How Changing Your Mind Can Physically Alter Your Brain
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ID The Future listeners now get to enjoy two episodes each month from our sister podcast Mind Matters News, a production of the Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. The Mind Matters News podcast brings you insight from computer scientists, engineers, inventors, neurosurgeons, and other experts who bring sanity to the conversation about natural and artificial intelligence, going beyond the hype to explore the undercurrents of these important ideas. And although the Mind Matters News podcast will not often explicitly discuss intelligent design, it regularly explores the nature of intelligence, the origin of information, and the things that make us uniquely human, all concepts that are central to the theory of intelligent design. Enjoy today’s offering of Mind Matters News!
Is it possible to personally alter the physical structure of your brain? Today’s episode of ID The Future comes to us from our sister podcast Mind Matters News. Host Dr. Michael Egnor sits down with fellow neurosurgeon and author Dr. Lee Warren to discuss his book The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery. Dr. Warren shares how his medical training and Christian faith collided after the tragic loss of his son. The experience helped him realize that the mind is more than just brain activity. Dr. Warren unpacks the main thrust of his book, describing self-brain surgery as the intentional practice of choosing different thoughts to physically change the brain’s structure and improve overall health. Dr. Warren has observed the effects of such self-driven change in real-time brain scans, which deliver positive results like reducing the body’s stress response and promoting healing.
The conversation also explores the connections between neuroscience and biblical wisdom, showing how ancient scriptures anticipated modern discoveries like neuroplasticity. Dr. Warren explains that the ability to go from being a victim of our thoughts to getting in the driver’s seat to steer them can be a powerful tool for change and improvement. He goes on to explain practical techniques that can be implemented to evaluate thoughts before we act on them. The two doctors also delve into fascinating topics like near-death experiences that challenge the traditional view that the brain creates the mind.
Dig Deeper
Learn more about how to perform self-brain surgery in Dr. Warren’s book!
Learn more about how the mind is distinct from the brain in Dr. Egnor’s latest book The Immortal Mind!