In a series of studies conducted over the past several decades, Persinger and his team have trained their device on the temporal lobes of hundreds of people. In doing so, the researchers induced in most of them the experience of a sensed presence—a feeling that someone (or a spirit) is in the room when no one, in fact, is—or of a profound state of cosmic bliss that reveals a universal truth. During the three-minute bursts of stimulation, the affected subjects translated this perception of the divine into their own cultural and religious language—terming it God, Buddha, a benevolent presence or the wonder of the universe.
Full article in Scientific American.com is here
3 comments:
I'm intrigued by the objection voiced by Dr. Horowitz, that neuroimaging is like phrenology.
Hiromi, maybe Dr. Horowitz is a firm believer in phrenology...? :)
I like the nuns who took part in the study. I think it says something very positive about their faith.
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