Towards a neuroscience of spirituality
pp. 253-262
in: Harald Walach, Stefan Schmidt, Wayne B. Jonas (eds), Neuroscience, consciousness and spirituality, Berlin, Springer, 2011Abstract
Neuroimaging technology has revitalized the study of the brain and with it the opportunity to examine spiritual phenomena has also emerged. However, what is the difference between neurospirituality and neuropsychology? Distinguishing between brain measurements of spiritual phenomena from the psychological aspects of religion is key to defining the field of neurospirituality. In this article, two paths are suggested to distinguish these fields. One path is to explore the neurological correlates of characteristics that spiritual traditions claim for the Divine such as omnipresence, omnipotence, eternality, omniscience, a causality, and beneficence. A second path is examining neurological changes during spiritual healing practices when the practice involves emersion into Divine love. In both cases the interaction with and alteration of the arrow of time is a key distinguishing factor.