Jeffrey M. Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. is an American psychiatrist and researcher in the field of neuroplasticity
and its application to obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD).
and then pursued a career in the medical sciences. He is currently an associate research professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine and a fellow with the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
. Schwartz is also the overseas ambassador/patron for the UK's national Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder charity, OCD-UK.
Schwartz is a researcher in the field of self-directed neuroplasticity. He is the author of almost 100 scientific publications in the fields of neuroscience
and psychiatry
, and several popular books. His major research interest over the past two decades has been brain imaging/functional neuroanatomy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), with a focus on the pathological mechanisms and psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD).
For his book The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force, Schwartz collaborated with Sharon Begley
.
's A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism and is a proponent of mind/body dualism
.
Schwartz appeared in the 2008 Film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
, in which he told interviewer Ben Stein
that science should not be separated from religion.
However, Schwartz's 1998 book A Return to Innocence plainly attributes the development of human cognitive neurology to biological evolution:
Over the course of the book, Schwartz describes how human beings can transcend their animal nature through spiritual disciplines, drawing extensively on Theravada Buddhist philosophy, while noting occasional parallels with Judeo-Christian moral teachings. Schwartz commends Buddha
as the most relevant spiritual master for modern times, because Buddha's teachings are phrased in empirical terminology that doesn't strike modern people as religious.
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is a non-specific neuroscience term referring to the ability of the brain and nervous system in all species to change structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment. Plasticity occurs on a variety of levels, ranging from cellular changes involved in...
and its application to obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
(OCD).
Biography
Schwartz received a bachelors with honors in philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and then pursued a career in the medical sciences. He is currently an associate research professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine and a fellow with the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
The International Society for Complexity, Information, and Design was a non-profit professional society that promoted intelligent design...
. Schwartz is also the overseas ambassador/patron for the UK's national Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder charity, OCD-UK.
Schwartz is a researcher in the field of self-directed neuroplasticity. He is the author of almost 100 scientific publications in the fields of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
and psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, and several popular books. His major research interest over the past two decades has been brain imaging/functional neuroanatomy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), with a focus on the pathological mechanisms and psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
(OCD).
For his book The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force, Schwartz collaborated with Sharon Begley
Sharon Begley
Sharon Begley is an American journalist. She writes a science column for Newsweek.-Biography:Begley graduated from Yale University in 1977 and then began working at Newsweek, where she has spent most of her career. From 2002 to 2007, she wrote the "Science Journal" column in the Wall Street Journal...
.
Intelligent Design
Schwartz has signed the Discovery InstituteDiscovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
's A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism and is a proponent of mind/body dualism
Dualism (philosophy of mind)
In philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter, which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are, in some respects, non-physical....
.
Schwartz appeared in the 2008 Film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a 2008 documentary film, directed by Nathan Frankowski and hosted by Ben Stein. The film contends that the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting...
, in which he told interviewer Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
that science should not be separated from religion.
When we see an elite, and it is an elite, an elite that controls essentially all the research money in science saying there is no such thing as moral truth, [that] science will not be related to religion.
If you believe in God, and you believe that there's an intrinsic order in the universe, and you believe that it's the role of science to try to pursue and understand better that order, you will be ostracized.
However, Schwartz's 1998 book A Return to Innocence plainly attributes the development of human cognitive neurology to biological evolution:
Because its wiring is quite similar to that of a chimpanzee (our closest nonhuman relative, who shares 98 percent of our genes), your human "vehicle" has goals, desires, and impulses of its own.
Over the course of the book, Schwartz describes how human beings can transcend their animal nature through spiritual disciplines, drawing extensively on Theravada Buddhist philosophy, while noting occasional parallels with Judeo-Christian moral teachings. Schwartz commends Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
as the most relevant spiritual master for modern times, because Buddha's teachings are phrased in empirical terminology that doesn't strike modern people as religious.
Books
- Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley, The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force, New York: Regan Books, 2002. ISBN 0-06039-355-6.
- Jeffrey Schwartz and Beverly Beyette, Brain lock: Free yourself from obsessive-compulsive behavior: A four-step self-treatment method to change your brain chemistry, New York: Regan Books, 1997. ISBN 0-06098-711-1.
Articles
- Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P., and Beauregard, M. (2005). Quantum theory in neuroscience and psychology: A neurophysical model of mind-brain interaction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 360(1458):1309-27. Full paper
- Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P., and Beauregard, M. (2004). The volitional influence of the mind on the brain, with special reference to emotional self-regulation, in Beauregard, M. (Ed.), Consciousness, emotional self-regulation, and the brain, Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company, chapter 7. ISBN 9-02725187-8.
- Schwartz, J. M., Gulliford, E. Z., Stier, J., and Thienemann, M. (2005). Mindful Awareness and Self-Directed Neuroplasticity: Integrating psychospiritual and biological approaches to mental health with a focus on obsessive compulsive disorder, in Mijares, S. G., and Khalsa, G. S. (Eds.), The Psychospiritual Clinician's Handbook: Alternative methods for understanding and treating mental disorders, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Reference Press, chapter 13. ISBN 0-78902324-5.