Patrick McNamara
Patrick McNamara is associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and a professor at Northcentral University. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and several books on the science of sleep and dreams, and on the psychology and neurology of religion. He is also a founding director of the Institute for the Biocultural Study of Religion.
Written by Patrick McNamara
ideaSleep and dreams
Our dreams have many purposes, changing across the lifespan
Patrick McNamara
essaySleep and dreams
Dreams and revelations
The world’s great religions and spiritual journeys emerged from dreams and visions. Neurochemistry tells us how
Patrick McNamara
ideaNeuroscience
Why a well-crafted melody has the power to colonise your mind
Patrick McNamara
essayNeuroscience
The god effect
Religion spawns both benevolent saints and murderous fanatics. Could dopamine levels in the brain drive that switch?
Patrick McNamara
essaySex and sexuality
How sex rules our dreams
Gritty, emotional, smelly and dirty: new evidence supports Freud’s long-debunked theory that sex fuels our dreams
Patrick McNamara