Return to the Brain of Eden: Restoring the Connection between Neurochemistry and Consciousness

An exploration of our fall from the pinnacle of human evolution 200,000 years ago and how we can begin our return

• Explores recent neurological and psychological research on the brain and the role of plant biochemistry in human brain expansion

• Explains how humanity’s prehistoric diet change led to a neurodegenerative condition characterized by aggression and a fearful perception of the world

• Outlines a strategy of raw foods, tantric sexuality, shamanic practices, and entheogens to reverse our mental degeneration and restore our advanced abilities

Over a period of a million years the human brain expanded at an increasingly rapid rate, and then, 200,000 years ago, the expansion abruptly stopped. Modern science has overlooked this in order to maintain that we are at the pinnacle of our evolution. However, the halt in brain expansion explains not only recently uncovered anomalies within the human brain but also the global traditions of an earthly paradise lost and of humanity’s degeneration from our original state of perpetual wonder and joy.

Drawing on more than 20 years of research, authors Tony Wright and Graham Gynn explore how our modern brains are performing far below their potential and how we can unlock our higher abilities and return to the euphoria of Eden. They explain how for millions of years early forest-dwelling humans were primarily consuming the hormone-rich sex organs of plants--fruit--each containing a highly complex biochemical cocktail evolved to influence DNA transcription, rapid brain development, and elevated neural and pineal gland activity. Citing recent neurological and psychological studies, the authors explain how the loss of our symbiotic fruit-based diet led to a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by aggressive behaviors, a fearful perception of the world, and the suppression of higher artistic, mathematical, and spiritual abilities.

The authors show how many shamanic and spiritual traditions were developed to counteract our decline. They outline a strategy of raw foods, tantric sexuality, shamanic practices, and entheogen use to reverse our degeneration, restore our connection with the plant world, and regain the bliss and peace of the brain of Eden.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Dennis J. McKenna, Ph.D.

Introduction by Graham Gynn

1 Two Sides to Everything
The Double Brain
Handedness
Accessing the Right Brain
Is Handedness Helpful?
Sleep
Hidden Potential
Telepathy
The Manchester Trial
A New Hypothesis

2 From the Forest
Human Evolution
Juvenility and Bipedalism
Hairlessness and Vitamin D
Big Brains
Cast Out of the Garden
Aggression
Why Did Our Brains Stop Expanding?
Ancestral Diets
Humans Are by Nature Frugivorous
Protein, Fatty Acids, and Water

3 Figs, Steroids, and Feedback Loops
The Core Hypothesis
A New Theory of Inheritance
Chemicals in Plants
The First Primates
A Change in Diet and an Increase in Brain Size
The Pineal and Exponential Brain Expansion
Surviving on the Savanna
Divide and Rule
The Implications of Agriculture
Junk Food and Degeneration

4 Steroid Hormones: Immunity, Digestion, and the “Second Brain”
The Immune System
The Thymus Gland
A Second Brain

5 Fertility and Function
Human Fertility
The Ancestral Period
The Period of Steroid Inhibition
Flavonoids and the Female Cycle
The Lost Connection between Ovulation and Orgasm
Males, Diet, and Libido
The Fall
Hairy Women and Bald Men
Serotonin, Testosterone, Depression, and Murder
Testosterone, Society, and Consciousness
Melatonin, the Pineal, and Sex

6 Consciousness and the Mechanisms of the Mind
The Bicameral Mind
Let’s Sing about It
The Written Word and Cerebral Dominance
Hemispherectomy
Schizophrenia
Multiple Personality Disorder
The Internal Liar
Hypnosis
The Problem with Words
Confabulation
Deeper into Fear
Higher Function

7 Drugs, the Brain, and Peak Experiences
Sex, Drugs, and Tantric Taboos
DMT, the Pineal, and Spirit
Ecstasy and Empathy
Superman and Superwoman

8 Mad Hatters and Maverick Scientists
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Weak Electromagnetic Fields
Other Research Areas
Restoration

Afterword

Recommended Reading

References

Index

About the Author :
Tony Wright is a consciousness researcher who studied horticulture and plant biochemistry at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. Graham Gynn is an agricultural zoologist, educator, and researcher who has appeared on the BBC. Both authors live in Cornwall, England.

Review :
“Return to the Brain of Eden presents a totally new way of looking at the evolution of the human brain. It is fresh and unexpected; it will make an impact and must be taken seriously in discussions of human origins.” “Graham Gynn and Tony Wright follow the implications of modern brain research to an astounding conclusion: that our culturally acquired left-brain dominance has cost us our sanity, but if we have alienated ourselves from nature and our original state of wholeness, there may be a way back. This is a startling book that makes us rethink the most fundamental issues of religion, psychology, and philosophy.” “Return to the Brain of Eden is a bold experimental journey into the largely uncharted frontier of Integral Science. This alternative thought-experiment sheds light on the great challenges faced by humanity in the twenty-first century and opens possibilities for us to rise together in conscious evolution. This courageous book deserves careful, critical attention.”