Handbook of Religion and Mental Health

Abstract

This chapter explores the neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience. An analysis of the neuropsychological basis of these experiences serves several important purposes: (a) to illuminate the biological roots of these experiences and provide new information regarding the function of the human brain, (b) to provide a new understanding of how and why these experiences have played such a significant role in human thought and history, and (c) to lead to an understanding of the relationship between these experiences and human health and psychological well-being. In further considering a neuropsychological and neuroevolutionary approach to the study of religious and spiritual experiences, it is important to consider two major avenues toward attaining such experiences: group ritual and individual contemplation or meditation. A phenomenological analysis reveals that the two practices are similar in kind, if not in intensity, along two dimensions: (a) intermittent emotional discharges involving the subjective sensation of awe, peace, tranquillity, or ecstasy; and (b) varying degrees of unitary experience correlating with the emotional discharges. It is important for clinicians to be sensitive and knowledgeable regarding spiritual and philosophical beliefs. The chapter describes that professionals need to be capable of distinguishing normal, healthy spiritual growth from psychopathology. The fact that spiritual experiences have an effect on autonomic function as well as other cortically mediated cognitive and emotional processes suggests that such experiences not only affect the human psyche but also may be utilized to assist in the therapy of various disorders.