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Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy
Award Winner in the Science category of the 2020 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book FestAward-winning author and thought leader Dawson Church, Ph.D., blends cutting-edge neuroscience with intense firsthand experience to show you how you can rewire your brain for happiness-starting right now.Neural plasticity-the discovery that the brain is capable of rewiring itself-is now widely understood. But what few people have grasped yet is how quickly this is happening, how extensive brain changes can be, and how much control each of us has over the process.In Bliss Brain, famed researcher Dawson Church digs deep into leading-edge science, and finds stunning evidence of rapid and radical brain change. In just eight weeks of practice, 12 minutes a day, using the right techniques, we can produce measurable changes in our brains. These make us calmer, happier, and more resilient.When we cultivate these pleasurable states over time, they become traits. We don't just feel more blissful as a temporary state; the changes are literally hard-wired into our brains, becoming stable and enduring personality traits.The startling conclusions of Church's research show that neural remodeling goes much farther than scientists have previously understood, with stress circuits shriveling over time. Simultaneously, "The Enlightenment Circuit"-associated with happiness, compassion, productivity, creativity, and resilience-expands.During deep meditation, Church shows how "the 7 neurochemicals of ecstasy" are released in our brains. These include anandamide, a neurotransmitter that's been named "the bliss molecule" because it mimics the effects of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. It boosts serotonin and dopamine; the first is an analog of psilocybin, the second of cocaine. He shows how cultivating these elevated emotional states literally produces a self-induced high.While writing Bliss Brain, Church went through a series of disasters, including escaping seconds ahead of a California wildfire that consumed his home and office and claimed 22 lives. The fire triggered a painful medical condition and a financial disaster. Through it all, Church steadily practiced the techniques of Bliss Brain while teaching them to thousands of other people. This book weaves his story of resilience into the fabric of neuroscience, producing a fascinating picture of just how happy we can make our brains, no matter what the odds.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2020
611 people are currently reading
930 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 19, 2020
I was recently chatting with a work colleague who told me that he's memorised information that neutralises thoughts. As a result, he lives much of his life in an open, relaxed frame of mind. I was intrigued to know more, and it set me on a journey of exploration.
I've been interested in meditation for a few years, and practiced on-and-off, but mainly off. More recently I've built up 200 consecutive days of daily mediation (lockdown really helped with that!). Even so, I've long been cynical about any lasting changes to my daily happiness, or long-term bliss. I've had some bliss experiences after several days of silent retreat, but they quickly faded when I entered back into the "real world" with its daily stress and concerns. I knew about books like "The Power of Now" that promised more long-term bliss states, and I even tried reading them. But ultimately I put them down in frustration, because I didn't believe long term bliss was possible. I saw meditation as something nice to reduce stress and get some headspace, but I thought that was all there was to it.
That has all changed with the journey of exploration I've been on since speaking with my friend, and in particular since reading Bliss Brain. This book has opened my mind to just how powerful meditation can be in re-forming your brain state and in creating lasting neurological changes. Dawson Church goes in depth on how meditation impacts your brain, looking at brain waves, brain chemistry and brain structure. He includes his own research, and cites research from a wide range of sources.
I've found the guidance on mediation from Bliss Brain useful and the guided Eco-mediation included with the book has helped me to achieve a feeling of bliss. I am now more aware of this feeling during my daily life, and in my own meditation practice.
As Dawson Church writes: "You don't have to accept the happiness level you know today. You can jump to a much higher level -- with practice, all the way to bliss." This isn't just motivational writing, it's backed up by hundreds of pages of in-depth research into neurology.
Bliss, I have discovered, is much closer than I thought, and can be something that pervades life, even normal, day-to-day life.
I should say the opening of this book reads like a thriller. Give a try and you'll be gripped. Keep reading, and it could change your life.
I've been interested in meditation for a few years, and practiced on-and-off, but mainly off. More recently I've built up 200 consecutive days of daily mediation (lockdown really helped with that!). Even so, I've long been cynical about any lasting changes to my daily happiness, or long-term bliss. I've had some bliss experiences after several days of silent retreat, but they quickly faded when I entered back into the "real world" with its daily stress and concerns. I knew about books like "The Power of Now" that promised more long-term bliss states, and I even tried reading them. But ultimately I put them down in frustration, because I didn't believe long term bliss was possible. I saw meditation as something nice to reduce stress and get some headspace, but I thought that was all there was to it.
That has all changed with the journey of exploration I've been on since speaking with my friend, and in particular since reading Bliss Brain. This book has opened my mind to just how powerful meditation can be in re-forming your brain state and in creating lasting neurological changes. Dawson Church goes in depth on how meditation impacts your brain, looking at brain waves, brain chemistry and brain structure. He includes his own research, and cites research from a wide range of sources.
I've found the guidance on mediation from Bliss Brain useful and the guided Eco-mediation included with the book has helped me to achieve a feeling of bliss. I am now more aware of this feeling during my daily life, and in my own meditation practice.
As Dawson Church writes: "You don't have to accept the happiness level you know today. You can jump to a much higher level -- with practice, all the way to bliss." This isn't just motivational writing, it's backed up by hundreds of pages of in-depth research into neurology.
Bliss, I have discovered, is much closer than I thought, and can be something that pervades life, even normal, day-to-day life.
I should say the opening of this book reads like a thriller. Give a try and you'll be gripped. Keep reading, and it could change your life.
Read
April 10, 2021I've read hundreds of books over the last few years and rated plenty, but never written a review until now. I felt compelled to do so because I think Dawson has nailed it with this one. A great blend of science mixed with the personal. I've felt the life changing benefits of meditation, but sometimes it seems tarred with religious connotations - which can detract from the immense potential it has for increased mental wellbeing.
Why it's such a powerful force is a mystery - as the 'hard problem of consciousness' remains unsolved.
I'd direct all the sceptics to this book, ask them to be open minded, and give meditation a go. The neuroscientific benefits can be staggering. Science is finally catching up to what the mystics knew along...
Why it's such a powerful force is a mystery - as the 'hard problem of consciousness' remains unsolved.
I'd direct all the sceptics to this book, ask them to be open minded, and give meditation a go. The neuroscientific benefits can be staggering. Science is finally catching up to what the mystics knew along...
April 27, 2021
I read this intending to learn more about the process of meditation, and the author does address this ... briefly. He goes off on a number of tangents - such as the structure of the human mind, chemicals in the brain, etc. The most annoying thing is his continual mentions and subtle selling of his other books. If you subscribe to the web site related to the book, you get regular emails to attend his seminars and workshops. Very disappointing.
April 1, 2021
This is kind of lengthy, but it is the story of how this book changed my life experience completely:
I've read books on self-development and spirituality for about 20 twenty years, but "Bliss Brain is one of those rare life-changing ones. I guess what one considers a life-changing book is highly subjective and differs greatly based on your life experience or what you believe to be true (or think to know to be "true").
I have read Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality by Dawson Church two years ago and it opened my eyes to a whole new worldview. And although I consider the contents and the execution of "Mind to Matter" much superior to "Bliss Brain", Dawson Church's previous work did not affect me in the same way that his most recent tome did. I found myself under the impression that "Bliss Brain" was somewhat more hastily written and there were a lot of fillers (again: this is just my very subjective assessment, it might be totally different for you, especially if this is your first book by this author). In the end it wasn't the content of this book alone that made this purchase so worthwhile (although its insights are highly valuable), but the free extended play resources and the 8 week course of Eco Meditations (Dawson Church's trademark meditation) that accompany it.
I love to read other peoples experiences with self-development books when I'm going through reviews, so I'm going to share mine with you now:
I've been going through an emotionally hard time for the past few years (including a severe burn out last year) and despite everything I've learnt during this time, I still wasn't feeling too good about myself when I started "Bliss Brain" and the Eco Meditation course. I was insecure, I felt sad and worn out. I lost hope in a better world. None of the meditations or the Yoga practices I did had changed me on a profound level. They where nice, they helped a little and Yoga worked wonders on my deeply rooted muscular pain, but I still couldn't sit longer than 15 minutes in meditation, my mind wandered endlessly, caught up in a senseless battle against myself.
Then came January and "Bliss Brain" found me. At that time I felt terrible, my emotions ran haywire. I gave Dawson's meditation a try and - I kid you not - within the FIRST week I saw the first changes. In fact I was able to experience the bliss state Dawson talks about in the very first days. I was stunned. I have NEVER in my life felt this way before in any meditation I tried. Oh, there were times when I felt a very deep connection or peace during practices (especially during Yoga classes in the studio) and Joe Dispenza's meditations also made me feel very good and relaxed, which was good in itself, but pure bliss? No, not in sight.
Dawson's meditations did this for me. And it was easy. After a short time I was able to reach the bliss state within minutes. Nothing ever did this for me, not even the practices taught by Sadghuru which I followed strictly for several month in 2020.
When before I dreaded the chunk of time I cut out of my days to meditate, because they were so tiresome and boring, suddenly, I never wanted to miss a meditation practice again. Eco Meditation was fun. Heck, I found myself unable to go one day without it.
I quickly started to get better. About three weeks into the course I felt calmer, more at peace and not so reactive as I did for all my life being what is called a highly sensitive person. And then something I consider to be a "booster" for me crossed my way. Some strange "coincidence" (well, thanks to quantum physics I actually know there aren't any) brought Frank Kinslow's writings to my attention and this was like finding the last piece to complete the puzzle. I started swallowing The Secret of Instant Healing and Eufeeling! The Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity right away and they enhanced my meditative experience with my Eco Meditation practice in a way that I have no words for.
Although the rational part of me still doubts it at times, something very deeply clicked into place inside me and I find myself to be in a very meditative state every time I sit down to meditate with Dawson. His meditations take about 15 minutes to complete, but all in all I usually sit for ca. 50 minutes each morning. Effortlessly, blissd out for most of the time.
I heard Sadhguru talk about this state often, I was under the impression that you have to be an accomplished yogi or mystic (or both) to reach it and that I would never for the life of me be able to experience it myself. Dawson Church changed this.
Don't get me wrong, I like eastern teachings, I'm in awe of the rich, age old wisdom, I really love and appreciate what Sadhguru taught me, but time and time again I find eastern practices to be quite far detached from my personal experience growing up in a very liberal christian context in Germany. I've never been drawn to eastern religion, I always found something to be amiss for me, I struggled with the exotic concepts and the vast universe of deities involved. I always thought: "How does this relate to me?"
And now that I have completed the Dawson's course and proceed to devour everything Frank Kinslow put into writing, all the spiritual teachings that I once thought to be very complicated seem to unravel easily before my inner eye. There is no mystery. It is SO easy once you experienced the "Bliss Brain" state Dawson describes (or the "state of pure awareness / Eufeeling" as Kinslow phrases it). There is an instant connection to source / god / the universe or whatever you choose to call it, each and every time I sit down to meditate.
When I find myself in a stressful situation during the day or in another challenging moment (during sports, my job, relating to other people, you name it), I just have to tap the chop point at my hand (the beginning sequence of the Eco Meditation) and I'm "in the zone" - in a calm and peaceful place. If something more emotionally dramatic happens, some rounds of EFT tapping help me to calm down completely.
Believe me, ALL problems vanish when you experience the bliss state / pure awareness. Why? Because this is your true Self, your true expression, your natural state. Now I know, that in all those years of Yoga practice I had never really been in touch with my true Self (well, maybe except for some rare instances, but they have never been reproducable). It only took Dawson Church and Frank Kinslow about 3-4 weeks to dismantle the heretic I had turned into during my years at uni and bring me back to God. Well, I have no idea how this happened, I did not ask for it, and I live in an environment that is as far detached from religion as can be (heck I'm a scientist by trade, we were trained to be rational), but it did, just like so...
All those years of trying hard to meditate, to get rid of my ever babbling Ego, of searching for that something that was missing from my life, ended the moment I had this perfect encounter. It just lay itself open to me: Here I am, I always was and I'm not going anywhere.
There is no need to search for something that has never been anywhere but inside you, as Kinslow puts it. Your true Self is there all the time, you cannot lose it, and it is easy to contact it anytime, even when you're stuck at the supermarket checkout. You just need to experience it once and you will never lose it again.
If you ever struggled with Eckhard Tolle's writings (which I adore!), if you think you understand them, but just cannot put them into practice, try "Bliss Brain" and its free 8 week course. Read Frank Kinslow and your life too might change forever. Mine did profoundly. Not only do I feel lighter and happier, even during troubled times, other people notice the change in me as well. I find people around me to be more relaxed and happier (my family as well as complete strangers), my relationships are suddenly flowing, I thrive at work (and believe me I hated my job for the better part of the last decade), I'm not so goddamn ackward anymore, I'm just okay. I changed nothing, I did nothing differently. I just started to meditate daily 9 weeks ago. I just kept going because it felt right. Not because I needed to fill a desire like chasing enlightenment.
Dawson says, it only takes one person in the bliss state to change the daily experience of a bunch of other people around them instantly. And I find this to be true.
Of course I still struggle at times, but it doesn't stress me out like it did before. I know there is peace inside of me, always, and it is easy to reach. Today I can look people in the eye and feel confident and connected.
All that you are looking for, the final goal of your life-long quest for happiness has never been anywhere else but inside of you. You do not go to India to live in a remote Ashram. No Guru and especially no riches in this world, no expensive car / watch / house, no drug, person, alcohol, sex, chocolate or whatever is going to fill the void in you that your Ego is trying to stuff with things. Stop looking for happiness, sit down, meditate and find it waiting there inside yourself. You will want nothing, but you will be given so much more. And your life will change for the better. Mine did.
It is this profound happiness that assures me we can still safe this world. In fact all is well as is. My mind used to go in endless circles: how can we get all the mess we made back on track? But we cannot solve the problems we created with our minds through our minds. We just need to become aware and there won't be anymore problems. You will never see the world with the same eyes once you find pure awareness. You cannot go unchanged once you experienced it. I know this concept is hard to understand. Only 3 month ago I would have had a hard time believing it myself.
I can only encourage you to read Dawson's book and maybe Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality, take the "Bliss Brain" course and check out Kinslow to deepen the experience (a good starting point is: Eufeeling! The Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity or Beyond Happiness: Finding and Fulfilling Your Deepest Desire).
As Byron Katie said: "Suffering is optional."
Much light and love!
I've read books on self-development and spirituality for about 20 twenty years, but "Bliss Brain is one of those rare life-changing ones. I guess what one considers a life-changing book is highly subjective and differs greatly based on your life experience or what you believe to be true (or think to know to be "true").
I have read Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality by Dawson Church two years ago and it opened my eyes to a whole new worldview. And although I consider the contents and the execution of "Mind to Matter" much superior to "Bliss Brain", Dawson Church's previous work did not affect me in the same way that his most recent tome did. I found myself under the impression that "Bliss Brain" was somewhat more hastily written and there were a lot of fillers (again: this is just my very subjective assessment, it might be totally different for you, especially if this is your first book by this author). In the end it wasn't the content of this book alone that made this purchase so worthwhile (although its insights are highly valuable), but the free extended play resources and the 8 week course of Eco Meditations (Dawson Church's trademark meditation) that accompany it.
I love to read other peoples experiences with self-development books when I'm going through reviews, so I'm going to share mine with you now:
I've been going through an emotionally hard time for the past few years (including a severe burn out last year) and despite everything I've learnt during this time, I still wasn't feeling too good about myself when I started "Bliss Brain" and the Eco Meditation course. I was insecure, I felt sad and worn out. I lost hope in a better world. None of the meditations or the Yoga practices I did had changed me on a profound level. They where nice, they helped a little and Yoga worked wonders on my deeply rooted muscular pain, but I still couldn't sit longer than 15 minutes in meditation, my mind wandered endlessly, caught up in a senseless battle against myself.
Then came January and "Bliss Brain" found me. At that time I felt terrible, my emotions ran haywire. I gave Dawson's meditation a try and - I kid you not - within the FIRST week I saw the first changes. In fact I was able to experience the bliss state Dawson talks about in the very first days. I was stunned. I have NEVER in my life felt this way before in any meditation I tried. Oh, there were times when I felt a very deep connection or peace during practices (especially during Yoga classes in the studio) and Joe Dispenza's meditations also made me feel very good and relaxed, which was good in itself, but pure bliss? No, not in sight.
Dawson's meditations did this for me. And it was easy. After a short time I was able to reach the bliss state within minutes. Nothing ever did this for me, not even the practices taught by Sadghuru which I followed strictly for several month in 2020.
When before I dreaded the chunk of time I cut out of my days to meditate, because they were so tiresome and boring, suddenly, I never wanted to miss a meditation practice again. Eco Meditation was fun. Heck, I found myself unable to go one day without it.
I quickly started to get better. About three weeks into the course I felt calmer, more at peace and not so reactive as I did for all my life being what is called a highly sensitive person. And then something I consider to be a "booster" for me crossed my way. Some strange "coincidence" (well, thanks to quantum physics I actually know there aren't any) brought Frank Kinslow's writings to my attention and this was like finding the last piece to complete the puzzle. I started swallowing The Secret of Instant Healing and Eufeeling! The Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity right away and they enhanced my meditative experience with my Eco Meditation practice in a way that I have no words for.
Although the rational part of me still doubts it at times, something very deeply clicked into place inside me and I find myself to be in a very meditative state every time I sit down to meditate with Dawson. His meditations take about 15 minutes to complete, but all in all I usually sit for ca. 50 minutes each morning. Effortlessly, blissd out for most of the time.
I heard Sadhguru talk about this state often, I was under the impression that you have to be an accomplished yogi or mystic (or both) to reach it and that I would never for the life of me be able to experience it myself. Dawson Church changed this.
Don't get me wrong, I like eastern teachings, I'm in awe of the rich, age old wisdom, I really love and appreciate what Sadhguru taught me, but time and time again I find eastern practices to be quite far detached from my personal experience growing up in a very liberal christian context in Germany. I've never been drawn to eastern religion, I always found something to be amiss for me, I struggled with the exotic concepts and the vast universe of deities involved. I always thought: "How does this relate to me?"
And now that I have completed the Dawson's course and proceed to devour everything Frank Kinslow put into writing, all the spiritual teachings that I once thought to be very complicated seem to unravel easily before my inner eye. There is no mystery. It is SO easy once you experienced the "Bliss Brain" state Dawson describes (or the "state of pure awareness / Eufeeling" as Kinslow phrases it). There is an instant connection to source / god / the universe or whatever you choose to call it, each and every time I sit down to meditate.
When I find myself in a stressful situation during the day or in another challenging moment (during sports, my job, relating to other people, you name it), I just have to tap the chop point at my hand (the beginning sequence of the Eco Meditation) and I'm "in the zone" - in a calm and peaceful place. If something more emotionally dramatic happens, some rounds of EFT tapping help me to calm down completely.
Believe me, ALL problems vanish when you experience the bliss state / pure awareness. Why? Because this is your true Self, your true expression, your natural state. Now I know, that in all those years of Yoga practice I had never really been in touch with my true Self (well, maybe except for some rare instances, but they have never been reproducable). It only took Dawson Church and Frank Kinslow about 3-4 weeks to dismantle the heretic I had turned into during my years at uni and bring me back to God. Well, I have no idea how this happened, I did not ask for it, and I live in an environment that is as far detached from religion as can be (heck I'm a scientist by trade, we were trained to be rational), but it did, just like so...
All those years of trying hard to meditate, to get rid of my ever babbling Ego, of searching for that something that was missing from my life, ended the moment I had this perfect encounter. It just lay itself open to me: Here I am, I always was and I'm not going anywhere.
There is no need to search for something that has never been anywhere but inside you, as Kinslow puts it. Your true Self is there all the time, you cannot lose it, and it is easy to contact it anytime, even when you're stuck at the supermarket checkout. You just need to experience it once and you will never lose it again.
If you ever struggled with Eckhard Tolle's writings (which I adore!), if you think you understand them, but just cannot put them into practice, try "Bliss Brain" and its free 8 week course. Read Frank Kinslow and your life too might change forever. Mine did profoundly. Not only do I feel lighter and happier, even during troubled times, other people notice the change in me as well. I find people around me to be more relaxed and happier (my family as well as complete strangers), my relationships are suddenly flowing, I thrive at work (and believe me I hated my job for the better part of the last decade), I'm not so goddamn ackward anymore, I'm just okay. I changed nothing, I did nothing differently. I just started to meditate daily 9 weeks ago. I just kept going because it felt right. Not because I needed to fill a desire like chasing enlightenment.
Dawson says, it only takes one person in the bliss state to change the daily experience of a bunch of other people around them instantly. And I find this to be true.
Of course I still struggle at times, but it doesn't stress me out like it did before. I know there is peace inside of me, always, and it is easy to reach. Today I can look people in the eye and feel confident and connected.
All that you are looking for, the final goal of your life-long quest for happiness has never been anywhere else but inside of you. You do not go to India to live in a remote Ashram. No Guru and especially no riches in this world, no expensive car / watch / house, no drug, person, alcohol, sex, chocolate or whatever is going to fill the void in you that your Ego is trying to stuff with things. Stop looking for happiness, sit down, meditate and find it waiting there inside yourself. You will want nothing, but you will be given so much more. And your life will change for the better. Mine did.
It is this profound happiness that assures me we can still safe this world. In fact all is well as is. My mind used to go in endless circles: how can we get all the mess we made back on track? But we cannot solve the problems we created with our minds through our minds. We just need to become aware and there won't be anymore problems. You will never see the world with the same eyes once you find pure awareness. You cannot go unchanged once you experienced it. I know this concept is hard to understand. Only 3 month ago I would have had a hard time believing it myself.
I can only encourage you to read Dawson's book and maybe Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality, take the "Bliss Brain" course and check out Kinslow to deepen the experience (a good starting point is: Eufeeling! The Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity or Beyond Happiness: Finding and Fulfilling Your Deepest Desire).
As Byron Katie said: "Suffering is optional."
Much light and love!
July 11, 2022
4 1/2 stars. Lots of stuff I am already working on, lots to explore.
November 30, 2020
Author changed my life
I read mind to matter by dawson church started meditating everyday at the start of this year after reading this book I noticed that everything he talks about is true I see and felt the change in my life this year 2020 was hard for most people around me however I became the rock people can count on in my community thanks to his work
I read mind to matter by dawson church started meditating everyday at the start of this year after reading this book I noticed that everything he talks about is true I see and felt the change in my life this year 2020 was hard for most people around me however I became the rock people can count on in my community thanks to his work
February 2, 2021
This is a really informative book about resilience, meditation, and how Dawson's technique is backed by science to work. I met Dawson just two weeks after the fire ravaged his home. I couldn't believe how happy and wonderful he was! He taught a week long retreat and the eco meditation was part of that. I must say, I've tried a lot of different meditations including others backed by science and this is BY FAR the easiest and most effective method I have ever tried. I do it every morning or evening and look forward to doing so. It has improved my life greatly and I recommend it to everyone I can. Even if you don't read the book I still highly recommend finding his eco meditation online on his website. It's free and will change your life.
January 31, 2023
I can honestly say this is one of the best and most life-changing books I’ve ever read. The author proves how meditation rewires the neurochemistry of the brain for joy and resiliency and provides actionable ways to introduce these practices into your own life. It is shown that most people meditate wrong and by following the carefully designed guided mediations of this book, one can bypass years of meditation practice and start tapping into elevated states of consciousness right away. It seems almost too good to be true but the genius is in how incredibly simple it is to change your thinking; as opposed to other self help books that lay out complex codes for you to follow, all this book is suggesting is that you mediate a certain way twelve minutes every morning to change your life, and it genuinely works. Highly recommend every person I know read this book!
December 1, 2020
This is mix of meditation and EFT. You get free 15 minute meditation and a lot of other bonuses for each chapter, so 8 meditations for FREE. I recommend this to anyone who's interested in EFT and meditation.
Not 5 stars because he wasted a lot of time in first chapter on stuff that was not relevant and in last chapter didn't have anything to do with book, it was chapter for pushing political agenda.
Not 5 stars because he wasted a lot of time in first chapter on stuff that was not relevant and in last chapter didn't have anything to do with book, it was chapter for pushing political agenda.
April 20, 2025
There is some good information in this book about research findings related to how meditation affects the brain.
However, the author pushes his own type of meditation as if it's better than all the different types of meditation which have been used for thousands of years. It's a bit off-putting. I had a strong snake oil salesman vibe from his constant hyped up pitching. Also, his implied idea of "enlightenment" (which is not explicitly defined in the book) seems to be that you can skip deep understanding of humanity and the nature of all that is, and just get high naturally on chemicals that the brain produces during meditation. I hate to tell you this, but Bliss != Enlightenment. Just because you feel good or feel calm and at peace doesn't mean you're enlightened. Daily meditation OF ANY KIND will help you to feel more at peace and move you at a healthy pace toward true enlightenment. His form of meditation is not the only one that works, and I would argue that the many other forms of traditional meditation are actually better for you in the long run. They are tried and true.
Additionally, his approach smacks of severe lack of compassion for others because what seems important to him is to feel good like an addict that doesn't give a crap about how those around him feel or are affected by his addiction. Feeling good doesn't mean you understand the depth and breadth of the human experience and ultimately understand the meaning and nature of all there is.
As an example of how his form of meditation is not better than (or even as good as) traditional meditation, is that in his version of meditation, there is a section which is similar to Loving Kindness meditation, except that it skips the most important parts: wishing love and peace to those that you have difficult relationships with. This part of the Loving Kindness meditation is crucial for deep practice, true compassion, and real personal transformation that becomes a part of who you are over time with practice. He says in the book that he skips that part because basically, it's distracting...... A huge part of why some meditate on these difficult themes is to pointedly work through tough emotions. They do this by being fully present with and fully experiencing challenging feelings without the confluence of thoughts ABOUT the feelings or the situation. (You should work with a counselor in meditation if you're facing exceptionally challenging feelings or thoughts). As they meditate on the feeling ONLY, it eventually reveals what is behind those troubling emotions. This new understanding allows them to then be free of those challenging feelings. Most of the time, this works for me within minutes of meditating. Less often, for particularly tough or deeply buried emotions or circumstances, I may need to repeat the process again at a later time.
As a metaphor, you can build a bridge with toothpicks but it won't function as a well-engineered bridge made of concrete, steel and other solid, well structured, well thought out materials and designs. There is no short cut to true enlightenment.
If you want to practice really powerful meditation for tough emotions and/or mental health challenges, listen to talks by Pema Chodron. She saved my life in tough times. I'd start with "Getting Unstuck" and then follow that with "Don't Bite the Hook" or really any of her audio books. She is such a joy to listen to. You can feel her compassion coming through her voice. And she has a great sense of humor. You can check them out at most libraries, buy them at a book store, or buy them from soundstrue.com:
https://www.soundstrue.com/products/g...
However, the author pushes his own type of meditation as if it's better than all the different types of meditation which have been used for thousands of years. It's a bit off-putting. I had a strong snake oil salesman vibe from his constant hyped up pitching. Also, his implied idea of "enlightenment" (which is not explicitly defined in the book) seems to be that you can skip deep understanding of humanity and the nature of all that is, and just get high naturally on chemicals that the brain produces during meditation. I hate to tell you this, but Bliss != Enlightenment. Just because you feel good or feel calm and at peace doesn't mean you're enlightened. Daily meditation OF ANY KIND will help you to feel more at peace and move you at a healthy pace toward true enlightenment. His form of meditation is not the only one that works, and I would argue that the many other forms of traditional meditation are actually better for you in the long run. They are tried and true.
Additionally, his approach smacks of severe lack of compassion for others because what seems important to him is to feel good like an addict that doesn't give a crap about how those around him feel or are affected by his addiction. Feeling good doesn't mean you understand the depth and breadth of the human experience and ultimately understand the meaning and nature of all there is.
As an example of how his form of meditation is not better than (or even as good as) traditional meditation, is that in his version of meditation, there is a section which is similar to Loving Kindness meditation, except that it skips the most important parts: wishing love and peace to those that you have difficult relationships with. This part of the Loving Kindness meditation is crucial for deep practice, true compassion, and real personal transformation that becomes a part of who you are over time with practice. He says in the book that he skips that part because basically, it's distracting...... A huge part of why some meditate on these difficult themes is to pointedly work through tough emotions. They do this by being fully present with and fully experiencing challenging feelings without the confluence of thoughts ABOUT the feelings or the situation. (You should work with a counselor in meditation if you're facing exceptionally challenging feelings or thoughts). As they meditate on the feeling ONLY, it eventually reveals what is behind those troubling emotions. This new understanding allows them to then be free of those challenging feelings. Most of the time, this works for me within minutes of meditating. Less often, for particularly tough or deeply buried emotions or circumstances, I may need to repeat the process again at a later time.
As a metaphor, you can build a bridge with toothpicks but it won't function as a well-engineered bridge made of concrete, steel and other solid, well structured, well thought out materials and designs. There is no short cut to true enlightenment.
If you want to practice really powerful meditation for tough emotions and/or mental health challenges, listen to talks by Pema Chodron. She saved my life in tough times. I'd start with "Getting Unstuck" and then follow that with "Don't Bite the Hook" or really any of her audio books. She is such a joy to listen to. You can feel her compassion coming through her voice. And she has a great sense of humor. You can check them out at most libraries, buy them at a book store, or buy them from soundstrue.com:
https://www.soundstrue.com/products/g...
September 7, 2024
I did not like this book at all. I have nothing against the author or his claims. My issues are with the book itself:
- The book starts with 45 pages about the author’s experience with loosing his home in a fire. Whilst I am very sympathetic to the trauma, this story is not the reason I picked up the book. If this story is used as a framing tool for the rest is the material, I question why it is devoted 15% of the book’s pages.
- There are interesting chapters about the brain and molecules. I knew nothing about either topics and I was glad to learn more. Yet these chapters (probably) covered so much content that it felt like I was reading a literature review.
- The author constantly plugs his books, websites, guide meditations, seminars, etc throughout the book which is distracting from the narrative.
- The book only considers a single side. Nothing of significance is devoted to considering an alternate claim (e.g. any scientific studies who disproof any claims or cast doubts on the author’s claims?). Again, the book read like the author cherry picked all studies that supported his argument.
- There are entire blog posts copied in the book’s from the author’s personal blog. That seems … lazy?
- The author quotes a lot of other authors. Again, not much content there once you remove these quotes.
- The book’s last two chapters were very empty and I got nearly nothing out of them. I am not sure why they were included and yet, combined, they represent another 15% of the book.
I am sure the author is well intentioned but, in my opinion, this book needed a lot more editing, writing, structuring before release.
I would not recommend.
- The book starts with 45 pages about the author’s experience with loosing his home in a fire. Whilst I am very sympathetic to the trauma, this story is not the reason I picked up the book. If this story is used as a framing tool for the rest is the material, I question why it is devoted 15% of the book’s pages.
- There are interesting chapters about the brain and molecules. I knew nothing about either topics and I was glad to learn more. Yet these chapters (probably) covered so much content that it felt like I was reading a literature review.
- The author constantly plugs his books, websites, guide meditations, seminars, etc throughout the book which is distracting from the narrative.
- The book only considers a single side. Nothing of significance is devoted to considering an alternate claim (e.g. any scientific studies who disproof any claims or cast doubts on the author’s claims?). Again, the book read like the author cherry picked all studies that supported his argument.
- There are entire blog posts copied in the book’s from the author’s personal blog. That seems … lazy?
- The author quotes a lot of other authors. Again, not much content there once you remove these quotes.
- The book’s last two chapters were very empty and I got nearly nothing out of them. I am not sure why they were included and yet, combined, they represent another 15% of the book.
I am sure the author is well intentioned but, in my opinion, this book needed a lot more editing, writing, structuring before release.
I would not recommend.
May 26, 2024
Dawson Church, with his Bliss Brain and supportive videos has introduced me to the JOY of meditation, I started Meditating over 10 years ago, constantly fighting a losing battle with trying to STILL MY MIND, who does that ? Im so jealous of those that can.
With this approach with Dawson I now wake every morning excited thats time to meditate!
DC supports his approach with scientific data, even admits he was a meditation failure until he began his journey on why and what happens to our minds and bodies during certain fases of all sorts of meditations.
He has also donated these services to military suffering from PTSD and other conditions free of charge, because he wants to make a difference, and he does, to all walks, to people like me…
I am 4 weeks in and cant express enough the change this has had in my life, I am so productive, calmer, not as reactive to stresses in life. Thank you Dawson Church 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
With this approach with Dawson I now wake every morning excited thats time to meditate!
DC supports his approach with scientific data, even admits he was a meditation failure until he began his journey on why and what happens to our minds and bodies during certain fases of all sorts of meditations.
He has also donated these services to military suffering from PTSD and other conditions free of charge, because he wants to make a difference, and he does, to all walks, to people like me…
I am 4 weeks in and cant express enough the change this has had in my life, I am so productive, calmer, not as reactive to stresses in life. Thank you Dawson Church 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
June 11, 2023
I was looking for brain retraining kind of books and got this from the library.
BUT it is a Hay House title, and they can often be a bit too out there. And thus it is with this.
This is not science; not even if you say it is science.
He talks of ‘Noetic Science’ and I looked it up.
> In parapsychology, noetics is a fringe branch of pseudoscience concerned with the study of mind as well as intellect.
>
A FRINGE branch of a pseudoscience??? YIKES.
We are way beyond the secret and manifestation here.
He does this thing where he will quote a big chunk of another person’s book, then pop in a blog post from himself, a photo, and then kind of link them together … but it is a bit … not contrived - I can’t think of the word; it does not really work.
This is dreadful.
1 star.
So far this year, my library saved me A$1208.04
BUT it is a Hay House title, and they can often be a bit too out there. And thus it is with this.
This is not science; not even if you say it is science.
He talks of ‘Noetic Science’ and I looked it up.
> In parapsychology, noetics is a fringe branch of pseudoscience concerned with the study of mind as well as intellect.
>
A FRINGE branch of a pseudoscience??? YIKES.
We are way beyond the secret and manifestation here.
He does this thing where he will quote a big chunk of another person’s book, then pop in a blog post from himself, a photo, and then kind of link them together … but it is a bit … not contrived - I can’t think of the word; it does not really work.
This is dreadful.
1 star.
So far this year, my library saved me A$1208.04
August 8, 2022
For most of us, bliss in meditation is hard to achieve and most of our time in “meditation” is ineffective. This book and the accompanying recorded meditation have allowed me to access a blissful flow state every time I meditate, which is now daily, because it feels that amazing. Through brain science, Dawson Church has developed a method by which anyone, even novice meditators can access the same. If you want to feel more joy, love, connection and true bliss in your life, I cannot recommend this highly enough for you!!
May 17, 2021
Just purchased this book. 45 pages in and I genuinely feel like asking for my money back. Yes you were in a fire. Mate, did you see the Australian fires of 2019/20? Yeah, the smoke from them darkened the skies in New Zealand. So spending the first 45 pages talking about a fire in a book on meditation is a bit much. I am afraid this book is one of those books that follows the following maxim... Why say what you want in 10 words when you can use a 1000...
May 20, 2021
One of the best written books I have ever read. I love Dawson Church, his research, his servants heart and his ability to share his powerful message with the world. I have told so many people about this book because it is that powerful. His meditations and additional information at the end of each chapter was particularly helpful for putting these practices and principles into use in your daily life.
December 13, 2021
Another great work of Dr. Dawson Church that makes the science of meditation, Epigenetics, and trauma accessible to the layperson. His EcoMeditation is a fusion of many of the top neuroscience-backed practices to induce gamma brainwaves, the flow state, and those feel-good neurochemicals. If you like this one, I suggest you check out Dr. Joe Dispenza’s “Becoming Supernatural” for more information about the potent chemicals the pineal gland can transmute from melatonin.
October 23, 2021
This is an excellent overview of how the brain works, identifying various regions of the brain, the biochemistry of the brain and how the brain is positively affected by the practice of meditation. I have recommended this book so much I think that Dawson Church should start paying me a marketing fee. lol.
July 11, 2024
Lots of good information about meditation
Here is a lot of good information on why meditation is important. I liked how the author talked about breaking their expected patterns as they rebuilt their life. The author used the tapping techniques during meditation which were different and enjoyable.
Here is a lot of good information on why meditation is important. I liked how the author talked about breaking their expected patterns as they rebuilt their life. The author used the tapping techniques during meditation which were different and enjoyable.
March 17, 2021
The big takeaway is that if we all meditated a bit every day, we'd be happier and healthier. And if enough of us did that, the world would be a better place.
This was just released in 2020, and is so up-to-date that it even includes talk about the coronavirus pandemic.
This was just released in 2020, and is so up-to-date that it even includes talk about the coronavirus pandemic.
January 22, 2022
Should be required reading for those seeking growth, or anyone feeling hopeless or in a stuck place
Church's researched optimism on the power of our minds to change our lives. ! I'm inspired to use his researched meditation: ECHO-Meditation. Thank you, Dawson!
Church's researched optimism on the power of our minds to change our lives. ! I'm inspired to use his researched meditation: ECHO-Meditation. Thank you, Dawson!
February 13, 2024
Wow! What a game changer! Read this book and use the 16 minute meditations to put yourself into a blissful state. It works for me, and chances are that it will work for you, too. Dawson’s Bliss Brain ebook was on sale for $2.99, and I had no idea it would help me so tremendously. Give it a try!
Want to read
November 24, 2020recommended audiobook and ebook 11-24-2020
January 21, 2021
3.5 rounded up
February 5, 2021
Lots of support for creating your own meditative practice.
July 5, 2021
Great extras with the book and it is great for aspiring meditators
July 24, 2021
Really insightful book about the science behind why meditation works and how to practice this type of medication incorporating EFT, emothional freedom technique and tapping.
harmless-dnf
December 13, 2021I can't with anything this cult-y.
March 2, 2022
This was not what I expected (a lot about meditation practices) but gleaned some interesting tidbits regardless.
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