J. Allan Hobson

DATE WITH AN ANGEL Luisa was drawn to Zachary West. It was more than a nurse's compassion for her patient that moved her, it was the man himself: temperamental, courageous and so very desirable. When she discovered it was her father's car that had caused Zachary's accident, she was draw even further into his life. For Zachary, healing --- both physically and emotionally --- would take time. And Luisa wanted to be there with him. But did he want her? She was fighting a rival she could neither see nor understand, a woman who haunted Zachary's dreams. A woman he could not forget ...

Do human beings have a soul, a self that is distinct from the mass of nerve cells and electrical impulses that we call the brain? Or is all of consciousness - thoughts, emotions, memories, fantasies, dreams - a set of electrochemical events? Where do we go when we go to sleep, and what is the purpose of dreaming? Are dreams really the disguised fulfillments of secret wishes, as Freud thought, or are they random images summoned by neural activity in the brain, which we do our best to shape into meaningful scenarios as we dream, and edit as stories when we awaken? How does the hallucinatory delirium of our nocturnal experience differ from madness - if at all? . Eminent Harvard neuroscientist J. Allan Hobson has written a groundbreaking book about consciousness that overturns our most basic assumptions about identity and human nature and forces us to think again about who we are and what we're made of. In The Chemistry of Conscious States, Hobson argues lucidly and persuasively that the brain and the mind are one - that the thoughts, feelings, dreams, and memories that constitute our consciousness are in fact an amalgam of electrical impulses and chemical interactions. Using anecdote and narrative to illustrate his research on the waking and dreaming brain, Hobson introduces the revolutionary concept of conscious states: the notion that consciousness is not a fixed entity but a dynamic neuropsychological continuum, regulated by the two chemical systems that preside over our waking and dreaming lives. In other words, what we call the self - the "I" we refer to so securely - is much more precarious than most of us imagine, for identity, according to Hobson, is not a constant condition at all but a construction whose form reflects the balance, at any given moment, between waking and dreaming. Hobson leads us on a fascinating journey through Harvard's sleep labs and psych wards and, finally, to the pathways of the brain itself. Without questioning the complexity of the human experience, The Chemistry of Conscious States capsizes the rudiments of psychoanalytic theory and offers a stunning new vision to succeed it. From the cutting edge of brain research, here is a gripping theory of human consciousness written with clarity, wit, and magnificent insight, a provocative look at some of the most fascinating science being conducted today.

An accessible question-and-answer guides to common sleep problems. Provide practical guidance about the various self-help measures, conventional medical options and complementary therapies. Written in clear, jargon-free language and conforming to a series format.

Annotation

Consciousness is, perhaps, the aspect of our mental lives that is the most perplexing for both psychologists and philosophers. Daniel Dennett has described it as 'both the most obvious and the most mysterious feature of our minds' and attempts at definition often seem to move in circles. Thomas Nagel famously remarked that 'without consciousness the mind-body problem would be much less interesting. With consciousness it seems hopeless.'. These observations might suggest that consciousness - indefinable and mysterious - falls outside the scope of rational enquiry, defying both scientific and philosophical investigation. In reality, however, the topic has been a focus of psychological investigation since William James and is increasingly vital in philosophical research. This book illustrates the various, interdisciplinary approaches to the problem, providing both pointers to a solution and a summary of the key positions.

"In this book J. Allan Hobson sets out a compelling - and controversial - theory of consciousness. Our brain-mind, as he calls it, is not a fixed identity but a dynamic balancing act between the chemical systems that regulate waking and dreaming. Drawing on his work both as a sleep researcher and as a psychiatrist, Hobson looks in particular at the strikingly similar chemical characteristics of the states of dreaming and psychosis. His underlying theme is that the form of our thoughts, emotions, dreams, and memories derives from specific nerve cells and electrochemical impulses described by neuroscientists. Among the questions Hobson explores are, what are dreams? Do they have any hidden meaning, or are they simply emotionally salient images whose peculiar narrative structure reflects the unique neurophysiology of sleep? And what is the relationship between the delirium of our dream life and psychosis?"--BOOK JACKET.