Five Fundamental Ways Spiritual Practices Heal the Brain

In the last twenty years, neuroscience has turned a critical corner. Researchers are now focusing on what heals this incredible organ and how.  Surprisingly, they are integrating a topic that would seem to be directly opposite to science – namely – spiritual practices. As they examine how these ancient principles affect our brains, they uncover eye-opening evidence.  Science is now proving what spirituality has been speaking to all along.

Neuroscience is a complex discipline focused on the brain, its circuitry, neurons, and the chemical compounds that support your life. This is the “last frontier” of science that humans continue to explore, where breakthroughs occur almost daily.

There are 1.1 trillion cells in the average brain, with over 100 billion neurons receiving 5,000 connections or synapses to each of the neurons.  The math is a bit stunning – 5 hundred trillion points or links within our skulls (Hanson, 2009).  If these were bulbs connected like Christmas lights, they would stretch the distance from Earth to Neptune and back 100,000 times.

Each neuron fires between 5 to 50 times per second, transmitting neurochemicals containing information that regulates every process in our beings, from the movement of a finger to the complex computation of Einstein's formula for the Theory of Relativity.  Our central nervous system moves each signal through the body, including complex transmissions regulating stress responses. This intricate network can quickly be upended by stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues. 

Daniel Amen, MD, is a double board-certified psychiatrist regarded as one of the top experts on utilizing brain imaging science to inform clinical psychiatry. His work helped educate the National Football League about the risks of inadequate helmets to players’ brains.  His "brain bank" consists of over 65,000 SPECT scans reflecting conditions ranging from ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Substance Use Disorders.  He has criticized the field of psychiatry and mental health by stating, “Psychiatrists are the only medical specialists that never look at the organ they treat.” Amen was one of the first psychiatrists in his field to include a spiritual focus as part of brain health.

Rick Hanson, PhD, threw a new light on how our brains are constantly looking for danger to initiate a flight-fight response. This originated when we roamed the savannahs or defended ourselves from saber-toothed tigers. As a result, we are conditioned by our evolutionary process to seek out trouble. Referred to as “Negativity Bias,” it involves your attention constantly focusing on what could go wrong.

In his book, “Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom,” Hanson introduces the idea that we can retrain our brains from focusing on criticism or seeking out fear to re-wire ourselves to positivity and open-heartedness. He was among the first neuroscientists to introduce spiritual practices as a path toward personal and mental happiness.

Other researchers have postulated and provided bonafide arguments for the existence of spirituality within our beings and analyzed a broad range of spiritual activities that have laid the foundation for what is now referred to as the “Neuroscience of Spirituality.”

Spirituality should not be confused with religion. Religion consists of beliefs and worship of a God or gods. Spirituality relates to the human spirit or soul. It is an inner process of connection to something bigger than ourselves and can infuse us with curiosity, creativity, compassion, and clarity. Spirituality offers a sense of aliveness and interconnectedness. There is a sense of authenticity in the heart and immense listening at the center of our being. Some call it the “Still Voice Within.”

Spiritual practices connect us to that sense of inner knowing, as well as the peace and harmony that expands within us as a result of personal discipline. There is no right or wrong, and hundreds of approaches, types, and styles exist. My orientation is Buddhism and Yoga – two traditions familiar to many in the 21st Century.

Spiritual work helps us reclaim our true nature and undo the intrinsic belief of humanity: that we are separate beings from each other and everything around us. The concept of a separate self is at the root of so much suffering, as the Buddha and Jesus taught. It is an ageless truth that we are not separate but unified in the human experience, whether in joy or suffering.

Neuroplasticity is the miracle of the brain being able to heal itself. It can modify and adapt its function and structure by reorganizing itself to compensate for injury, disease, or damage, forming new neural connections to respond to changing conditions.

As discovered by many neuroscientists, spiritual practices help the brain engage in neuroplasticity and rewire the neural pathways. When we practice the intentional engagement of positivity and calm, as well as engaging in physical wellness and gratitude, we strengthen the brain parts that support happiness, joy, and equanimity.

We are truly spiritual beings having a human experience; every one of us is divine. Committing to living a spiritual life takes three simple things: deciding you want something different, being disciplined about working toward it, and then being devoted to keeping it. It begins with a first step, whether taking ten minutes to focus on your breath each morning, meditating on a cushion regularly, praying, reciting mantras, or energizing your body through movement.

May you claim your birthright as a human
and live the spiritual life that is available to you.
May you live your best life in the embrace of God.
May you be joyous and free today and every day.