ropes it into a coherent notion that one and all can understand. I won't spoil it for you and tell you his intriguing idea. But I will tell you, I think he is on to something big."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind and The Mind's Past "Are dreams just the noise that the brain makes during sleep? Flanagan makes us take this question seriously as he builds dream consciousness into his new brain-based philosophy of mind."--J. Allan, Director of Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Harvard Medical School and author of Sleep, The Dreaming Brain, and most recently Consciousness "How important to have a philosopher dedicate himself to the basic questions of human psychology. Owen Flanagan challenges and synthesizes contemporary theories of mind to arrive at a provocative understanding of the relationship of dream and dreamer."--Peter D. Kramer, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, author of Listening to Prozac and Should You Leave? "An informative review of current research on sleep and dreams and a new theory about the nature and function of dreaming, presented with clarity, wit, and finesse.... Science writing at its best."--Kirkus Reviews "In his fascinating new book, Dreaming Souls, Flanagan submits that, while sleep is certainly an evolutionary adaptation, and consciousness probably is, too, consciousness during sleep is merely a by-product of the two."--Jim Holt, Lingua Franca "Flanagan's writing is conversational--gracious, humorous, and intelligent. He examines objections to theories without being demeaning or condescending...a thought-provoking and entertaining read."--Choice "In contrast to Jouvet, Hobson and Winson, the American philosopher Owen Flanagan thinks that both sleep and consciousness are products of evolution, but consciousness during sleep (dreaming) is merely an accident of nature, a side effect of the two. Both consciousness and sleep have a clear biological function, but dreams don't. During sleep, the brain stocks up neurotransmitters that will be used the next day. By accident, pulses that originate from this stockpiling chore (coming from the brain stem) also reactivate more or less random parts of memory. Unaware that the body is actually sleeping, the sensory circuits of the cerebral cortex process these signals as if they were coming from outside and produce a chaotic flow of sensations. Thus we dream. Dreams are just the noise the brain makes while working overnight. If Flanagan is correct, dreams are meaningless and pointless." -- Piero Scaruffi, Thymos.comTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue: "To Sleep: Perchance to Dream" 1: Heart Throbs 2: The Dreaming Mind 3: Sleepy Heads 4: Dreams: The Spandrels of Sleep 5: Self-Expression in Dreams 6: Philosophical Perplexities Epilogue: Here Comes the Sun Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Cognitive Unconscious provides an overview of fifty years of research into unconscious cognition. Its focus is on the role that unconscious processes play in perception, cognition, personality, and social processes. The book brings together some of the leading minds in the field to both summarize past research findings and highlight potential research avenues for the future.Trade ReviewThis substantial collection of chapters examining what has been called by many names-the unconscious, the non-conscious, implicit memory, or tacit memory-will serve a number of different audiences...the text reads well, and is representative of modern views on the issues from researchers who have spent long and fruitful time in the field. * J. F. Heberle, CHOICE *Research on implicit learning and memory has played a pivotal role in modern psychology and neuroscience. The Cognitive Unconscious provides a comprehensive and engaging overview of the impressive progress that has been made during the past half-century. With contributions from leading experts, this authoritative volume is must reading for anyone interested in the implicit influences that shape the human mind and behavior. * Daniel L. Schacter, author of The Seven Sins of Memory Updated Edition *One of the great discoveries about the structure of cognition is the extent to which implicit (unconscious) processes determine what we see and how we learn. This engaging and wide-ranging collection of ably edited chapters describes the origin of this idea and shows how unconscious cognitive processes have proven to be ubiquitous and fundamental to mental life. * Larry Squire, coauthor of Memory: From Mind to Molecules *This book is a tour de force, a definitive guide for still mysterious topic of the cognitive unconscious. Reber and Allen organized an excellent collection of authors and writings at the forefront of this vibrant but oft-neglected topic, reaching out into areas including general neuro-physiology and biology. Chapters are written in informative style, accessible also to general readers. An absolute must for anybody interested in implicit learning and the cognitive unconscious. * František Baluška, Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn, Germany *Implicit learning is an exacting field in which experimental designs must be explicitly clever. The Cognitive Unconscious is a remarkable collaboration of renowned experts and a tour de force contribution to this field. Its insights transcend psychology, encompassing all disciplines that investigate cognitive awareness, the subconscious mind, and their adaptive role in evolution, extending from the primordial conscious cell forward. I highly recommend this absorbing, benchmark book. * William B. Miller, Jr., coauthor of Cellular-Molecular Mechanisms in Epigenetic Evolutionary Biology and The Singularity of Nature *This volume provides comprehensive coverage of a remarkable array of topics related to the cognitive unconscious. It is rare, in our increasingly fragmented academic environment, to integrate such a diverse range of approaches through a cohesive organizing theme. The personal notes throughout the volume offer an engaging first-hand perspective on the development and flowering of research on implicit learning and the cognitive unconscious. * Jenny Saffran, Rubenstein Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison *This book is bursting with insights into what lies below the surface of our conscious minds. We may not be privy to the cognitive unconscious directly, but this fascinating underworld (what Kahneman called System 1) actually dictates much of what we do and who we are. * Ken Paller, Professor and James Padilla Chair in Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University *

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Book SynopsisThe cooperative action of different regions of our brains gives us an amazing capacity to perform activities as diverse as playing the piano and hitting a tennis ball. Somehow, without conscious effort, our eyes find the information we need to operate successfully in the world around us. The development of head-mounted eye trackers over recent years has made it possible to record where we look during different active tasks, and so work out what information our eyes supply to the brain systems that control our limbs. We are now in a position to explore the strategies that the eye movement system uses in the initiation and guidance of action.Looking and Acting examines a wide range of visually guided behaviour, from sedentary tasks like reading and drawing, to dynamic activities such as driving and playing cricket. A central theme is that the eye movement system has its own knowledge about where to find the most appropriate information for guiding action - information not usually availabTable of ContentsPRELIMINARIES ; 1. Introduction ; 2. The human eye movement repertoire ; 3. How our eyes question the world ; OBSERVATIONS ; 4. Sedentary tasks ; 5. Domestic tasks ; 6. Locomotion on foot ; 7. Driving ; 8. Ball games: when to look where? ; 9. Social roles of eye movements ; COMMENTARIES ; 10. Representations of the visual world ; 11. Neuroscience of gaze and action ; 12. Attention, memory and learning

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Book SynopsisThe central problem in the study of addiction is to explain why people repeatedly behave in ways they know are bad for them. For much of the previous century and until the present day, the majority of scientific and medical attempts to solve this problem were couched in terms of involuntary behavior; if people behave in ways they do not want, then this must be because the behavior is beyond their control and outside the realm of choice. An opposing tradition, which finds current support among scientists and scholars as well as members of the general public, is that so-called addictive behavior reflects an ordinary choice just like any other and that the concept of addiction is a myth. The editors and authors of this book tend to take neither view. There has been an increasing recognition in recent literature on addiction that restricting possible conceptions of it to either of these extreme positions is unhelpful and is retarding progress on understanding the nature of addiction and whTrade ReviewPsychologists, philosophers, behavioral scientists, neuroscientists, curious clinicians, and researchers with a wide array of interests would find something here to challenge them. This volume provides a thoughtful, comprehensive, and rewarding analysis of the dilemma of addiction where individuals seem enslaved and yet can break the bonds of this slavery. * Carlo DiClemente, PsyCRITIQUES *Table of ContentsSECTION I: INTRODUCTION; SECTION II: PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS; SECTION III: PERSPECTIVES FROM NEUROSCIENCE; SECTION IV: PERSPECTIVES FROM BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS AND COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY; SECTION V: IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATMENT, PREVENTION, AND PUBLIC HEALTH; SECTION VI IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ADDICTION AND FOR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR; SECTION VII CONCLUSIONS

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Book SynopsisWhat is it for you to be conscious? There is no agreement whatever in philosophy or science: it has remained a hard problem, a mystery. Is this partly or mainly owed to the existing theories not even having the same subject, not answering the same question? In Actual Consciousness, Ted Honderich sets out to supersede dualisms, objective physicalisms, abstract functionalism, externalisms, and other positions in the debate. He argues that the theory of Actualism, right or wrong, is unprecedented, in nine ways. (1) It begins from gathered data and proceeds to an adequate initial clarification of consciousness in the primary ordinary sense. This consciousness is summed up as something''s being actual. (2) Like basic science, Actualism proceeds from this metaphorical or figurative beginning to what is wholly literal and explicit--constructed answers to the questions of what is actual and what it is for it to be actual. (3) In so doing, the theory respects the differences of consciousness wiTrade ReviewI admire Honderich's insightful self-reflective re-examination of the facts of consciousness as he perceives them . . . That Honderich's discussion of actual consciousness opens so many avenues for philosophical exploration is the measure of its success and likely long-lasting contribution to the study and understanding of consciousness. The book is highly recommended for its topic, approach and new perspectives on the challenging problem of adequately understanding consciousness in a scientific philosophy of mind. For those with minimal objection to countenancing as many actualities as there are perceiving minds, then the subjective actuality of consciousness may have found an ideal situation in Honderich's theory of actual consciousness. * Dale Jacquette, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *Honderich's thought in Actual Consciousness is as always entirely accessible . . . For its genre this is an unusual book, not least, though engagingly, for the virtually "actual" presence of its author on every page. Honderich's checklists and their interrelations should provide themes for many seminars to come. * Alastair Hannay, Philosophy *This audacious venture should certainly be praised . . . good philosophy presses readers to think for themselves, and Actual Consciousness gives us much food for thought. * Roberta Locatelli, Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1: Need for an Adequate Initial Clarification 2: Five Leading Ideas About Consciousness 3: Something's Being Actual 4: Dualisms, Functionalisms, Consciousness-Criteria 5: Other Consciousness Theories, Criteria Again 6: What It Is To Be Objectively Physical 7: Perceptual Consciousness--What Is and Isn't Actual 8: Perceptual Consciousness--Being Actual Is Being Subjectively Physical 9: Cognitive and Affective Consciousness--Theories, and What Is And Isn't Actual 10: Cognitive and Affective Consciousness--Being Actual is Being Differently Subjectively Physical 11: Conclusions Past and Present Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWe feel therefore we are. Conscious sensations ground our sense of self. They are essential to our idea of ourselves as psychic beings: present, existent, and mattering. But is it only humans who feel this way? Do other animals? Will future machines? To answer these questions we need a scientific understanding of consciousness: what it is and why it has evolved. Nicholas Humphrey has been researching these issues for fifty years. In this extraordinary book, weaving together intellectual adventure, cutting-edge science, and his own breakthrough experiences, he tells the story of his quest to uncover the evolutionary history of consciousness: from his discovery of blindsight after brain damage in monkeys, to hanging out with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, to becoming a leading philosopher of mind. Out of this, he has come up with an explanation of conscious feeling - ''phenomenal consciousness'' - that he presents here in full for the first time. Building on this theory of how phenomenal cTrade ReviewSentience is full of provocative ideas, as well as lively anecdotes from decades of pondering these issues. Humphreys thesis offers a great deal to think about. * Philip Ball, New Scientist *4* Review: "bold, brilliant, honest" * Charles Foster, Fortean Times *Humphrey's arguments are both plausible and lucid, the product of exhaustive research and decades spent weighing the possibilities...a stimulating exercise in experiment and speculation. * , Kirkus Reviews *an intriguing journey...that stimulates questioning * Jonathan Cowie, Concatenation *A compelling treatise on the evolution of consciousness from one our finest psychologists. Humphrey combines a fascinating, often surprising, and occasionally hilarious scientific autobiography with a raft of well justified ideas about what it takes for an organism to be sentient. His excellent book will challenge you to think about nature's deepest and most personal mystery in a new and thoroughly enlightening way. * Anil Seth, author of Being You *It takes a special kind of person to write illuminatingly about consciousness -- a person who is not only steeped in cognitive science, biology, and philosophy, but also has a fertile imagination, an openness to new ideas, and a sensitivity to the richness and variety of experience in humans and other animals. Nicholas Humphrey is such a person, and in his new book he cements his claim to be one of the most insightful writers on this notoriously difficult topic. Sentience is a beautifully written book, full of engaging vignettes, original ideas, and intriguing suggestions. It will fascinate general readers and inspire academic researchers. * Keith Frankish, author of Mind and Supermind *Nobody has thought more deeply, originally or poetically about animal sentience and the notion of consciousness. In this bold and persuasive book he lays out how he came to his conclusions in a lifetime of studying animals and human minds. * Matt Ridley *Nick Humphrey has been a hugely influential figure across the fields of experimental psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy for half a century, and, for my money, is the most inventive psychological thinker of his generation. Taking a long view of his entire scientific career and peppered with brilliant anecdotes, Sentience crystallizes Humphreys latest thinking on the evolution of consciousness. There are many dazzling insights on offer but, for me, the most eye-catching development is the formulation of a framework for determining which other animal species are sentient or even in possession of a sense of self. How staggeringly bold! Imagine what a shock wave such a test would generate, scientifically and philosophically, of course, but also out into the political sphere. * Paul Broks, author of Into the Silent Land: Travels in Neuropsychology and The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars: A Neuropsychologists Odyssey Through Consciousness *Wonderfully approachable... with a writing style somewhere between a deep conversation and a thought process... Reading this book was a real pleasure. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science (UK) *This book serves as an illuminating starting point for those intrigued by the question of whether machines can attain sentience. * Jurgita LapienytÄ, Cybernews *Nicholas Humphrey's beautiful theory of mind... [how] consciousness evolved to make us feel that life is worth living. * Nick Romeo, The New Yorker *bold, brilliant, honest... [Humphreys'] directness and philosophical sophistication are unusual in the crowded and noisy neuroscientific marketplace... [An] important contribution to the debate. All future writers on consciousness will need to take Humphrey's speculations seriously. It is no less significant because it's written breezily and accessibly. I know of no better survey of the big questions in discussions about consciousness. * Charles Foster, Fortean Times *The kind of book to keep and read more than once. * Riadh Abed and Paul St John-Smith, British Journal of Psychiatry *Table of ContentsPrologue 1: Sentience and Consciousness 2: Foothills 3: Phosphenes: The Touch of Light 4: Blythe Spirits 5: What the Frog's Eye Tells the Monkey's Brain 6: Blindsight 7: Sight Unseen 8: Red Sky at Night 9: Nature's Psychologists 10: On the Track of Sensations 11: Evolving Sentience 12: The Road Taken 13: The Phenomenal Self 14: Theoretical Misprisions 15: Coming to Be 16: Devising a Test 17: Panpsychism 18: Sentience All the Way Down? 19: Mapping the Landscape 20: Getting Warmer 21: Testing, Testing 22: Qualiaphilia 23: The Self in Action 24: Taking Stock 25: Machina ex Deo 26: Closer to the Truth Acknowledgements References and Notes

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Book SynopsisAims to bring phenomenology and analytic philosophy together, by demonstrating how work in phenomenology may help in analytic research, and how analytical philosophy of mind may shed light on phenomenological concerns. This book includes essays on topics as consciousness, intentionality, perception, action, self-knowledge, and temporal awareness.Trade ReviewPhenomenology and Philosophy of Mind shows how to use phenomenology in a fruitful way * Mind & Machine *...informative about the several, important respects in which phenomology meets the analytic tradition...a welcome addition to the expanding literature on the subject. * Dimitris Platchias, Journal of Consciousness Studies 13/03 *Table of ContentsI. THE PLACE OF PHENOMENOLOGY IN PHILOSOPHY OF MIND ; II: SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE ; III. INTENTIONALITY ; IV. UNITIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ; V. PERCEPTION, SENSATION, AND ACTION

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Book SynopsisLSD has a controversial and extraordinary reputation, due to the special effects it can induce on human consciousness. Its experimental use lead to some groundbreaking discoveries about the brain and the deeper layers of the human psyche. After its application in neuroscience, and as a tool within psychotherapy, it was increasingly used by laymen for producing euphoria and religious experiences. Today, there is a resurgence of interest in LSD, including its possible uses in psychotherapy and for the treatment of some headache disorders. This book represents the first ever comprehensive review of the psychological and pharmacological effects of LSD. It draws on data from more than 3000 experimental and clinical studies.The Pharmacology of LSD provides a unique and valuable resource for anyone interested in better understanding this controversial hallucinogenic drug - including brain scientists, psychopharmacologists, addiction researchers, and psychiatrists.Trade ReviewAnnelie Hintzen andTorsten Passies welcome book, The Pharmacology of LSD:A Critical Reader provides an overview of human, animal and molecular experiments involving LSD. This is no small achievement. . . It should sit on the bookshelf of anyone interested in psychedelic pharamacology. * Matthew J. Baggott, Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, University of Chicago, USA; Drug & Alcohol Review, 32 (Sept. 2013) *This book represents the first ever comprehensive review of the psychological and pharmacological effects of LSD...[it] provides a unique and valuable resource for anyone interested in better understanding this controversial hallucinogenic drug - including brain scientists, psychopharmacologists, addiction researchers, and psychiatrists * gaiamedia.org *...the first book of its kind. It brings together a vast amount of information into one accessible location. Drawing upon a vast number of animal and human studies, it provides a thorough review of what is currently known about LSD's action on specific receptor sites. * Doody's Notes *Table of Contents1. Foreword by Leslie Iversen ; 2. Pharmacological and toxicological effects ; 3. Interactions of LSD ; 4. Psychological Effects ; 5. Neuropsychological effects ; 6. Effects of LSD on psychiatric patients ; 7. Long-term and untoward effects of LSD use

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Book SynopsisIf you suffer from chronic pain, whether as a result of an injury, illness, or accident, you know it can interfere with every aspect of your life. You may also know the medical treatments currently available are limited and, for many, ineffective. Current research has shown hypnosis to be an effective treatment for managing chronic pain, and almost all patients who learn self-hypnosis skills benefit from this approach. The hypnosis treatment found in this workbook has been scientifically tested and proven effective for reducing the intensity of chronic pain, including migraines, back pain, and tension headaches, among others. This workbook explains how to use these techniques to manage your chronic pain and take back control of your life and your health. Used in combination with the program described in the corresponding therapist guide, this workbook teaches you self-hypnosis skills for lessening your pain, enhancing your sleep, and improving your mood. The first chapters will help yoTrade ReviewReaders will come away with an overview of how to approach using hypnosis with those experiencing chronic pain and a good sense of both the issues involved in working with chronic pain and in using hypnosis. The workbook is likely to be useful for patients wishing to consider whether hypnosis may be useful for them as well as those who are actually engaged with the approach. * Dr Angela Busuttil, The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy *This is a very important book, because of the great need for chronic pain treatment and because hypnosis is a very successful approach to this. It has a clear structure, is scientifically sound and up-to-date, and explains how hypnosis can work particularly well when combined with other treatment methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy. * Hypnose *Table of ContentsPart I Understanding Pain ; Chapter 1 The Biological Basis of Pain ; Chapter 2 How Thoughts and Coping Responses Influence Pain ; Part II Understanding Hypnosis ; Chapter 3 What is Hypnosis? ; Chapter 4 What Hypnosis can do for Pain ; Part III Using Self-Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management ; Chapter 5 Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management: The Basics ; Chapter 6 Practicing Self-Hypnosis: Entering the Hypnotic "State" ; Chapter 7 Using Self-Hypnosis for Pain and Fatigue Management ; Chapter 8 Using Self-Hypnosis for Thought and Mood Management ; Chapter 9 Using Self-Hypnosis for Activity and Sleep Management ; Chapter 10 Summary and Conclusions

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Book SynopsisIn January of 1999, an otherwise nonviolent man under great stress at work brutally murdered his wife in their backyard. He then went back to bed, awakening only when police entered his home. He claimed to have no memory of the event because, while his body was awake at the time, his mind was not. He had been sleepwalking.In The Twenty-four Hour Mind, sleep scientist Rosalind Cartwright brings together decades of research into the bizarre sleep disorders known as parasomnias to propose a new theory of how the human mind works consistently throughout waking and sleeping hours. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated EEG and brain imaging technologies, we now know that our minds do not simply turn off during sleep. Rather, they continue to be active, and research has indicated that one of the primary purposes of sleep is to aid in regulating emotions and processing experiences that occur during preceding waking hours. As such, when sleep is neurologically or genetically impaired or just tooTrade Review"Professor Rosalind Cartwright is a true pioneer of sleep research. She was there in the field's formative years and her particular interest in the function and meaning of dreams is reflected in a record of high-quality scientific publications spanning more than four decades. In The Twenty-four Hour Mind, Cartwright describes both her research as well as that of many other sleep scientists in an exciting, eminently readable and thought provoking narrative. She examines numerous important and intriguing topics, including insomnia, depression, sleep walking, forensic sleep medicine and the role of dreams in human consciousness. In her Introduction, Cartwright writes, 'Come Along. I promise it will be an interesting ride.' The Twenty-four Hour Mind is a promise well kept!"--Michael V. Vitiello, University of Washington, Seattle, and Past President, Sleep Research Society "An engaging account of the history of sleep research. [Cartwright] skillfully weaves in her 50 years' worth of work in the field, delving into her own theories about the purpose of dreams and highlighting the importance of sleep to maintain our physical and mental well-being."--Scientific American Mind "This is an easy-to-read, interesting, and informative book about the neurophysiology, purposes, and meanings of sleep and dreaming...Often surprising, and richly informative." --JAMA "Rosalind Cartwright, a well-respected sleep researcher and therapist, presents a strong argument for viewing sleep and its resulting dreams in a new light that is reflected in the title of her book, The Twenty-Four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives... The combination of sleep research and clinical analysis that Cartwright brings to The Twenty-Four Hour Mind should be of interest to a broad audience. It is well written and should be generally appreciated because most of us have a self-interest in a better understanding of the mysteries of sleep." --PsycCRITIQUES "A respected pioneer in the field, Professor Cartwright is the leading authority on the role of sleep and dreaming in our emotional lives. Her unique and personal experience as a researcher, clinician, teacher, and sleep expert in court cases involving murder and other acts of non-lethal aggression makes this book a captivating read...I highly recommend it as the go-to source for reviewing important dream and sleep studies, fascinating clinical cases, and what we have learned about the sleeping mind-body connection along the way." --Doody's "This very absorbing and beautifully written book describes cogently some of the psychophysical aspects of sleep and how our present understanding of them has been reached, and in doing so underscores just how much remains outside our comprehension. It also reviews the illustrious career of one of the pioneers in sleep research, compelling in its own right. Readers interested in either will not be disappointed. " --Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine "The work is focused and concise, emphasizing the author's own contributions and career experiences to a greater degree than the large corpus of research pertinent to the question of sleep/dream function. It is therefore an excellent primer for the sleep neophyte, an informed guidebook for the practicing clinician, and a solid review of Cartwright's theoretical position on the function of sleep and dreaming. Readers should be better able to appreciate the '24-hr mind' theory as an increasingly valid perspective in the ever-growing field of nocturnal neuroscience." -- SLEEP "Cartwright offers an absorbing history of sleep research, at once revealing how far we've come in understanding this vital third of our lives and how much still remains outside our grasp." -- Maria Popova, Brain PickingsTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Role of the Night Mind in our Emotional Economy ; Chapter 1. In the Beginning: The Early Days of Sleep Research ; Chapter 2. Collecting Dreams: Watching the Sleeping Mind ; Chapter 3. Short Sleep and Its Consequences: Insomnia ; Chapter 4. Sleep and Dreams in Depression ; Chapter 5. Sleepwalking into Danger: Murders without Motives ; Chapter 6. More NREM Parasomnias: Those Who Injure Themselves, Seek Food or Sex, Explore, and Protect ; Chapter 7. Sleepwalking and State of Mind in the Courtroom ; Chapter 8. Warnings from the Land of Nod: Nightmares and REM Behaviour Disorder ; Chapter 9. Dreaming and the Unconscious ; Chapter10. The Role of Dreams in the Twenty-four Hour Mind: Regulating Emotion and Updating the Self

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Book SynopsisThe idea of a disjunctive theory of visual experiences first found expression in J.M. Hinton''s pioneering 1973 book Experiences. In the first monograph in this exciting area since then, William Fish develops a comprehensive disjunctive theory, incorporating detailed accounts of the three core kinds of visual experience--perception, hallucination, and illusion--and an explanation of how perception and hallucination could be indiscriminable from one another without having anything in common. In the veridical case, Fish contends that the perception of a particular state of affairs involves the subject''s being acquainted with that state of affairs, and that it is the subject''s standing in this acquaintance relation that makes the experience possess a phenomenal character. Fish argues that when we hallucinate, we are having an experience that, while lacking phenomenal character, is mistakenly supposed by the subject to possess it. Fish then shows how this approach to visual experience isTrade ReviewIn Perception, Hallucination, and Illusion, Fish does an admirable job of summarizing the current state of the debate about Naive Realism, as well as advancing the dialectic beyond that state. Most importantly, he identifies a promising yet hitherto overlooked motivation for Naive Realism, one which should bring even Naive Realism's most trenchant critics to admit that the view is worth taking seriously. ... In short, anyone on either side of the debate over Naive Realism, and those wanting to learn what all the fuss is about, would do well to study Fish's book closely. * Philosophical Books *Perception, Hallucination, and Illusion is a substantial contribution. Fish communicates a clear sense of the philosophical landscape that naive realists confront, and defends a stimulating proposal about how naive realists should deal with key parts of this landscape.... the book as a whole is a clear presentation of an intriguing and comprehensive naive-realist view, a work that harpens our understanding of the debate to which this theory contributes. * Matthew Kennedy, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Fish's core thesis is that the phenomenal character of any visual experience- in so far as it has one-consists in being acquainted with mind-independent facts. Fish's central contentions are clearly and carefully presented, their motivations and challenges even-handedly laid out, and interesting responses to the latter are offered. His view is illuminatingly placed in relation to recent discussions in the philosophy of perceptionEL Fish's book is recommended to anyone interested in disjunctivism for providing, in a reader-friendly format, both an introduction to the state of the art in the disjunctivist approach, and a stimulating version of it. * Anders Nes, Mind *Table of Contents1 Naive Realism: The Theory and its Motivations ; 2 Naive Realism: Past and Future ; 3 Perception ; 4 Hallucination ; 5 Consciousness and the Brain ; 6 Illusion ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisIntends to demonstrate that hynotism is an essential aspect of our most significant relationships, an inherent dimension of love, religion, medicine, politics, and literature, a fundamental dynamic between lover and beloved, deity and votary, physician and patient, ruler and subject, and, indeed, reader and listener.Trade Review"Whether or not you fall into a trance while reading this book, the intellectual delight that comes from allowing yourself to surrender to it is reward enough. As in all of his work, Siegel challenges us to examine the infinite aspects of subjective reality more deeply than we could alone. He does so with wit, scholarship, passionate engagement, and, most of all, humor." -Sheri Holman, author of Witches on the Road TonightTable of ContentsIN[TRO]DUCTION: Reading, Listening, and Hypnosis MAYAVATI'S SPELL: India, Stories, and Hypnosis Part One: For the Reader The Child's Story The Hypnographer's Story Part Two: For the Listener The Storyteller's Tale The Magician's Tale LE SOMMEIL LUCIDE: Religion, Sex, and Hypnosis Part One: For the Reader The Abbe's Story The Sculptor's Story The Psychiatrist's Story The Screenwriter's Story Part Two: For the Listener The Translator's Tale The Writer's Tale The Reader's Tale The Listener's Tale AN-ESTHETICS: Politics, Medicine, and Hypnosis Part One: For the Reader The Surgeon's Story The Anesthesiologist's Story Part Two: For the Listener The Patient's Tale The Mesmerist's Tale BIBLIOGRAPHY: History, Fiction, and Hypnosis

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Book SynopsisFor half a century, Sleep and Wakefulness has been a valuable reference work. It discusses phases of the sleep cycle, experimental work on sleep and wakefulness, sleep disorders and their treatment, and such sleep-like states as hypnosis and hibernation.

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Book SynopsisTracing the history of mesmerism, this text explores the contested territory between science and pseudoscience and society and science. Examining who was entranced, who did the entrancing, why it was so compelling and how it became equally powerful evidence of fraud and unscientific behaviour.

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Book SynopsisWhen Roger can't fall asleep, Mummy Rabbit takes him to see Uncle Yawn, who knows just what to do. In this volume, children can join Roger on his journey and be lulled to sleep alongside their new friend.Trade ReviewTired parents of planet earth - this is what you've been waiting for... If you don't already have a copy, you need to order one quick sharp. * Metro *The most peaceful bedtime we have had in months. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe groundbreaking No. 1 bestseller is sure to turn nightly bedtime battles into a loving and special end-of-day ritual. This child-tested, parent-approved story uses an innovative technique that brings a calm end to any child''s day.Do you struggle with getting your child to fall asleep?Join parents all over the world who have embraced The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep as their new nightly routine.When Roger can''t fall asleep, Mummy Rabbit takes him to see Uncle Yawn, who knows just what to do. Children will join Roger on his journey and be lulled to sleep alongside their new friend.Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin''s simple story uses a unique and distinct language pattern that will help your child relax and fall asleep-at bedtime or naptime.This soothing audiobook edition contains a choice of male or female narrator.Reclaim bedtime today!Praise for The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep:Tired parents ofTrade ReviewTired parents of planet earth - this is what you've been waiting for... If you don't already have a copy, you need to order one quick sharp. * Metro *The most peaceful bedtime we have had in months. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisAdd variety to your child''s bedtime routine with the latest book from the author of The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, the global bestseller that parents have been raving about! Features all-new child-tested, parent-approved techniques to reclaim bedtime and provide a sweet and tender end to each day.Your child joins Ellen the Elephant on a journey through a magical forest that leads to sleep. Along the way, children meet different fantastical characters and have calming experiences that will help your child to relax and slip into slumber quickly. The story works perfectly for either naptime or bedtime.Children will love switching between stories about both Roger the Rabbit (The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep) and Ellen the Elephant (The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep), and parents will appreciate the diverse ways each character will help their loved ones fall asleep quickly and easily. Includes never-before-seen mate

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Book SynopsisAdd variety to your child''s bedtime routine with the latest book from the author of The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, the global bestseller that parents have been raving about! Features all-new child-tested, parent-approved techniques to reclaim bedtime and provide a sweet and tender end to each day.Your child joins Ellen the Elephant on a journey through a magical forest that leads to sleep. Along the way, children meet different fantastical characters and have calming experiences that will help your child to relax and slip into slumber quickly. The story works perfectly for either naptime or bedtime.Children will love switching between stories about both Roger the Rabbit (The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep) and Ellen the Elephant (The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep), and parents will appreciate the diverse ways each character will help their loved ones fall asleep quickly and easily. This soothing audiobook edition

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Book SynopsisIdeal for small hands, this board book edition of Max at Night is the perfect bedtime read.Meet Max - the mighty kitten and New York Times bestseller! Witty and heart-warming, stylish and beautifully illustrated, Max the Brave is now ready for a nighttime adventure.This is Max. Max is very sleepy. It''s way past Max''s bedtime. Max has drunk his milk. Max has brushed his teeth. Max has cleaned behind his ears. Now Max just needs to say goodnight. . .Max is tired and all ready for bed, but when he can''t find the moon to say goodnight to, he sets out to find it. But that''s not as easy as Max had hoped...

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Book SynopsisMake aromatherapy an indispensable part of your everyday self-care routine with this comprehensive holistic healing guide. If you''re in search of a more natural approach to health and wellbeing, expert Louise Robinson has created over 40 bespoke remedies, blends, and rituals to transform your body and mind - the perfect antidote to the stresses of everyday life.Science now supports what practitioners have long known: that oils derived from plants have powerful therapeutic properties, working holistically on mind, body, and spirit. From massage oils to boost immunity, to room diffusers to help you sleep - this book is your complete guide to essential oils and their healing properties. Harness the power of essential oils and discover:- What aromatherapy is and the benefits of the practice- How essential oils work - What ingredients and equipment you will need to get started- How to use essential oils safely with guidance to boTrade ReviewThis little book of self-care shares the perfect blend of essential oils to care for and heal yourself, combined with massage routines, yoga, meditation, and breathwork * Happiful *

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Book SynopsisEnjoy hypnobirthing techniques at every stage of your pregnancy, creating a safe space for you and your baby to return to time and again. Find out how to use deep relaxation, meditation, visualization, and breathwork exercises designed to integrate body and mind throughout your pregnancy and birth.Anthonissa Moger, aka The Hypnobirthing Midwife, takes a holistic approach, opening out the benefits to embrace aromatherapy, yoga, partner work, mindset exercises, and more.Using hypnobirthing techniques as a path to a calm, connected pregnancy, you''ll be fully prepared to respond intuitively to birthing your baby, feeling centred and in control.

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Book SynopsisBuild a castle, big and tall. Uh-oh Niko!It's going to fall!Meet Niko - the adorable little bear from best-selling illustrator, Chris Chatterton!Help little Niko build a sand castle, have a refreshing treat and play by the beach in this interactive board book packed with push-and-pull sliders and flaps. Uh-Oh Niko is a little bear who sometimes gets things a little wrong. Whatever happens, he always tries again and learns new skills along the way. For fans of Maisy and Tales of Acorn Wood, this series is the perfect way to help toddlers with their daily routines. Children will love joining in with the fun-filled rhyming text and playing along with the story. Want more fun with Niko? Check out the other books in the series:Uh-Oh, Niko: BathtimeUh-Oh, Niko: BedtimeUh-Oh, Niko: The ParkUh-Oh, Niko: NurseryUh-Oh, Niko: Birthday Party

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Book SynopsisFrom the brilliant psychoanalyst behind Strictly Bipolar and What is Madness, a short and fascinating guide to the history of human sleep - and why we can''t seem to sleep any more''Persuasive, absorbing and refreshingly sane... [A] bracing and important intervention in the debate... Leader points the way to a richer and more humane understanding of our problems with sleep'' GuardianOne in four adults sleeps badly.Sleeping pill prescriptions have increased dramatically over the last three decades, as have the incidence of sleep clinics.Sleep used to be a natural state, easy as breathing, but increasingly it is an insecure commodity....Isn''t it?Our relationship to sleep surfaces and resurfaces throughout human history, each time telling us something new about our indivudual and collective psychology. From the industrial revolution to blue-light on our phones, from the ancient art of dream interpretation to the

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Book SynopsisA philosophical account of the structure of experience and how it depends on interpersonal relations, developed through a study of auditory verbal hallucinations and thought insertion.In Real Hallucinations, Matthew Ratcliffe offers a philosophical examination of the structure of human experience, its vulnerability to disruption, and how it is shaped by relations with other people. He focuses on the seemingly simple question of how we manage to distinguish among our experiences of perceiving, remembering, imagining, and thinking. To answer this question, he first develops a detailed analysis of auditory verbal hallucinations (usually defined as hearing a voice in the absence of a speaker) and thought insertion (somehow experiencing one's own thoughts as someone else's). He shows how thought insertion and many of those experiences labeled as “hallucinations” consist of disturbances in a person's sense of being in one type of intentional state rather t

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Book SynopsisThe first systematic collaboration between cognitive scientists and sports psychologists considers the mind-body relationship from the perspective of athletic skill and sports practice.This landmark work is the first systematic collaboration between cognitive scientists and sports psychologists that considers the mind-body relationship from the perspective of athletic skill and sports practice. With twenty-six chapters by leading researchers, the book connects and integrates findings from fields that range from philosophy of mind to sociology of sports. The chapters show not only that sports can tell scientists how the human mind works but also that the scientific study of the human mind can help athletes succeed. Sports psychology research has always focused on the themes, notions, and models of embodied cognition; embodied cognition, in turn, has found striking confirmation of its theoretical claims in the psychological accounts of sports performance and athletic skill. Ath

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Book SynopsisNew essays on the philosophy of Ned Block, with substantive and wide-ranging responses by Block.Perhaps more than any other philosopher of mind, Ned Block synthesizes philosophical and scientific approaches to the mind; he is unique in moving back and forth across this divide, doing so with creativity and intensity. Over the course of his career, Block has made groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of intelligence, representation, and consciousness. Blockheads! (the title refers to Block's imaginary counterexample to the Turing test—and to the Block-enthusiast contributors) offers eighteen new essays on Block's work along with substantive and wide-ranging replies by Block. The essays and responses not only address Block's past contributions but are rich with new ideas and argument. They importantly clarify many key elements of Block's work, including his pessimism concerning such thought experiments as Commander Data and the Nation of China; his more

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth exploration of the interaction between mind and material world, mediated by language, image, and making—in design, the arts, culture, and science.In Material and Mind, Christopher Bardt delves deeply into the interaction of mind and material world, mediated by language, image, and the process of making. He examines thought not as something “pure” and autonomous but as emerging from working with material, and he identifies this as the source of imagination and creative insight. This takes place as much in such disciplines as cognitive science, anthropology, and poetry as it does in the more obvious painting, sculpture, and design. In some fields, the medium of work is, in fact, the very medium of thinking—as fabric is for the tailor. Drawing on the philosophical notions of the “extended mind” and the “enactive mind,” and looking beyond the world of material-based arts, Bardt investigates the realms in wh

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Book SynopsisAvailable again, an influential book that offers a framework for understanding visual perception and considers fundamental questions about the brain and its functions.David Marr''s posthumously published Vision (1982) influenced a generation of brain and cognitive scientists, inspiring many to enter the field. In Vision, Marr describes a general framework for understanding visual perception and touches on broader questions about how the brain and its functions can be studied and understood. Researchers from a range of brain and cognitive sciences have long valued Marr''s creativity, intellectual power, and ability to integrate insights and data from neuroscience, psychology, and computation. This MIT Press edition makes Marr''s influential work available to a new generation of students and scientists. In Marr''s framework, the process of vision constructs a set of representations, starting from a description of the input image and culminating with a descr

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Book SynopsisA fascinating exploration of the human brain that combines “the leading edge of consciousness science with surprisingly personal and philosophical reflection . . . shedding light on how scientists really think”—this is “science writing at its best” (Times Higher Education). In which a scientist searches for an empirical explanation for phenomenal experience, spurred by his instinctual belief that life is meaningful. What links conscious experience of pain, joy, color, and smell to bioelectrical activity in the brain? How can anything physical give rise to nonphysical, subjective, conscious states? Christof Koch has devoted much of his career to bridging the seemingly unbridgeable gap between the physics of the brain and phenomenal experience. This engaging book—part scientific overview, part memoir, part futurist speculation—describes Koch’s search for an empirical explanation for consciousne

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