Can Science Explain Spiritual Experiences?
What neuroscience is beginning to reveal about awakening, and our connection to something greater
Spirituality is a fascinating concept. Even though it has a diverse and long history, nobody actually knows where and when it originated. Eastern cultures speak of spiritual texts dating back thousands of years. And that is just the documented history. The oral lore goes back even further. No matter which ancient culture you explore, you will find stories and legends of people who were said to be spiritually awakened or enlightened.
Even today, many people who practice spirituality as a way of life assert that they experience something greater than themselves. They say they can connect to a higher force. Of course, different people call this higher force by different names, such as higher consciousness, higher power, universal energy, god, divine energy, source, the universe, and more. Perhaps this is why spirituality itself has so many different definitions.
But what does science have to say? Is there a way we can study spiritual awakenings or experiences? In a small study, scientists did exactly that.
What Science Says About Spiritual Awakenings
For decades, scientists have sought to understand the neurobiological mechanism underlying people's spiritual awakening. Despite their best efforts, there hasn't been much success. However, one 2019 study shed some light on the matter. Researchers from Oxford, Yale, and Columbia universities wanted to see what happens in our brains during a spiritual experience.
They recruited 27 young adults from Connecticut and asked them to recall their spiritual experiences. According to the researchers, this was done to build their imagery script. They were also asked to recount some stressful and peaceful moments in their life.
After a week, the researchers conducted MRI scans of the participants while they listened to a recording of a female voice recounting their experiences. The scans revealed that all volunteers exhibited the same neurological pattern.
In all participants’ brains, there was increased activity in the parietal cortex (indicating greater attention) and decreased activity in the left inferior parietal lobe (which is responsible for self-awareness and awareness of others).
Interpreting the Science
This makes sense if you consider that during a spiritual experience, a person loses track of themselves and those around them, entering an almost trance-like state. Meanwhile, they are fully attentive to what is happening spiritually: a thought, an emotion, a higher force, a memory, their breath, or something that keeps their focus and attention on the experience.
This aligns with the stories that spiritually enlightened people share. According to them, during a spiritual awakening or enlightenment, they achieve a transcendent state in which they feel as though they have merged with the divine. It is a state where you truly feel one with everything.
Whenever I have had a deep spiritual experience, I have felt connected to the cosmos, and I have an acute focus of my senses on whatever the experience is, be it a vision, a feeling, a sensation, something I hear, or a download I receive. There are a few times when I have lost awareness of where I am in real life and completely merge into oneness. However, in less transcendent experiences, I still know where I am and who is with me.
Suffice it to say, this should be explored further. Spiritual experiences are not widely discussed, and if they were, there may be more resources for others going through similar experiences. Plus, it could open up a whole new dimension for scientific study.
It also invites an important conversation. Perhaps science and spirituality aren't opposing ideas. Perhaps they're simply exploring the same mystery from different directions.
References:
https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/29/6/2331/5017785?login=false