Mintea: o călătorie spre centrul ființei umane

by Daniel J. Siegel

Ce este mintea? Din ce e făcut, în realitate, sinele? Prin ce diferă mintea de creier? Deși conținutul minții – emoțiile, gândurile și amintirile – au fost frecvent explicate, esența minții a fost arareori definită (dacă s-a încercat vreodată cu adevărat).

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Personal Development, Health

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., is an internationally acclaimed author, award-winning educator, and child psychiatrist. Dr. Siegel received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA with training in pediatrics and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. He is currently a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he also serves as a co-investigator at the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, and is a founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. In addition, Dr. Siegel is the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute.

Dr. Siegel has the unique ability to convey complicated scientific concepts in a concise and comprehensible way that all readers can enjoy. He has become known for his research in Interpersonal Neurobiology – an interdisciplinary view that creates a framework for the understanding of our subjective and interpersonal lives. In his most recent works, Dr. Siegel explores how mindfulness practices can aid the process of interpersonal and intrapersonal attunement, leading to personal growth and well-being.

Published author of several highly acclaimed works, Dr. Siegel’s books include the New York Times’ bestseller “Brainstorm”, along with "Mindsight," "The Developing Mind," "The Mindful Brain," "The Mindful Therapist," in addition to co-authoring "Parenting From the Inside Out," with Mary Hartzell and "The Whole-Brain Child," with Tina Bryson. He is also the Founding Editor of the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, which includes "Healing Trauma," "The Power of Emotion," and "Trauma and the Body." Dr. Siegel currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife.

For more information on Dr. Siegel's work, please visit DrDanSiegel.com.

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I totally loved how clean-cut were the wordings and the references and the framework of the author's research. We got all the concepts without the oversimplification of all the important and interesting matters that seem to be permeating the popular science these days and that make it seem dull, watered-out, lifeless and a tad dim-witted. This one skipped simplifying matters for the sake of the readers who like simpler words. Let them whip out their dictionaries, if they must, but the text remains concise and readable and involving and not determined to seduce every preschooler out there into reading it. Thank goodness, at least some contemporaries can both write in good English and lay research out as it is without trying to oversimplify things (and lose half the good stuff in the process).

Takeouts:
- Energy and information flows.
- Patterns and wave-frames in everything.
- Emergent qualities of complex systems.
- Nonlocality / entanglement.

[Kent Winward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I enjoyed it more when it was sticking to the science and less on the more mystical musings. Reading it in conjunction with From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds was helpful. I like Daniel C. Dennett's approach better than Siegels -- personal preference.

The underlying ideas however overlap. Siegel's interesting linguistic leap is to attempt to define "mind" separately from the brain and neuronal activity. I found this effort satisfying, because of the added depth it gives in thinking about the mind. His definition:

The mind, beyond subjective experience and beyond conscious and non-conscious information processing, can be seen as a self-organizing, emergent process of a complex system. And that system is both within us and between us and others. A complex system is characterized by these three features: it is non-linear (small inputs lead to large and unpredictable results), it is open (influenced by things from outside of “itself”), and it is chaos-capable (meaning it can function in erratic, unpredictable ways at times).

The natural next step in exploring the human mind seems to be complex systems theory.

On a complete and arbitrary side note, Siegel's definition of mind puts a whole new spin on many mental illnesses and the lack of wisdom in using psychotropic medication to deal with many mental health problems.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a frustrating book. I really wanted to hear what he had to say, but the writing got in the way. The book is a blur of thinking about what mind is (and rehashing those thoughts several times); personal anecdotes that while interesting in themselves are only slightly pertinent; small amounts of neuroanatomy and cognitive psychology; a bit of self-help; the author's experience with his own mindfulness practices and a look at his own subjective states of mind. A large portion of this was, imho, off-topic.

There was the makings of two or three separate smaller books here (and, oh, how I wanted to edit this down into them!) I wanted to read just one of them--the one about his theory of the mind. It was too hard to do that, so I plowed through all the words for 253 pages and then threw in the towel. I'm not sure who he had in mind as his target reader, but it must have been someone who enjoys a great deal of redundancy and bouncing around from topic to topic.

I have been to meditation retreats in which long slow discourses such as this are very successful. But I'm not sure that it works in book form with a reader sitting down to read and learn at the end of the day. I rate the ideas a 4.5 and the manuscript a 2. I'd love to see it rewritten in 150 pages or less.

[Rama Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

The spiritual discernment and the human mind

This book is focused mainly for readers interested in the spiritual journey of the human mind. There is no discussion of neurobiology of mind or quantum consciousness. In fact there is little science, but the book narrates how one can evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Through engaging stories, the author explains the mysteries of our experience, and learn how one can transcend the obstacles of life to attain peace of mind. He tries to elucidate the nature of mind, and help understand its tremendous capabilities by focusing on our beliefs and experience. Using our experience and interaction with the environment and people, we harness the energy of mind and soul to create a healthy living for ourselves and others.

The author has written numerous books on mind, brain and behavior. But this book is too narrative (378 pages) and some sections are strenuous to read, but readers interested in spirituality may find this book interesting.

[Roger Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps pushing 3.5/5 rating for me.

I had high hopes about this book as I listened to the Introduction, but as the book progressed, I simply just lost interest.The author, I guess trying to make his points, became repetitive and seemed to be padding out a small number of recurring points into a full length book. As the author fell more and more into familiar mindfulness jingoism, I just started to switch off.

Whenever you start hearing the word "Arise" more frequently that you would in normal conversation, you know you stumbled upon yet another apologetic for neo-Buddhist mindfulness. And do we really need another one of those?

I tried to like this book. I love the mind and the author seemed friendly and enthusiastic. I just didn't connect with most of the text in the body of this book.

[Eugene Pustoshkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to characterize this book. On the one hand its ideas deserve 4 out of 5. on the other, the way it is written is between 2 and 3. So, very important ideas for the mental health and consciousness studies fields. Yet, fairly repetitive and, to be just, not elegantly written. There are some very brilliant chapters though. But the book could have been a bit shorter. Seeing mind/consciousness as both embodied and relational has been a view in Ken Wilber’s books on consciousness since the mid-1990's. His works are professionally and elegantly written and much recommended. But Siegel's work deserves respect, especially his contributions regarding interpersonal neurobiology and the notion of mindfulness.

[Eu și cărțile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

O carte ce nu se citește ușor, care conține multe cuvinte noi chiar dacă e vorba de minte. Am citit-o din curiozitate și pot să spun că conține și idei interesante ce mi s-au părut curioase pentru început. De îmbogățirea vocabularului cu siguranță îl îmbogățește prin multitudinea de cuvinte noi.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Siegel and I have been on a mutual journey since I discovered his book "The Developing Mind" in my psychiatry training. His later book "Mindsight" was foundational in my ongoing work as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. "Mind" is a fascinating tour of Siegel's career bringing his perspective on what the mind is and how it self organizes to the wider culture. We follow him as he clashes with the culture of medical school, experiences personal loss, redemption and inspiration and weaves his scientific understandings of mind with the broader teachings of wisdom traditions and spiritual leaders. In this book Siegel helps us understand the various components of mind and how he sees mind as transcending brain, body and individual. Daniel applies his understanding of physics and emergence to this process presenting a theory of consciousness that can help us understand how the mind is more than the brain, but also how the mind shapes the brain through its activity. This is where things get complicated. I found much of the book difficult to read. This despite the fact that I have a background in university physics and have read many of the books that Siegel refers to. Even so I found the writing plodding and disorienting at times. Perhaps it is Siegel's free thinking style, his almost poetic language or perhaps it is simply that his concepts are so far from what we usually encounter. At the end of the day I am happy that I read it, there is much to receive here, yet I don't count it with the same impact of the two books that I mentioned above.

[William Fietzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine book about consciousness, what constitutes it, what impacts it, and how our minds are more than the gray matter within our craniums. Some of Siegel's most provocative speculations have little other than his personal experiences to support them and they don't always resonate with non-medical readers in illustrating the points he wishes to make. Nor does he follow up on the implications of his own speculations, particularly the notion that our minds might be parts of a greater mind, what the Hindus termed the Atman. Still, Siegel's book is a thought-provoking introduction into the further reaches of consciousness and neurological research.

[Carlos Vasconcelos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who the hell revised and edited the book?

[Jeremiah]

Siegel asks us to question the definition of mind frequently given us by psychologists that the mind is merely "what the brain does." Siegel points out that our minds do not exist without a body nor relationships and a society in which to develop.
The "what" of the mind, Siegel describes as a self-organizing flow of information and energy.
He proposes that integration is key to understanding healthy minds. (Minds not suffering form chaos nor rigidity.)
The "why" of the mind is to integrate the brain itself and ourselves with others, to move past ingroup and outgroup tendencies. A healthy mind, like a healthy society is one that is well integrated.
"The mind can rise above the brain."

[Hunter Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is probably a good three-page essay in here about the mind (in the way the book is marketed), but it was inextricable from the surrounding memoir plus self-help pop psychology.

[P Michael N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is quite an enlightening read. I love books that shift the perspective on things, this one basically flips the whole thing over! It’s not often that professionals go out on a limb to put forward some radical ideas, but that’s exactly what Dr Dan Siegel has done here. If I could describe this book in 3 words there would be: Delightful, Actionable and Novel (DAN) haha no... but the acronym game in the book is serious, you have been warned!
The idea presented here is quite mind blowing, it’s that our minds are not just limited to the confines of our skulls or even our bodies. Instead the mind exists within and between us, in our relationships with other people and with the environment! I feel as if this is a Darwin level shift of realising that we can’t really properly define where the self begins and where it ends or how far it extends. The theory would have been just fascinating were it not for the practical applications for it in psychological practice in aiding/understanding people suffering from PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, depression and just the hum drum of daily life etc. as presented in the book.
If not entirely revolutionary, it’s at least a useful way to view the mind and how it relates to other people and to the environment.
The key takeaway is the idea that the mind is an embodied and relational, self organising emergent process that regulates the flow of energy and information both within and between us. The book elegantly explores the implications of such a view but makes it clear that we don’t really know for sure or that the view is probably incomplete. Dan gets into some pretty wild physics of time, spacetime, quantum entanglement etc. that make for some fascinating reading. I wouldn’t be quick to dismiss it though, that is, if you’re of the view that assigning one unknown to another unknown is a bit too out there. It’s still a very fascinating and enlightening way to view reality that can be helpful in finding balance in life.

[Horus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book suffers from a difficult topic and not knowing really what it wants to be (and an editor willing to point that out). The whole book is written as if you are taking ‘the journey’ with the author of discovery into the mind. However the introduction was easily the worst written intro I have ever read and pretty close to the most garbled writing I have ever read.

The premise is lofty and reasonable: what is the mind and how is that different from our brain? Is it our soul, energy or something else? When he actually manages to discuss the science behind this, there are some really interesting points here worth thinking about. However, this book is also part memoir, part self-help (think mindfulness) and because of this lack of focus and the difficult nature of the subject matter to begin with, the whole book is best read by skimming paragraphs until you reach the science parts.

If you are someone who has read and enjoyed his previous books, then maybe the memoir portions of this will interest you. I expected a somewhat scientific and philosophical discussion on the nature of the mind and found it quite tedious to have to sift through all the chaff to find it.

[William Fietzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine book about consciousness, what constitutes it, what impacts it, and how our minds are more than the gray matter within our craniums. Some of Siegel's most provocative speculations have little other than his personal experiences to support them and they don't always resonate with non-medical readers in illustrating the points he wishes to make. Nor does he follow up on the implications of his own speculations, particularly the notion that our minds might be parts of a greater mind, what the Hindus termed the Atman. Still, Siegel's book is a thought-provoking introduction into the further reaches of consciousness and neurological research.

[Robert Tessmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped at page 70. Please, don't waste your time reading this book.

A few other GOODREADS reviews sum up this book well:

Hunter Johnson did not like it and said, "There is probably a good three-page essay in here about the mind (in the way the book is marketed), but it was inextricable from the surrounding memoir plus self-help pop psychology."

Paul did not like it and said, "New agey twaddle. Whole paragraphs that don't mean anything at all and are just a word salad - or can mean anything you want them to mean."

[Jason Kanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another good offering from Dan Siegel. I disagree with him on some worldview concepts, but in general this book explicates many of his ideas. One idea of his that I particularly agree with is the idea that “integration is the basis of health and well-being.“ I believe that Jesus had the most fully integrated mind in history and that the Christian life involves, at least in part, a move into a deeper integration.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

New agey twaddle. Whole paragraphs that don't mean anything at all and are just a word salad - or can mean anything you want them to mean. To read about a similar idea of the mind being outside the brain but well reasoned and explained read "Consciousness and the Social Brain" by Michael Graziano.

[Kelsey Çetin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an exploration of the mind and the author is writing in a style akin to a stream of consciousness. He weaves in psychology, philosophy, physics, and neuroscience (and more) to journey through what the mind might be. I found him to be curious, earnest, humble, and open in his exploration of the mind. Also a bit of a mad genius. He lays out his argument for a definition of the mind, but doesn’t insist he is absolutely correct.

There were times that the writing was extremely dense and difficult to follow, and it was repetitive more than it needed to be; but there were so many interesting questions and an exploration of potential answers that it was still worth it to read.

I enjoyed the journey and am a bit proud of myself for finishing this book. It is not going to be everyone’s “cup of tea” and that’s alright. It has given me a lot to think about though and I walked away with a sense of awe about humanity, which I think was the authors intent after all. Not to limit us with a definition of mind- but to open up possibilities and our wonder, to experience all the magnificence that our human minds really are.

We are Homo sapiens sapiens- a species that knows we know.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bueno, costó terminarlo basicamente porque la llegada de la cuarentena cambió mis hábitos de lectura. Especialmente eliminó mi viaje al trabajo. El libro es muy interesante, un viaje desde lo científico hasta el divague espiritual antropológico. Creo que el gran tema es hacer extender la noción del yo desde un yo ubicado en el cerebro pasando por un yo corporal (a la Damasio) hasta un yo-nos, es decir un yo con otros. Si no hay límites entre mente (uso acá la palabra mente en el sentido clásico y no en el sentido de Siegel) y cuerpo podría no haberlos tampoco entre mi cuerpo, tu cuerpo, etc.

[Fatma Akyürek Aytekin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aklın tanımı üzerine çeşitli fikirlerden oluşan bu kitap, benim için zor anlaşılan bir kitap oldu. Kitabın anlaşılabilir olması için bu alanda etkin okuma yapmış olmak gerekebilir. Yazarın diğer kitaplarında bu hissi yaşamamıştım.

[Nicoleti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me such a looong time to read...wow! Not because it was a bad book, don't get me wrong. It's just that this type of sciency, philosophically book messes with my head. It got me to a point when I almost felt afraid to open the book, haha. Because it made me fell...well...stupid. Couldn't get my brain to understand some of the notions he tries to explain. And boy, does he try to explain them. He repeats some of the ideas so much that you kind of feel like you're in kindergarden ("The mind is...", yeah, I got it!).
That's why this book only gets 3 stars from me: it had some complicated notions that weren't well explained while at the same time he insisted on things that were really easy to understand. Also, he talks about the Wheel of Awareness so much but he avoids at all costs to give any useful advice on HOW to use it and how to get your mind to work the way he talks about in the book. He just brags about how it helped so many people, but that's all. So don't expect to be a different person, with a different mind after reading this book. You'll just learn that you can change your mind, if you want. How? Kind of a mistery.
But all in all, this is a fresh, new kind of perspective regarding the mind and how it works. You will be surprised at some of the facts and logic he uses to explain them.
Still, I'm looking forward to reading other books from him since I am head over heels in love with passionate authors that have such a prolific academic background. They know what they're talking about.

[Ian Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book by Daniel J. Siegel. I had high hopes when I picked this book up. I read the summary about what he was trying to explain and was captured by excitement. However, after I started to read the book my excitement receded. Siegel has his points to make, he knows what he wants to say, but that is all he has to say. He states the same ideas repeatedly but phrases them differently every time. His points were interesting to think about, but there just wasn't enough ideas to keep me interested.

One thing that Daniel J. Siegel said in the book that constantly caught my attention was his questions, "what is the who, what, when, where, and why of the mind?". Siegel asks this throughout the book over and over and over again, but he doesn't go into enough depth for the reader or he himself to really understand an answer to any of these questions. His writing style was telling stories to explain the answers to these questions, but the stories weren't strong enough to move anything forward except the hands of a clock. For some people, telling stories is a very effective way of enlightening others, but for others, it is not their forte.

[Stefano Portigliatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening and Challenging

Likes: The book forces the reader to re-evaluate all concepts of what our mind is, including its source, function, makeup, locality and identity. This is mostly based on current and evolving scientific observations and some brilliant connections by the author. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the journey to expand my understanding of self and interconnectedness.
Dislikes: The book is organized into very broad chapters that could benefit from more sub-sections, so the many different concepts within a chapter could be separately identified and situated inside the larger picture. Additionally, there are some long autobiographical accounts that seemed unnecessary to me. Still, those accounts are not terribly long and there is some point to them.

[John Stepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not an easy book for me, both because it contained some big ideas (e.g. connecting Quantum physics to consciousness) and because it was written as a deeply personal account of what the author researched and believed as well as what he felt and experienced himself.

Still, I loved it. The bibliography alone is worth 4 stars. And having already learned so much from other books and recordings of Dr. Siegel, this more personal account gave me deeper insights into his thinking, and opened up my mind to topics I'd never considered before.

It's a bold book, and not everyone will like it, but I'm very glad he wrote it, and I'm already looking forward to reading more of his work.

[David Teachout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written almost like an autobiography, the personalization of the ideas being explored is not only fascinating to see, but an example of the ideas in action. Every journey is interpersonal and Siegel shares the reality of that through his own life. The result is a lovely showcase of great ideas, the experiences that helped shape them into life, and a powerful testament to the notion of "me that is we." If you're interested in far-reaching ideas about the mind and human relationships, with a humility that is fun and endearing, this is where you want to be.

[Wojciech · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/5. Outstanding exploration about true nature of mind. As cognitive scientist and contemplative practitioner I highly recommend Siegels book. Even if he sometimes goes to the edge between science and metaphorical speculation, he tends to do it with best quality. If you want to understand the What, Who, Where, Why and When of mind and feel its embodied and relational nature then this is book for you. For us.

[Carol Schindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dan Siegel. I listened to this book on Audible and also bought a Kindle edition. There is a fair amount of science in it but it is accessible. Siegel's steady reading style is a bit slow for me but I got used to it as there was a lot to process.

This book opens the door to new research about the mind that is fascinating. A great read is you are so inclined.

[Didzis Stalīdzāns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nepatīk rakstīšanas maniere, kur autors pus grāmatu saraksta par blakus lietām, bez kurām varētu arī saprast ideju jēgu. To var atļauties prasmīgi rakstnieki... Esmu pamanījis, ka amerikāņu bestselleros stāstījumi ir veidoti līdzīgi - grāmatas pirmajā daļā tiek noliets ūdens. Līdzīgā manierē autors rakstījis arī "Apzinātība" grāmatu, kuru tomēr līdz galam nolauzu. Šo gan ne..

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read a lot like a text book and was pretty dense in spots. I found I could only digest about 10-20 pages at a time before I just couldn’t concentrate any more. Still, I found it extremely valuable and would recommend it to people who really want to delve deep into the mysteries of the mind.