The Dual Self: Beyond Mormonism and Christianity

By J Blake Smith MD

Preface
I am writing this book for several reasons. First, I want to document my journey out of Mormonism and Christianity and to articulate the reasoning behind my decision. I live in a mixed-faith marriage and I want my children to one day understand why their father does not share the beliefs of the church they are being raised in.

My children will need to reconcile what they hear at church with what they experience at home. I want them to have access to a book that clearly explains my perspective, which they can turn to when they are ready. This book is meant to be that resource, offering them insight into my journey and the reasons behind my choices.

Another reason for writing this book is to address topics that are often considered taboo or "woo-woo" by mainstream society, such as psi, mediumship, reincarnation, out-of-body experiences, hypnotic regression, and other parapsychological phenomena. Initially, like many others, I dismissed these subjects as mere hogwash, labeling those who discussed them as fanciful thinkers or as outright looney. However, as I sought to make sense of the world after leaving Christianity, I needed to construct a worldview that accounted for all of my personal experiences and for all the available evidence, and I found myself unable to ignore these parapsychological topics.

I had undeniably had spiritual experiences while I was a Mormon, and it was hard for me to attribute all those experiences and feelings as being merely due to elevation emotion. Now that I've explored the science behind these "woo-woo" topics, I've found that they surprisingly hold up under scrutiny and that they can help explain some of my more inexplicable spiritual experiences. This book is meant to help those who are reconstructing a worldview and who want to find another way to reconcile their spiritual experiences. It is my opinion that you don't have to become an atheist if you leave religion, and you don't have to become comfortable with not knowing anything about anything, as in agnosticism.

This book is meant to help people understand themselves as both a physical and spiritual being, and that there is legitimate science supporting the existence of a soul that exists separate from the body.

Summary:
The author chronicles his journey deconstructing Mormonism and Christianity to embracing a consciousness-centric reality. He describes the work of multiple pioneering scientists and then explores such topics as mediumship, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and life-between-lives regression hypnotherapy. He touches on the topic of free will and explores the mind-body connection, specifically the bicameral theory of mind with Julian Jaynes. He contrasts this bicameral theory with the divided mind theory of Iain McGilchrist, and ultimately synthesizes a new theory that attempts to explain the dual nature of self while also modeling potential explanations for various supernatural phenomena. Lastly, the worldview framed by the dual-self theory is contrasted against that of his Christian childhood and the author finds comfort in his new paradigm.

Define Dual-Self Theory:
Humans are inherently dual in nature, with one part rooted in the physical world and another in the non-material dimension. One is associated with intuition, creativity, and moral reasoning and is linked to the right hemisphere of the brain. The other is tied to logical thinking, analytical skills, and biological desires, and is connected to the left hemisphere. These two constitute independent egos who communicate across the corpus callosum to engage in a subconscious dialogue that moderates our cognitive processing. The result of this interhemispheric dialogue surfaces into our conscious awareness and manifests as our stream of thought. The non-material aspect of our being persists beyond physical death and integrates life's lessons into a broader self.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DNN9JL5F
• ISBN13: 9798332913211
• Release Date: November 2024
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"