The Spiritual Brain:
A Functional PsychoNeuroBiological Exploration of Transcendence and Healing

DESCRIPTION:

Is spirituality merely belief — or a biologically adaptive function of the brain?

This 2-hour Grand Rounds event introduces Functional PsychoNeuroBiology®, an interdisciplinary framework that bridges neuroscience, psychoanalysis, developmental psychology, and spirituality. Through this lens, we explore how spiritual practices — both secular and religious — shape the brain and psyche, influence mental health, and support resilience, integration, and healing.

Functional PsychoNeuroBiology® offers a dynamic map of human experience, using tools such as:

• Neuroplasticity and self-directed neuroplasticity
• Hebbian learning principles (“fire together–wire together,” “wire together–mature together”)
• Connectomes and cognitomes — maps of neural connectivity and meaning-making
• Eric Kandel’s principles of mental functioning, learning, memory, and long-term potentiation
• Paul MacLean’s Triune Brain model and its extension, Triune Brain Plus, which integrates brain evolution with emotional, survival, and reflective functions

Key Themes:

The Neurobiology of Spiritual Experience

Research confirms that the brain actively participates in spiritual states. The Default Mode Network (DMN), associated with self-reflection, moral reasoning, and perspective-taking, is a key hub during prayer, meditation, and awe (Broyd et al., 2008). Neuroimaging studies of Tibetan monks in deep meditation and Christian nuns engaged in contemplative prayer show overlapping patterns of brain activity, particularly in areas tied to compassion, surrender, and transcendence. These findings demonstrate that spirituality is both biologically valid and psychologically transformative.

Prayer, Meditation, and Rewiring the Mind

Spiritual practices like mantra recitation, contemplative prayer, mindfulness, and visualization engage the brain in repeated, intention-driven acts — the very foundation of self-directed neuroplasticity. These acts strengthen regulatory networks, reduce stress, and help form new pathways of meaning and emotional regulation. Functional PsychoNeuroBiology® provides a framework for understanding how these practices sculpt both the connectome (the wiring of the brain) and the cognitome (the architecture of meaning-making, which includes values, beliefs, and symbolic systems).

Spirituality as a Protective Factor

Studies by Dr. Lisa Miller (Columbia University) show that individuals with a developed spiritual life have significantly lower rates of depression and higher levels of resilience. Her neuroimaging research confirms that spiritual awareness activates specific brain regions involved in hope, compassion, and executive functioning — even in adolescents and new parents. These findings underscore the adaptive and health-promoting potential of spirituality across the lifespan.

Clinical Integration of the Sacred

Research by Dr. Harold Koenig (Duke) and Dr. David Rosmarin (Harvard/McLean) has shown that religious/spiritual engagement improves outcomes in patients coping with grief, anxiety, addiction, and existential suffering — particularly when integrated into therapy with cultural sensitivity and psychological nuance.

Spiritual Struggle and Psychopathology

Not all spiritual experiences are adaptive. Feelings of guilt, spiritual alienation, or moral injury can exacerbate mental illness, especially in individuals with OCD, psychosis, or trauma histories (Hoenders & Braam, 2020; Gallardo-Vergara et al., 2022). Distinguishing between transformative spirituality and pathological spiritual expression is essential for safe and effective care.

A Transdisciplinary Imperative

This program, drawing from applied neuroscience, psychoanalysis, contemplative science, trauma studies, and psychoneuroimmunology, supports clinicians in building a holistic, integrative approach to healing that centers the sacred, symbolic, and soulful as core elements of human development.

Special Focus: The Dalai Lama and the Science of Compassion

The Dalai Lama’s long-standing commitment to scientific collaboration has helped shape the modern conversation around spiritual neuroscience. Through partnerships with neuroscientists from the U.S., Europe, and Russia, including at Mind & Life Institute dialogues, he has helped usher in a wave of research validating contemplative practice as a legitimate field of cognitive and affective study. His support has been instrumental in the scientific investigation of compassion, non-duality, and the brain’s moral-emotional systems.

Join us for this illuminating exploration of the sacred self — where neurobiology meets transcendence, and healing becomes a function of an adaptable, meaning-making brain.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Discuss how spiritual experiences affect the structure and function of the brain
• Apply principles of self-directed neuroplasticity in therapeutic contexts involving spiritual growth or distress
• Differentiate between healing and pathological spirituality, and support clients navigating both
• Identify how intentional acts like prayer and meditation shape neural development (connectome) and symbolic identity (cognitome)
• Explore the shared neural architecture across religious and secular spiritual practices
• Engage with and discuss current neuroscience research (e.g., Miller, Koenig, Rosmarin, van Elk) through the lens of Functional PsychoNeuroBiology

BIOGRAPHY:

REGISTRATION AND FEES:

This event is free to attend.

If the CEs are requested — there is a $25 fee to process the CE certificate.