Lexington Books
Pages: 142
•
Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-0-7391-7538-5 • Hardback • April 2014 • $113.00 • (£87.00)
978-0-7391-9397-6 • Paperback • April 2016 • $54.99 • (£42.00)
978-0-7391-7539-2 • eBook • April 2014 • $52.00 • (£40.00)
Kirk A. Bingaman is professor of pastoral mental health counseling at Fordham University. He is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in New York and a fellow with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC).
Chapter 1: The Plasticity of the Human Brain
Chapter 2: A Built-In Negativity Bias
Chapter 3: The Impact of Theology on the Brain
Chapter 4: Calming the Anxious Mind and Brain
Chapter 5: A Therapeutic Framework for Neuroplasticity
Chapter 6: Mindfulness and Acceptance Techniques and Practices
In The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral and Spiritual Care, not only Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount...but also religious and spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation are given multidimensional meaning and greater importance. The book is a welcome addition to pastoral and practical theology and theology’s engagement with the sciences. It informs practical living, ways of caring, and clinical practice and invites a new approach to theological hermeneutics. Persons who are anxious or fearful, persons interested in religious and spiritual practices, and pastoral caregivers or professional counselors will find The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral and Spiritual Care a stimulating, informative, and challenging conversation partner.
— Pastoral Psychology
This is a fascinating and ambitious book that shows how contemporary neuroscience has valuable implications for the practice of pastoral and spiritual care. Bingaman has an ideal combination of intellectual breadth, clinical experience, and theological sensitivity. He presents a host of religiously and spiritually grounded methods as reliable agents of neuroplasticity, and makes a compelling case that people who put real time and effort into these practices will actually transform the way their brains work.
— Kelly Bulkeley, Director of the Sleep and Dream Database, and author of Big Dreams: The Science of Dreaming and the Origins of Religion
The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral and Spiritual Care is an accessible, immensely practical text that firmly grounds pastoral and spiritual care within the unfolding discoveries of contemporary neuroscience. Dr. Bingaman engages Christian theology, psychotherapeutic practice, and pastoral care, arguing persuasively that our evolved neural structures dispose us to fear and that mindfulness-based practices offer a powerful antidote for those caught up in persistent anxiety. The text will be a welcome resource for practitioners and care receivers alike, including those who are skeptical of neuroscience's applicability and those already convinced.
— David A. Hogue, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary