Cultural Studies > Psychology & Psychotherapy & Counselling.... > Cognition, Mind & Brain

Most people know that dreams occur predominantly during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, but less well-known is the fact that REM sleep is important for psychological health as well as memory consolidation. Research now shows that it also contributes to what is called "brain plasticity", which is the ability of the brain to change itself. There are many levels of consciousness, including the five levels of consciousness when we are asleep, as well as other states of awareness such as the transitional states that occur between sleepi... read more

An astonishing new scientific discovery called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human brain is fixed and unchanging. It is, instead, able to change its own structure and function, even into old age. Psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge travelled around the US to meet the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity, and the people whose lives they've transformed. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole; a woman labelled retarded who cured her defic... read more

Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, travelled around the US to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed - people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. A book to alter the way we look at our brains, human nature and human potential.

In the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell, Gardner explores a new way of thinking about the decisions we make.We are the safest and healthiest human beings who ever lived, and yet irrational fear is growing, with deadly consequences - such as the 1,595 Americans killed when they made the mistake of switching from planes to cars after September 11. In part, this irrationality is caused by those who promote fear for their own gain - politicians, activists, and the media. Culture also matters. But a more fundamental cause is human psycholo... read more

What if everything you know about raw talent, hard work, and great performance is wrong? Few, if any, of the people around you are truly great at what they do. But why aren't they? Why don't they manage businesses like Jack Welch or Andy Grove, play golf like Tiger Woods or play the violin like Itzhak Perlman? Asked to explain why a few people truly excel, most of us offer one of two answers: hard work or a natural talent. However, scientific evidence doesn't support the notion that specific natural talents make great performers. I... read more

When Richard Nisbett showed an animated underwater scene to his American students, they zeroed in on a big fish swimming among smaller fish. Japanese subjects, on the other hand, made observations about the background environment. . .and the different 'seeings' are a clue to profound underlying cognitive differences between Westerners and East Asians.As Professor Nisbett shows in The Geography of Thought people actually think - and even see - the world differently, because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, an... read more

"Introducing Mind and Brain" examines a profound and mysterious puzzle: how does the biological tissue that makes up the brain give rise to the activities that our culture refers to as 'the mind'? How does the three pounds of electric sponge stowed in the top of your head allow you to experience enchantment in front of an evening landscape, and then make you remember the shopping, say 'Damnl' and head off to the supermarket? This book explains what the sciences have to say about planning and action, language, memory, attention, emo... read more

'A fascinating, funny, disconcerting and lucid book.' Helen Dunmore Perhaps your brain seems to stumble when faced with the 13 times table, or persistently fails to master parallel parking. But you're in control of it, right? Sorry. Think again. Dotted with popular explanations of the latest research and fascinating real-life examples, psychologist Cordelia Fine tours the less salubrious side of human psychology. She shows that the human brain is in fact stubborn, emotional and deceitful, teaching you everything you always wante... read more

Can you trust your brain? Despite occasional misfires when faced with the 13 times table, or its persistent inability to master parallel parking, the brain is pretty amazing. Never before have we been made so aware of the sophistication of those one hundred billion brain cells that make up the engine of the mind.You might feel justified in thinking that you’re in control. Sorry. Think again. Your brain is fooling you. It’s stubborn, emotional and deceitful. Cordelia Fine, described by The Times as a ‘cognitive neur... read more

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From a renowned neuroscientist and bestselling author comes a book that shows readers how to improve and tone the brain. In the last five years, there have been exciting new scientific discoveries about the brain, its function, and its performance. In this fascinating, entertaining book, brain expert Dr. Richard Restak has asked his colleagues-the world's leading brain scientists and researchers-an important question: What can I do to help my brain work more efficiently? Their surprising answers are at the heart of Think Smart. In ... read more

From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Cod" and "Salt" comes a remarkable portrait of American food before World War II.

We live in a time of vast changes. And those changes call for entirely new ways of learning and thinking. In "Five Minds for the Future": Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead: the disciplinary mind - mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history) and of at least one professional craft; the synthesizing mind - ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others; ... read more

Here is the ultimate explanation of the brain for everyone who thinks: a guide to how the brain works, how our brains came to operate the way they do, and, most important, how to use your precious gray matter to its full capacity. The brain, according to current research, is not some kind of automatic machine that works independently of its user. In fact, the circuitry of the brain actually changes according to how one uses it. Our brains are continuously developing new capacities and refinements--or losing them, depending upon how... read more

"The Secrets Vaults of Time is a fascinating look at the best psychics and remote viewers of the 20th century, including Edgar Cayce and George McMullen, and their impressive contributions to science, in particular the advancement of archaeology. Schwartz uncovers never-before-detailed background on some of the most important digs of the past 100 years, including the recovery of Glastonbury Abbey--known as both the legendary Avalon of King Arthur and the birthplace of Christianity in England. The 12th title in Hampton Roads' Studie... read more

A book by and about women on the autism spectrum. They invite you into their lives and the world in which they live them. First published 2003.

clinical psychiatrist explores the effects of DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. - A behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of psychedelic research. - Provides a unique scientific explanation for the phenomenon of alien abduction experiences. From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U.S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those session... read more

The Agony of Ecstasy explores the quest of a godless generation to find meaning in a materialistic world. For this 'chemical generation' drugs are becoming a religion; the basis of their moral code. Olivia found herself questioning the ideals of ecstasy culture - ideals of drug induced love, happiness, unity and beauty. This is Olivia's harrowing story of her eighteen-month recovery from an ecstasy-induced depression, during which time she started to rediscover meaning in her life. After a description of the highs - she took... read more

In 1982, when he was four years old, Kamran Nazeer was enrolled in a small school in New York City alongside a dozen other children diagnosed with autism. Calling themselves the Idiots, these kids received care that was at the cutting edge of developmental psychology. Twenty-three years later, the school no longer exists. "Send In The Idiots" is the always candid, often surprising and ultimately moving investigation into what happened to those children. Now a policy adviser in Westminster, Kamran decides to visit four of his old cl... read more