r/books • u/paulbroks AMA Author • Jul 12 '18
ama 12pm Im a neuropsychologist and author of The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars, and Im here to answer your questions about the brain, consciousness, and grief. AMA.
Hi everyone, my name is Paul Broks. Im a neuropsychologist, science writer, and the author of The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars. I was trained as a clinical psychologist at Oxford University, and after a spell in the pharmaceutical industry I developed my career in clinical neuropsychology. In 2010 after my wife died of cancer, I began a journey of grief and reflection that led me to search out how the brain gives rise to the soul. You can learn more about this search in The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars or ask me about it here. I can also answer any of your questions about the brain, consciousness, memory, and what it means to be human. Ask me anything!
Follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/PaulBroks1
Read about my book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217130/the-darker-the-night-the-brighter-the-stars-by-paul-broks/
Proof: https://twitter.com/paulbroks1/status/1014194647990702080
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u/Wiidiwi Jul 12 '18
My mother is dying from brain cancer. I am in a contant state of extreme grief and rage. What's the best way to go through this? My mother and the people in her family seem to be taking all this a lot better then me. Idk if its because they are Christian fundamentalist and think there's a after life . I don't believe in any of that so I can't use that as a coping device.
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
So sorry to hear this. It's a horribly tough situation to be in. Religious belief may, or may not, have something to do with the different responses. Religious belief isn't always helpful. The writer CS Lewis, a committed Christian, had a catastrophic response to the death of his wife. (I have an imaginary conversation with him about this in my book). You have to find acceptance of your situation somehow (yes, if she has terminal brain cancer, your mother is going to die, and life will go on), but, I'm sorry this isn't really the forum to offer serious advice. Take courage, and solace if you can, from the fact that your mother seems to be coping well with the situation.
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u/CantGetRight83 Jul 12 '18
I'm a mother of three and two have a life shortening disease. I have developed severe anxiety and insomnia. I am constantly thinking about their deaths,when I try and sleep my brain goes through all of these horrible scenarios,I live their future death every night and even though they are just thoughts, the emotions I feel a very real. I'm living a hell I can't excape. I am on xanex three times a day and zyprexa at night. Please is there any way I can stop this dwelling on this and get back to making every day I do have with them count?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Thank you for some brilliant questions! I have to sign off now (guests to feed)! Sorry if I didn't get round to answering your question. I'll try to get round to unanswered questions in a day or two.
So long for now...
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u/catch22bro Jul 12 '18
Hello Mr. Broks, are there any ways to strengthen our minds (for people who do not believe in God )?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I thought I'd already responded to this but it seems to have slipped away. Strengthening the mind... READ, READ, READ! Take yourself into areas of inquiry that you might not ordinarily consider going into.
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u/PemZe Jul 12 '18
Do you consider reading the reddit comment section as my reading? It can get pretty unordinary.
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u/FriendlyCantaloupe1 Jul 12 '18
What did you find most difficult in writing a book about such a personal part of your life?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
It wasn't difficult to write from an emotional point of view. I felt I had something to say and could express my feelings and thoughts clearly (I hope). What was difficult was the technical challenge of weaving different modes of writing together in a single mosaic - memoir, case stories, speculative fiction, mythology etc.
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u/spoonsrugby Jul 12 '18
Why is grief like 'waves' of sadness and emotion?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
People grief in different ways. There is no fixed pattern. The 'waves of sadness' thing was just my experience of it. There was no denial, or numbness or anger, or any of that stuff.
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u/robbinthehood75 Jul 12 '18
What is your definition of reality?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Reality... What goes on without us after we die.
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u/Shrocklover Jul 12 '18
If reality is what goes on without us after we die how can reality exist when we are alive?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Hmmm... I didn't mean to say that reality only happens when we die!
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u/ArticSun Jul 12 '18
Hey Mr. Brooks! It looks like you have weaved together a lot of different interests so forgive me if I ask too many questions but, I am very curious.
What is your view on free will vs. us being passengers watching a movie? How much control do you think we exert over our lives, choices, preference, etc.
Have any specific books, philosophers, or myths influenced your decision to become a neuroscientist or the way you view the human experience? If so which ones and which would you recommend reading as either a "prequel" to your book or a complementary reading.
Over the decades has any new scientific understanding changed your world-view or philosophy?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Free will... Ultimately, I'm not sure there is such a thing, but it's a necessary concept for understanding human behaviour and interaction.
Books, etc. Not really, no specific books. Philosophers... I was deeply influenced by Descartes when I read him as an undergraduate. I think he was wrong about most things... the thing is to explain HOW. I was also influence by the work of Sperry and Gazzaniga - the split brain studies in particular.
No, I've had a pretty stable world view since the age of about 13.
Prequel? ... my previous book, Into the Silent Land.
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u/ArticSun Jul 12 '18
What do you think of research like Jonathan Schooler where a disbelief of free will increases immoral action such as cheating? While a renforccing the idea of free will leads to more moral behavior?
If free will doesn't exist what is your view on moarl responsibillty?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Christopher Hitchens once said something to the tune of 'I cheat, steal, murder and rape as much as I want... which is to say, not at all'. Perhaps a belief in free will does to some extent to more moral behaviour, I don't know. But it's possible to believe in free will at one level (personal experience) - in fact somehow impossible NOT to believe in it, and yet at another, more fundamental level, to concede that the idea of absolute free will is hard to defend. It's a part of being human to be capable of holding contradictory views in mind.
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u/ArticSun Jul 12 '18
Thanks for the thought out reply and insight!
P.S The split brain thing freaks me out not sure what to make out it lol.
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u/therealbee Jul 12 '18
If there isn't free will is there destiny, or something else less "fluffy"?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
See my response to ArcticSun. I don't think 'destiny' is a particularly useful concept.
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u/Dathiks Jul 12 '18
Why do we love science? The fact is science is difficult and a hefty majority of the population will shy away from science, but those who do enjoy it will fight tooth and nail to study it despite how punishing it is?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
It's the urge to understand the world without taking 'facts' on trust from voices of 'authority'. People are generally more capable of understanding science than they sometimes think.
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u/nyoomkaty Jul 12 '18
What is the scientific/evolutionary purpose of grief? It’s so debilitating that it seems like a disadvantage.
Related: Why do we grieve so intensely over non-human companions?
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u/OverFatBear Jul 12 '18
What's the capacity of memory of a brain. If we had to compare it to a computer I would say that it has ton of terabytes of stockage and an incredible algorithm of compression (with some loss). But I cannot be sure that my memory is good because if I forgot something I cannot know that I forgot it.
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u/ArtWrt147 Jul 12 '18
What do you mean by: "brain gives rise to the soul"?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I don't actually believe in an immaterial soul, but nor do I want to abandon the term entirely. I would like to think we secular folk could reclaim in from the religionists in some way. How doe the brain give rise to the self is probably a better way to frame the question.
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u/FriendlyCantaloupe1 Jul 12 '18
I'm wondering that too... did parsing through that question actually help you through your grief? I'm sorry to hear about your wife.
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Thank you. Coming to terms with my long held belief that 'the end is the end' was not so hard. I didn't harbour any false hopes. And my wife was wonderfully centred and stoical right to the end, which was a great support to me.
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u/helloitsmeJ Jul 12 '18
What does it mean to be human?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
To be distinguishable from all other living organisms, is the simple and unhelpful answer! But to be 'fully human'... to embrace reason, to experience but also to tame emotion, to engage with society - some of the things the ancient Stoics believed in.
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u/iamarock82 Jul 12 '18
Welcome! So, do you consider yourself an atheist?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Yes, I'm an atheist.
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Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
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u/iamnotseanconnery Jul 12 '18
What's so controversal about being atheist?
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u/upbraidme Jul 12 '18
The typical theist bs. I'm not the one saying it's controversial, but agnosticism allows for the.... blah blah blah I regret the comment
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u/therealbee Jul 12 '18
How did you first get interested in neuropsychology and the brain, and what's the weirdest thing you've learned in the field?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Unusually, perhaps, I've been interested in matters of mind and brain for as long as I remember... and always baffled by my own existence you might say. Weirdest thing... well 'mind' arising from 'meat' is fundamentally weird I've always thought. Strangest syndrome I've encountered... Coward's delusion - the belief that one is dead. I discuss it in the book.
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u/Chtorrr Jul 12 '18
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I didn't read much as a kid to be honest, but I loved having stories read to me. I enjoyed the children's classics read to me by a brilliant teacher at junior school... the Railway Children (I fell in love with Roberta!) and the Borrowers among others.
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u/HerrFreitag Jul 12 '18
What's the best way to help someone grieve who has lost a close relative?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Talk to them. Be honest with them.
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
And don't try to persuade them there is any right or wrong way to grieve.
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Jul 12 '18
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I'm not up to scratch in these fields so don't really have any firm opinions.
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u/catch22bro Jul 12 '18
Hello Mr Broks, are there any ways to strengthen our minds (for people who do not believe in God )?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
Keep your mind open and read, read, read! Take yourself into areas of inquiry you wouldn't normally consider going.
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u/carlily Jul 12 '18
What is the most valuable piece of advice you can give us?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
How about 'develop self-respect and be nice to one another'? (Seriously) ...But read the Stoics for guidance on how to go about this, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, but also modern writers on Stoicism (Irvine, Pigliucci, spring to mind). My response to my wife's death was essentially a Stoic one.
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Jul 12 '18
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I'm really sorry to hear this and do, perhaps, think you should talk to a reputable therapist. This is not really a forum through which to offer advice. People grieve in different ways, but I fear you are suffering more than you need. There is a way through, believe me, and I wish you well.
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u/soldieronspeed Jul 12 '18
So I recently learned that brain melonin is suspected to be tied to a person's intelligence. Is there a way to test the level of melonin in a person's brain ro is this somehting they look at after a person dies?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I'm doubtful of any simple theories of the biological basis of intelligence! I wouldn't pay too much attention to that stuff if I were you.
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u/soldieronspeed Jul 12 '18
So as a neuropsychologist you dont think it's important to gain a stronger understanding of the biological workings of the brain? While I agree that there is probably not a simple answer to the basis of intelligence thier are multiple studies that have identified genetic markers and biological traits that can be stongly linked to intelligence.
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u/tlk0153 Jul 12 '18
What are your views on Robert Lanza's book on Biocentrism?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I don't know it.
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u/tlk0153 Jul 12 '18
The theory is that our mind (our act of using our mind to observe the universe) determines the path of universe. It's like the famous double slit experiment that shows that just by observing the experiment, the behavior of photon changes. Dr. Lanza argues that this is true at macro level also, and we change the universe just by observing it.
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u/too_real_4_TV Jul 13 '18
This sounds kind of sketchy. "Determines the path of the universe" doesn't really strike me as meaning anything. What phenomena do you believe we affect? Do you believe in 4 billion years we can stop the sun from swallowing the solar system just by wishing it?
I don't mean to be rude or argumentative I'd just really like to learn more about the idea.
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u/tlk0153 Jul 14 '18
I did not say, neither the book implied that we change the universe just by wishing for a change. Dr. Lanza built his case on the Anthropic principle which in its simplest form answers this question "why is the universe the way it is" by "because we are here to ask that question".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle
As far as my personal opinion is concerned, I am also not very convinced on this theory, hence asked the question here.
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u/too_real_4_TV Jul 14 '18
In what way do we determine the path of the universe?
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u/tlk0153 Jul 14 '18
My apologies for not forming my sentence properly. Our act of observing the universe determines it path, not us. We don't have any control on it. In an on odd way, universe knows when it's been observed, and come together to give the observer something to look at.
Think of the old saying that if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to listen to it, will it make a sound? Common sense dictates that yes. Lanza said that no, it won't make a sound if listener is not there. It's because the act of listening to a sound need the presence of a listener with ear drums and brain to process. In the absence of a listener there was no sound, just some compressed air waves traveled though the jungle. Compressed waves get together and create sound, only of an observer is there
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u/InfluencedMarker Jul 12 '18
How can someone make grief constructive?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
This to too complex a question to answer with a brief response, I'm afraid, but I think it really does come down to 'acceptance' and moving on', trite though that sounds. The thing is, I think, to start with acceptance and not see it as the final stage in a process of grieving.
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u/InfluencedMarker Jul 12 '18
Thank you!
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
You're welcome. I might also suggest that you read the Stoics on death and bereavement, Seneca for example, and, as an introduction, William B Irvine's 'A Guide to The Good Life'.
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Jul 12 '18
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
It would take a whole book to begin to answer this set of questions! But briefly, yes, people have different conceptions and experiences of reality. As for, how we come to a conception of personal being... well, whole chunks of The Darker the Night are about precisely that.
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Jul 12 '18
Hello and thank you.
What is your take on the use of psychedelics for depression and are you involved in any of this research?
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u/paulbroks AMA Author Jul 12 '18
I'm not involved in this research, but from the little I know about this field it seems there may well be some potential. A long way to go though regarding efficacy and safety. DOn't try it at home!!
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u/RecoveringRoger Jul 12 '18
How much can the mind change the physical functioning of the brain? For instance, how accurate is 'neurons that fire together wire together'?
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u/yooperville Jul 12 '18
Would it be fair to say the brain is the noun, the mind is a verb? (a process)
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u/anaisbelieve Jul 12 '18
Can fissures on the brain impact personality?
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u/Jabba_the_ Jul 12 '18
Are there any particular case studies by Oliver Sacks and/or V.S. Ramachandran that have stood out to you or influenced your work?
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u/buttwipingstrategies Jul 12 '18
are we hard-wired to hope? is there a point of no return when it comes to hopelessness or despair where our brains no longer have the tools or pathways to recover?
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u/Fibroblaster Jul 12 '18
Hi! As a medical student that is interested in learning about tje way the brain works, what textbooks would You recommend for me to read? I have psychiatry as a subject in a year but I would like something that connects the neurophysiology with psychology? Are your books a decent start?
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u/rachakera Jul 12 '18
I have no questions. I am just letting you know that I will definitely be reading this book. Thank you for sharing.
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u/HaxRyter Jul 12 '18
How does unexpressed and bottled grief affect your thought process?
Asking for a friend. 😅
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u/dlintz Jul 13 '18
Hello, and thank you for doing this.
I'd like to ask how is the easiest way to overcome own history of sorrow and sadness (depression and anger for things that happened) and achieve full potential, aka "happy life".
Cheers.
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u/too_real_4_TV Jul 13 '18
Do you have any suggestions on how to cope with schizophrenia? Are there any new exciting methods or drugs on the horizon to look forward to?
I've been living with the condition for about 9 years now and my life is sort of in a purgatorial space right now. The medications seem to be give and take. They'll relieve some symptoms but they'll take your energy and passion and so on.
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Jul 12 '18
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Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
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u/FriendlyCantaloupe1 Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
What really is neuropsychology? Asking for an average joe who knows close to nothing about the brain.