The Psychology and Neuroscience of

The Psychology and Neuroscience of Mystical Experience Vaughan Bell vaughan@backspace.org

Outline • What is our definition of a mystical experience ? • Relationship to psychopathology • Meditation Studies • Michael Persinger’s work on the role of the temporal lobes in mystical experience. • Is it all in the brain ?

A Universal Experience • Two very different examples: • St Theresa of Avila. • Saw angels, cherubim, bright lights and had many ecstatic experiences. • On St. Peter's Day of 1559 became firmly convinced that Christ was present to her in bodily form, though invisible. This vision lasted almost uninterruptedly for more than 2 years.

A Universal Experience • Philip K Dick, author of science fiction classics like ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ?’ and ‘The Man in the High Castle’ • Had a series of visions he called collectively ‘2-3-74’ • “On the surface the universe consists of a spurious projected reality, under which lies an authentic substratum of the divine”

A Universal Experience • An individual’s mystical experience may be valued very differently by society. • It may be seen as a deep insight into the divine that motivates many followers (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed). • Or as an object of ridicule (David Icke). • However, to each individual it is likely that the experience is profound and meaningful.

An attempt at definition • William James (1902) cites four features of a mystical experience: • Ineffability - in that it defies expression. • Noetic quality - mystical states also seem to be states of knowledge. • Transiency - mystical states are not sustained for long periods (lasting hours rather than days or longer). • Passivity - ‘when the characteristic sort of consciousness has set in, the mystic feels as if his own state of will were in abeyance’

An attempt at definition • James’ definition is perhaps a little narrow, assuming a ‘road to Damascus’ kind of experience. • Gellhorn and Keily (1972) make a distinction between two types of mystical experience: • Trophotropic - a meditative state, linked to the ‘suspension of autonomous will or intentionality’ (e.g. Zen Buddhist / Hindu Yogi). • Ergotrophic - a ‘more frenzied mystical state’ linked to arousal (trance-possession / Sufi whirling) and catharsis.

An attempt at definition • Although Scott Atran (2002) defines one of the most outstanding aspects of mystical experience: • “namely, a vivid but diffusely conceived awareness of a boundless universe centered on a self that has no physical markers or constraints” • How ever many definitions we take, it seems that mystical experience is a widespread phenomena.

Link with Psychopathology • The link between mystical experience and psychopathology is a contentious one. • Mental illness, particularly psychosis, can induce varying intensities of mystical experiences and beliefs (e.g. The Messiah Complex) • This is contentious because the traditional concept of mental illness is one laden with negative values, experiences supposedly devoid of true meaning.

Link with Psychopathology • Two views: • James argued against what he called ‘medical materialism’ saying • “whatever be our organism’s peculiarities, our mental states have their substantive value as revelations of the living truth”. • R.D. Laing is often quoted as saying • ‘the mystic swims in the same water in which the schizophrenic drowns’

Link with Psychopathology • However, there is now increasing evidence that the qualitative distinction between psychosis and ‘normality’ is insufficient. • Johns and van Os (2001) argue for a continuum between frank psychosis and more mundane experiences of reality. • Verdoux and van Os (2002) showed that unusual experiences (unusual perceptions, anomalous beliefs) are prevalent throughout the population. • However, there must be more to the distinction than one purely of degree.

Cardiff Pagan Pilot Study • Pagans endorse almost twice the amount of anomalous experience, but show less distress for each experience of belief.

Cardiff Pagan Pilot Study • This suggests we cannot simply understand all mystical experiences as ‘sub clinical psychosis’. • There must be other factors which make certain types of mystical beliefs and experiences beneficial. • Watch this space !

Brain Imaging of Meditation • Meditation is particularly suited to being studied by cognitive neuroscience. • Changes of consciousness can be induced and participants stay immobile. • This makes ideal conditions for neuroimaging (‘brain scanning’) of such states.

Newberg et al (2001) • Used SPECT neuroimaging to scan eight experience Tibetan Buddhist meditators. Increased activation Decreased activation

Side View of Brain Parietal lobe Frontal lobe

Newberg et al (2001) • The prefrontal cortex is known to be involved with attention and focus. • The parietal cortex with object associations and spatial knowledge. • Newberg et al speculate that meditation causes: • increased mental focus • breakdown of the boundary between self and other • can be explained by the changes in activation in these brain areas during meditation.

Blanke et al (2002) • Stimulation of the right angular gyrus caused reliable out of body experiences. • Further evidence for the role of the parietal cortex in meditating self - other boundaries.

Persinger and Mystical Experience • Michael Persinger has linked mystical experience with the several connected brain areas. Amygdala Hippocampus Temporal lobes

Links with TLTs • He has found that levels of seizure like activation called temporal lobe transients in the temporal lobes are related to: • A whole range of anomalous beliefs and experiences (sensed presences, time dilation, out of body experiences, auditory perceptions). • Levels of paranormal beliefs. • Levels of religiosity.

Temporal Lobe Readings • EEG reading from temporal lobes during Transcendental Meditation session. “Delta frequencies with an aberrant spike and slow wave profile” emporal ccipital Alpha wave activity rontal Alpha wave activity “she reported that this particular experience was especially meaningful and that she felt being very close to the ‘cosmic whole’”

Temporal Lobe Readings • EEG reading from temporal lobes during glossolalia (speaking in tongues). pike events “The subject reported that the ‘closet contact with the Spirit’ occurred during the latter periods of the session”

Temporal Lobe Stimulation • Persinger has installed a system in the side of a motor bike helmet to produce weak complex magnetic fields over the temporal lobes. • Right temporal, or bilateral stimulation produced sensations of fear and ‘sensed presences’.

Persinger’s Conclusions • Rather dramatically, Persinger concludes: • “This experimental procedure could be employed to explore the idea that the experience of a sensed presence is a resident property of the human brain and may be the fundamental source for phenomena attributed to visitation by gods, spirits and other ephemeral phenomena”

Is it all in the brain ? • Skeptics use such studies to argue that mystical experience is internally generated entirely by neural systems and has no intrinsic value. • However, this is reading too much into the data at the present time. • Whilst the evidence suggests that someexperiences may be purely internally generated it cannot say that all are. • No such distinction can be made. • In fact, science has a lot of problems even addressing this problem, as it only adequately addresses falsifiable hypothesis.

Is it all in the brain ? • We must also question whether such judgements are of any use at all. • Mystical experiences have greatly benefited individuals and society as a whole. • Why use our understanding of how the brain is involved in these experiences to make value judgments of their validity ?

The Psychology and Neuroscience of