In 1995, the book Emotional Intelligence by Harvard psychologist Daniel Goleman transformed the way we think about intelligence. EQ also inspired studies using advanced imaging devices like fMRIs and EEGs to measure the brain activity that accompanies shifts in human consciousness.

Among the groups that neuroscientists studied were Tibetan monks with over 10,000 hours of meditation practice and Franciscan nuns who've spent a lifetime in contemplative prayer. Regardless of which religion these modern mystics practice, the same areas of the brain light up.

Renowned neuroscientists like Richard Davidson (Altered Traits) and Andrew Newberg (How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain) have mapped a set of brain regions called the Enlightenment Network. It's active in mystics of all kinds, from Amazonian shamans to Qigong masters to Kabbalistic practitioners. When they enter altered states, and connect with a consciousness greater than themselves, it lights up, and they enter states of extraordinary bliss, compassion, and gratitude. Spiritual Intelligence or SQ is the ability to enter these states.

In Spiritual Intelligence, I review research demonstrating that the Enlightenment Network is part of every human brain. Every person has the ability to enter altered states hardwired into their heads. The practice of SQ allows people to get there quickly.

Remarkable new research demonstrates that SQ stimulates those regions of the brain to grow. This turns temporary ecstatic states into enduring personality traits. Some brain regions -- like an emotion regulation structure called the dentate gyrus -- can grow 10% a month. Large scale studies show that consistent exercise of SQ takes people to a "tipping point" at which they enter a durable experience of happiness, peace and resilience. They go from "Seekers" to "Finders" and usually remain in this state of "fundamental wellbeing" the rest of their lives.

Traditional devotional practices like meditation, prayer and contemplation activate SQ. But there's a second way in. The "flow" states experienced by peak performers -- whether they're athletes, musicians, scientists, writers, or businesspeople -- produce patterns of brain activity similar to those measured in mystics. Research with novices shows that -- using new neuroscience-based methods of inducing SQ -- they can be trained to acquire altered states quickly, enter "flow," and experience the bliss of the mystics.

Spiritual Intelligence is based on over 400 scientific studies. However the research is illustrated with dozens of personal stories demonstrating SQ. They include that of Anthony Ray Hinton, imprisoned for 30 years on Death Row for a crime he did not commit, of Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, who Smithsonian magazine dubbed "The World's Happiest Man," and of Candice Mama, whose father was brutally murdered by South Africa's apartheid regime but came to forgive his killer, policeman Eugene de Kock aka "Prime Evil."

Well-known examples like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and Desmond Tutu show us that SQ isn't weak and otherworldly; it makes people resilient, creative, brilliant and strong.

The number of people using the practices of SQ has increased 20-fold in the past 40 years. This is producing brain change in millions of people Renowned neuroscientists like Richard Davidson (Altered Traits) and Andrew Newberg (How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain) have mapped a set of brain regions called the Enlightenment Network. It's active in mystics of all kinds, from Amazonian shamans to Qigong masters to Kabbalistic practitioners. When they enter altered states, and connect with a consciousness greater than themselves, it lights up, and they enter states of extraordinary bliss, compassion, and gratitude. Spiritual Intelligence or SQ is the ability to enter these states.
worldwide, and affecting the direction of human evolution. The book ends with an overview of where SQ is taking the human race and the planet. After IQ and EQ, SQ is the next step in our understanding of human consciousness. The book Spiritual Intelligence is designed to bring this transformational concept to public awareness in the same way that Goleman's Emotional Intelligence accomplished thirty years ago.