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Neurophenomenology

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Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion

Neurophenomenology is a relatively new topic representing the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience. The term originally appeared in 1990 in the book Brain, Symbol and Experience by Charles Laughlin, Eugene d’Aquila, and John McManus; however, it was Francisco Varela’s 1996 article, “Neurophenomenology: A methodological remedy for the hard problem,” that provided a more comprehensive framework for the movement and initiated interest in the topic (Moss 2015). As described by Robbins and Gordon (2015), neurophenomenology is the “culmination and integration of a long line of alternative, nonreductive, and holistic approaches to biology and cognitive science” (p. 207). The goal of neurophenomenology is to link phenomenological approaches to current cognitive and neuroscience techniques in order to better understand the human experience. As a new methodology, neurophenomenology has faced criticism that has not yet allowed it to become a mainstream force in psychology....

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Correspondence to Jessica L. Saurman .

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Saurman, J.L., Hoffman, L. (2020). Neurophenomenology. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_200199

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