The Mind's Own Physician

The Mind's Own Physician: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the Healing Power of Meditation. Mind & Life Inst. Jan. 2012. c.240p. ed. by Jon Kabat-Zinn & others, illus. index. ISBN 9781572249684. $24.95. psych This publication is an edited transcript ot a 2005 Washington, DC, conference that brought together leading thinkers from the medical and contemplative traditions under the auspices of the Mind and Life Institute. Presentations, lengthy commentary by the Dalai Lama and many of the presenters, and Q&A sessions are included. While at first glance readers may think this a tedious read, it feels like a conversation over coffee. Some of the discussions veer into scientific technicalities, but none is so abstruse that general readers won't understand the conclusions drawn. The focus of this conference was to explore the confluence of religious, meditative, and scientific perceptions of the mind and brain. Contributors discuss how each of these worldviews approaches the study of the brain, whether the mind and brain are different, and whether religion, spirituality, and science are exclusive. VERDICT Not a self-help book so much as an exploration of how spirituality and science intersect—a useful dialog for anyone interested in the mind/body connection.—Margaret Cardwell, Christian Brothers Univ. Lib., Memphis