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The Elusive Brain

Literature and Culture in the Age of Neuroscience

Marriage
Jane Austen's Hypochondriacs

Jason Tougaw on July 8, 2019

As Walter Benjamin famously asserted, “Death is the sanction for everything that the storyteller can tell.” In the case of the hypochondriac, diagnosis will do.

As Walter Benjamin famously asserted, “Death is the sanction for everything that the storyteller can tell.” In the case of the hypochondriac, diagnosis will do.

Memory
Neurology Gets Punked

Jason Tougaw on May 15, 2019

"I've always been obsessed with the brain, the evanescence of memory . . . how memory forges what we are but also in some ways limits what we are."

"I've always been obsessed with the brain, the evanescence of memory . . . how memory forges what we are but also in some ways limits what we are."

Resilience
Somatics in Practice

Jason Tougaw on April 16, 2019

When we first began, you asked me to make a commitment to a clear ideal or goal. I chose freedom. It’s a commitment with many tentacles.

When we first began, you asked me to make a commitment to a clear ideal or goal. I chose freedom. It’s a commitment with many tentacles.

Trauma
What Is Somatics?

Jason Tougaw on April 5, 2019

The goal of somatics therapy is for people to actually embody what they long to be, to be who they are more wholly, and to heal the split that may be caused by traumatic events.

The goal of somatics therapy is for people to actually embody what they long to be, to be who they are more wholly, and to heal the split that may be caused by traumatic events.

Resilience
How Savoring Can Be an Antidote to Digital Angst

Jason Tougaw on March 6, 2019

Savoring stretches an experience out over time. It stretches a pleasurable moment into the near future and it stays with us for a long time.

Savoring stretches an experience out over time. It stretches a pleasurable moment into the near future and it stays with us for a long time.

Health
Humanizing Healthcare for LGBTQ People

Jason Tougaw on February 25, 2019

LGBTQ-affirming healthcare understands the psychological, psychosocial, and physical ramifications of being part of a specific community.

LGBTQ-affirming healthcare understands the psychological, psychosocial, and physical ramifications of being part of a specific community.

Memory
8 Great Amnesia Books

Jason Tougaw on February 19, 2019

Not all amnesia stories are created equal. In the right hands, an amnesia story can become a sophisticated reflection on memory.

Not all amnesia stories are created equal. In the right hands, an amnesia story can become a sophisticated reflection on memory.

Trauma
How Our Bodies Remember Trauma

Jason Tougaw on December 29, 2018

It wasn’t until I was about 40 that I realized my body is almost always on constant alert — and that I was a little tired of it. Somatics gave me options.

It wasn’t until I was about 40 that I realized my body is almost always on constant alert — and that I was a little tired of it. Somatics gave me options.

Autism
Fiction and the Verbal Cinema of Emotion

Jason Tougaw on November 7, 2018

I believed in both literature’s transformative effects and the doctrine of “presuming competence” when encountering cognitive disability.

I believed in both literature’s transformative effects and the doctrine of “presuming competence” when encountering cognitive disability.

Empathy
The Reading Brain

Jason Tougaw on October 22, 2018

Reading is a human invention, made possible by pre-existing brain systems devoted to representing shapes, sound, and speech.

Reading is a human invention, made possible by pre-existing brain systems devoted to representing shapes, sound, and speech.

Neuroscience
You and Your Brain

Jason Tougaw on September 11, 2018

The “you are your brain” / “you are not your brain” debate is possible because of the paradox created by rapid advances in the neurosciences that raise more questions than answers.

The “you are your brain” / “you are not your brain” debate is possible because of the paradox created by rapid advances in the neurosciences that raise more questions than answers.

Anxiety
Reading Minds and News Anxiety

Jason Tougaw on August 27, 2018

The stories behind these headlines share an often-overlooked quality: They require readers to make guesses and draw conclusions about other people's intentions.

The stories behind these headlines share an often-overlooked quality: They require readers to make guesses and draw conclusions about other people's intentions.

Memory
Where Is Your Consciousness?

Jason Tougaw on August 21, 2018

We talk about our inner lives. We wonder what would happen if people could see into our minds. Consciousness, we imagine, is to be found somewhere inside us.

We talk about our inner lives. We wonder what would happen if people could see into our minds. Consciousness, we imagine, is to be found somewhere inside us.

Autism
Fresh Thinking on Autism

Jason Tougaw on August 8, 2018

A nonspeaking young man dreams of autistic civil rights: "Inclusion should not be a lottery."

A nonspeaking young man dreams of autistic civil rights: "Inclusion should not be a lottery."

Health
Comics and Medicine: Interview with Ellen Forney, Part 2

Jason Tougaw on July 23, 2018

Personal stories need to be part of medical education, to have real human context to balance the hard clinical aspects of health care. That’s especially true with mental illness.

Personal stories need to be part of medical education, to have real human context to balance the hard clinical aspects of health care. That’s especially true with mental illness.

Fantasies
Hannibal Lecter and Other Literary Brains

Jason Tougaw on June 21, 2018

These writers portray fantasies of finding the ethereal self in physical brains–by dissecting brains, holding them, prodding, examining, or eating them.

These writers portray fantasies of finding the ethereal self in physical brains–by dissecting brains, holding them, prodding, examining, or eating them.

Autism
The Stakes of Autistic Autobiography

Jason Tougaw on June 9, 2018

Why was an autistic child tackled by a police officer in a park? How might autistic autobiographers help prevent incidents like this?

Why was an autistic child tackled by a police officer in a park? How might autistic autobiographers help prevent incidents like this?