I have settled on the word “spirituality” as a real event. Before, I didn’t care what you called it, it being that sensation of connectedness with the universe and the awe experienced when watching a marvelous event or thinking deeply about something.
What convinced me was the work of Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, a behavioral neurologist who made several important discoveries while at U.C. San Diego. But that was just the start. Since that encounter, I have seen several experiments conducted which demonstrate specific areas of the brain are stimulated when someone is in a state of meditation or deep prayer or in a state of profound contemplation. They do this in several ways: one way is by placing electrodes and “mapping” the chatter of specific areas of the brain, for which there is also a control map. Another way is to do this while at the same time under an MRI detector. The results are pretty consistent.
The experience has a soothing and calming result that seems to bring inner peace. At first, they had discovered a predominant area in the right temporal side of the brain (just above and behind the ear), which was quickly labeled as the “G” spot. Now, they are noting that there are other concurrent areas of the brain which also help coordinate that experience. The experience can be reproducible via electrode stimulation of the brain. So, it’s not an aberration or pseudo science. It’s a real effect. What does it mean? Who knows? But something in our makeup is directly responsible for what we call “spirituality”. The difference is that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the sky does not have to be involved.
