Cary Neeper's Blog: Reviewing World-changing Nonfiction - Posts Tagged "brain"

by Oliver Sacks, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1910...1985
Neurologist Oliver Sacks tells fascinating stories about patients who suffered extraordinary losses, excesses, transport of mind and cognizance, and underdeveloped mental capacity. They are tales that give us a hint at how complex the brain is. At the same time we are awestruck by the demonstrations of human resilience Sacks finds and the spiritual durability that his patients display.

In beautifully written English, Sacks shows us the puzzles and discovery of therapy that worked and trials that did not. In the end we are all the richer for reading this book. We have a rare chance to appreciate ourselves--who we are and who we are not, in light of the strange turns ones brain can take without us.

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks, New York, Random House, 2007,2008.

Recently, we lost author Oliver Sacks, professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, but he left us with ten books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and a film based on his book Awakenings. In Musicophilia he relates the experiences of his patients who have enjoyed unusual musical talents or suffered with odd experiences centered in the "music" area of the brain.

The first section is devoted to the story of people "Haunted By Music." We are struck with amazement at what our neurons can do to us. In section II, Sacks reviews cases of amazing "musicality." Again we are amazed, this time at what our neurons can do. "Memory, Movement, and Music" includes stories that illustrate how our musical memory can serve us when other memory fails. It tells us about therapy, the role of rhythm in our lives. The stories continue to the end with music's role in "emotion and Identity."

Sacks' tells a good story, so it's like being friends with his patients as he relates their odd experiences, their joys, and their confusions.

: by James R. Doty MD, New York, Random House, 2016.

In her cover blurb for this book, Arianna Huffington, author of Thrive, provides us readers with a crystal clear summary: "Part memoir, part scientific exploration [this book shows] that we all have within us...a place of calm and beauty we can return to whenever we need it."

Jim Doty's early life was horrendous, as was his later success, then loss, then his self-chastisement and recovery from failure. His formula for survival and lasting peace—is presented to us in "Ruths' Tricks. The tricks require repeated 20-minute moments of calming relaxation and meditation, emptying the mind, then focusing on unconditional love given and received. Finally, "envisioning accomplishment" of goals clarifies intent in one's life.

To guide that intent, Doty recommends practicing the "Alphabet For the Heart: CDEFGHIJKL—Compassion, Dignity, Equanimity, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Humility, Integrity, Justice, Kindness, and Love. All these are to be "given freely" to achieve a goal like Huffington's "calm and beauty." The humaneness prescribed in this soul-sharing memoir is powerful medicine for these troubled times.

“How the Body Knows Its Mind” by Sian Bailock, New York, Atria Paperback, Simon and Schuster, 2015.
Our physical environment--including our bodies and the way they do things-- “…influence how [we] think and feel.” Chapter 5 of this book is entitled “…How our Hands Help Us Think…” Watch any speaker, says the author. We usually use our hands to help us communicate. This book also goes on to explain learning by doing, the “Physical Nature of Emotion,” the benefits of movement and sports and laughter to our mental health and well-being.

There is a two-way street between body and mind. Holding a pencil in your teeth, even a fake smile can make you feel happier. Body expressions “send feedback to our brain,” providing relief, stress reduction, and emotion. Tylenol can reduce social as well as physical pain. Infants who crawl have better memory. Action creates thought.

The sea squirt tadpole has a brain until it finds a place to attach itself. Then “…their brain is absorbed by their body.” This makes clear why block play is so important for very young humans. Maria Montessori pointed out years ago that mental development is dependent on movement. Physical experience helps in learning math. Dancers learn choreography by physically acting out the movements. Or entire body can be useful in memory.

One chapter is devoted to Body Language. Body posture is important. No wonder exercise can make a big difference in our attitudes. It can also slow the influence of Alzheimers disease.

Unstable walking can indicate “cognitive impairment.” Sedentary rats have more heart problems than active ones.“How you stand can change your state of mind.” So can medication. Physical closeness can help you feel more connected. Bailock’s book makes all this, and much more, clear.