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Science and Spiritual Practices: Transformative Experiences and Their Effects on Our Bodies, Brains, and Health
Science and Spiritual Practices Transformative Experiences and Their Effects on Our Bodies Brains and Health Author:Rupert Sheldrake Examining spiritual practices as far-ranging as prayer, meditation, ritual, communing with nature, pilgrimage, psychedelics, gratitude, and even sports, the author of the bestselling Science Delusion argues that science can not only justify and authenticate religious belief, it can also help improve it. The effects of spiritual practices are now... more » being investigated scientifically as never before, and many studies have shown that religious and spiritual practices generally make people happier and healthier. In this pioneering book, Rupert Sheldrake shows how science helps validate seven practices on which many religions are built, and which are part of our common human heritage: meditation, gratitude, connecting with nature, relating to plants, rituals, singing and chanting, pilgrimage and holy places. Sheldrake summarizes the latest scientific research on what happens when we take part in these practices, and suggests ways that readers can explore these fields for themselves. For those who are religious, Science and Spiritual Practices will illuminate the evolutionary origins of their own traditions and give a new appreciation of their power. For the non-religious, this book will show how the core practices of spirituality are accessible to all, even if they do not subscribe to a religious belief system. This is a book for anyone who suspects that in the drive towards radical secularism, something valuable has been left behind. Rupert Sheldrake compellingly argues that by opening ourselves to the spiritual dimension, we may find the strength to live more fulfilling lives.« less