The Physiology of Religious Experience

I posted a couple of months ago about TED - Technology, Entertainment, Design, and the wonderful presentations that can be viewed on their website. Great new material is continually being posted there, and a case in point is a recent talk by brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor. From the description:

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

The language that Dr. Taylor uses to relate her experience is very much like what one might expect to hear from someone describing a mystical or religious experience, and it would be hard not to draw connections between the two. This is simply a fascinating talk. (It also deserves mention for Dr. Taylor's use of a certain visual aid.)



To view this talk at the TED website instead of using the embedded video above, go here. You can learn more about Dr. Taylor at her website, and she also has a book about her experience available from Lulu. (Hat tip to Mo at Neurophilosophy.)