Mystical Experience and the Temporal Lobes

Firstly I feel I should define what is meant by mysticism in this context. Mysticism comes from the Greek word mystikos, “an initiate” and is the pursuit of achieving with, or awareness of, what could be called, God, ultimate reality, the divine, or spiritual truth. This is gained through direct experience, intuition or insight and the belief that the experience leads understanding of the true nature of things and ultimate wisdom. Traditions may include a belief in the literal existence of realities beyond empirical perception, or a belief that a true human perception of the world transcends logical reasoning or intellectual comprehension.

Mysticism goes beyond the normal practices of a religious doctrine and has sprung from each of the mainstream religions; Gnosticism from Christianity, Sufism from Islam, Kaballah from Judaism, Tantra from Buddhism, amongst other mystical practices. Common practices include the use of ritual and repetition in order to induce altered states through sensory experience, the whirling dervish in Sufism and the devotional chanting of the Hindu Bhajan both serve to take the individual into an experience typified by feelings of ‘loss of self’. These states may involve changes in awareness of time, space, physical reality and visual perceptions.

The mystical experience has a universal aspect in these terms, as it is sensory. It is, I claim, part of our neurological make up. Whether induced by sensory deprivation, stimulation, or hallucinogenic drugs, ultimately we are altering our brain chemistry.

Mystical experience need not be religious, but the important common factor is a sense of meaning. They are states of illumination beyond the intellect; there is a sense of connection with something or some power, which is external. Individuals often report having a sense of unity with the absolute, the revelation of great truths.

The study of these phenomena has led to a new branch of neuroscience called neurotheology. Central to this research is the findings of cognitive neuroscientist, Michael Persinger. Famously known as ‘The God Helmet’, Persinger stimulated subject’s temporal lobes artificially with a weak magnetic field to see if he could induce a religious state. Around 80% of the people who wore the helmet reported feeling an external presence in the room, some of those reporting a religious experience. This work, first published in ‘Perceptual and Motor Skills’ 1983 claims that these experiences are caused by micro seizures in the limbic system. Any condition that facilitates such experiences, meditation, ritual dancing or taking hallucinogens does so because it is stimulating the temporal lobe in a way that induces these seizures. He also correlates a tendency to have mystical experiences and religious beliefs with a neurological instability in the temporal lobe. This is backed up by study into temporal lobe epilepsy, sufferers of which often report visionary, out of body, mystical experiences.

This research was furthered by the use of brain imaging/scanning technology. Eugene D’Aquili, professor of psychiatry, and Andrew Newberg, who specialises in nuclear medicine, scan brains to record activity in different mental states. They propose that the brains amygdala, which translates sensory impressions into emotions, is responsible for generating a sense of religious awe.

‘Based on our model presented in prior works as well as our book, it seems that all unitary experiences such as watching a beautiful sunset to the most profound states that may occur only after years of meditation- may have their basis in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and the flux of neurotransmitters. We have suggested that there is an aesthetic religious continuum that is based on the progressive activation of the holistic operator such that the more profound the experience the more sense of unity. Our recent brain imaging studies of Tibetan Buddhist meditators have begun to provide empirical evidence for the specific mechanisms involved in this continuum of experience.

In an article interviewing D’Aquili and Newberg in Science Magazine (1998) David O’Reilly discusses their work;

(the research) builds on research tying hallucinations, out of body sensations and déjà vu activity, or suppression of activity, in parts of the brain. What intrigues D’Aquili and Newberg is how religious rituals and practices stimulate the two major subsystems of the autonomic systems… The researchers two year study of brains engaged in Buddhist meditation provided ‘mounting evidence that sensations of calm, unity and transcendence correspond to increased activity in the brain’s frontal lobes (behind the forehead) and decreased activity in the parietal lobes at the top rear of the head.

In terms of mystical practice different areas of the brain are activated depending on whether the ritual is fast (whirling dervish) or slow (meditation), both stimulating the perception of a higher state of consciousness.

O’ Reilly explains;

‘In states of very high activity around one circuit, they say, there can be a ‘spill over’, such that the dormant system activates and goes ‘on line’ simultaneously with the other. Although rare, this dual state can lead to “tremendous release” of energy that may feel like ‘oceanic bliss’ or absorption into the object of contemplation. And extreme cases of both systems being activated can induce brain activities perceived by the mind as the ‘Absolute Unity of Being’.

It is this ‘spill over’ within the brain that could be explained by new research into synaesthesia, which in turn I propose provides a bridge between mystical experience and basic universal visual perception.

A cross section of atheists and people with religious beliefs.
The measurements were recorded using a high tech brain-imaging tool, the SPECT camera (single photon emission computed tomography). Radioactive dye was released into an intravenous catheter in their arm, which travels to the brain and SPECT images of their brain were recorded. The subject was asked to tug on a piece of string at the peak of spiritual state, allowing the researchers to monitor the changes throughout the meditation.