The Power of Prayer and Meditation
When connecting with the Divine, the brain actually alters itself
“Scientists have found that the brains of people who spend untold hours in prayer and meditation are different.”
— Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Science is typically separated from religion, as if the two are polar opposites. But what happens when a scientist studies the brain activities of people who partake in prayer and/or meditation — stemming from the faith of their chosen religion? They call this neurotheology: the bridge that gaps the space between science and religion, in which we are to take a deeper dive into the why’s of the universe using the natural observation but also, the supernatural. Andrew Newberg delves into “the limitations of what science can say about our religious and spiritual experience of reality” in his studies of neurotheology, including his approach to further understand how the power of religion plays a role in the mind-body connection of science but also, the mind-body-soul connection of spirituality.
science: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment
religion: the service and worship of God or the supernatural; commitment or devotion to…
