Your Brain On God

Your Brain On God

Two books came to my attention recently: the Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton, and How God Changes Your Brain by Drs. Andrew Newberg and Mark Wahlberg. In one sense, they complement each other and in another they stand poles apart.

Andrew Newberg has recently been on the Oprah Show (and the spinoff Dr. Oz show) talking about Neurotheology. In a couple of sentences, Neurotheology (or spiritual neuroscience) involves studying experiences of spirituality and hypotheses to explain these phenomena. In other words, if you have a mystical experience, what caused it?

Dr. Newberg postulates that our mystical experiences are fundamentally our brain at work, doing its normal functions. When certain chemicals are emitted to stimulate the brain, often by the thalamus and often part of a reaction to some stimuli, our perceptions of time, fear and self-consciousness dissolve; we are filled with spiritual awe; we feel a oneness with the universe or sudden enlightenment; and we may even enter altered states of consciousness. In brief, we have a spiritual experience.

Newberg notes that some people are more predisposed to these experiences than others. These people show certain physiological characteristics when their brain is scanned during and after the experience. For them, the release of the ‘right’ chemicals comes more easily. He says our beliefs in God come from these brain reactions.

He goes on to point out that certain voluntary activities – prayer, meditation, centering – produce long-term effects on your brain, particularly those parts that help you manage your emotions. These activities make you feel better, calmer, more compassionate, and more aware. For those of us that practice such activities, this is not news. The fact that they produce deep and long –lasting chemical reactions in the brain might be.

Bruce Lipton’s book goes a step further. He delves into the field of Meta-Medicine, a topic most MDs not only shun, but also deprecate. Lipton’s thesis could come right out of New Thought or any of the Law of Attraction books we’ve read: if you believe you deserve, and allow yourself to receive good health, your body will change – at the cellular level – to deliver this result to you. Lipton talks about energy-based health solutions – vibrational solutions – versus traditional chemical or surgical solutions we hear more about.

For instance, one man was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer with only a short time to live. He was given some medicines he was told would cure the disease and, for him, they did - the tumors disappeared completely. The medicines were placebos. When he heard the medicines were ineffective, the cancer returned, until he was told a new, stronger medicine had been created. He took the stronger dosage and was cured again, however, guess what? This too was a placebo. When he heard this, his cancer returned again.

We are what we think we are. If we think we’re susceptible to diseases, we will be. If we think we’re healthy, we will be. Allowing ourselves to be well, is a key part of the process.

Meta-Medicine has a number of guiding tenets, however, two seem unusually relevant to New Thought: first, mind, body and spirit are not separable, but a unity acting in a synchronous way; and, second, awareness is a key element in the healing process – awareness of both the disease process and the healing process.

So both authors agree, in so many words that your thinking changes your physiology. Lipton leaves no doubt, you can ‘think’ yourself to health, wellness, fitness, or, for that matter, any other goal you set. Your brain can change who you are – at the cellular level – at the DNA level – at the gene level.

Newberg, in Neurotheology, believes that our belief in God and all the derivative tenets and benefits, is due to brain chemistry. To this end, spiritual experiences are easier for some to experience than others, due, principally to their brain chemistry, however, for him, that's all they are. He concedes that anyone can probably benefit from those activities (such as prayer or meditation) that in the long run change the brain function and produce beneficial and positive results (e.g., calmness, compassion, etc.).

So what conclusions do we draw from these texts that can serve us in the future:

1. You are what you think you are.

2. You are as susceptible as you think you are.

3. You can heal yourself.

4. Prayer and meditation have some very positive benefits – use them.

5. There are good reasons not to allow your mind to focus on disease.

So this week, direct your thoughts to the healthy you - your mind, body, and spirit.

Namasté

This website is to stimulate your spiritual thinking in the hope that it will contribute to your spiritual growth. The author invites your comments and critiques by reply e-mail to bob@futuremoons.com.