Study Shows How Prayer, Meditation Affect Brain Activity (VIDEO)

In a video that recently aired on "Through the Wormhole" narrated by Morgan Freeman on the TV channel Science, Dr. Newberg explains that to study the effect of meditation and prayer on the brain, he injects his subjects with a harmless radioactive dye while they are deep in prayer / meditation. The dye migrates to the parts of the brain where the blood flow is the strongest, i.e,. to the most active part of the brain. The red part indicates greater activity, and in this case, increased activity is observed in the frontal lobes and the language area of the brain. This is the part of the brain that activates during conversation, and Dr. Newberg believes that for the brain, praying to God in the Judeo-Christian tradition is similar to talking to people. "When we study Buddhist meditation where they are visualizing something, we might expect to see a change or increased activity in the visual part of the brain," Dr. Newberg said.

I tend to think that people should be devotionally-religious (or at least privately-spiritual) regardless of whether they believe in God or not -- or whether there really is a God or not. Work Hard. Play Hard. Pray Hard. I continue to consider the '1928 Book of Common Prayer' as being a possible 'Ecumenical Middle Way'. I tend to do much more researching and contemplating than I do worshipping and praising -- as I continue to experience a profound crisis of faith relative to who God really is -- and why we might need to beg for various graces and favors -- and why God might desire worship and praise. I tend to think that God does not require begging, worship, and praise -- and that simple devotional studies are a form of prayer. I seek to avoid the 'Appeasement of the Gods'. What sort of God might require begging, worship, praise, and human-sacrifices?? Think about it.

I tend to agree with you Oxy. Prayer is a celebration of love.

I'm tending to be more alternative truth seeking than emotional and loving -- and to some, it might seem as if I'm on the wrong road -- or even a dark path. I'm obviously not attempting to win friends and influence people. Attempting to face reality has been rather destructive -- even though I have been attempting to do the right thing. Perhaps I should give in -- join the Masons (you wouldn't believe who invited me to join) -- go back to church -- drink lots of Kool-Aid -- say all the right things -- and be as rich and respectable as possible. I guess I started this quest in an attempt to be happy -- but just the opposite has been the result -- and things are getting progressively worse. I'm trying to see things from all points of view -- which seems to get one nowhere. I tend to think that the closer one gets to the truth -- the more of a threat they become -- and the more of a target they become for intelligence-agencies and supernatural-agencies. So really, I continue to warn people that alternative questing will not make them happy. However, I continue to think that a critical mass of the population needs to go the extra mile regarding getting in touch with what's really going on behind the scenes -- without creating more problems than already exist. But I continue to NOT wish to wake everyone up -- and to cause societal instability. Most people do not have the time and energy to properly 'wake-up' -- so they might as well just keep sleeping -- as harsh as that might sound.