Where God Lives

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View books by Melvin Morse, Paul Perry.

Does NOT explore the connection to the universe!! - Rated
I had high hopes for this book based mainly on the other reviews - I was very disappointed. The main point is that the temporal lobe is the neurophysiological connection to non-ordinary states. The book does not show this, it merely describes brain stimulation data which is related on the surface to descriptions of non-ordinary states, and makes connections out of the thinnest suppositions. The focus on NDE is not well written since it focuses completely on a Christian interpretation (angels, heaven, god) where even a cursory examination of multi-cultural NDE descriptions indicate that assciated imagery is culture bound. There is really no scientific basis for the conclusions in this book (e.g. the ten 'lessons' for a satisfying life are painfully western-christian based). For solid basis for these types of ideas go to the books which are liberally referenced to justify a biased view of NDE - The Holographic Universe, Even Harris Walker, Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson etc.

Narrowing the Gap Between Science and Spirituality - Rated
'Learning to listen to our inner voice is what this book is all about.' ' . . . We are just starting to learn how to use it.'

This book combines the perspectives of science and spirituality to consider what right temporal lobe stimulation in the brain is really accomplishing. The best part of the book is that it goes on to propose daring new hypotheses about the nature of the mind and reality. I look forward to future experiments designed to test these hypotheses.

Dr. Morse is a pediatrician whose young patients have often experienced near death. These young people report important spiritual events associated with their near-death experiences. These spiritual experiences include speaking with dead relatives, seeing themselves in out-of-body experiences as the doctors work on them, going through tunnels into another world, and meeting religious figures. When one of his patients asks Dr. Morse what the purpose of these spiritual events is, the question sets Dr. Morse to thinking. The results of that investigation are found in this book.

One of the reasons that the question intrigued him is that he had noticed that these patients seemed to develop an improved balance in their lives that improved the quality of their lives afterwards. This quality of life often meant having better health, happier times, closer relations with others, eating healthier foods, and exercising more.

What he has come to appreciate is that near-death experiences are simply spiritual experiences that anyone can have without having to almost die. ' . . . We have the biological potential to interact with the universe at any time during our lives.'

Based on research with electrically stimulating different parts of the brain, scientists have located the Sylvian fissure in the right temporal lobe (just over the ear) as the site of these spiritual experiences. Take a healthy person, put some electrical current there and near-death experiences will follow. Scientists have studied these near-death experiences further, and can tell that these experiences are distinct from mental illness and hallucinations. Dr. Morse also reports that you can access these same experiences through prayer and meditation.

He outlines 10 things you can do to have these experiences more often. (1) 30 minute of enjoyable exercise daily (2) pay attention to your life patterns through a journal and meditation (3) build relationships with your family and others (4) trust your inner vision and intuition (5) provide service for others (6) create a financial plan to have more peace of mind (7) improve your diet (8) pray and meditate daily (9) learn to love more (10) develop your spirituality to reconnect with all parts of the universe.

One interesting connection he makes is to the theory of morphic resonance (see The New Science of Life). By postulating that there seem to be legitimate cases of reincarnation, he wonders what reincarnation experiences (if real) could mean about the nature of reality. He concludes that 'universal memory is best understood as a morphic field.' He cites the examples of how rats in succeeding generations can go through a maze for the first time in ever shorter periods of time . . . as though they are sharing knowledge from prior generations indirectly.

From these pieces of evidence, he hypothesizes that we have two sources of memory. Short-term memory is in our physical brains, and long-term memory is outside of our brains. The right temporal lobe then operates as a memory receiver and transmitter to access this external memory that is available to all. This description reminds me of Napoleon Hill's writing in Think and Grow Rich about how to create abundance in our lives.

He also describes many experiments that successfully show remote viewing can be done, physical objects can be changed with the mind, children have eliminated warts with hypnosis, the placebo effect cures some diseases, and spiritual healing methods reveal large transfers of electricity between healer and patient. He uses this evidence to argue that the quantum nature of reality takes a holographic form when it comes to the mind and what we observe. By changing the waves in our brain, we affect the waves that are the reality that we observe around us. One of the funniest examples of this phenomenon comes in the form of people who give off so much energy that they can make machines break down all around them.

Dr. Morse provides 10 ground rules for getting the best results from morphic reality.

Cosmic consciousness from NDE perspective - Rated
This book consists of a series of case studies into Near Death Experiences (NDE’s) and identifies the right temporal lobe as the place where the individual interfaces with a greater consciousness. The author calls this “the God spot” and claims that this region is instrumental in facilitating mind-body healing, is responsible for mystical visions, psychic powers and vivid spiritual experiences.

His study of NDE’s has revealed that we have the biological potential to interact with the universe at any time in our lives. It is thus important to learn how to activate the right temporal lobe. The author’s studies demonstrate that children who have had NDE’s are more balanced in their physical, mental and spiritual lives. They feel a purpose in living and do not fear death. Trusting their intuition, they feel that they can again connect with the divine presence without brushing with death again.

These children develop certain habits later in life that the author calls the ten secrets of happiness: exercise, pay attention to your life patterns, family and relationships, trust your intuition, service to others, financial planning, healthy diet, meditation/prayer, learning to love and spirituality.

He also discusses the scientific theories of people like Dr Karl Pribram, Michael Talbot and others and looks at cases of reincarnation that defy easy explanation, synchronicity and spiritual healing and comes to the conclusion that consciousness ripples throughout reality like a pebble in a pond.

Morse believes that early humans were too dominated by the right temporal lobe so that individuality was not fully expressed. Modern man is too left-brain dominated so that people become too isolated. NDE’s remind us that we are interconnected spiritual beings as well as unique individuals. He concludes with an appeal to us to learn to use more of our mind in order to transcend the five senses and reach for an expanded human consciousness, a type of sixth sense.

Much helpful advice is given on how to become well and stay balanced and optimistic. The voluminous bibliography consists of separately listed books and articles under the following headings: Scientific and Medical References, References Concerning Death-Related Visions, The Scientific Study Of The Paranormal, Scientific Perspectives On Religion, Spirituality and Consciousness, Mind-Body Healing, Memory and Past-Life Memories, Religion and Spirituality, and Miscellaneous References.

This book covers much familiar terrain in consciousness research. Readers who appreciate Where God Lives will also find much of interest in old classics like Richard M Bucke’s Cosmic Consciousness and modern works like Coghill’s Dark Side Of The Brain, Drury’s Inner Visions and Sheldrake, McKenna and Abrahams’ Chaos, Creativity And Cosmic Consciousness.