Left in the Dark [Paperback]

Simply put, 'Left In The Dark' has the potential to alter the course of mankind. Whilst that may sound like a bold claim, the information contained in this book reveals a radical new perspective on the destructive path that we as a species have been pursuing for millennia. This book answers fundamental questions about why we are the way we are, and what we can do about it.

Essentially, the authors propose that the move away from the tropical fruit forests fundamentally altered our internal biochemistry in a way that lead directly to what amounts to a neurological condition that is now being exhibited by our damaged but dominant left hemispheres. The main symptom of this 'fall from grace' is the compromised state of consciousness humanity currently displays, which manifests as virtually every destructive behaviour ever exhibited by mankind. Luckily it seems, the right hemisphere is not nearly so damaged, and acts as a repository for our incredible lost function that is there for everyone, if we can only learn how to access it.

Provocative and thought-provoking in the deepest sense, this book represents a rare opportunity to gain a radically different and universal perspective on reality. Indeed, it is so universal that it explains a broad range of hitherto anomalous neurological, physiological and sociological conditions.

The conclusions relegate virtually every effort of mankind to misguided and ultimately futile attempts to deal merely with the overt symptoms of the underlying neurological dysfunction. The only thing worth pursuing, therefore, is access to our former levels of neurological function, the loss of which has created such tragedies of humanity as war, disease, tyranny, and unhappiness. The answer is to address the root cause, rebuild our neurological function and access our right brain to restore our ability to perceive reality from a more enlightened perspective. Interesting side effects of this process will be a deeper experience of life, more profound feelings of love, empathy, connectedness, and eventually, perhaps, even a state of perpetual ecstatic bliss.

This book IS the answer we are ALL looking for - the road map to paradise on earth. If only the research presented in this book were more widely utilised, perhaps we really could one day return to a world without suffering. Buy this book. Read it. Change your life accordingly. This is the only rational response to an increasingly insane and disconnected world.

This is simply the most hopeful, inspiring and broad-based look at the stuation of our race. Biologically, spiritually, historically, and environmentally.
For all our amazing achievements, we all know that actually we are doomed to languish in our own spent packaging ! With every natural system in decline, we are still singing praise to our species. Surely, surely, this must say something about our mental condition.
What Tony Wright has managed to do is create an analogy - a working, repeatable, ongoing model of our failing humanity. Every ancient script says it. Every cancerous growth says it. Every creature falling into extinction says it. Climate change says it...
We are quite simply mad. And who would have thought that we would have the opportunity to know it, and maybe even fix it before the next big bang.
Let's hope so...

The main premise of this book is that the left side of the brain creates a false version of life, overriding the reality perceived by the right side.

In Chapters 1 and 4 the authors refer to modern research showing that, when unfettered by the left brain, the right brain is far more capable than generally accepted. For instance, it is responsible for multi-level functions, originality, imagination, deep thinking, self reflection, musicality, enhanced visual acuity, and even the ability to heal more quickly.

It turns out the right hemisphere actually possesses far more complex abilities than the left but these are normally held in check by the left's inhibitory control, which increases with time. To illustrate, child musical prodigies and mathematical geniuses can lose a measure of their fabulous abilities as they get older and their left hemisphere control becomes stronger. Because of this increasing left brain dominance over time, we also get more fearful as we age, even though for the most part it is kept below the surface.

In chapter 4 the authors explain the left brain is actually dysfunctional and, because of it, we may even struggle with two realities. One is a right hemisphere reality based on true perception and experience and the other a left hemisphere version based on verbal stories it has made up to cover up conflict and in which it believes totally. Shockingly, research on damaged brains reveal we routinely make our decisions subconsciously but our left brain (conscious) rationalizations of these choices are pure fiction.

So, the left brain doesn't really experience reality at all and will always lie to maintain its subjective version. It appears disconnected from a truer perspective provided by right hemisphere function, meaning our whole lives may be based on denials, suppressions, and lies - we are all insane, in other words. As the authors point out: is it any wonder that our interpersonal relationships (individually, as groups and even nations) are fraught with difficulties?

The authors claim that the right brain enables peak performance whilst the destructive behavior of humanity is due to left-brain dominance, completely ignoring the large part played by our reptilian brain (the oldest and smallest region of the brain) which is blindly instinctive and responsible for ritualistic behavior, survival fears, domination/attack/fighting, preening and mating.

In chapter 6, the final one, there is a muddled exploration of processes that can reduce the restrictions of the left hemisphere. The authors in passing mention techniques for actively engaging the right hemisphere: visualization, mantra, meditation, dream techniques, use of consciousness-changing chemicals, refining nutritional intake and opening to the 'subtle energy' of spiritual locations such as cathedrals, stone circles or waterfalls. They claim that when humans started eating grains the production of melatonin and the size of the pineal gland were both reduced and refer to womb research showing that less melatonin is associated with more testosterone which creates greater masculization of the brain (in both sexes), in turn resulting in reduced social skills in life.

They believe that our long-ago ancestors suffered changes in brain chemistry that made the left side of the brain dominant over the right. While this might be correct, the greatest pity of this book is that the authors did not stick to left-right brain differences, which by itself would have made a wonderful book. Instead in chapters 2 and 3 they indulged in wild theories, presented as fact, pushing the benefits of a raw-plant-diet via completely unsubstantiated versions of anthropology and prehistory. They allege, for instance, that human teeth are mainly adapted to eat fruit and plant matter when in fact our teeth show we are omnivores, capable of eating either meat or plant foods.

There is no basis in anatomy or physiology for their assumption that humans are pre-adapted to the raw-vegetables-only diet. In fact, although vegetarians will hate this, there is actually much more basis for eating a high proportion of saturated fats (yup, saturated) and organic meat, as explained in books like "Trick and Treat" and books on the discoveries of Dr Weston Price.

In chapter 5 the authors return to making wild claims, this time about fertility, which in humans has about a 5% success ratio to sex whilst in animals it's nearer 95%. A raw-food-diet apparently reduces libido in men, which appears to be seen as a benefit as "we are addicted to sex" (I'm betting most of us wish we were!). They consider chemicals like steroids, melatonin, serotonin, DMT, MDMA (ecstasy). They refer to the "second brain" in the gut, which contains a highly complex neural system and displays a great degree of autonomy. In a rather convoluted way, they try to link all this to what they allege was the original fruit-and-leaves diet of our forest ancestors. The valid claims in this book are tainted by far too many wild claims with hardly a shred of evidence behind them.

I was tempted to deduct 2 stars for chapters 2 and 3 and some parts of chapters 5 and 6 but on reflection felt 4 stars was deserved because of the original thinking evident in chapters 1, 4 and 5, offering their fascinating genius-right-brain hypotheses.

It's also worth knowing that, in "Walking Your Blues Away: How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being" by Thom Hartmann, he refers to research showing that learning to read and write (especially before age 7) actually creates left-brain dominance which also creates more disconnection from the emotional and empathic right-brain side. This means that we become more willing (or even driven) to use violence, particularly men against women.

Because literacy changes how our brains are forming as we grow and develop, we have no reference point for understanding how we may have been had we not grown up literate, and thus no ability to truly understand or empathise with nonliterate and nonviolent societies. The result is that we assume that nonviolent societies can't really exist, and that our type of brain development is "normal" for the human race.