AUTHOR'S NOTE
Throughout most of this book Mark and I will be speaking to
you with a united voice, for we have closely collaborated on the research we
present. Thus, we liberally substitute I and we, and only occasionally specify
ourselves as individuals, since the anecdotes we relate tend to reflect our
shared experiences and values. However, when I is used to talk about the
brain-scan research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, it is in
reference to myself, as are most of the anecdotes that refer to childhood and
college experiences. But research is never a solitary venture, so you'll often
find references to our work, which includes not just Mark, but also the members
of my research staff at the university, without whom I could not possibly
conduct the work I do. For a list of those who have contributed to the research
gathered in this volume, please see the acknowledgment page at the end of this
book.
Of all the fields of science and medicine, neurophysiology is one of the most difficult topics to talk about in simple terms, especially when it comes to issues concerning consciousness, logic, emotional processing, and the reality-processing mechanisms of the brain—issues that are essential to address when dealing with the neurological correlates of spiritual experiences and religious beliefs. We have made the information as “user friendly” as possible, but generalizations often leave out important qualifications and concerns. Therefore, for those who desire additional information, we have provided extensive peer-reviewed references—over a thousand—in the endnotes to substantiate the conclusions we have drawn.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x9b5fLas6zVhpEP-ZSyrdeBXNfh5lYXD/view?usp=sharing
