Brain Storms: A Study of Human Spontaneity

by Wayne Barker

The brain, says Dr. Barker, acts like a computer that has as its prime Keep going at all costs. Whenever the even flow of living is threatened in any way whatsoever, the brain rings all sorts of alarms, from cardiac palpitations to uncanny personal presentiments. Nevertheless, double-natured, ambivalent man actually lives from one crisis to another--we all proceed in life by fits and starts, and even the most fluent speaker must occasionally pause for thought. Brain storms, according to Dr. Barker, are those sudden whirlwinds of spontaneous activity by which the brain copes withthreats to the continuity of our everyday living. They are a blend of logic, intuition, and other presently undefinable forms of cognition. They may come to the surface as a convulsive fit at one extreme, or a fit of inspiration at the other. Using these apparent opposites, the author illuminates the great middle ground of spontaneous fitting together and problem solving that all human beings experience, consciously or unconsciously.

277 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1968