| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT A literature review was undertaken with the aim of understanding the relationship between human brain and religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs). The most common features ascribed to RSEs include a sense of having encountered ultimate reality , a sense of unity or totality , a state of no mind – pure consciousness and a state of bliss , which may be experienced during a wide range of spiritual practices such as prayer, yoga and meditation. Scientists previously believed that RSEs were artifacts of temporal lobe function, thus the temporal lobe was thought to be the only part of the brain involved in those experiences. Can RSEs predominantly be related to a single region of the brain? Or are there many parts of the brain involved simultaneously during RSEs? A search was conducted using the PubMed database to retrieve articles related to neural (anatomical) correlates of RSEs that were investigated using functional neuroimaging techniques, such as SPECT, PET and fMRI. Search terms included brain, religion, spirituality and neurotheology. 11 relevant articles were reviewed. Perhaps the most striking finding observed in these studies is that there exists no single specific neural correlate of RSEs. This finding should not come as a surprise, given that these experiences, like many other higher cortical functions, are complex and multidimensional, combining perception, cognition and emotion. Accordingly, RSEs are not merely irrational or delusions, they are rather based in the observable functions of the brain. The studies have also revealed some discrepancies, which are predominantly attributed to the diversity of meditative practices included in the studies. Still, there are some consistent findings within the frontal lobes, parietal lobes, basal ganglia and limbic system, which appears to be frequently related in a network associated with RSEs. However, these findings are only correlative in nature, they tell us nothing about cause and effect. In other words, it is not clear whether a change in regional brain activity caused that experience or responded to that experience. | eng |