Tracing the synapses of spirituality

June 18, 2001 | Source: Washington Post

Religious experiences can be explained in terms of brain activity, scientists are discovering.

They can be caused by epileptic seizures, hallucinogenic drugs, magnetic fields, and decreased activity in the parietal lobe from deep meditation, inducing disorientation in three-dimensional space and loss of the boundary between the self and the rest of the world.