In other words, mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions and systems normally implicated in a variety of functions (self-consciousness, emotion, body representation). The study published in the current issue of Neuroscience Letters...
Fifteen cloistered Carmelite nuns ranging from 23 to 64-years-old were subjected to an fMRI brain scan while asked to relive a mystical experience rather than actually try to achieve one. "I was obliged to do it this way seeing as the nuns are unable to call upon God at will," said Beauregard. This method was justified seeing as previous studies with actors asked to enter a particular emotional state activated the same brain regions as people actually living those emotions.
...in the late 1990s..(s)ome researchers went as far as suggesting the possibility of a specific brain region designed for communication with God.
[This study demonstrated that a dozen different regions of the brain are activated during a mystical experience.]
press release | Science Blog
Posted by Stubbornson at August 29, 2006 06:57 PM