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

This book is helping me understand & know myself & God better. I'm a 49 year old woman with C-PTSD. My husband is reading it also. We are communicating & knowing each other more deeply. What is happening in our marriage is awesome! Thank you, Dr. Curt Thompson!

This book radically changed my perception on how God uses our brain formation in our sanctification. Accessible and very fascinating! Of all the books I read this past year, this one was the most interesting. Dr. Thompson integrates the latest findings in neuroscience to show how the mind actually changes. Thompson borrows John Calvin’s description of the Psalter as an Anatomy of the Soul. His book illustrates how our minds embody our physical self, that is profoundly relational, regulates our flow of energy, and is interconnected with other’s minds. He goes on to say that the biblical concept of the “heart” is manifested most profoundly at the level of the prefrontal cortex (the front part of our brain). Basically, this book explains neurologically how people change. Thompson’s premise is that a healthy, mature person has a fully integrated mind. Half of the book reads like a scientific text book for dummies and the other half reads like a guide for holistic, biblical change. One of the most shocking moments in the book is when Thompson says, “there is no such thing as an individual brain.” I’m still trying to sort that one out. He continues: “transformation requires a collaborative interaction, with one person empathically listening and responding to the other so that the speaker has the experience of feeling felt by another” (p. 137). In other words, storytelling is essential for making disciples in community. He explains that by telling and listening to each other’s stories, it opens the door to a different future. When we tell our story and others empathically listen, our brains become more integrated by forming new neurological pathways which then changes how we think and feel about our memories. Crazy stuff! An Anatomy of the Soul is a very stimulating read.

There is much to like in this book. If you are on any road to recovery (we all are on one, one way or another) have had success in your transformation, this book can help move you toward more integrated health and wholeness. If you are not on a pathway of recovery you will learn much about the human experience in most households in America. The good thing is science has brought about major changes and proof that the bible is true and right. This book helps confirm our experiences in life relationally and neurobiologically. If you read with a critical eye you can create any end result, or with any eye on health and healing you can experience the miracle of science and spirituality firing neurons and healthy bonding for a new narrative. The words on these pages will gradually turn your heart toward a map of hope. If you answer the questions after reading each chapter you can experience, what I believe is the authors intention, a deeper understanding and wisdom of your life experience. Going into your life with an open heart to learn and to share it with others is how transformation occurs. James 5:16 confirms this and so does neuroscience.

This book and is complimentary book on Shame are valuable pieces for anyone who suffers emotionally and mentally from evil of Satan and how he is constantly looking to harm humankind and especially the suffering Christian believer...Excellent uplifting information for anyone suffering identity crisis and depression.

This is a fascinating book. A person looking to understand how they think and feel will find this book insightful. The author writes in an understandable way with lots of examples and case studies to help you understand the concepts. He present the workings of brain anatomy in a way that most people can understand it even if they do not have any background in neuroscience. The book is not shallow or pithy with easy answers. It lays out practical ways to understand our spirituality in light of the way God created our brains. He uses Bible references to show how what is being learned by the study of the brain fits what the Bible teaches about how we connect with God. He illustrates how spiritual disciplines which are taught in the Bible are ways God uses to rewire our brains to connect more deeply with God as well as mature as people by changing the way we think and feel which enables us to improve how we relate to others, especially those closest to us. One of the key concepts he brings out is that God made us for relationships. It is in relationships that we grow and develop as people and find our fulfillment. I highly recommend this book to others. You will find it interesting, stimulating, and helpful.

Intriguing Biblical insights mixed with brain science lessons in excellent layman's terms by Curt Thompson! Fascinating His creation of our brains, linking mind and body in ways I didn't know existed! It changed the way I pray for others and myself... more specifically-informed prayers released along with seeing God's-given answers for so many, including myself! This blend of the Christian spiritual practice of prayer, and applied anatomy allows more specific prayers to be released for the Almighty to be used in our lives...Now that I have had LongCOVID 2.5 years, I recognize the HUGE NEED for neuroplasticity in my OWN brain. I need to read it again!!! Hopefully, my mind will be able to absorb more and rekindle a true appreciation of just how magnificently & wonderfully we've been made in God's own image, and how He could redeem what has been taken. The fact that we can partner with the Holy Spirit in prayer is just that much sweeter!

Good book

I am not much of a reader, but this book is hard to put down. Iv is so interesting! I had so many 'aha' moments (eye opening) and I can really put a lot into practice in my own life. As a Christian this is a must-read-book. (If you do not believe in God, it is still interesting and eye opening, but you might not understand everything.) It will help you have a better understanding of yourself, so you can move on with a lot of old pains. It will also deepen your relationship with God! This man is a very smart man and connected a lot of dots many of us feel, but can't put to words. Thank you so incredibly much Mr. Thompson. For me and for many others, this is life changing, for a bright future. I understand a lot of things now. I am finally able to work on some stuff I never thought I could. Thank you again!

I couldn’t put this book down. I found it very interesting and immensely helpful. I have wondered, for some time, how the mind works. With some teaching in the church, I wondered if having therapy meant I was lacking in faith. The author showed me how they work together synergistically, using language that was easy to connect with. The author explains and gives examples of what can be done to realign our thinking toward truth and away from negative coping mechanisms formed early in life. As he explains it, it’s not easy but it is doable.

I enjoyed Curt's medical approach at the beginning of the book and give me some really new ways of looking at why I do some behaviors. His relating my brain functions to my spirituality was very helpful and encouraged me to look more into using the spiritual disciplines and how they actually do change the way I think and react to situations. Very helpful and well worth the time.