ABSTRACT
Neurobiology of spiritual experience. The heritability of aspects of reli giousness points to the role of biology, but is unable to specify relevant neural mechanisms. The growing field of neuroscience is also contributing to an under standing of the biological basis of spirituality in a way that might elucidate neural substrates. Recall that Gardner (1993) believed that specific brain structures under lie different types of intelligences, and that a given intelligence should be isolable by studying brain-damaged patients. Brain scientists have begun to investigate the neural bases of religious and spiritual experience, both in terms of neural substrates of religious experience and their alteration in brain dysfunctions (Brown, 1998; Jeeves, 1998; Saver & Rabin, 1997). Neuroscience research demonstrates that there may exist distinctive neurobiological systems (primarily in the limbic re gions) for religious experience, particularly for the mystical experiences of oneness and unity (d’Aquili & Newberg, 1998; Newberg & d’Aquili, 1999). Although the exact nature of these mechanisms is not uncontroversial the discovery of these sys tems strengthens the case for spirituality as an intelligence.
