Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships

by Curt Thompson

Do you want to improve your relationships and experience lasting personal change? Join Curt Thompson, M.D., on an amazing journey to discover the surprising pathways for transformation hidden inside your own mind. Integrating new findings in neuroscience and attachment with Christian spirituality, Dr. Thompson reveals how it is possible to rewire your mind, altering your brain patterns and literally making you more like the person God intended you to be. Explaining discoveries about the brain in layman’s terms, he shows how you can be mentally transformed through spiritual practices, interaction with Scripture, and connections with other people. He also provides practical exercises to help you experience healing in areas where you’ve been struggling. Insightful and challenging, Anatomy of the Soul illustrates how learning about one of God’s most miraculous creations—your brain—can enrich your life, your relationships, and your impact on the world around you.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Counselling, Christian, Science, Faith, Spirituality

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2010

About the author

Inspired by deep compassion for others and informed from a Christian perspective, psychiatrist Curt Thompson shares fresh insights and practical applications for developing more authentic relationships and fully experiencing our deepest longing: to be known.

With a considerable dose of warmth (and surprising measure of humor), Curt weaves together an understanding of interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) and a Christian view of what it means to be human — to educate and encourage others as they seek to fulfill their intrinsic desire to feel known, valued and connected. He understands that deep, authentic relationships are essential to experiencing a healthier, more purposeful life — but the only way to realize this is to begin telling our stories more truly.

Curt’s unique insights about how the brain affects and processes relationships help people discover a fresh perspective and practical applications to foster healthy and vibrant lives, allowing them to get unstuck and move toward the next beautiful thing they’re being called to make.

Through his workshops, speaking engagements, books, organizational consulting, private clinical practice and other platforms, he helps people process their longings, grief, identity, purpose, perspective of God and perspective of humanity, inviting them to engage more authentically with their own stories and their relationships. Only then can they can feel truly known and connected and live into the meaningful reality they desire 
to create.

Curt and his wife, Phyllis, live outside of Washington DC and have two adult children.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Anatomy of the Soul" wasn't very well written. The information on how the brain works was information I already knew--mostly things I learned 14 years ago in college.

I found the writing repetitious and unnecessarily wordy and complex. The author made up new, Christian-sounding terms for some old, proven ideas I've heard elsewhere and then put in a lot of filler ("this really changed this guy's life, so keep reading to learn how!) or repetition before revealing a pretty simple concept. To give credit where due, his "Memory and the Brain" and "Implicit Memory" sections in chapter 5 were concise, helpful in nature, and clearly showed how how-the-brain-works directly related to changing behavior. Chapter 7 also had some interesting information on child development.

However, I didn't like how the author often said "this is what this Christian term or phrase really means" when it didn't and how he often quoted verses from the Bible out of context or with incorrect context so that they sounded connected to the point he was making.

God also came across as limited in power and knowledge. In chapter 4, the author portrayed God as being pleasantly surprised that Moses is curious about his burning bush trick and so decides to reward Moses by talking with him. (p. 51: "God was pleased enough that Moses was paying attention to him that he went further than lightening a botanical candle. He decided to talk with him.")

Other statements that I don't agree are biblical: The author said, "Jesus came to touch our minds" (p.84)--but no mention is made of His intent to make atonement for our sins. Also, "[God:] does not seem to be in a hurry to clean up our personal scandals, much less the world at large, all by himself. He is looking for serious partners. The first partner, Adam, failed miserably, as did several others. Some partnered more helpfully than others, but only when Jesus came did we see what partnering with God really looks like....We have been invited to add our chapters and verses, to be coauthors in this Story" (pages 133-134). And "...you get the sense that the [Bible:] is not so much about how to simply clean up the mess [of our lives:], but how creative you can get with the mess you have" (p.141). And page 142 implied that, when Jesus was a child, he behaved in ways not pleasing to God but God was pleased with Jesus anyway. That God is always pleased with us and feeling that makes us act in ways pleasing to him (p.144). And "[Jesus':] deep awareness of God did not happen automatically. In fact, no one has ever worked harder at knowing and being known by God than Jesus" (p.180). And so on.

He repeatedly said that when people tell you "the Holy Spirit will transform you" that's of no practical help, but we can perfect ourselves using this knowledge of how our brains work. From other statements the author made, it appears that he believes God created using evolution--letting creatures perfect themselves over time from imperfection--so I guess he's just being consistent in his thinking: that God intends for and enables humans to perfect themselves. The author did credit God with hinting about this information in the Bible and using His knowledge about how our brain works in His interactions with us. But the author apparently doesn't see God as personally working the transformation, just using this transformation process.

The author encouraged reading the narrative and poetry portions of the Bible. He also suggested meditation--closing your eyes and visualizing God saying how much He loves you and is pleased with you--and movement exercises such as yoga and tai chi to enhance your awareness of your body's sensations and breathing. He briefly mentions prayer (which promotes an awareness of God's constant presence), fasting (to put us in touch with our bodies), reading and writing (to integrate the brain), and confession (to create open, trusting relationships).

I don't recommend this book due to my problems with his theology. I'd recommend "The Search for Significance" by Robert McGee if you want to change your bad habits and hang-ups.


I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

[Josh Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café.

Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, MD, a psychiatrist intrigued me as it lands squarely in the middle of the integration of modern mental health science and spirituality. This is the first book I received from the Tyndale Blog Network for review that particularly lands in my area of expertise (for those who don't know, I'm a licensed psychologist with an undergrad degree in Religious Studies).

What I appreciate about Thompson's work is that it addresses the neuroscientific findings related to relationships, including relationship with God. For those who have studied neuroscience or psychobiology, some of the material is clearly redundant, but I thought Thompson did a very nice job of summarizing the biology of the brain to help people understand the brain's basics. And then he did not simply relegate all of relationships and spirituality to random brain firing.

He acknowledges that there are biological correlates to spiritual experiences. And that does not bother him. I have not seen any satisfying texts that really engage both hard neuroscience and orthodox theology in such a way that Thompson has done. In fact, he has helped me reconcile information from both sides that often seem irreconcilable.

It's not that he really says anything new (after all, "there's nothing new under the sun" :) ), but he combines ideas and makes connections in ways I have not previously encountered. Such connections are the core of creativity and genius.

He does make some overstatements about the ability of techniques to quickly make changes to life. Or at least these are implied, like his subtitle: "Surprising connections between neuroscience and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationships." Again, there is nothing new I saw in the book. Rather, it is more of analysis, connecting spiritual practices to biological changes in the brain, which lead to spiritual transformation, and such transformation leads one back to the beginning of more spiritual practices.

I have worked my way very slowly through the book because I wasn't simply willing to read it quickly and for a cursory review. Thompson has made some excellent arguments that will hopefully be the basis for some future blog posts. I may even use the tome in a class or two I may teach...

Again, the content itself is not particularly new; it's the connections. And Thompson engages in excellent process, not willing to ignore the struggles of ambiguity and Truth. In fact, one of the best quotes from his book is right at the beginning, p. 8-9: "When I know that I know something because I can logically prove it, I step away from trust. When I no longer trust, I am no longer open to being known, to relationship, to love." Such a struggle between logic and trust can be manifested in many spiritual and life struggles. It is important to land on the side of trust.

[Frank Theising · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been reading quite a few neuroscience books in the past few years. The subject and the incredible complexity of the brain really fascinate me. In this book, Dr. Thompson attempts to show how these discoveries can help in your spiritual development. The explanation of brain science is very good and consistent with what I read in other books. As for the spiritual development angle, I got much less out of this book than I originally expected (although if I’m honest I’m not exactly sure what I expected). If I had summarize my key takeaways they would be: 1) Westerners are left brain dominant (a generalization but true compared to other cultures). We tend to focus on logical, linear thought at the expense of the emotional side of the brain. From that perspective it is all too easy to turn the Bible into a lifeless list of does and don’ts. However, the revelation in the Bible is told through stories in order to connect with the right brain and our need for emotional context that gives it meaning and strengthens a relationship with God. 2) Human beings have a deep emotional need to know and be known. When we are, our lives, emotions, relationships, and spirituality all tend to develop in much healthier and fulfilling ways. He talks frequently of left/right brain integration to help people feel like they know others (including God) and are known by others. When reading these portions of the book, a great deal of it seemed to be much more about developing emotional intelligence than understanding neuroscience. Though he approaches his subject as a Christian, I kept thinking that everything he discusses will work for anybody of any or no religion. People can use the knowledge gained in this book to deal with their emotional baggage or past trauma (or at least the symptoms). This isn’t inherently wrong, but the way it is presented it sort of felt incomplete to me. The root cause (sin) and only cure (Christ) seemed to be missing. 3 Stars.

[Oceana Reads Co.]

Sadly this is not what I’m looking for and I don’t want to continue. I got to chapter 2.

[Allie Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a psychiatrist and a Christian, Thompson explores attachment theory and neuroscience in the context of his faith. He shines light on how the human brain experiences spirituality and relationship with God, seeking to help people experience their faith in a deeper way. I found his reflections on how attachment styles can effect our experience of God to be most impactful.

For the Evangelical Christian that has not had much interaction with psychology, this book may make you uncomfortable at times. But I think his insights are worth exploring! He may take some liberties with biblical interpretation at times from my perspective, but don't we all.

[Emma Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, and got a bit lost at the end, hence the 3-star rating. Honestly, I think some of the writing was a bit too scientific and complex for the average reader—took me a minute to get through this one. Overall, his chapters on the importance of being known and feeling felt by God and others have given me lots to think about.

[Susie Porier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book— perfect blend of science & theology in layman’s terms. Makes healing seem tangible & hope seem real. Highly recommend!

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: Anatomy of the Soul is broadly divided into two parts. The science and background about neurology, trauma, attachment, emotions, the prefrontal cortex, etc. and the shorter spiritual implications to our understanding of sin, repentance and forgiveness, and community.

Because I have read pretty widely on spiritual direction and discipleship and I have a background in social work, I didn't find the section section as engaging as the first, but I do think it was helpful in pointing out areas where pastors and spiritual directors and counselors should investigate the neuroscience for their own practice.

My longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/anatomy-of-the-soul/

[Anita Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stellar content. Thompson writes with immense grace, compassion, and experience about pursuing wholeness in a devastated world.
It's a dense, rich read.

[Brenna Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

not just so we may know the truth, but so that we may live more truly

A truly unique work on the integration of the study of modern mental health and spirituality. One thing that was increasingly evident to me as a result of this read is the depth and the care with which God has designed our minds.

[Becky Philo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone interested in how neuroscience connects to God and spirituality. I also highly recommend for mental health counselors and people in helping professions.

[Jack Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a chapter of this book left and had forgotten I hadn’t finished it for like two months, but this book is really beautiful and Thompson’s passion for the work he does really shines through especially in the stories he tells of his clients.

This, along with “What Happened to You” by Bruce Perry, were so helpful in gaining a better understanding of how influences from your past and from your subconscious can play such a huge role in how you relate to others and to the unhealthy tendencies and behaviors you don’t like but don’t know how to change.

Thompson writing specifically at the intersection of neuroscience and faith took some common themes from “What Happened to You” and applied them in a really rich way that was super helpful to think through.

A few themes that were most insightful

1. How we have a tendency to reduce our faith to our logical and linear left side of the brain and how through integrating our left brain with the right, we can more fully experience what it means to be known and loved by God.

2. How our emotions are one of the primary ways that God speaks to us and when we ignore our emotional states, we can miss out on what God is trying to show us.

[Zach Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takeaways:

- We need to be known by others. This is a communal endeavor.

- Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to.

- Where do you feel your emotions in your body?

- Secure and insecure attachment. Our attachments with people determines to some degree our attachment God.

- There are frequent ruptures in our attachments. Some of these are natural and build resilience. Some are traumatic and toxic and require deeper healing.

[Chris Schutte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creative proposal connecting spiritual formation with insights from modern neuroscience. His vision of the Christian life as one of "justice, mercy, and love" is deeply compelling.

[RD McClenagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2nd time thru this fantastic book. So much incredible insight from Dr. Thompson.

[Peggi Tustan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took some months to finish this book. It is not an easy read. Thompson is a Psychiatrist and the writing is deep--both theologically and scientifically. It takes time to absorb and practice some of the ideas and truths in these pages. And still, I haven't fully comprehended it. I will read it again.

(Note: I read this book because Ann Voskamp references it in her book, Waymaker. And that book was very powerful and lifechanging for me.)

An early point that hit me powerfully was the importance to our mental health of knowing others and being known by them. But the idea that surprised me was the strength of God's desire to be known by us:
"To be known is one of God's passions. While he desires for us to have the experience of being known by him, just as important is his desire to experience being known by us. This is not simply for our benefit, as if he is not affected by us. He desires to be known by us as much for what it does for him as for what it does for us." (p. 23)

And on the importance of secure attachment and being "felt" by others:
"In his (David's) psalms, we get a picture of a man who, though he intimately knew the feeling of being wounded, ashamed, and afraid, held this pain simultaneously with a deep awareness of God's presence, attunement, and affection. David felt felt, and so he remained flexible, confident, and courageous in the face of adversity.
As we permit his poetry to embrace us, to sing to our hearts--our minds, our brains--we come to a deeper place of integration and wellness too." (p. 154)

If you are seeking emotional health along with a deeper understanding of God and yourself, I recommend this book!

[Taylor Strutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me so long to read this book, but I was so determined not to give up on it. The premise was so intriguing: the integration of neuroscience, attachment, attention, personal narratives, and spirituality… it’s so many topics that I’m interested in that I couldn’t let myself not finish it. But it was a painstaking process to get through it. 😂

Overall, it was good, but so dense. I wish the author would’ve communicated more succinctly if that was possible. He presented an interesting perspective on how neuroscience impacts the Christian walk and essentially presented an argument for why therapy is healing (the way that our brains can adapt and change from human connection, telling our stories, attunement- feeling heard and loved). I loved his sections on the damaging effect of shame and the Biblical integration throughout.

The whole book presents a very specific perspective (basically using neuroscience as a lens for everything) that I don’t ascribe to completely but will take bits and pieces of. I might pick up this book again for a few particular chapters, but overall, I’m just glad to have finally made it through.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

90% neuroscience and 10% theology. My one take away from this book is that emotion is vitally important to understanding who you are and why you are the way you are. Emotions do not always accurately reflect external truths. For example, it is reasonable to be scared the first time you stand a top the Statue of Liberty; however, it is heathy to learn, and believe, that you are safely standing on a reinforced concrete platform that is extremely safe. Slowly the fear fades, and through knowledge, you learn to manage these emotions.

The brain constantly takes in, processes, and stores information. This happens even prior to our memory as infants. These experiences shape our actions and feelings as adults. Do not disregard emotion as a trivial feeling to be overcome. Emotion is what tells us how we feel, what we think, and how we react in everyday life.

Favorite quote (paraphrased) “ The world puts emphasis on knowing things. The more you know, the more valuable you are. What humans crave is to be KNOWN” This is accomplished through relationships and being vulnerable about your deepest emotions.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy on attachment theory, neuroscience and the Bible, this book makes the case for integrating right and left brain processing in order to live as a truer, more whole person -- and it is compelling. If you've ever felt stuck in certain thought patterns or belief blocks, Thompson says there could be a good reason: You're seeing everything you experience through the lens of early attachment. There are actual neural networks in your brain that are well-traversed and easy to hop back on whenever implicit memory says so. That alone makes the book eye-opening, but then there are also a handful of exercises you can try to start paving new pathways: visualization exercises, mostly. Five stars for me until the epilogue when concepts and theology got a little muddy. V worthwhile read, though. I wish it had found me 10 years ago.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and challenging book. The more I learn about neuroscience the more I love it. Thompson writes well and thinks even better. Though some chapters get a little difficult that structure builds into a beautiful whole. Though he does take some liberties with sacred text, I think he treats it respectfully. The chapters on sin are really well done and he does such a great job at identifying the culprit of shame. It excites me to read his other work on SHAME. Though I am sure there is so much more to learn about neuroscience and theology this is a great primer on the intersection of the two.

[KieraK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the biggest takeaway is that we are more connected than we want to let on. But also as what is mostly laid out in Christianity is left brained but that we need to integrate our right brain to feel known. That God wants us to do both. We need to be able to tell our story and know that we won't be shamed for doing so.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores neuroscience and how our brains affect our relationships with both God and each other. I listened to the audiobook, which was well done, but I plan to buy a paper copy to highlight and underline and study. There’s so much depth to this book. Listening gave a great overview, but it would be best worked through with a small group of trusted friends.

[Landon Genry · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I will admit that my review/rating is a little skewed because I am a neurobiologist. As a neurobiologist, I have been waiting to find a book like this and have considered writing one myself. Dr. Curt Thompson does an excellent job of writing about neurobiology in layman’s terms without reducing its complexity. His balance between the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit and the active, science-backed approach when describing how to outside the renewal of our minds is spot on in my opinion. If you identify with this quote, “Our Christian faith seems to be mostly a cognitive assent to a series of rational beliefs that don’t seem to help us resolve our family conflicts, our struggles with sexuality, our sense of isolation, or our ongoing burden of sham and guilt”, then this book is for you.

[Grant Humphreys · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve seen on the topic of integrating our mind, heart, soul, and strength. Provides a framework to understand the interplay between the components of self awareness. Best if paired with some exposure to the author’s podcast - being known.

[Bailey Cowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today is the “finally finishing books I’ve been reading all semester” day!
I LOVE when neuroscience and faith are held well, and neither is negated! This book is so very slay!!

[Jackson Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. I liked it. If you are interested in how the Brian works and how it is shaped then you’ll probably like this too. If you don’t like reading I would steer clear of this one.

[Jobe Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a framework for integrating neuroscience and spirituality, look no further. God created our brains, and like the rest of our bodies, they have fallen from connection with Him. The chapters on memory and attachment patterns were fascinating to me. Our brains have difficulty feeling comforted by or ready to trust in God if experiences have not let them practice feeling that way. It gives weight to our call as Christians and images of God to reflect his nature. But also praise God for neuroplasticity and thus the ability to overcome Fallen experiences. I look forward to the day our New Creation brains won't carry all that baggage.

[Graham Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in 2018, was much more interested in the neuroscience side of things. Read this for a class in seminary, was much more interested in the spiritual side of things. Great book for a guy with a Biomedical Engineering degree working towards his MDiv.

Chapter 5 was my favorite. Love the way he talks about interacting with your own story. I tried to write out my life story as he suggests. It was an overwhelming exercise, but in a good way. It was very cathartic to be crying about things that happened years ago while sitting alone in my seminary's common area.

Also incredible that he was talking about attachment styles then, as it's become very popular these days. Like, he wrote this nearly two decades ago.

This book is super interesting, and it's been interesting to reflect on how much I've changed in the last five years since reading this the first time and how much I will likely change in the next five.

This makes me want to read some of his other works.

Read this book!!

[Jeff Hobday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read on how our life experiences affect the mind and how that shapes our spiritual lives. As Thompson explains, it goes the other way too; our spiritual practices (prayer, scripture reading, fasting, confession) shape how our minds develop. This book is not overly academic or technical -- I haven't studied biology since freshman year of high school, and I could understand the science. It's full of anecdotes from his experience as a counselor and psychiatrist, as well as insightful readings of biblical texts. The ultimate message is that the spiritual disciplines have the potential to "renew our minds" and transform our relationships.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started with the basics of neuroscience and psychology, and I worried that it would be just another rehash of the same stuff. But he steadily got deeper and deeper into the theology and neurology. By the end there were some beautiful sections, such as the exploration of God's desire to relate to us emotionally and the implications for not just controlling our negative emotions, but cultivating strong healthy emotions. It was both deep and practical and I'm a better man for having read this book.