The neural substrates of religious experience

Saver, Jeffrey L; Rabin, John

doi:10.1176/jnp.9.3.498

Cited by 201 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…It is, however, unclear why this neuroanatomical change would take years to occur. Alternatively, the temporal lobe has also been implicated in mystical experiences characterized by insights into the unity of all reality and a feeling of positive affect of peace and joy ( Saver and Rabin, 1997 ). For example, a similar area within the right temporal lobe (BA 21) was one of the brain areas activated when Carmelite nuns reported being in a state of union with God ( Beauregard and Paquette, 2006 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity

Villemure

Čeko

Cotton

et al. 2015

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

103

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Yoga combines postures, breathing, and meditation. Despite reported health benefits, yoga’s effects on the brain have received little study. We used magnetic resonance imaging to compare age-related gray matter (GM) decline in yogis and controls. We also examined the effect of increasing yoga experience and weekly practice on GM volume and assessed which aspects of weekly practice contributed most to brain size. Controls displayed the well documented age-related global brain GM decline while yogis did not, suggesting that yoga contributes to protect the brain against age-related decline. Years of yoga experience correlated mostly with GM volume differences in the left hemisphere (insula, frontal operculum, and orbitofrontal cortex) suggesting that yoga tunes the brain toward a parasympatically driven mode and positive states. The number of hours of weekly practice correlated with GM volume in the primary somatosensory cortex/superior parietal lobule (S1/SPL), precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), hippocampus, and primary visual cortex (V1). Commonality analyses indicated that the combination of postures and meditation contributed the most to the size of the hippocampus, precuneus/PCC, and S1/SPL while the combination of meditation and breathing exercises contributed the most to V1 volume. Yoga’s potential neuroprotective effects may provide a neural basis for some of its beneficial effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity

Villemure

Čeko

Cotton

et al. 2015

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

103

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show abstract

“…The structural changes and correlation with the amount of practice in the left inferior temporal gyrus first indicates a temporal region of the brain to be involved in meditation practice. In terms of meditation, this region is often linked to deep mystical and religious experiences (27). The cortical thickening of the hippocampus is linked to its strong anatomical connection to the amygdala and therefore its potential influence on emotional processes (25).…”

Section: Evidence From Structural Mrimentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural correlates of meditation a review of structural and functional MRI studies

Afonso¹

2020

Front Biosci

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Andrade et al. points out that about 30% of the inhabitants of a large metropolis suffer from mental disorders (10). Several meta-analysis have also shown that meditation can be used for treatment different psychological disorders with positive outcomes (11), (12). In this scenario, the use of adequate scientific methodology and instruments to observe the phenomena associated with meditation becomes important and allows health professionals to encourage meditation practice (13).Although there may be some differences between meditation practices such as focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) and their correlates dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation) in the ancient texts ( 14), such techniques share many similarities. Here, we will review, the effects of meditation on brain structure and function, raise some methodological questions and will not discuss semantic differences. For example, in cross-sectional studies, conclusions about the results of meditation might be mistaken for pre-existing individual differences. Moreover, if we take the effects of meditation into account, we should also consider state and trait (15), where state encompasses the alterations caused during some practice, while trait encompasses those that transform baseline patterns and remain even when the individual is not meditating. In the present scenario, researches are more focused on the psychobiological effects of meditation as a cognitive training than on the reports of the mystical states of trance described as nirvana or samadhi, which were precursors for the first meditation studies ( 16), (17).The aim of this study was to review structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies about meditation.Neural correlates of meditation: MRI and fMRI studies 94© 1996-2020 sensations and visceral awareness and therefore fits well into the meditators' practice (23). In general, the team found regions to be thicker in the right hemisphere that corresponds to its role for sustaining attention. They suggest differences between beginners and advanced practitioners. Advanced Neural correlates of meditation: MRI and fMRI studies 113

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“…• The limbic system is reported to play a crucial role in spiritual and religious experiences (d' Aquili and Newberg, 1993;Saver and Rabin, 1997). • The amygdala controls and modulates higher order emotion and motivational functions, specifically relating to arousal and fear (Morris et al, 1996, in d'Aquili and Newberg), while also being involved in attention, learning and memory.…”

Section: Brain Regions Affected By Contemplative Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Well-being and the worshipper: a scientific perspective of selected contemplative practices in Islam

Munsoor

2017

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Purpose Modern life is characterized by its hectic life-style, which invariably leads to high levels of stress having negative consequences for the mind-body. Thus, people are seeking for natural ways to achieve a sense of equilibrium and peace. Neuroscience has identified beneficial findings from contemplative practices like meditation, prayers and fasting. Within the Islamic framework, these practices were found to be beneficial for both the body and the mind. However, comparatively little research has been carried out on Islamic contemplative practices. Thus, there is a dire need to carry out further research, where the focus needs to be more on the inward aspects of Islam especially the contemplative practices. Design/methodology/approach The study took an integrated approach, whereby, objective experimental data from various sources were combined with the religious narratives from the Qur’an and the Hadiths or the practice of the Prophet in Islam. This was augmented by the subjective experiences of the participants of the study and all of these woven to present a case for Islamic contemplative practices. Findings Worship, be it Yogic, Buddhist and Islamic, seems to have positive mental and physical benefits for individuals. Much has been documented within the field of Yoga and Buddhist practices, and it is only recently that Islamic practices are beginning to be studied and are yielding similar results. It has been found that Islamic ritual prayers, fasting and meditation (dhikr) have an impact on the well-being of the worshipper. The communities of practice commonly known as “tariqas” and other religio-spiritual orders can serve as a vehicle to further these practices. This opens the door for more extensive research in this direction. Research limitations/implications This study clearly indicates that Islamic practices have positive benefits; however, the number of studies are limited. Moreover, there are a whole system of practices as the contemplative tree in this paper points out, which needs more robust as well as longitudinal studies to outline more conclusive evidence to this effect. Practical implications Muslims have been looking at other traditions like Yoga and Buddhist meditation to find ways of improving their physical and mental health. This meta-study indicates that Islamic contemplative practices have positive benefits, and thus, there are a variety of practices like ritual prayers, fasting and meditation, which is found to demonstrate positive health benefits. Thus, it has direct practical reasons to pursue these practices and derive the innate benefits from them. Social implications The data from the various neuroscience studies have demonstrated the neurological and physiological impact on individuals directly relating to worship. However, the studies on the Islamic ritual prayer (salat) cited in this study points out to its social implications, where congregational prayers was found to be more beneficial than the individual prayers. Thus, this indicates the social implications that collective worship can have. Further research is needed in terms of understanding the social impact on the various collective contemplative practices. Originality/value The originality of this literature review and analysis is bringing together the various strands of neuroscience and health data to demonstrate the positive impact of worship emanating from others faiths, while building a case for Islamic contemplative practices. This is further augmented by its integrated approach of weaving hard and soft data and synthesizing it to present health benefits of worship.

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The neural substrates of religious experience

Cited by 201 publications

References 92 publications

Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity

Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity

Neural correlates of meditation a review of structural and functional MRI studies

Well-being and the worshipper: a scientific perspective of selected contemplative practices in Islam

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