The Neurobiology of the Gods: How Brain Physiology Shapes the Recurrent Imagery of Myth and Dreams [Hardcover]

Part I: Definitions and Foundations. Symbols, Biology and Depth Psychology. Foundations. Mental Images, Symbolic Images and Archetypal Images. Part II: Individual Symbols. Human and Animal Spirits. The Anima/Feminine Symbols. The Animus/Masculine Symbols. The Mother. The Father. The Child. The Shadow. The Dreamscape. Deep Archetypes  Time, Number, Causation. Complex Recurrent Symbols and Self Symbols. Part III: Conclusions. Meaning. Molecules to Mandalas. Appendix: Affective Neuroscience.

Where does science end and religion begin? Can spiritual images and feelings be understood on a neurobiological level without dismissing their power and mystery?

In this book, psychiatrist Erik Goodwyn addresses these questions by reviewing decades of research, putting together a compelling argument that the emotional imagery of myth and dreams can be traced to our deep brain physiology, and importantly, how a sensitive look at this data reveals why mythic or religious symbols are indeed more godlike than we might have imagined.