Those interested in the expanding vista of twenty-first century science will find her exploration engrossing and encouraging. * Light of Consciousness: Journal of Spiritual Awakening *
This is a courageous book that adds to the growing evidence that we must transform and expand our scientific view of consciousness to postulate its primacy and recover our own human dignity in the process. * Network Review *
Extensively referenced by chapter, plus a large bibliography and a good index, I really do recommend this book as it is a pleasure to read and she may well be correct in her interpretation of our existence. * Journal of the Society for Psychical Research *
One of the most deeply ingrained myths in modern western science is that the brain creates consciousness out of purely physical matter. This lies at the heart of conventional science, yet no neuroscientist on earth has even the vaguest notion of how that linkage might work. Neuroscientist Marjorie Woollacott recounts her own fascinating lifelong journey in pursuit of deeper understanding of the relationship between mind and brain, with the sharp, probing intellect and open mind of true scientific inquiry. Her beautifully rendered and personal story of discovery mirrors what is happening globally as science finally begins to address the deepest mystery known to all of human thought-the nature of consciousness itself. This emergent revolution in scientific thinking and acceptance of the primacy of consciousness will fundamentally change how we view our own individual lives, humanity, and the universe. The implications are world-changing! -- Eben Alexander, MD, author of Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife and The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People are Proving the Afterlife
This remarkably engaging account by a prominent brain scientist of her personal spiritual odyssey both describes and contributes to a rapidly emerging revolution in how we think about our minds, our selves, and our existence. -- Edward F. Kelly, professor of research, Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia, and co-editor of Beyond Physicalism: Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality
Marjorie Woollacott has written an intellectual adventure story of the highest order. Drawing on her own experience as a highly regarded neuroscientist and a long-term meditator, she skillfully and engagingly invites readers to reassess the common scholarly prejudice against parapsychology. In doing so, she brings us to the threshold of a genuine paradigm shift in thinking about the mind and the brain. -- Thomas B. Coburn, visiting scholar, Brown University; president emeritus, Naropa University
Marjorie Woollacott takes us on a voyage of discovery as she integrates her neuroscientific expertise and meditative insight. A candid, lively exploration in which scientific curiosity and spiritual seeking nourish each other, and in which mind is revealed to be much more than brain. -- Paul Marshall, PhD, BSc, RGN, RMN
Marjorie Woollacott has written a gripping account of her evolution after an unexpected experience forced her to question her neurophysiological training and explore the scientific research on expanded consciousness. What she learned challenged her basic assumptions about who we are, and it may permanently change yours as well. -- Bruce Greyson, Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia Health System
Marjorie Woollacott provides an admirably lucid survey of the challenges various phenomena pose to the materialist paradigm, leading persuasively to a new worldview in which consciousness is primary. It is a wonderful introduction to this material, one filled not just with important information, but also with heart and considerable wisdom. -- Jim B. Tucker, Bonner-Lowry Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences and director of the Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia Health System
