How Does Neuroscience Explain Spiritual and Religious Experiences?

Lost in the awe at the beauty around me, I must have slipped into a state of heightened awareness…It seemed to me, as I struggled afterward to recall the experience, that self was utterly absent: I and the chimpanzees, the earth and trees and air, seemed to merge, to become one with the spirit power of life itself…Never had I been so intensely aware of the shape, the color of the individual leaves, the varied patterns of the veins that made each one unique. It was almost overpowering. —Jane Goodall, Reason for Hope

These are the words famous primatologist Jane Goodall once used to describe a mystical experience she had while performing one of her celebrated studies on chimpanzee life in the far-flung country of Tanzania.

Mystical experiences are thought to be encounters with greater truths or powers, religious or not. Depending on how each of us uniquely interprets this puzzling concept, mystical experiences can take many shapes and forms. I asked different people about their own definition of sacred experiences. “Forging ties with God,” says George P., fisherman and devout churchgoer. “Entering a spiritual marriage,” adds Nadia D., an actress. “Transcending the mundane confines of reality,” was the reply of linguist Anthonia P., and “fusing with the world” is what track and field athlete Jonathan J. felt during a stressful game in a crowded stadium.