Did Man Create God?

    Brain imaging studies of experienced meditating practitioners have shown three general types of pattern:

• Activation of the prefrontal lobes,
• Activation of the occipital and posterior parietal lobes,
• A combination of both patterns. In studies showing both, there was some activation of the temporolimbic system, suggesting some involvement of the spiritual brain.

   The activation of the frontal lobes is consistent with a meditation style involving focused attention or cognition. The activation of the occipital lobes is consistent with a meditation style involving visual imagery and closely resembles that seen in stage-1 wakeful sleep and hypnosis. For the most highly experienced practitioners meditation elicits changes in the body and brain that are different than those of simple relaxation…

   The spiritual experiences associated with the temporal lobes are spontaneous, internally generated and effortless while the spiritual experiences in meditation, prayer, religious experiences and reliving mystical experiences are due to a conscious effort to experience spirituality. The areas of the brain that are activated reflect that effort. They are largely independent of the spiritual brain.[p410]