|
|
 |
|
|
|
The Holistic Mystic: |
|
|
God In The Brain© |
|
|
by Lonny Brown, Ph.D. |
|
|
|
|
|
Armed with the most advanced imaging technology, a new breed of researchers who recognize the validity of both religion and medicine are systematically dismantling the long-standing border between the two.
In Why God Won't Go Away, author Andrew Newberg, M.D. tells how sophisticated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reveals unusual activity in an area of the brains of experienced meditators, which he concludes is the neurological origin of their inner spiritual reality.
Specifically, the posterior superior parietal lobe is a highly specialized bundle of neurons responsible for our sense of spatial orientation and boundary. Dubbed the orientation association area (OAA), this part of the brain shows significantly decreased arousal during deep meditation. The corresponding "peak experience" of the meditator fits the classic spiritual experiences described by mystics, saints and shamen for ages, including absorption of the self into a greater intelligence, and a sense of profound peace.
After years of scientific study, Dr. Newberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology in the Division of Nuclear Medicine and an instructor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, postulates that he now has "evidence of a neurological process that has evolved to allow us humans to transcend material existence and acknowledge and connect with a deeper, more spiritual part of ourselves, perceived of as an absolute, universal reality that connects us to all that is." In other words, the capacity for transcendental, spiritual experience is hard-wired into human anatomy.
Another scientist recently succeeded in stimulating these same brain regions in non-meditators electro-magnetically, also resulting in the metaphysical sense of unity, divinity, and tranquility characteristic of religious and spiritual experience. Coupled with the latest findings in mind/body healing and sychoneuroimmunology (the study of the relationship between thoughts, the nervous system, and blood factors), these developments signify the emergence of a new field of human inquiry, neuro-theology: the study of the connection between the human brain and God.
Even religious ritual, chanting and contemplative prayer have biological underpinnings, says Dr. Newberg. They all directly activate the hippocampus, which in turn quiets the orientation area, and ultimately results in the classic unity states associated with religious experience.
Skeptics might object that locating the parts of the physical brain associated with transcendent encounters proves precisely that such experiences are not "real," but merely subjective fantasies generated electro-chemically inside your skull. But today neuroscience is being forced to adopt a more relativistic view, as it becomes clear that the brain is as much a filter as a reliable sensor of objective reality. In other words, if your neurology defines your reality, meditation and other inner-directed practices are keys to the door to cosmic consciousness.
Of course Eastern spiritual practitioners will not be surprised to hear these scientific confirmations of their own ancient knowledge of the human body/mind. For centuries, the chakra system of meditating on the various psychic energy centers (corresponding to the major hormonal glands) has provided a map of the subtle inner topography to yogis seeking nirvana. What neurologists call the frontal lobe is known in kundalini yoga as the crown chakra, long associated with self-realization and enlightenment.
Today, as the geo-political and informational boundaries between east and west rapidly dissolve, so too is the outdated distinction between medicine and religion, science and spirit. Now we know that the connection is two-way: spirituality heals the body, and the brain makes the experience of the higher realms possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lonny Brown,
Ph.D.
|
 |
Lonny J. Brown, Ph.D. is the author of "Self-Actuated Healing" (Naturegraph, Publ.), and "Enlightenment In Our Time," (BookLocker.com/
LonnyBrown).
His writings on holistic health have appeared on AOL's Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications.
Dr. Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. His Web site also features essays, tapes, books, and links to a variety of integrative health sources.
Lonny J. Brown, Ph.D. is also the author of " ENLIGHTENMENT ONLINE - The Newsletter for Spiritual Cyberspace.
holistic.com/lonny
lonny@holistic.com
lonnybrown@aol.com
|
Send your questions to:
The Holistic Mystic
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory!
|
|
|
|
|
