The science of the brain is neurobiology. Eugene D'Aquili - The Secret of God and the Science of the Brain. Neurobiology of faith and religious evidence. How does the brain work?
The answer to the nutritional implications of neurobiology is short. Neurobiology is the branch of biology and the science that studies the functions and physiology of the brain. The very name of the science suggests that the main objects of development are nerve cells - neurons, including the entire nervous system.
- What makes up the brain and neurons?
- History of the development of neurobiology
- Neurobiological research methods
What makes up the brain and neurons?
In the nervous system, in addition to the number of neurons, various tissue glands share the role, some of which share much of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. They are intended for the maintenance and close interaction with neurons, ensuring their normal functioning and vitality. Therefore, the current neurobiology of the brain also includes neuroglia, and their various functions from the supply of neurons.
History of the development of neurobiology
The current history of the development of neurobiology as a science began from the beginning of the century between the 19th and 20th centuries:
- Representatives and followers of J.-P., founded in the first half of the 19th century. Müller of the German school of physiology (G. von Helmholtz, K. Ludwig, L. Hermann, E. Dubois-Reymond, Y. Bernstein, C. Bernard, etc.) were able to bring to light the electrical nature of signals transmitted by nerve fibers.
- Y. Bernstein in 1902 developed the membrane theory, which describes the activation of nerve tissue, where the initial role was assigned to potassium ions.
- Yogo suchasnik E. The overtone in that fate is distorted, because the sodium is necessary for the generation of damage to the nerve. But today's scholars did not appreciate Overton's work well.
- C. Bernard and E. Dubois-Reymond assumed that brain signals are transmitted through chemical speech.
- Russian scientists V.Yu. Chagovets a little earlier than the publication of Bernstein’s membrane theory, having introduced the powerful ion theory of the origin of bioelectric cells in 1896. He also experimentally confirmed that the electric shock has a physical and chemical effect.
- Bilya dzherel electroencephalography standing V.V. Pravdich-Neminsky, who in 1913 first recorded the electrical activity of the brain from the surface of the dog’s skull. And the first recording of human electroencephalograms was made in 1928 by the Austrian psychiatrist G. Berger.
- The studies of E. Huxley, A. Hodgkin and K. Cole revealed the mechanisms of neuronal excitability at the cellular and molecular level. The first 1939 fate of snakes began to die out, as from the awakened membrane of the giant axons of the squid, their ion conductivity changes.
- In the 60s at the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian Socialist Republic under the supervision of Ak. P. Kostyuk was the first to register ion streams at the moment of awakening of the membranes of neurons of spinal and spineless creatures.
Subsequently, the history of development of neurobiology has expanded to reveal the rich components that take part in the process of internal cellular signaling:
- phosphatase;
- kinazi;
- enzymes involved in the synthesis of secondary intermediates;
- numerical G-proteins are different.
The work of E. Neyer and B. Sakman described the investigation of single ion channels in toad meat fibers that were activated by acetylcholine. Further development of research methods has made it possible to study the activity of various single ion channels found in cell membranes. In the last 20 years, methods of molecular biology have become widely used in neurobiology, which has made it possible to understand the chemical production of various proteins that take part in the processes of intracellular Ecgestive signaling. With the help of electronic and highly sophisticated optical microscopy, as well as laser technologies, it has become possible to study the fundamentals of the physiology of nerve cells and organelles at macro- and micro-levels.
Video about neurobiology - the science of the brain:
Neurobiological research methods
Theoretical research methods in the neurobiology of the human brain are rich in the development of the central nervous system of animals. The human brain is a product of the eternal evolution of life on the planet, which began in the Archean period and continues to this day. Nature has gone through untreated options for the structure of the central nervous system and its elements. Thus, it was noted that the neurons in children and the processes that take place in them, in humans, are no longer exactly the same as in many more primitive creatures (fish, arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, etc.).
With the development of neurobiology, the remaining rocks are increasingly being found to originate in the brains of guinea pigs and newborns. Nerve tissue is often vicorized and cultured individually.
What can current neurobiological methods show? First of all, these are the mechanisms of operation of several neurons and their teenagers. To record the bioelectrical activity of adolescents and neurons themselves, special techniques of microelectrode technology are used. Look, the order and investigation items may look different.
Most often, two types of microelectrodes are used: glass and metal. For the rest, tungsten drill bits with a thickness of 0.3 to 1 mm are often used. To record the activity of a single neuron, a microelectrode is inserted into a manipulator designed to precisely insert it into the creature’s brain. The manipulator can be used either directly or by being attached to the skull of the object in position under the conditions that are circulating. In the end, the device may be miniaturized, therefore deprived of the name micromanipulator.
Bioelectric activity was recorded depending on the radius of the microelectrode tip. Since this diameter does not exceed 5 microns, it is possible to record the potential of a single neuron in which the tip of the electrode approaches the traced nerve cell by approximately 100 microns. Since the tip of the microelectrode has twice the diameter, the activity of tens or even hundreds of neurons is recorded at one time. Microelectrodes are also widely wide, manufactured from glass capillaries, the diameters of which range from 1 to 3 mm.
What do you know about neurobiology? What do you think about this science? Tell us about it in the comments.
Side by side: 1 (the book has 15 sides) [available reading lessons: 10 sides]
Andrew Newberg, Eugene D'Aquili, Vince Rouse
The secret chamber of God is the science of the brain. Neurobiology of faith and religious evidence
To our families
* * *
“It’s really boring... One of the most boring books I’ve read in the field of neuropsychiatry and the nutrition of intuition.”
Mona Lisa Schultz, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, author of the book “Awakening Intuition”
“This point is extremely important for the further development of connections between science and religion. As in the past, who have explored the neurobiological foundations of religious evidence, given their theological analysis and assessment, the authors of this book are one of their kind. The book clearly shows us that the mind is inevitably sensitive to spirituality and religious experiences.”
Father Ronald Murphy, Order of the Jesuits, Professor at Georgetown University
“This is an important book to familiarize the primary reader, researcher and clinician with new insights into the field of neurobiology, which can help to cope with the influx of spiritual experiences on the brain, health and illness. A wonderful handyman."
David Larson, MD, MPH, President, National Health Care Institute
“The work of medical research at the University of Pennsylvania in the new field of neurotheology that is emerging before our eyes is amazing.”
National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Association of Canada NAPRA ReView
“This book will make you think seriously about religion... the fragments of it provide a sound basis for thought and discussion about spiritual life Newberg, D'Aquili and Rouse did a great job by writing this brave book. This should be read in religious stakes, in book discussion groups, and in schools.”
The Providence Journal
"Easy to write and easy to read... a fascinating book about the relationship between our minds and our deepest reality"
Catholic Digest Magazine
1. Photograph of God. Introduction to biology
In a small dark laboratory of the great university hospital, a young man named Robert lights candles, lights a stick of jasmine scent, and then sits on the couch and easily assumes the lotus position. A devout Buddhist who practices meditation in Tibet, he is going to again destroy his inner wisdom. Once again, Robert will not be able to sense the impeccable morality of his mind and will be able to plunge into a deeper and clearer inner reality. Similar expensive ideas have happened a thousand times already, but now they are becoming more special: while we are entering the inner spiritual reality, so that the material light is soon becoming a pale illusion, Mayzhe in the literal sense is deprived of physical duties here and now for the help of a big motuzka .
One burnt end of the coil lies behind Robert, the other is located behind the closed door of the laboratory in the after-room on my finger - I am sitting at the same time with my friend and bagator colleague with the last scientist, Dr. Eugene D' Aquili. We wait with Gene if Robert gives us a signal through his motor that his meditative state has reached its transcendental peak. The very moment of spiritual ascension is of particular interest to us. 1
Fragments of judgment about the moment when meditation reaches the heights are extremely subjective, which is even more important to recognize and even more important to die. This “pivot” attitude is extremely powerful, and it carries the greatest spiritual force and flows most strongly into people. Your current feelings can be identified with the help of various tools that allow you to simultaneously change various parameters. It is easier to identify similar moments behind such indicators as blood flow into the brain, electrical activity of the brain and somatic reactions, arterial tension and heart rate. Beginning our research, we tried to focus on the subjective perceptions of people as they evaluate their experiences. Those who were forced into meditation tried to trim the moth, which allowed them, without disturbing the process of meditation, to give us a signal at the moment when the stench reached the nearest camp. Although we had learned the best practices of meditation, the motuzka didn’t matter to them at all. To read this in more detail, further investigations are required. For now, it is enough to say that we can observe the peak conditions or there will be hypotheses about them on the basis of the development of “less deep” factors, regardless of those that are difficult for us to understand, if in any way these peak experiences arise. Please name two of the most important participants in our research: Dr. Abas Alavi, head of the nuclear medicine department at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, who would like to give me great encouragement Sometime I got busy with wonderful speeches, and connections with this very University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Michael Baym, specialist in internal diseases, practicing Buddhism in Tibet.
Method: How to Capture Spiritual Reality
Over the course of many years, Gene and I were drawn to the interrelationship between religious knowledge and the brain, and we suspected that, following the activity of Robert’s brain in the most intense and From these moments of meditation, we can better understand the hidden connections between the knowledge of people and the permanent inexorable Pragnennyam. The notes are much larger, but not the same.
Earlier, while talking to us, Robert tried to describe to us in words how his meditation reaches a spiritual peak. At first, speaking, the mind calms down, which makes it possible for more of the deep and singing part of I to emerge. Robert respects that the inner I is the only part of his identity, and this part is not doesn't it change? For Robert, such an internal thing is not a metaphor and not just an attitude, it has a literal meaning, it is persistent and real. These are the things that are lost when knowledge is deprived of its worries, fears, worries and other activities. It is important that the inner self forms the very essence of my butt. As soon as Robert is pressed by Rose, we can call him our “soul.” 2
Here the word “soul” is used in the greatest sense, otherwise it could give rise to confusion between similar and strange phenomena about religion and spirituality. It is very important to explain the manifestations of Buddhists at the borders of the Sunset. Tim no less, here we tried to present these phenomena as possible in a simpler form.
“It feels like eternity and infinity...
At this moment I never become a part of everyone and everything, I achieve everything I need.”
Robert seems that if this deep knowledge (no matter what its nature is) arises at the moment of meditation, if there is a lot of inner thoughts, then raptov begins to understand that I don’t exist inside solovane, but it’s unbreakably tied to to all creations. However, if we try to describe this extremely special evidence in words, we inevitably end up in familiar clichés that people have been using for centuries, seeking information about unconscious spiritual experiences. “It feels like eternity and infinity,” one might say. “At this moment I never become a part of everyone and everything, I achieve everything.” 3
Describing our experiences, we try to talk about a sense of oneness with the light, about a deep self and strong emotions, as a rule, associated with a state of deep calm.
For a traditional scholar, such words have no value. Science deals with things that can be known, preserved, and died out - and all those things that cannot be verified on the basis of objective caution simply cannot be called scientific. Wanting to say that Robert’s testimony is something eternal, he, as a professional, would like to say that the words “practice of meditation” may have a very special and speculative character, so they hardly indicate any specific phenomenon in the material world. 4
In a typical case, the scientific method allows one to call “real” without speech, which can die out.
However, after many fates before the investigation, Gene and I came to a conclusion that the experiences, as Robert informs us, are entirely real and can be measured and verified using other reference science. 5
The word “real” here does not necessarily convey the essence of the melodious external reality associated with such experiences, but to talk about those that this experience has the least internal reality.
What makes me anxious is to sit behind Gene in the cramped examination room, twirling a thin spool between my fingers: I wait for Robert to have a moment of mystical shedding, because I want to “photograph” this experience. 6
We understand that this is not just “photography”, but this is the very essence of our work. Accurately photographing a moment of intense mystical experience is not easy, and despite the fact that our attempts plan their rights with meditation, it is important to convey how long such a situation will last and how powerful it will be. It is important that we can introduce the processes in the brain, which are the basis of the process of meditation, and create a clear and amazing picture of the work of the brain in moments of spiritual experiences.
Spiritual experiences are real, and they can be measured and verified through the science of science.
Robert is meditating, and we are waiting for nearly a year. Then I realize that I’m carefully pulling on the motorcycle. This means that in less than an hour, the radioactive material must be injected into the infusionist, so that it will flow through a long tube into the vein on Robert’s left arm. We give him another three hours to complete the meditation, and then immediately take him to one of the rooms of the nuclear medicine department, where there is a state-of-the-art device for single-photon mass computed tomography. ї (OPECT). Robert immediately appears on the metal table, and three gamma cameras begin to wrap around his head behind the clear arm of the robots.
The SPECT camera is a high-tech imaging device that detects radioactivity 7
Explore other imaging technologies, similar to SPECT, that can be used to monitor brain activity. This includes positron emics tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whether such techniques have their advantages and disadvantages are equal to others. We chose SPECT from practical considerations: this technique allowed the tried-and-true meditator to engage in postural meditation with a scanning device, which would be easier to develop with PET and is not at all possible with fMRI.
OFFECT cameras scan Robert's head, revealing the accumulation of radioactive material that was released at that moment when he pulled the skewer. This material is expanded by blood vessels and may immediately reach the brain cells, where it is lost for several years. Thus, the SPECT method gives us an accurate freeze-frame of the blood flow into Robert’s brain immediately after the introduction of speech - then at the very peak moment of meditation.
An increased flow of blood to part of the brain indicates increased activity in this area 8
In general, increased blood flow is associated with increased activity due to the fact that the cerebrum itself regulates its blood flow according to the needs of its surrounding areas. Although this is not an absolute rule. In cases of stroke or head injury, there is no such ligament. In addition, certain nerve cells activate certain parts of the brain, and other cells suppress their activity. Thus, an increased flow of blood can indicate a decrease in activity, which leads to a decrease in the activity of the brain.
Nowadays, we understand well what functions exist outside the brain area, we can assume that OPECTOR presents us with a picture of Robert’s brain at the climax of his meditation.
Data that we take away
Ottrimani dažni sravda tsikava. The tomograms show signs of emergency activity of the small part of the gray vein at the top of the posterior part of the cerebrum (div. Fig. 1). This plexus of neurons with a specialized function is called the posterior superior thymic region, and for this book we came up with a different name for this section: the orientational-associative zone, or OAZ. 9
Here it should be noted that this book often contains terms unknown to science; At the same time, we live with various concepts that can help the reader understand the mechanism of the brain. Tim no less, we tried to include dates in scientific terms for the notes.
Pershochergova Plant OAZ – orientation of people in physical space. She evaluates what is higher and what is lower, helps us judge where we are and where we are, and allows us to safely navigate the precarious physical environment 10
This book talks about the functions of different parts of the brain. Although the functions of the singing world are connected to the singing parts of the brain, it was necessary to forget that the brain always functions as a single system, and the work of the skin surrounding parts requires the work of other parts.
For the achievement of such a function, this zone is primarily responsible for the clear and stable image of the physical cordons of a person. To put it simply, it is your responsibility to clearly reinforce your decision, because it is not you, because it is the decision of the whole world.
Small 1: In the top row there is an image of a tested brain, if that is what it is; It can be seen that the level of activity of postural expansions in every brain. (The upper part of the image is the anterior part of the cerebrum, the associative zone of respect, ABC, and the lower part represents the orientation-associative zone, OAZ.) In the bottom row - the image of the cerebrum, tested during the hour of meditation, activity of the left orientation zone (right hand facing you) There is noticeably less than the right zone. (The darker the zone, the more active it is, and the lighter the zone, the less active it is.) We present here black-and-white images, so as not to create images in the required world of contrast at the same time, although on the computer screen 'yutera mi bachimo image u colori .
You might find it surprising that the brain needs a special mechanism to tease you out of the world; For normal knowledge, this difference seems ridiculously obvious. This is explained by the fact that OAZ is renovating its work completely and irrevocably. And when this area of the brain is affected, it is very important for people to move around. If such a person, for example, goes to bed, the brain expends a lot of strength on a constant assessment of the places, depths and views that without any help, simply lying down for a person becomes an impossible, important task. Without the help of the zone of orientation, which is to steadily follow the changing state of the body, people cannot find their place in space either mentally or physically, so when trying to lie down, they may fall into or if she decided to pee on the mattress, if she It is advisable to lie down more comfortably, rather than press against the wall in an awkward position.
But in normal circumstances, OAZ helps to create a clear picture of the physical state of the world, so we don’t have to think about it at all. In order to work well on the right, the orientation zone requires a steady influx of nerve impulses from sensory sensors from the body. OAZ sorts and processes these impulses with supernatural fluidity in every moment of our life. With its incredible efficiency and speed, it surpasses today's computers.
And it is not surprising that the images of Robert’s brain, when monitored by the OFECT system, determined before meditation at the initial stage of his awareness (basic level), show that a lot of parts of the brain, including the orientation zone, are become highly active. When you see it on the screen, we are very happy to see the pulsating bright red or yellow color.
When Robert’s meditation reaches its peak, in the images of the brain this area becomes saturated with cold green and dark tones, which indicates a sharp decrease in its activity.
This sight enchanted us. We know that the orientation zone does not provide any explanation: how can we explain such an unexpected decrease in the activity of a small section of the brain?
And then a strange thought occurred to us: that the orientation zone continues to process with extreme intensity, but the influx of sensory information to it has been blocked 11
This kind of blocking of the flow of information is avoided in various processes – both normal and pathological. Many structures of the brain are relieved by the influx of information due to the action of different systems that are galling. We'll talk about similar processes later.
This hypothesis would help explain the decrease in brain activity in this zone. And even more important: this could mean that the OAZ is “sleep” at any time, and it is supplied with the same information that is needed for normal work.
What could happen, we asked ourselves, if OAZ wastes the information it needs to work? Why don't you stitch behind the boundaries of the body? If the required information no longer reaches the OAZ, it will be impossible to determine the boundaries.
Why is there a brain in this situation? Is it possible that the zone of orientation is impossible to recognize the boundaries of the bodily self and assume that there are no such cordons? It is possible, in which case the brain can be filled with infinity and perceive it as a system of ligaments from the mind and everything that is in the sphere of the mind. And such a picture is perceived as a residual, unobstructed reality.
This is how Robert and the generation of mystics who lived before described their peak mystical and spiritual experiences and greatest moments of meditation. This is what the Hindu Upanishad says:
Like a river that flows in and out,
Flows into the sea and becomes one with it,
Having completely forgotten about the awakening of the frozen rivers,
Thus, all creation spends its strength,
When you decide to get angry.12
Quote for: Easwaran, 1987.
Robert was one of our last eight who practiced meditation in Tibet. The skin lesion was subject to the same routine procedure, and literally in all the previous ones, SPECT scans revealed decreased activity in the orientation zone at the moment when their meditation reached its peak. 13
Although not all patients experienced a specific decrease in activity in the orientation zone, it was possible to detect a strong negative correlation between increased activity of the frontal part (the area of the brain that is in focused attention) and History of the orientation zone. From these data, we have drawn the following conclusion: if respect is recorded more quickly during the hour of meditation, then the influx of information to the orientation zone is stronger. Why did the activity of the orientation zone decrease in all the last ones? There are two possible explanations here. First, perhaps, we tried, in which the activity of the OAZ did not decrease, having engaged in meditation not as successfully as others, and we wanted to spend the whole hour trying to evaluate the process of meditation, but this is a deeply subjective state, which is bad There is a vimir. Otherwise, this investigation allowed us to have just one more moment of meditation. It is possible that at these early stages there will be an increase in the activity of the orientation zone, if the experiment is to respect the visual image. Perhaps we could be aware that the activity of the orientation zone moves forward, is lost at the base level, or decreases in severity during the meditation stage, which the subject is actually in, although he himself is What matters is that it reaches a more advanced stage. In our report we will discuss the results of these data in the section dedicated to mystical intelligence.
Later, we expanded the scope of the experiment and studied just as many Franciscan monks at prayer. 14
Report on these experiments: Newberg et al. 1997, 2000.
A new SPECT scan showed that at the peak moments of religious experiences among sisters, similar changes in brain activity could be prevented. However, when replaced by Buddhists, the sisters described their testimony differently: they spoke of a clear sense of the closeness of God and anger with Him. 15
We will obviously become prostitutes of the human race, talking about God, although we may recognize Him in a different way.
Their descriptions were similar to the words of the Christian mystics of the past, including the words of the 13th century Franciscan monk Angela s Foligno: “How great is the mercy of Him who makes this union... I am small of God in such fullness that even didn’t live in my camp, but they took me away to the world in which I united with God and could enjoy anything.”
In the course of our investigations and accumulation of data, Gene and I found that we valued, reliable evidence that the mystical evidence of our recent - changes in the state of information, in which, in their words, I am angry to be with much greater people - it was not just an emotional curiosity, but simply a figment of fantasy, but has recently revealed a number of neurological phenomena that one must be careful not to cause unexpected events, and not to go beyond the normal functioning of the brain. In other words, mystical evidence is real from a biological point of view, accessible to observation and can be the subject of scientific investigation.
At the peak of religious experiences, it is possible to prevent changes in brain activity
Such a result is not surprising to us. In fact, all our previous investigations allowed him to be transferred. For many years, we have looked at scientific practices that focus on the interconnections between religious practices and, perhaps, to understand the biological basis of faith. We wore a great variety of different materials. Some studies looked at nutrition to guide us, on a level with simple physiology - let's say, they talked about changing arterial pressure during an hour of meditation. Others were concerned with much more material offered - for example, there was an attempt to suppress the healing power of prayer. We got acquainted with the research of people who experienced clinical death, experienced mystical emotions, caused by epilepsy and schizophrenia, collected data on hallucinations provoked by chemicals speech or electrical stimulation of the brain.
In addition to scientific literature, we searched for descriptions of mystical experiences in secular religions and myths. Zokrema, Jin learned the ritual practices of ancient cultures and tried to find connections between the emergence of rituals and the evolution of the human brain. There is a wealth of data that suggests such an interrelationship between religious rituals and the brain, and that all of them have been brought into the system or included to form a complete picture. Even as Gene and I were following up on mountains of information about religious knowledge, ritual and brains, the pieces of the puzzle were being put together into pictures that would lead to profound changes. Step by step, we created a hypothesis that spiritual evidence - to its very roots - is closely related to the biological reality of people. For the singing sense, biology means spiritual energy.
Spiritual evidence of its very roots is closely related to the biological essence of people
SPECT scanning allowed us to verify our hypothesis by monitoring brain activity in people who engage in spiritual practices. It is impossible to say that the results absolutely prove that we are right, but they support our hypothesis, demonstrating that at the moment of spiritual experience one can behave in the way that our theory conveyed. 16
This research was our first attempt to use an empirical method to study the neurophysiology of spiritual insight. These results, as well as other studies (div.: Herzog et al. 1990-1991, Lou et al. 1999), confirmed the most important aspects of our hypothesis.
These encouraging results dampened our enthusiasm for the work and increased our interest in the future, which kept us occupied throughout the rich investigations. At such meals we disgraced our respect. Why is the need of people to create myths rooted in their biological essence? What is the neurological problem with ritual? What nature sees and the secret of great mystics: phenomena associated with mental and emotional disorders and the result of an integral system of processing sensory data beyond what is neurologically normal and healthy and stable psyche? How could such evolutionary officials, such as sexuality and the idea of betting, tap into the biological aspect of religious ecstasy?
Trying to better understand what follows from our theory, we have again and again spent on the same nutrition, which, it seems, was the main thing among all the others: what we have discovered is a very biological root for all things Are you worried about hell? And what have we discovered that this theory tells us about the nature of spiritual thought?
A skeptic could say that all spiritual endeavors and experiences, including the desire of people to come into contact with the divine, are of a biological nature, which is explained by the lighthouse, the disruption of biochemical processes in the accumulated nerve cells.
However, data from the SPECT method indicate a different possibility. The orientation zone here worked in an unusual mode, but it is impossible to say that it worked incorrectly, and we appreciate that the color images of the tomographs on the computer screen showed us how the brain transforms spiritual evidence into reality. After the rich history of literature and research with Gene, we continue to think that there is little to do with the real neurological processes that, during the course of evolution, made it possible for us, people, to go beyond the material world and enter into connections from the deeper, spiritual part of ourselves, which we perceive as absolute, that universal reality that binds us to everything we know.
In this book we intend to provide the context for these extraordinary hypotheses. We will look at the biological side of people's desire to create myths and show the neurological mechanisms that give these myths shape and ensure strength. We will talk about the interrelationship between myth and ritual and explain how ritual behavior flows into the nerves of the cord, creating such processes that are associated with a number of transcendental experiences, starting from an easy sense of spiritual strength with members of the congregation and ending with a greater sense of unity, as it manifests itself during intense and troubling religious rituals. We will show that the deep spiritual insight of the saints and mystics of any religion or era can also be connected with this activity of the brain, which endows the ritual with transcendental power. We will also show how the ability to interpret such experiences can become the biological basis of various specific religious beliefs.
My colleague and friend Jean d'Aquili, it is a great pity, died shortly before the work on this book was published, and he is sadly missing here. Jean herself, having breathed, began to engage in the interaction between mind and spirit, and began to marvel with lesser eyes at the folding structure of the unique organ that is located in our skull. Our complete work - the scientific research that forms the basis of this book - has again and again bothered me to look at my key statements about religion and, in essence, about life, reality and the appearance of the powerful self . Cebula grew dearer to the revelation of my Self, in which I change and work as I think our brain is calling us. Further on these pages the journey to the deepest depths of the brain, to the very core of our self is presented. It begins with the simplest nutrition: how does the brain mean what is real?
The vault of God and the science of the brain [Neurobiology of religion and religion] Andrew Newberg
The origin of the myth
The origin of the myth
As we already guessed, the first artifacts that indicate the creation of myths are associated with Neanderthals, like a brain, although not as thorough as a brain Homo sapiens, most likely, the neurological structures that support the causal and binary functions. However, it is not excluded that the myths first appeared among the hominids who lived before, but soon found out the evidence that is indicated on this. Our statements about the brains of the predecessors of people, although they are not completely exhausted, allow us to assume that the need for the common metaphysical aspects of the discovery of history in history Homo sapiens too early.
The crown part is the most important part of the brain center of myth-making
Even if they were not really the first creators of myths, it can be assumed that they emerged from other living beings with a well-developed and functional dark part of the brain. People in this area often have neurological structures on which the work of causal and binary operators is based, and, in addition, the center of language is also the necessary creation of myth. We can safely say that the crown part is the most important part of the brain center of myth-making. The brain, in which part of the brain is empty, is impossible to produce, and it is impossible to create the most important components of the structure of the myth. Moreover, such a brain does not understand the concept of cause, and the need to create myths is not to blame. And by the way, no matter how hard it is, with these richnesses, it would be a shame to use them to analyze all your experiences. If he stumbles upon this stupid secret of the butt, he will inevitably fall for another myth; This is something to talk about, without blame, people’s cultures or their ancestors, who create the necessary brain apparatus.
A rudimentary version of this part is found in our close evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee. If you want to become intelligent in order to master the simplest concepts of mathematics and learn non-verbal language, your brain may not develop complex neurological structures that would allow you to formulate any meaningful abstract thought - and you Such thoughts will give rise to culture, mysticism, mathematics, technology mifi.
Mostly finished the thyme part, Imaginably, was at Australopithecus, the ancient ancestor of humans, similar to the upright mapus, as I thought in the wild locality, there are millions of millions of reasons for this. Indentation of the inner surface of the skull Australopithecus shows that this ancestor of the people in this part of the world, although small, allowed him to create rudimentary concepts, so that she could find connections and little information about causal and hereditary connections. This allows you to think about what Australopithecus were the first sources from our ancestors, which provided a small minimum of brain structures for the creation of myths. It’s clear that the stench never grew into myths. I want a brain Australopithecus And in the dark part, they did not support the neurological structures that are responsible for language and verbal activity, which are also necessary for the complete process of creating a myth. Reduce your ability to speak or think verbally, Australopithecus, perhaps, they sensed existential anxiety and intuitively wondered how it would turn out. It is possible that such a mind could create its own special mythology, based on abstract non-verbal symbols, but the process may be impossible to guess.
Other variants of this problem are most common in the ancient primates that lived before the evolutionary line of humans, but sometimes we are not closer to such a neurological apparatus that could provide and the creation of myth. In fact, the idea of being equipped with such a full-fledged device was first revealed to the innocent family Homo, then as our father’s family appears, the evolution appears. With such a mind, I decided to prepare instruments, which we call Homo erectus He has been alive on earth for only a hundred thousand years and can still walk upright. Under the crypts there is a volumetric skull Homo erectus Being a folded cerebrum, it contains all the most important nerve structures for language and verbal behavior. This part and all the necessary connections and meanings have also been well explained, so it can be said with certainty that the causal and antinomic meaning necessary for the creation was more accessible to him. myths.
We don’t know why you’ve been crooked Homo erectus It is worth creating myths with the potential of creation - there are not many material records available about those who followed any kind of rituals. The first similar artifacts that have come down to us date back to the era of the Neanderthals, who lived on earth for about a hundred thousand years ago. However, the obviousness of the causal and binary function and the historical value of mine allows us to assume that Homo erectus Where our family line goes, that first living essence, which can be called human, was also the first rational essence, which sensed the spiritual reality - the sphere of essences and forces beyond the boundaries of the material world - and sought an explanation for this There are realities and myths. To better understand how and why the cognitive functions of the brain in the biological sense stirred up his creation of myths, we can now understand how we solved the most pressing problems of the real world.
Homo erectus, the first living essence that can be called human, was also the first intelligent essence that sensed spiritual reality
It is obvious, for example, that the prehistoric Myslyvets returns home unknown more often. Vin about the Duma on the roads I am notable to us, the lines in the lines of the lunar, the Ale here is the Chi Khilki bili nibel nibblah, I are right away the whole io rosum by the mobile sound to the tsoma sound. This mental mobility is explained by the active activation of the amygdaloid body, the ancient guard dog limbus, which collects all the sensory information that needs to be found in order to recognize signs of insecurity or potential potential. When a distant body detects a sound signal that indicates a raptor noise, which is important to explain, it stirs the mind to focus on new respect. Immediately, the autonomic nervous system triggers an awakening reaction, and the body then becomes ready to act. At that very fraction of a second, when the thinker first senses a suspicious sound, the cognitive imperative intensifies the causal operator to begin investigating its meaning.
The search is due to the most important tasks of the causal operator, otherwise, it is acceptable that the person respectfully looks around the nearby places and finds nothing. The insignificance of such a critical moment is unbearable for the causal operator - he begins another work, which is to work for the presence of the cause of the phenomenon that is being guarded: he conveys the evidence of some other cause. This suppression is associated with the activity of the hippocampus, limbic structure, which preserves the knowledge of the past in appearance. The mind is constantly tracking down a supply of clues, sorting and grouping them together in searches of what is needed together - images, sounds and any whole experiences - which could shed light on this problem.
Such a predetermined categorization is even important, but it is impossible to follow all the clues that are stored in the new one, providing unnecessary information, and the causal operator sees the best possible solution: this is the result I tell my mind that there is a leopard in the bushes. Let’s say that a man has already been beaten by the paws of this big gut all day, and once roared like a leopard in the same forest, and he has already somewhat faded the sense of what is happening: the invisible hut has become real, lives I'm threatening this mischief because it's not safe, so I'm to become deprived of fuss during the flow.
Later, when there is no uncertainty, the thinker may again worry about his reaction. For goodness sake, I couldn’t know in a sing-song tone that the leopard was sitting by the bushes - crunching with its milk, say, a wild boar, or the deer that is grazing does not pose a threat. Ale Myslivtsev didn’t necessarily know that there really was a leopard, there was enough of it believe. The causal operator of literal meanings ensures faster observation, lower revelation of truth, and as there is a leopard in the bushes, the very origin of the myth think about the potential danger - which the antelope is spared, which reacts“Only for troubles,” she told her life.
How can you so firmly believe in those that, perhaps, do not represent the truth? Surely, behind the reaction of the mischievous person there is not only a healthy mind, but much more. As we think, the invisible leopard has become a reality for everyone through the fact that neurobiological forces have not deprived everyone else of their ability.
It was not necessary for Mislivtsev to know that there was a leopard in the bushes of truth, but it was enough to believe in it.
This process, having begun in the amygdala-like body of the myslivtsa, itself began to stir up the mind with its cognitive operations to create the center of all the secret sound in the tabernacles. The causal operator or, more precisely, the structures of the brain on which the work of the causal operator is based, has been suggested by the legend about the presence of a leopard. Suddenly, the binary operator saw this problem as a conflict of properties. To put it concretely, this is a conflict between the leopard and the life of the leopard, and on a broader level – this is a fundamental conflict between life and death.
In any case, such intense conflicts can be effectively resolved. Liva is analytical and verbal, and she quickly begins to make logical connections: she understands what to be in the place where leopards hesitate, and guess what whose hut is nearby? It is also logical to assume that there is a leopard in the bushes.
At the same time, the thought comes to mind that, having studied the traces, there are still a few days left. Vіn knows that at this hour the leopards will not be engaged in watering. It’s hard to think that it’s not a leopard, but something else – say, a deer or a boar – that was the source of that foolish sound. Then a logical dilemma faces a logical dilemma: if you go crazy, you can easily waste your money, or else you can waste your life.
While the verbal and analytical left brain tries to solve this problem, the intuitive and holistic right brain stagnates another approach. The right part of the brain analyzes these situations, which are not so much based on language and logic as they are on images and emotions. The right child calls out images of a light-hearted child, which will give rise to a positive reaction. However, this positive feeling seems to be going back to the bright image of the leopard’s attack on Mysli. The right brain is thirsty for this possibility and is dying to guess about those, how once this human gut was retracing my mislivtsya in a forest similar to this. The right child remembers who he is, and makes a decision: a leopard sits near the bushes.
Such emotional judgment will inevitably hinder the decision-making process of the brain. The logical manifestations about leopards have received a strong emotional charge, and the intuitive strengths of the right brain begin to interact with the logical strength of the left, which is why the manifestations gain depth and depth. Myslyvets doesn’t just think about the leopard in the bushes, he understands it with all his essence.
Now the difference between the presence of a leopard and its presence and between life and death was clearly at the forefront on the neurological level. The reason was revealed. Ideas became solid expressions with a strong emotional charge; logical possibility has been transformed into manifestations that are supported by internal feelings.
In my opinion, our myslivets created the simplest myth - the myth about the leopard in the bushes. Like all other myths, this gave birth to uncomplicated foods that were impossible to substantiate—foods about noise and its significance. It was important to find out the new evidence, because the cognitive imperative was to calm the mind and turn on all one’s analytical capabilities. The causal operator is more likely to explain noise. The binary operator poses a problem in the form of properties. And, it turns out, the holistic benefits of the left and right brain gave rise to a single solution in which logical ideas merged with emotional transformations. Such reconstitutions allowed us to clear up all doubts and provided our readers with new instructions for effective actions.
Similar to any myths, the phenomenon about the leopard in the bushes may or may not be true in a literal sense. However, this simple scenario allows us to explain to the unconscious in such a way that the wise person has the ability to take necessary and active actions in the order of life. This phenomenon gives him more chances to live, which is due to his significant cognitive impairment.
This happens automatically: insatisfaction breeds anxiety, and anxiety requires permission. Other solutions here are obvious, and a lot of reasons are easy to understand at once. If this is not the case, the cognitive imperative urges us to find the most reliable solution in the view of history, in the classic story about a leopard in the bushes. These stories are especially important when our minds are confronted with our existential fears. We suffer. We are doomed to die. There is little hopelessness in this careless and foolish world. Such problems cannot be solved by simple people. Here the mind creates stories that give rise to the forms of religious myths.
It would be impossible to trace the interplay of innumerable cultural and psychological factors that led to the creation of any particular myth, and would it be possible for new gods to think that it is possible to know in a more detailed way the explanation of the behavior of any religious person If. If we put the chain on the right frame, we can certainly trace the biological process of creating myths. And we can assume that this myth is related to the neurological structures of a person. Let's take a look at this scenario:
In a prehistoric tribe, all members of a tribe are closely bound together until they die. Place the skin on the bucket. Other members of the tribe come up and affectionately poke around the deceased. The smells understand that this person recently slept, and now she is silent. Once warm and energetic, but now becoming cold and lifeless.
The leader of the tribe, who spends time in thought, sits white and marvels at the dead body that was recently his comrade. “Why is it not happening here? - Vin thinks. - How did everything get ruined and where did it go? As the fire crackled, the leader marveled at the dead man, and he was overcome by confusion and anxiety. The mind requires an explanation and will not calm down until you find him, unless the leader plunges deeper into the riddle of life and death, his existential longing becomes the strongest.
From a neurobiological point of view, the mournful leader is experiencing the very awakening reaction that myslyvets says. From the very beginning, the migdal-like body in the leader’s brain showed respect for the deep end of the mental process of the left logical mind - to which it led those who the leader looked at the body of the deceased for a long time and with respect. The instantaneous body interprets this state of deafness as suffering and triggers a limbic fear reaction, and also sends nerve signals to activate the arousal system. Now, while the leader continues to talk about his tightness and fear, the awakening will continue. His heart beats faster, his breathing becomes shallower and faster, and his forehead becomes furrowed.
The leader mindlessly marvels at the fire, turning his painful thoughts over and over again in his head. Nezabar from the fire is deprived of only a few vugillas that are smoldering, and when the remaining tongue of the half above them burns and knows, the leader reflects Rapt’s blessing: “The fire was brightened and alive, and now the fire is extinguished and it’s impossible to lose here Only dead sulfur ash.” When the remaining stream rises to the sky, the leader turns to the body of his deceased comrade. It seems to me that life and spirit have deprived my comrade as much as half my life has deprived me of wealth. And the first person to formulate his thought is that he is inspired by one image: the real part of his friend ascended to heaven, like a wild spirit of fire that will fly to the flames.
At first, it’s just a quick-witted thought, one of the possibilities, supported by the left cerebral cortex, which was engaged in intellectual investigation of the problem. At the same time, the right side of the brain reveals holistic, intuitive and non-verbal problems. As only the intellectual manifestations about the gift of the spirit drain the leader’s knowledge, one can recognize the similarity among the emotional decisions of the right mind. Together, the two cords reach the brain, which triggers a neurological resonance, which intensifies positive neural impulses in the limbic system and stimulates the satisfaction centers in the hypothalamus. Parts of the hypothalamus control the autonomic nervous system, and strong impulses of satisfaction trigger the reaction of the pacification system, so that the leader begins to feel great calm and a sense of peace.
It’s all going to be a mittevo, so it’s too fast for the awakening reaction to occur again, which creates anxiety in the leader. At any important moment, the activity of both the pacifying and arousing systems is avoided at the same time, so that the leader can feel the madness of fear and depression, so that the intense state of joyful arousal, as neuroscientists call “Eureka reaction” when a person experiences ecstasy.
In this sleeping place everything changes, the leader raptly flutters away from the tightness and pain; The greatest sense of the word is that he has escaped the doom of death.
This blessing for someone has the power of a revelation, a bright and altogether real experience. At such a moment, such aspects as life and death do not conflict with each other; This conflict was based on another myth. The leader clearly states the absolute truth: the spirits of the dead will continue to live.
He feels that he has revealed a great truth. This is more of an idea, this is a manifestation of what he experienced in the darkest depths of his mind.
Like the story about the leopard in the bushes, the leader’s intuitive guess about the posthumous rebirth of the soul may or may not be true. It is important that this idea is based not only on the world of reality, but also on what seems to be the worst thing. We think that all persistent myths draw their strength from the blessings, based on neurobiological principles, similar to the blessing that the leader experienced. These ideas can take different forms, and they can give rise to different ideas. Let’s say, that same leader could have cleared away the fog that hung up the mountainside of the hillock, and created a new one that, like these dark shadows, died down the hill on the sacred hillock. Any idea can lead to a popular myth, since only those in it can combine logic with intuition, which is necessary to reach between the left and right brains. If the brain achieves such harmony, neurological insignificance is resolved, existential tensions are reconciled and the problem of cause appears. An anxious mind brings to every brain a glimpse of the greatest truth. It seems that the mind not only comprehends this truth, but lives by it, but that the power of visceral experience transforms ideas into myths.
Such an individual myth can become commonplace if, having sensed about it, other people find it meaningful and solve the prevailing similar problems. Don't forget about it. Cross of the tribal leader, the way, do not receive yogo vault, Yakshcho, if the rospovіdim їm about the ms, the stink is not in the Sami neurologii signals Istinovosti, the yaki vіdchuvuvuvuvuvavov, if he was abandoned his stacked. Perhaps they do not understand the intense emotions that the leader experienced, but if they want to experience the same emotions for a little while on a neurological level, the leader’s biased confession will win their trust. It’s not what they believe, but what they noticed. They can notice that the leader of the building is invisible, and create a mythological system from his understanding.
This scenario allows us to assume that the process of myth creation includes two stages. First, the blessings, reinforced by neurobiological principles, have subsided, giving the song of history the authority of the myth; in another way, the retelling of this story resonates with the ears like a soft one, with a feeling of light in the eyes.
Any idea can lead to a popular myth, since only those in it can combine logic with intuition, which is necessary to reach between the left and right brains
This is to set before us a handful of inevitable, but inevitable, meals. Of all the possible ideas, why does the very manifestation of the soul that falls into the sky evoke such a strong holistic resonance in the leader’s head, and why does this idea evoke a similar resonance in the minds of other people? Or, how to put the food more broadly: why do all the myths of various cultures of the earth’s culture bear such a dull similarity? Praslav Joseph Campbell and the study of other works about the creation of myths clearly show that in every culture of any era there is one and the same set of mythological motifs: the birth of the virgins, the purification of the world before helping the flood, land of the dead, driven out of paradise, people, shackled by a whale or a snake, heroes who die and are resurrected, the primary source of fire from the gods.
The myths of different peoples show striking similarities in themes, details and goals. Thus, the Gospels tell us that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, fasting and praying, and knowingly seeking Satan, who wanted to work so that Jesus would come out to his faith. having felt confident in his recognition of becoming a redeemer. Jesus, having seen all his trials and turned to the world as a transformed man, ready to unveil his final mission, to inflict his death on the cross with the coming resurrection, so that the doors of heaven will be opened to people and the gift will be returned to them. Have a good life.
Buddhist sacred texts tell us how Prince Siddhartha sat for forty days in a desert place, giving in to fasting and meditation and the knowing tranquility of the demon Mari, who tried to turn him away from meditation and his confession, called to change the share of the world. The Prince, having experienced everything in the desert place and, having completed meditation, became a transformed essence, which “died” to the light of the flesh and was reborn as a pure illumined spirit, after which the light began to it is possible to understand the true sense of death and suffering through the liberation of sickness to material world.
Perhaps some of these gains can be explained by mutual influx - one people can deposit myths into another, and then change them according to their needs. Perhaps all those and symbols of the myths of the peoples of the world were supposed to be in favor of what gave them such universal power? Why is it true that the same stories of the table are so valuable, say, for the Eskimos, Jews, Incas and Celts, but for peoples with completely different minds?
Carl Gustav Jung appreciated that myths are a symbolic expression of archetypes - innate forms of thought, which, in their universal form, appear in the depths of the mind of every person. Joseph Campbell, like Jung, emphasized that myths are the expression of the basic structural components of the mind.
I thought, for example, that the very infusion of these deep structures, these mental archetypes explains the similarity of forms and proportions of the works of ancient architects of the whole world, such as the Sumerian ziggurati, the Mayan pyramids These are the steps of Buddhist temples.
Like Campbell, the interpretation of archetypes was influenced by the influence of various officials, such as geographical expansion, cultural needs and the characteristic characteristics of local plants and creatures. However, due to their archetypal form, these ideas retain significant similarity. And we simply can’t do it any other way, the fragments of the stench reflect immutable aspects of the mind.
“[Myths], - like Campbell, - with the help of images, tell us about the forces of the soul that need to be recognized and included in our lives, about those forces that have always been in the spirit of people and that demonstrate the wisdom of the biological view, the wisdom that allows yala to people live with a thousand thousand years of wealth.”
The myths were created by fundamental neurological processes, through which the brain feels a sense of extra light.
It is true that Jung's description of the archetypes is due to the fact that the myths were created by the basic and universal aspects of the mind, and also by the fundamental neurological processes, through which the brain senses an extra light. Although culture and psychology can be strongly influenced by them, the neurological basis itself gives myths the lasting power and authority that allows them to show us a way out of our existential fears.
Z books Breeding dogs by Harmar Hillery From the book Dogs and their breeding [Dog breeding] by Harmar HilleryThe puppy starts chewing with his head forward, his back burns. Step by step, the puppy is pushed through the birth ropes and his head reaches the loop. At this point, the bitch has a short recovery before the onset, which may be stitched through the opening of the pelvis to the shoulder.
From the book Pershop settlements of land author Yakimushkin Igor IvanovichPopulation of the “scientific myth” The old name for the spider among the Anglo-Saxons is etterkop, among the Danes it is edderkop; obidva means “the head is off.” “According to the old English belief,” we read in a note before Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” “spiders were respected as independent creatures.” Ser Thomas is on the right
[Pardons and misfortunes in nature] by Zittlau JörgThe hardship of the people: why the birth of children is not childish gra I feel that women used to chew their children during the hour of work in the field, between weeding carrots and picking potatoes. We are tired of the thought that the uninformed people are not going to cause today’s problems with
From the book Archeology is Secure author Cremo Michelle A From the books Earth by Color author Safonov Vadim AndriyovichTHE NATION OF THE YOUNG All the time since the end of the land there has been a pilgrimage to the miraculous garden of Michurin. Thousands of agronomists and gardeners traveled there. Students came on excursions. Advocates, workers of the hut laboratories, rank-and-file members of the collective army. It happened to them
From the book Trek to the Edge of Microbes author Betina VolodymyrThe birth of a new science Prote superchicks didn’t talk about spontaneous generation. The Parisian Academy of Sciences in the 60s of the 19th century promoted the city to those who only need accurate and reliable investigations to determine this super-rechka. The important French teachings of Louis Pasteur are on display
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From the book The Prison of God and the Science of the Brain [Neurobiology of Faith and Religious Evidence] by Newberg Andrew5. Ritual. Material manifestation of the myth At night, in the darkened choir of the candle-lit Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, a forty-four-year-old businessman sits, squeezed by the lava, in the name of Bill, hearing a concert innovative jazz
From Rozpovid's books about bioenergetics author Skulachov Volodymyr PetrovichThe birth of bioenergetics... 1968 r. The small, blind Italian town of Polignano on the birch of the Adriatic Sea smells of sand. And in the palace of Count Myani it was still dark and cold. At the oval table, we’ll cover it with a thick green cloth, let’s go ahead.
From the book The World of Creatures. Volume 5 [Reports about comas] author Yakimushkin Igor IvanovichProducing a “scientific myth” The old name for the spider among the Anglo-Saxons is etterkop, among the Danes it is edderkop; obidva means “the head is off.” “According to the old English belief,” we read from a note before Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” “spiders were respected in earnest. There's sulfur on the right
From the book The World of Creatures. Volume 3 [Reports about birds] author Yakimushkin Igor IvanovichThe origin of the cormoran could have been in the skerries, above the roaring surf on the rocks of Alaska and New Zealand, in the mantras here in India and Guiana, on the great lakes in the center of Africa, on the deserted lakes that had suddenly disappeared... On the tree, li, on skele. bare earth...
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From the books of Psychopathy. A reliable story about people without regret, without conscience, without regret author Kil Kent A.The birth of mobile fMRI The engineers at Medical Coaching received dozens of my respects as they built a trailer to accommodate all the MRI equipment necessary for functional research. Among other things, there were five wall-mounted computers.
To our families
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“It’s really boring... One of the most boring books I’ve read in the field of neuropsychiatry and the nutrition of intuition.”
Mona Lisa Schultz, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, author of the book “Awakening Intuition”
“This point is extremely important for the further development of connections between science and religion. As in the past, who have explored the neurobiological foundations of religious evidence, given their theological analysis and assessment, the authors of this book are one of their kind. The book clearly shows us that the mind is inevitably sensitive to spirituality and religious experiences.”
Father Ronald Murphy, Order of the Jesuits, Professor at Georgetown University
“This is an important book to familiarize the primary reader, researcher and clinician with new insights into the field of neurobiology, which can help to cope with the influx of spiritual experiences on the brain, health and illness. A wonderful handyman."
David Larson, MD, MPH, President, National Health Care Institute
“The work of medical research at the University of Pennsylvania in the new field of neurotheology that is emerging before our eyes is amazing.”
National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Association of Canada NAPRA ReView
“This book will make you think seriously about religion... the fragments of it provide a sound basis for thought and discussion about spiritual life Newberg, D'Aquili and Rouse did a great job by writing this brave book. This should be read in religious stakes, in book discussion groups, and in schools.”
The Providence Journal
"Easy to write and easy to read... a fascinating book about the relationship between our minds and our deepest reality"
Catholic Digest Magazine
1. Photograph of God. Introduction to biology
In a small dark laboratory of the great university hospital, a young man named Robert lights candles, lights a stick of jasmine scent, and then sits on the couch and easily assumes the lotus position. A devout Buddhist who practices meditation in Tibet, he is going to again destroy his inner wisdom. Once again, Robert will not be able to sense the impeccable morality of his mind and will be able to plunge into a deeper and clearer inner reality. Similar expensive ideas have happened a thousand times already, but now they are becoming more special: while we are entering the inner spiritual reality, so that the material light is soon becoming a pale illusion, Mayzhe in the literal sense is deprived of physical duties here and now for the help of a big motuzka .
One burnt end of the coil lies behind Robert, the other is located behind the closed door of the laboratory in the after-room on my finger - I am sitting at the same time with my friend and bagator colleague with the last scientist, Dr. Eugene D' Aquili.
We wait with Gene if Robert gives us a signal through his motor that his meditative state has reached its transcendental peak. The very moment of spiritual ascension is of particular interest to us. 1
Fragments of judgment about the moment when meditation reaches the heights are extremely subjective, which is even more important to recognize and even more important to die. This “pivot” attitude is extremely powerful, and it carries the greatest spiritual force and flows most strongly into people. Your current feelings can be identified with the help of various tools that allow you to simultaneously change various parameters. It is easier to identify similar moments behind such indicators as blood flow into the brain, electrical activity of the brain and somatic reactions, arterial tension and heart rate. Beginning our research, we tried to focus on the subjective perceptions of people as they evaluate their experiences. Those who were forced into meditation tried to trim the moth, which allowed them, without disturbing the process of meditation, to give us a signal at the moment when the stench reached the nearest camp. Although we had learned the best practices of meditation, the motuzka didn’t matter to them at all. To read this in more detail, further investigations are required. For now, it is enough to say that we can observe the peak conditions or there will be hypotheses about them on the basis of the development of “less deep” factors, regardless of those that are difficult for us to understand, if in any way these peak experiences arise. Please name two of the most important participants in our research: Dr. Abas Alavi, head of the nuclear medicine department at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, who would like to give me great encouragement Sometime I got busy with wonderful speeches, and connections with this very University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Michael Baym, specialist in internal diseases, practicing Buddhism in Tibet.
Method: How to Capture Spiritual Reality
Over the course of many years, Gene and I were drawn to the interrelationship between religious knowledge and the brain, and we suspected that, following the activity of Robert’s brain in the most intense and From these moments of meditation, we can better understand the hidden connections between the knowledge of people and the permanent inexorable Pragnennyam. The notes are much larger, but not the same.
Earlier, while talking to us, Robert tried to describe to us in words how his meditation reaches a spiritual peak. At first, speaking, the mind calms down, which makes it possible for more of the deep and singing part of I to emerge. Robert respects that the inner I is the only part of his identity, and this part is not doesn't it change? For Robert, such an internal thing is not a metaphor and not just an attitude, it has a literal meaning, it is persistent and real. These are the things that are lost when knowledge is deprived of its worries, fears, worries and other activities. It is important that the inner self forms the very essence of my butt. As soon as Robert is pressed by Rose, we can call him our “soul.” 2
Here the word “soul” is used in the greatest sense, otherwise it could give rise to confusion between similar and strange phenomena about religion and spirituality. It is very important to explain the manifestations of Buddhists at the borders of the Sunset. Tim no less, here we tried to present these phenomena as possible in a simpler form.
“It feels like eternity and infinity...
At this moment I never become a part of everyone and everything, I achieve everything I need.”
Robert seems that if this deep knowledge (no matter what its nature is) arises at the moment of meditation, if there is a lot of inner thoughts, then raptov begins to understand that I don’t exist inside solovane, but it’s unbreakably tied to to all creations. However, if we try to describe this extremely special evidence in words, we inevitably end up in familiar clichés that people have been using for centuries, seeking information about unconscious spiritual experiences. “It feels like eternity and infinity,” one might say. “At this moment I never become a part of everyone and everything, I achieve everything.” 3
Describing our experiences, we try to talk about a sense of oneness with the light, about a deep self and strong emotions, as a rule, associated with a state of deep calm.
For a traditional scholar, such words have no value. Science deals with things that can be known, preserved, and died out - and all those things that cannot be verified on the basis of objective caution simply cannot be called scientific. Wanting to say that Robert’s testimony is something eternal, he, as a professional, would like to say that the words “practice of meditation” may have a very special and speculative character, so they hardly indicate any specific phenomenon in the material world. 4
In a typical case, the scientific method allows one to call “real” without speech, which can die out.
However, after many fates before the investigation, Gene and I came to a conclusion that the experiences, as Robert informs us, are entirely real and can be measured and verified using other reference science. 5
The word “real” here does not necessarily convey the essence of the melodious external reality associated with such experiences, but to talk about those that this experience has the least internal reality.
What makes me anxious is to sit behind Gene in the cramped examination room, twirling a thin spool between my fingers: I wait for Robert to have a moment of mystical shedding, because I want to “photograph” this experience. 6
We understand that this is not just “photography”, but this is the very essence of our work. Accurately photographing a moment of intense mystical experience is not easy, and despite the fact that our attempts plan their rights with meditation, it is important to convey how long such a situation will last and how powerful it will be. It is important that we can introduce the processes in the brain, which are the basis of the process of meditation, and create a clear and amazing picture of the work of the brain in moments of spiritual experiences.
Spiritual experiences are real, and they can be measured and verified through the science of science.
Robert is meditating, and we are waiting for nearly a year. Then I realize that I’m carefully pulling on the motorcycle. This means that in less than an hour, the radioactive material must be injected into the infusionist, so that it will flow through a long tube into the vein on Robert’s left arm. We give him another three hours to complete the meditation, and then immediately take him to one of the rooms of the nuclear medicine department, where there is a state-of-the-art device for single-photon mass computed tomography. ї (OPECT). Robert immediately appears on the metal table, and three gamma cameras begin to wrap around his head behind the clear arm of the robots.
The SPECT camera is a high-tech imaging device that detects radioactivity 7
Explore other imaging technologies, similar to SPECT, that can be used to monitor brain activity. This includes positron emics tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whether such techniques have their advantages and disadvantages are equal to others. We chose SPECT from practical considerations: this technique allowed the tried-and-true meditator to engage in postural meditation with a scanning device, which would be easier to develop with PET and is not at all possible with fMRI.
OFFECT cameras scan Robert's head, revealing the accumulation of radioactive material that was released at that moment when he pulled the skewer. This material is expanded by blood vessels and may immediately reach the brain cells, where it is lost for several years. Thus, the SPECT method gives us an accurate freeze-frame of the blood flow into Robert’s brain immediately after the introduction of speech - then at the very peak moment of meditation.
An increased flow of blood to part of the brain indicates increased activity in this area 8
In general, increased blood flow is associated with increased activity due to the fact that the cerebrum itself regulates its blood flow according to the needs of its surrounding areas. Although this is not an absolute rule. In cases of stroke or head injury, there is no such ligament. In addition, certain nerve cells activate certain parts of the brain, and other cells suppress their activity. Thus, an increased flow of blood can indicate a decrease in activity, which leads to a decrease in the activity of the brain.
Nowadays, we understand well what functions exist outside the brain area, we can assume that OPECTOR presents us with a picture of Robert’s brain at the climax of his meditation.
Data that we take away
Ottrimani dažni sravda tsikava. The tomograms show signs of emergency activity of the small part of the gray vein at the top of the posterior part of the cerebrum (div. Fig. 1). This plexus of neurons with a specialized function is called the posterior superior thymic region, and for this book we came up with a different name for this section: the orientational-associative zone, or OAZ. 9
Here it should be noted that this book often contains terms unknown to science; At the same time, we live with various concepts that can help the reader understand the mechanism of the brain. Tim no less, we tried to include dates in scientific terms for the notes.
Pershochergova Plant OAZ – orientation of people in physical space. She evaluates what is higher and what is lower, helps us judge where we are and where we are, and allows us to safely navigate the precarious physical environment 10
This book talks about the functions of different parts of the brain. Although the functions of the singing world are connected to the singing parts of the brain, it was necessary to forget that the brain always functions as a single system, and the work of the skin surrounding parts requires the work of other parts.
For the achievement of such a function, this zone is primarily responsible for the clear and stable image of the physical cordons of a person. To put it simply, it is your responsibility to clearly reinforce your decision, because it is not you, because it is the decision of the whole world.
Small 1: In the top row there is an image of a tested brain, if that is what it is; It can be seen that the level of activity of postural expansions in every brain. (The upper part of the image is the anterior part of the cerebrum, the associative zone of respect, ABC, and the lower part represents the orientation-associative zone, OAZ.) In the bottom row - the image of the cerebrum, tested during the hour of meditation, activity of the left orientation zone (right hand facing you) There is noticeably less than the right zone. (The darker the zone, the more active it is, and the lighter the zone, the less active it is.) We present here black-and-white images, so as not to create images in the required world of contrast at the same time, although on the computer screen 'yutera mi bachimo image u colori .
You might find it surprising that the brain needs a special mechanism to tease you out of the world; For normal knowledge, this difference seems ridiculously obvious. This is explained by the fact that OAZ is renovating its work completely and irrevocably. And when this area of the brain is affected, it is very important for people to move around. If such a person, for example, goes to bed, the brain expends a lot of strength on a constant assessment of the places, depths and views that without any help, simply lying down for a person becomes an impossible, important task. Without the help of the zone of orientation, which is to steadily follow the changing state of the body, people cannot find their place in space either mentally or physically, so when trying to lie down, they may fall into or if she decided to pee on the mattress, if she It is advisable to lie down more comfortably, rather than press against the wall in an awkward position.
But in normal circumstances, OAZ helps to create a clear picture of the physical state of the world, so we don’t have to think about it at all. In order to work well on the right, the orientation zone requires a steady influx of nerve impulses from sensory sensors from the body. OAZ sorts and processes these impulses with supernatural fluidity in every moment of our life. With its incredible efficiency and speed, it surpasses today's computers.
And it is not surprising that the images of Robert’s brain, when monitored by the OFECT system, determined before meditation at the initial stage of his awareness (basic level), show that a lot of parts of the brain, including the orientation zone, are become highly active. When you see it on the screen, we are very happy to see the pulsating bright red or yellow color.
When Robert’s meditation reaches its peak, in the images of the brain this area becomes saturated with cold green and dark tones, which indicates a sharp decrease in its activity.
This sight enchanted us. We know that the orientation zone does not provide any explanation: how can we explain such an unexpected decrease in the activity of a small section of the brain?
And then a strange thought occurred to us: that the orientation zone continues to process with extreme intensity, but the influx of sensory information to it has been blocked 11
This kind of blocking of the flow of information is avoided in various processes – both normal and pathological. Many structures of the brain are relieved by the influx of information due to the action of different systems that are galling. We'll talk about similar processes later.
This hypothesis would help explain the decrease in brain activity in this zone. And even more important: this could mean that the OAZ is “sleep” at any time, and it is supplied with the same information that is needed for normal work.
What could happen, we asked ourselves, if OAZ wastes the information it needs to work? Why don't you stitch behind the boundaries of the body? If the required information no longer reaches the OAZ, it will be impossible to determine the boundaries.
Why is there a brain in this situation? Is it possible that the zone of orientation is impossible to recognize the boundaries of the bodily self and assume that there are no such cordons? It is possible, in which case the brain can be filled with infinity and perceive it as a system of ligaments from the mind and everything that is in the sphere of the mind. And such a picture is perceived as a residual, unobstructed reality.
This is how Robert and the generation of mystics who lived before described their peak mystical and spiritual experiences and greatest moments of meditation. This is what the Hindu Upanishad says:
Like a river that flows in and out,
Flows into the sea and becomes one with it,
Having completely forgotten about the awakening of the frozen rivers,
Thus, all creation spends its strength,
When you decide to get angry.12
Quote for: Easwaran, 1987.
Robert was one of our last eight who practiced meditation in Tibet. The skin lesion was subject to the same routine procedure, and literally in all the previous ones, SPECT scans revealed decreased activity in the orientation zone at the moment when their meditation reached its peak. 13
Although not all patients experienced a specific decrease in activity in the orientation zone, it was possible to detect a strong negative correlation between increased activity of the frontal part (the area of the brain that is in focused attention) and History of the orientation zone. From these data, we have drawn the following conclusion: if respect is recorded more quickly during the hour of meditation, then the influx of information to the orientation zone is stronger. Why did the activity of the orientation zone decrease in all the last ones? There are two possible explanations here. First, perhaps, we tried, in which the activity of the OAZ did not decrease, having engaged in meditation not as successfully as others, and we wanted to spend the whole hour trying to evaluate the process of meditation, but this is a deeply subjective state, which is bad There is a vimir. Otherwise, this investigation allowed us to have just one more moment of meditation. It is possible that at these early stages there will be an increase in the activity of the orientation zone, if the experiment is to respect the visual image. Perhaps we could be aware that the activity of the orientation zone moves forward, is lost at the base level, or decreases in severity during the meditation stage, which the subject is actually in, although he himself is What matters is that it reaches a more advanced stage. In our report we will discuss the results of these data in the section dedicated to mystical intelligence.
Later, we expanded the scope of the experiment and studied just as many Franciscan monks at prayer. 14
Report on these experiments: Newberg et al. 1997, 2000.
A new SPECT scan showed that at the peak moments of religious experiences among sisters, similar changes in brain activity could be prevented. However, when replaced by Buddhists, the sisters described their testimony differently: they spoke of a clear sense of the closeness of God and anger with Him. 15
We will obviously become prostitutes of the human race, talking about God, although we may recognize Him in a different way.
Their descriptions were similar to the words of the Christian mystics of the past, including the words of the 13th century Franciscan monk Angela s Foligno: “How great is the mercy of Him who makes this union... I am small of God in such fullness that even didn’t live in my camp, but they took me away to the world in which I united with God and could enjoy anything.”
In the course of our investigations and accumulation of data, Gene and I found that we valued, reliable evidence that the mystical evidence of our recent - changes in the state of information, in which, in their words, I am angry to be with much greater people - it was not just an emotional curiosity, but simply a figment of fantasy, but has recently revealed a number of neurological phenomena that one must be careful not to cause unexpected events, and not to go beyond the normal functioning of the brain. In other words, mystical evidence is real from a biological point of view, accessible to observation and can be the subject of scientific investigation.
At the peak of religious experiences, it is possible to prevent changes in brain activity
Such a result is not surprising to us. In fact, all our previous investigations allowed him to be transferred. For many years, we have looked at scientific practices that focus on the interconnections between religious practices and, perhaps, to understand the biological basis of faith. We wore a great variety of different materials. Some studies looked at nutrition to guide us, on a level with simple physiology - let's say, they talked about changing arterial pressure during an hour of meditation. Others were concerned with much more material offered - for example, there was an attempt to suppress the healing power of prayer. We got acquainted with the research of people who experienced clinical death, experienced mystical emotions, caused by epilepsy and schizophrenia, collected data on hallucinations provoked by chemicals speech or electrical stimulation of the brain.
In addition to scientific literature, we searched for descriptions of mystical experiences in secular religions and myths. Zokrema, Jin learned the ritual practices of ancient cultures and tried to find connections between the emergence of rituals and the evolution of the human brain. There is a wealth of data that suggests such an interrelationship between religious rituals and the brain, and that all of them have been brought into the system or included to form a complete picture. Even as Gene and I were following up on mountains of information about religious knowledge, ritual and brains, the pieces of the puzzle were being put together into pictures that would lead to profound changes. Step by step, we created a hypothesis that spiritual evidence - to its very roots - is closely related to the biological reality of people. For the singing sense, biology means spiritual energy.
Spiritual evidence of its very roots is closely related to the biological essence of people
SPECT scanning allowed us to verify our hypothesis by monitoring brain activity in people who engage in spiritual practices. It is impossible to say that the results absolutely prove that we are right, but they support our hypothesis, demonstrating that at the moment of spiritual experience one can behave in the way that our theory conveyed. 16
This research was our first attempt to use an empirical method to study the neurophysiology of spiritual insight. These results, as well as other studies (div.: Herzog et al. 1990-1991, Lou et al. 1999), confirmed the most important aspects of our hypothesis.
These encouraging results dampened our enthusiasm for the work and increased our interest in the future, which kept us occupied throughout the rich investigations. At such meals we disgraced our respect. Why is the need of people to create myths rooted in their biological essence? What is the neurological problem with ritual? What nature sees and the secret of great mystics: phenomena associated with mental and emotional disorders and the result of an integral system of processing sensory data beyond what is neurologically normal and healthy and stable psyche? How could such evolutionary officials, such as sexuality and the idea of betting, tap into the biological aspect of religious ecstasy?
Trying to better understand what follows from our theory, we have again and again spent on the same nutrition, which, it seems, was the main thing among all the others: what we have discovered is a very biological root for all things Are you worried about hell? And what have we discovered that this theory tells us about the nature of spiritual thought?
A skeptic could say that all spiritual endeavors and experiences, including the desire of people to come into contact with the divine, are of a biological nature, which is explained by the lighthouse, the disruption of biochemical processes in the accumulated nerve cells.
However, data from the SPECT method indicate a different possibility. The orientation zone here worked in an unusual mode, but it is impossible to say that it worked incorrectly, and we appreciate that the color images of the tomographs on the computer screen showed us how the brain transforms spiritual evidence into reality. After the rich history of literature and research with Gene, we continue to think that there is little to do with the real neurological processes that, during the course of evolution, made it possible for us, people, to go beyond the material world and enter into connections from the deeper, spiritual part of ourselves, which we perceive as absolute, that universal reality that binds us to everything we know.
In this book we intend to provide the context for these extraordinary hypotheses. We will look at the biological side of people's desire to create myths and show the neurological mechanisms that give these myths shape and ensure strength. We will talk about the interrelationship between myth and ritual and explain how ritual behavior flows into the nerves of the cord, creating such processes that are associated with a number of transcendental experiences, starting from an easy sense of spiritual strength with members of the congregation and ending with a greater sense of unity, as it manifests itself during intense and troubling religious rituals. We will show that the deep spiritual insight of the saints and mystics of any religion or era can also be connected with this activity of the brain, which endows the ritual with transcendental power. We will also show how the ability to interpret such experiences can become the biological basis of various specific religious beliefs.
My colleague and friend Jean d'Aquili, it is a great pity, died shortly before the work on this book was published, and he is sadly missing here. Jean herself, having breathed, began to engage in the interaction between mind and spirit, and began to marvel with lesser eyes at the folding structure of the unique organ that is located in our skull. Our complete work - the scientific research that forms the basis of this book - has again and again bothered me to look at my key statements about religion and, in essence, about life, reality and the appearance of the powerful self . Cebula grew dearer to the revelation of my Self, in which I change and work as I think our brain is calling us. Further on these pages the journey to the deepest depths of the brain, to the very core of our self is presented. It begins with the simplest nutrition: how does the brain mean what is real?
Religious bestseller
"This process is extremely important for the further development of connections between science and religion. As in the past, when we investigated the neurobiological foundations of religious evidence, we gave our theological analysis and assessment, the authors And books are one of a kind. spirituality and religious experiences."
Father Ronald Murphy, Order of the Jesuits, Professor at Georgetown University
Andrew Newberg - The Secret of God and the Science of the Brain: Neurobiology of Faith and Religious Evidence
Andrew Newberg, Eugene d "Aquili, Rouse Vince; [Translated from English by M. I. Zavalov].
M.: Eksmo, 2013. – 320 p.
(Religious bestseller).
ISBN 978-5-699-66783-3
English name -
Why doesn't God go with everyone? - Why God won't go away?
The science of the brain and biology of the world.
Andrew Newberg, Eugene D'Aquili, Rouse Vince - The Chamber of God and the Science of the Brain: Neurobiology of Faith and Religious Evidence - Zmist
- Photograph of God
- Aparati brain
- Brain architecture
- The creation of myths
- Ritual
- Mysticism
- Advancement of religion
- More real than real
- Why don’t God know
- Epilogue. So what is neurotheology?
The name is motivated by the approach, as I understand - we all live in the world, based on the deepest evil and to realize that the result of the creation of the Good Almighty God is practically impossible, unless many millions of people stubbornly continue to believe in God.
The stars are right there. Why doesn't God go with everyone?
The infection is being widely investigated in a direct way that can be intelligently called “biology of faith,” then. research into the structures of the neurological structure of the brain, which is necessary to bring people to God.
Andrew Newberg - The Secret of God and the Science of the Brain - Method: How to Capture Spiritual Reality
Over the course of many years, Gene and I were drawn to the interrelationship between religious knowledge and the brain, and we suspected that, following the activity of Robert’s brain in the most intense and From these moments of meditation, we can better understand the hidden connections between the knowledge of people and the permanent inexorable Pragnennyam. The notes are much larger, but not the same.
Earlier, while talking to us, Robert tried to describe to us in words how his meditation reaches a spiritual peak. At first, speaking, the mind calms down, which makes it possible for more of the deep and singing part of I to emerge. Robert respects that the inner I is the only part of his identity, and this part is not doesn't it change? For Robert, such an internal thing is not a metaphor and not just an attitude, it has a literal meaning, it is persistent and real. These are the things that are lost when knowledge is deprived of its worries, fears, worries and other activities. It is important that the inner self forms the very essence of my butt. As soon as Robert is pressed by Rose, we can call him our “soul.”
Robert seems that if this deep knowledge (no matter what its nature is) arises at the moment of meditation, if there is a lot of inner thoughts, then raptov begins to understand that I don’t exist inside solovane, but it’s unbreakably tied to to all creations. However, if we try to describe this extremely special evidence in words, we inevitably end up in familiar clichés that people have been using for centuries, seeking information about unconscious spiritual experiences. “It feels like eternity and infinity,” one might say. “At this moment I never become a part of everyone and everything, I achieve everything.”
For a traditional scholar, such words have no value. Science deals with things that can be known, preserved, and died out - and all those things that cannot be verified on the basis of objective caution simply cannot be called scientific. Wanting to say that Robert’s testimony is something eternal, he, as a professional, would like to say that the words “practice of meditation” may have a very special and speculative character, so they hardly indicate any specific phenomenon in the material world.
However, after the many fates of the previous work, Gene and I came to the conclusion that the experiences that Robert informs us about are entirely real and can be measured and verified with the help of reference science. What makes me anxious is to sit behind Gene in the cramped examination room, twirling a thin spool between my fingers: I wait for Robert to have a moment of mystical shedding, because I want to “photograph” this experience.
Andrew Newberg - How God Flows into Your Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries in Neurobiology