100 books like Mind Magic

By James R. Doty,

Here are 100 books that Mind Magic fans have personally recommended if you like Mind Magic. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Perfume of Silence

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of Taoism for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Taoist History, Concepts, and Practices

From my list on change who you think you are in the best way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we know what we know, how objective knowledge differs from subjective knowing, and how we can validate knowledge as reliable vs. deceptive or distorted. These questions eventually led to encounters with nondual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and the Dzogchen and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These teachings bring feelings of happiness and joyful contentment—a sense of “coming home.” I love how they fiercely and compassionately challenge some of my most cherished assumptions about myself and the world. Like a skilled surgeon expertly repairing a broken bone, the nondual teachings dissolve mistaken beliefs and reveal my unbounded wholeness. 

Elizabeth's book list on change who you think you are in the best way

Elizabeth Reninger Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I love how Francis Lucille’s teaching stays rooted in the most essential question—“Who am I, really?—in ways that are, in turn, serious and playful, gentle and fierce. Love and Beauty and Truth are deeply honored throughout this lovely book, which presents a series of dialogues between Francis and students asking questions about him.

As Francis is fond of saying, “A true answer dissolves not only the question but also the questioner.” I appreciate the opportunity to witness this process, again and again, as Francis so skillfully points (like the proverbial finger to the moon) to “that which can’t be spoken”—but can be most intimately known. 

By Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Perfume of Silence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book is about enlightenment, spiritual awakening, self realization, meditation, awareness, consciousness, happiness, love, relationships, psychological suffering and human predicament. Based largely on actual dialogues between Francis Lucille, a spiritual teacher of non-duality, and some of his disciples, the music of freedom that it conveys resonates between the words, and gives the reader an inkling of the peace and happiness that are experienced in the presence of an authentic master. Francis Lucille was for over twenty years a close friend and disciple of Jean Klein, a well recognized French teacher of non-duality. They both belong to a lineage of Advaita…


Book cover of Awakening to the Natural State

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of Taoism for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Taoist History, Concepts, and Practices

From my list on change who you think you are in the best way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we know what we know, how objective knowledge differs from subjective knowing, and how we can validate knowledge as reliable vs. deceptive or distorted. These questions eventually led to encounters with nondual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and the Dzogchen and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These teachings bring feelings of happiness and joyful contentment—a sense of “coming home.” I love how they fiercely and compassionately challenge some of my most cherished assumptions about myself and the world. Like a skilled surgeon expertly repairing a broken bone, the nondual teachings dissolve mistaken beliefs and reveal my unbounded wholeness. 

Elizabeth's book list on change who you think you are in the best way

Elizabeth Reninger Why did Elizabeth love this book?

Both John Wheeler's books and audio interviews have blown my mind—in the best way! I simply adore his unwavering commitment to clear, direct pointers to the self-evident fact of "being" and "awareness" as our true nature and most essential identity.

Again and again, John Wheeler reminds me that this being-awareness—this continuous background of clear, steady presence—is the “space” in which all thoughts, sensations, and perceptions appear and disappear. It is what always remains unchanged, like a vast blue sky through which various clouds come and go. John invites me to clearly understand and joyfully affirm: I am the sky of awareness. 

By John Wheeler,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Awakening to the Natural State as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John Wheeler met Bob Adamson (a student of Nisargadatta Maharaj) on a trip to Australia in 2003. In short order, Bob cleared up John's doubts and questions and pointed out to him the fact of our real nature: self-shining, ever-present awareness. Bob Adamson has encouraged John to share this understanding of 'who we really are.' The articles contained in this book (extended by another 30 articles in this edition) cover some of John's experiences with meeting 'Sailor' Bob Adamson and various aspects of the understanding which subsequently unfolded. Interspersed with these are chapters of email correspondence with enquirers who have…


Book cover of Living Buddha Zen

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of Taoism for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Taoist History, Concepts, and Practices

From my list on change who you think you are in the best way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we know what we know, how objective knowledge differs from subjective knowing, and how we can validate knowledge as reliable vs. deceptive or distorted. These questions eventually led to encounters with nondual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and the Dzogchen and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These teachings bring feelings of happiness and joyful contentment—a sense of “coming home.” I love how they fiercely and compassionately challenge some of my most cherished assumptions about myself and the world. Like a skilled surgeon expertly repairing a broken bone, the nondual teachings dissolve mistaken beliefs and reveal my unbounded wholeness. 

Elizabeth's book list on change who you think you are in the best way

Elizabeth Reninger Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I’ve read the 52 stories in this book repeatedly, and each time—despite their familiarity—they seem fresh and new. They put a smile on my face and make my heart sing. This is due, in no small part, to how great a storyteller Lex Hixon is.

I love his artful weaving of deep wisdom into each tale of the intimate relationship between master and disciple and his descriptions of that blessèd moment when the disciple himself or herself becomes a master. I’ve long been fascinated by the question: What really happens during spiritual awakening, aka enlightenment? This book explores this question and at least hints at some sublimely satisfying answers. 

By Lex Nixon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Living Buddha Zen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Explores the moment when spiritual light transforms itself from one soul on to the heart of another.


Book cover of Natural Awakening: An Advanced Guide for Sharing Nondual Awareness

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of Taoism for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Taoist History, Concepts, and Practices

From my list on change who you think you are in the best way.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we know what we know, how objective knowledge differs from subjective knowing, and how we can validate knowledge as reliable vs. deceptive or distorted. These questions eventually led to encounters with nondual spiritual traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and the Dzogchen and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These teachings bring feelings of happiness and joyful contentment—a sense of “coming home.” I love how they fiercely and compassionately challenge some of my most cherished assumptions about myself and the world. Like a skilled surgeon expertly repairing a broken bone, the nondual teachings dissolve mistaken beliefs and reveal my unbounded wholeness. 

Elizabeth's book list on change who you think you are in the best way

Elizabeth Reninger Why did Elizabeth love this book?

This book enters a territory that very few books do—describing ways of facilitating an encounter with our most intimate yet ineffable true nature. Each time I read a few pages (usually the most I can digest at any given time), I feel so grateful for it!

In this uniquely valuable guidebook, I learn things I’ve not learned anywhere else about accessing and sustaining a “field” of nondual awareness in which psychological suffering simply cannot exist. Instead, this apparent suffering naturally dissolves to reveal the radiant awareness that is our true nature.

By Peter G. Fenner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Natural Awakening as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"When crystallized identities enter a nondual field of awareness and begin to interact with a being embodying that state, suffering can't be sustained. It dissolves into a space where there is neither suffering nor its absence. Nondual awareness creates a transformational field or vortex that gently or abruptly, but irrevocably moves people into radiant awareness.... This is the paradoxical state that bodhisattvas play in for eternity."

This Guide goes behind the curtains of Dr. Peter Fenner's highly distinctive nondual teachings. It reveals in great detail and clarity the subtle and sometimes mysterious skillful methods he uses in his workshops, trainings,…


Book cover of Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-based Program for Personal Transformation

Beth Kurland, Ph.D. Author Of You Don't Have to Change to Change Everything: Six Ways to Shift Your Vantage Point, Stop Striving for Happy, and Find True Well-Being

From my list on helping you change the way you see the world for well-being and transformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a youth, I longed to understand life and its meaning and purpose, and I sought books that opened me up to a world that transcended the more rational, tangible aspects of my life. I also became fascinated with psychology in high school and knew that would be my life’s path. In college and beyond, I was drawn to meditation and mind-body practices that became transformative in my life. This journey continues to this day, calling me to bridge the scientific and psychological with the more contemplative and spiritual traditions to find and help others find healing and wholeness. 

Beth's book list on helping you change the way you see the world for well-being and transformation

Beth Kurland, Ph.D. Why did Beth love this book?

Kelly McGonigal is nothing short of brilliant in the way that she takes neuroscience, research, and spiritual wisdom traditions and weaves them together into this audiobook/course that is powerfully experiential and hands-on.

She describes and then shows firsthand, through guided practices, how we can cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion and use this to help us change behaviors and habits. Whether one wants to improve their physical health, feel better emotionally, or start or stop a behavior to improve their well-being, this program offers a path forward.

I found the practical, experiential exercises she offers in this book immensely helpful for incorporating what she teaches into my life. This is the hallmark of a great teacher, and Kelly is just that.

By Kelly McGonigal,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Neuroscience of Change as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Personal Transformation Based on Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

What's your most important goal? Why does it matter so deeply? How will you overcome the obstacles? Answer these questions with sincerity, proceed with mindfulness and compassion, and you have just set in motion a revolutionary method for personal change that is supported by both the latest science and traditional wisdom. On The Neuroscience of Change, psychologist and award-winning Stanford lecturer Kelly McGonigal presents six sessions of breakthrough ideas, guided practices, and real-world exercises for making self-awareness and kindness the basis for meaningful transformation.

Practical Methods to Retrain Your Brain to Support Your…


Book cover of Neurodharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness

Caverly Morgan Author Of The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together

From my list on inner and outer peace.

Why am I passionate about this?

The question “Who are you?” has been central to my practice over the last 30 years. This inquiry led me to live in a silent monastery for eight years. If we aren’t who we have been conditioned to see ourselves to be, then who are we? Who are we truly? This inquiry has led to happiness in my own life, it’s led to happiness in the lives of thousands of teens who have been served through the nonprofit I founded―Peace in Schools, and it’s led to happiness with the adults who have come to my workshops and retreats.  

Caverly's book list on inner and outer peace

Caverly Morgan Why did Caverly love this book?

I was captivated by this one because it merges neuroscience with contemplative practices in a way that’s both practical and transformative. I appreciate how Hanson provides research-backed exercises to help rewire the brain for greater resilience and happiness.

The book’s approach to harnessing neuroplasticity resonated deeply with me, offering actionable steps to cultivate a more fulfilling and meaningful life. This blend of science and spirituality has truly enriched my personal growth journey, making it an essential read for anyone looking to leverage the brain’s power for lasting change and well-being.

By Rick Hanson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Neurodharma as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • “An easy-to-follow road map for creating day-to-day inner peace in today’s increasingly complex world.”—Lori Gottlieb, MFT, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Throughout history, people have sought the heights of human potential—to become as wise and strong, happy and loving, as any person can ever be. And now recent science is revealing how these remarkable ways of being are based on equally remarkable changes in our own nervous system, making them more attainable than ever before.  

In Neurodharma, the follow-up to his classic Buddha’s Brain, New York Times bestselling…


Book cover of Can Your Teen Survive—and Thrive—Without a Smartphone?

Victoria Dunckley Author Of Reset Your Child's Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen

From my list on effects of screen time on kids on neuroscience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an integrative child psychiatrist with a special focus on how screen-time detunes the nervous system, causing issues with sleep, mood, focus, and behavior. In fact, technology use is the most underestimated influence of our time; it causes problems whose connections aren’t always obvious, leads to misdiagnosis and overmedication, and wastes resources. I am passionate about helping children and families methodically reverse these changes using screen fast protocols that provide dramatic improvements in functioning and well-being. I speak regularly to parents’ groups, schools, and health providers, and my work has been featured on such outlets as NPR, CNN, NBC Nightly News, Psychology Today, and Good Morning America.

Victoria's book list on effects of screen time on kids on neuroscience

Victoria Dunckley Why did Victoria love this book?

This gem of a book presents the argument that parents should consider delaying giving their children smartphones until the child becomes an adult and has attained certain life skills. A mother of four, former nurse, and founder of ScreenStrong, author Melanie Hempe lived through digital addiction in her own family and is passionate about helping other families avoid her “mistakes”. At the same time she is well-versed in the current scientific literature across a broad array of tech-related topics, and she successfully “walks the talk”: her teens abstain from gaming/social media/smartphone use, but they are far from being socially ostracized - a common fear amongst parents.

By Melanie Hempe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Can Your Teen Survive—and Thrive—Without a Smartphone? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Parenting in the digital age is no easy task. Yet the answers may be closer and simpler than you think. RN by trade and mother of four, Melanie Hempe offers every parent the real solution to the smartphone dilemma. With scientific research on her side, Hempe offers a fresh perspective and innovative approach on the addictive role smartphones play in the lives of our children. Drawing on her own family's digital struggles and on her work with hundreds of families over the last seven years, Hempe’s advice empowers parents to go far beyond defining the problem to experiencing life-changing results.…


Book cover of The Power of Pressure: Why Pressure Isn't the Problem, It's the Solution

Eric J. McNulty Author Of You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most

From my list on leadership to read before the sh!t hits the fan.

Why am I passionate about this?

The world is growing more turbulent, and every leader today has to be ready to be a crisis leader. I have been studying and teaching leadership and crisis leadership at Harvard for more than two decades. I have deployed to major incidents such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and trained crisis teams around the world. I have seen that effective crisis leaders make “worst days” better. They unite and inspire, they protect communities, and, most important, they save lives. That’s why I have a passion to help current and aspiring leaders ready themselves and their organizations for whatever the world throws at them. 

Eric's book list on leadership to read before the sh!t hits the fan

Eric J. McNulty Why did Eric love this book?

My work on crisis leadership uses applied neuroscience to help people get “smarter their brains” by learning to work with and, in some cases counteracting, their instinctual reactions and ingrained patterns.

Jensen, who has worked with elite athletes as well as executives, draws on some of the same science (and more) in a practical approach to how to handle pressure. He goes through how to use breathing to tame anxiety and increase focus.

One insight I’ve found particularly useful is remembering what’s not at stake in a high-stakes situation. No matter what happens, your family, friends, and pets will still love and support you, for example. Knowing what you can count on makes a seemingly overwhelming challenge more manageable.

By Dane Jensen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Power of Pressure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Be energized, but not overwhelmed

What’s the most pressure you’ve ever been under? How did you react? What helped? What didn’t? Over the past five years, Dane Jensen has asked these questions of thousands of high performers—from Olympic gold medalists to Navy SEALs, politicians, executives and busy parents. What has emerged from these conversations is that while everyone’s experiences under pressure are unique, pressure follows patterns and develops in predictable ways. If we can recognize the patterns, we can improve our ability to sidestep the biological traps that can sabotage us—and use the energy that accompanies pressure to thrive. The…


Book cover of The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours

Amy Shoenthal Author Of The Setback Cycle: How Defining Moments Can Move Us Forward

From my list on navigate career setbacks and transitions.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been fascinated by psychology and the science behind why people are the way they are. This is probably why as a journalist, I’ve always been drawn to writing personal profiles of fascinating people, digging deeper into how they overcame various obstacles and setbacks. I have read so many leadership books that focus on success, but really found a gap when it came to those in-depth stories, which is why I wrote The Setback Cycle, a career advice book that focuses specifically on that messy middle part of leadership. My goal was to share the stories of people who overcame setbacks while offering an actionable framework that guides us through our own.

Amy's book list on navigate career setbacks and transitions

Amy Shoenthal Why did Amy love this book?

I was fascinated while reading this book because it taught me so much about how the brain works, why we are the way we are, and how our brains differ. I enjoyed how the author debunked that if we’re more “right-brained,” we’re more creative, and if we’re more “left-brained,” we’re more creative.

The concept is a whole lot more nuanced than that. I also appreciated her take on nature vs. nurture and how that impacts the way our brains work. It took me a long time to read this because there was so much information to digest, but I felt like the education I received from this book was invaluable.

By Chantel Prat,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Neuroscience of You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From University of Washington professor Chantel Prat comes The Neuroscience of You, a rollicking adventure into the human brain that reveals the surprising truth about neuroscience, shifting our focus from what’s average to an understanding of how every brain is different, exactly why our quirks are important, and what this means for each of us.

With style and wit, Chantel Prat takes us on a tour of the meaningful ways that our brains are dissimilar from one another. Using real-world examples, along with take-them-yourself tests and quizzes, she shows you how to identify the strengths and weakness of your own…


Book cover of Minority Report

Mark Bartholomew Author Of Intellectual Property and the Brain: How Neuroscience Will Reshape Legal Protection for Creations of the Mind

From my list on how neuroscience will change our lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a law professor who has been teaching and writing in the area of intellectual property for 20 years. As my career went along, I came to realize how important it is to not just mechanically apply the legal rules but to think about why they are there. Intellectual property law—a 7 trillion-dollar legal regime governing one-third of the U.S. economy—continually guesses as to how the minds of artists and audiences work. The more I read about neuroscientific advances, the more I realized that these guesses are often wrong and need to be updated for a new technological age.

Mark's book list on how neuroscience will change our lives

Mark Bartholomew Why did Mark love this book?

Sure, this book was written way back in 1956, but its dark tale of “mind reading” police is still just as captivating and relevant today. In Dick’s imagined future, three mutants are able to foresee crime before it occurs, allowing the cops to stop crime before it gets started. Like the mutants, today’s neural imaging machines are heralded as ways to see what people are thinking, revealing what they can’t or won’t voluntarily describe. The novel explores questions about expectations of privacy, the dangers of authoritarian regimes controlling invasive technologies, and the nature of free will—all issues that society will need to wrestle with as our understanding of the brain advances. 

By Philip K. Dick,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Minority Report as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Imagine a future where crimes can be detected before they are committed, and criminals are convicted and sentenced for crimes before committing them. This is the scenario of Philip K. Dick's classic story, now filmed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise.

In addition to MINORITY REPORT this exclusive collection includes nine other outstanding short stories by the twentieth century's outstanding SF master, three of which have been made into feature films.


Book cover of The Perfume of Silence
Book cover of Awakening to the Natural State
Book cover of Living Buddha Zen

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