Archives of General Psychiatry
August 1, 2010
Nancy Diazgranados, Lobna Ibrahim, Nancy E. Brutsché et al.
969 citations
A single intravenous dose of ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antagonist, produced rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression. Depressive symptoms improved within 40 minutes and remained significantly better than placebo through day 3. The largest drug effect occurred at day 2. Seventy-one percent of subjects responded to ketamine versus 6% to placebo. One subject in each group developed manic symptoms. Ketamine was generally well tolerated, with dissociative symptoms only at the 40-minute point.
Review of General Psychology
May 1, 2017
David Bryce Yaden, Jonathan Haidt, Ralph W. Hood et al.
682 citations
Self-loss is often linked to mental illness, but this review proposes that temporary states of reduced self-focus and heightened connectedness—called self-transcendent experiences (STEs)—may also promote mental health. The authors identify common psychological constructs with a self-transcendent aspect, such as mindfulness, flow, peak experiences, mystical-type experiences, and positive emotions like love and awe. Drawing on literature from social psychology, clinical psychology, and affective neuroscience, they propose psychological and neurobiological mechanisms that might underlie STEs' effects. The review concludes with suggestions for future empirical research to further explore these experiences.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2013
Jonathan Nash, Andrew B. Newberg
182 citations
Scholarly discourse on meditation suffers from inconsistent terminology and a lack of agreed-upon definitions and categories. Past attempts to create new lexicons have been useful but remain debated and misinterpreted. This paper proposes two new models to improve scientific reliability. First, it suggests a taxonomic system based on the established third-person paradigm of Affect and Cognition, borrowed from psychology and cognitive science, rather than inventing new first-person terminology. Second, it offers a definitional model that distinguishes meditation method from meditative state, conceptualizing meditation as a dynamic process with six related stages. The goal is to provide researchers with a reliable nomenclature for categorizing meditation methods and a conceptual framework to guide research and theory.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
October 24, 2016
David B. Yaden, Khoa D. Le Nguyen, Margaret L. Kern et al.
125 citations
Religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences triggered by psychedelic substances are rated as more intensely mystical and produce a reduced fear of death, a greater sense of purpose, and increased spirituality compared to similar experiences arising through other means. These findings held even after controlling for gender, education, socioeconomic status, and religious affiliation. The results support the view that psychedelic-induced experiences are genuinely mystical and generally positive in outcome.
August 18, 2022
David B. Yaden, Andrew B. Newberg
80 citations
Spiritual experiences have been reported worldwide throughout history, including the present day. Founders of major religions, philosophers since ancient Greeks, and about 30% of people in the United States and United Kingdom report them. William James analyzed these experiences a century ago, raising questions about triggers, brain and body effects, and lasting impacts. This book explores modern scientific breakthroughs from psychology and neuroscience, inviting readers into laboratories to learn research methods. It includes survey questions for classifying experiences and diverse personal accounts. Building on James's foundation, it provides a scientifically informed contemporary understanding of these profound, often life-meaningful events.
Frontiers in Psychology
March 18, 2014
Andrew B. Newberg
77 citations
This paper offers a perspective on the current research evaluating the neurobiological correlates of spiritual practices, reviewing methodological issues that confront the field. Spiritual practices studied include prayer, meditation, mediumistic trance states, speaking in tongues, and drug-induced experiences. Neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, single photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography have helped elucidate neurobiological mechanisms. Unique challenges include determining appropriate objective measures and correlating them with subjective measures that capture states of spiritual significance. A neuroscientific study of spiritual practices has the potential to further understanding of the relationship between the brain and such phenomena.
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
July 27, 2015
David B. Yaden, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, H. Andrew Schwartz et al.
68 citations
People who report having had mystical experiences use language that is more socially and spatially inclusive—words like 'close,' 'we,' and 'with'—and fewer overtly religious terms such as 'prayed,' 'Christ,' or 'church' compared to those who have not had such experiences. This pattern emerged from quantitative linguistic analysis of 777 participants' written accounts of their most significant spiritual or religious experience. The findings suggest that mystical experiences, though often described as ineffable, can be meaningfully communicated, and that language analysis offers a way to study them.
Frontiers in Psychology
February 8, 2023
Jonathan Nash, Andrew B. Newberg
21 citations
A classification system for meditation methods, first proposed in 2013, is expanded into a Three Tier Classification System that accounts for the full range of meditation practices. The system uses functional essentialism and the affect-and-cognition paradigm to separate methods into three orthogonal categories. Recent neuroscience research is presented as validating the original thesis. The paper also introduces a criterion-based protocol for formulating such classification systems and demonstrates how this model can be used to compare and evaluate other taxonomy proposals published over the past 15 years.
Religion Brain & Behavior
March 22, 2017
Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, David B. Yaden et al.
19 citations
A seven-day spiritual retreat involving meditation and prayer led to measurable changes in brain chemistry. After the retreat, dopamine transporter binding decreased in the basal ganglia and serotonin transporter binding decreased in the midbrain, suggesting altered neurotransmitter activity. Participants also reported changes in psychological and spiritual measures. This preliminary study of 14 individuals provides the first neurophysiological data on such retreats, though the authors note methodological challenges for future research.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
June 12, 2025
Etzel Cardeña, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Katja Valli et al.
11 citations
A multidisciplinary, international group used taxonomic principles and a modified Delphi method to create a taxonomy of altered states of consciousness based on central phenomenological features. They identified eight distinct states, some with subcategories: proto and transitional, delirium, minimal to no awareness, experiential detachment, enhanced physicality, altered identity, imaginary/fantasy/visionary, and unity/mystical. The authors hope this taxonomy will foster conceptual clarity and stimulate research across specializations, helping reveal what is common and different across triggers and antecedents of altered states, and encouraging phenomenological, psychological, cultural, and neuroscientific understanding.
Frontiers in Psychology
November 11, 2021
Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, Chloe Hriso et al.
10 citations
A meditation practice augmented by clitoral stimulation, called orgasmic meditation (OM), alters resting brain functional connectivity in both male and female participants. After a 15-minute session where the male stimulates the female's clitoris, functional magnetic resonance imaging showed significant changes in brain regions including the left superior temporal lobe, frontal lobe, anterior cingulate, and insula for the entire group. Females showed additional connectivity changes in the cerebellum, thalamus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, while males showed changes in the supramarginal gyrus, cerebellum, and orbitofrontal gyrus. These changes represent a hybrid of patterns seen in meditation and sexual stimulation, suggesting a dynamic relationship between sexuality and spirituality.
Current Psychiatry Reports
February 1, 2025
Andrew B. Newberg
3 citations
Neurotheology, the study of the brain's relationship with religious and spiritual phenomena, can serve as a bridge between understanding how spirituality and religion affect brain function and how this relates to mental health changes. Research shows that religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences can profoundly impact the psyche, often positively by lowering depression, anxiety, and distress, but sometimes negatively by fostering harmful beliefs or behaviors. This field examines both positive and negative effects from a brain perspective and offers philosophical insights into the mind and perception of reality. The review evaluates these topics and considers practical applications for integrative psychiatry.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
November 30, 2022
Calixto Machado, Andrew B. Newberg, Yanín Machado et al.
1 citation
Remembering near-death experiences and mystical experiences produces significant functional changes in the autonomic nervous system, as measured by heart rate variability. Using continuous electroencephalography with electrocardiogram monitoring, researchers compared the memories of two groups of participants. The method allowed continuous assessment of heart rate and heart rate variability during recall. The findings demonstrate that both types of experiences are associated with measurable autonomic shifts, confirming earlier reports of such changes.
F1000Research
September 7, 2022
Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, Chloe Hriso et al.
1 citation
During Orgasmic Meditation, a partnered practice combining clitoral stimulation with meditation, brain activity in both men and women showed a hybrid pattern between typical meditation and sexual stimulation. In women, significant decreases in glucose metabolism occurred in the left inferior frontal, inferior parietal, insula, middle temporal, and orbitofrontal regions, as well as the right angular gyrus, anterior cingulate, and parahippocampus. Men showed decreased metabolism in the left middle frontal, paracentral, precentral, and postcentral regions and the right middle frontal and paracentral regions, alongside increased metabolism in the cerebellum and right postcentral and superior temporal regions. These distinct patterns may inform understanding of the link between spiritual and sexual experience.
Zygon®
February 1, 2026
Michael James Winkelman, Andrew B. Newberg
The self is necessary for consciousness and central to spirituality. Downregulation of the right parietal lobe (rPL) is linked to spiritual experiences and meditative practices. The rPL supports the embodied self; its disturbance is associated with selflessness and spiritual experience. While many forms of self are incompatible with mystical experiences, the affective core self—the most ancient form—directly corresponds to many characteristics of such experiences. The affective core self and right-hemisphere processes in core spiritual features suggest a reversion to earlier self-representation, explaining the neurophenomenology of some spiritual experiences.
Frontiers in Neuroimaging
June 10, 2024
Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, Chloe Hriso et al.
Long-term practitioners of a meditation practice involving clitoral stimulation (OM) show different patterns of resting brain metabolism compared to non-meditators. In the OM group, metabolic activity was significantly lower in select areas of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, as well as the anterior cingulate, insula, and thalamus. Females in the OM group showed notably lower metabolism in the thalamus and insula compared to males. These brain regions are involved in cognition, attention, and emotional regulation, suggesting potential implications for therapeutic uses in neurological or psychiatric conditions.
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews
November 11, 2022
Calixto Machado, Andrew B. Newberg, Yanín Machado et al.
Continuous EEG monitoring (CEEG) revealed increased brain activity while individuals recalled near-death experiences (NDE) and spiritual contemplative experiences (SCE). The amplitude of the CEEG envelope increased during both types of recall, with a greater increase for SCE, particularly in the frontal lobes. Statistical increments in absolute power for alpha and gamma brainwave bands occurred during both NDE and SCE recall. The authors conclude that CEEG is a useful method for continuously assessing dynamic brain changes during these experiences.
August 31, 2022
David B. Yaden, Andrew B. Newberg
Numinous experience, the feeling of being in touch with divinity or God, is the most prevalent kind of spiritual experience people report, according to the authors' research data. This chapter of Part II examines numinous experience as part of a typology of spiritual experiences, describing William James's perspective on it, followed by contemporary scholarship and psychological research on both pathological and positive aspects, and concludes with neuroscience research on this type of experience.
PET Clinics
July 1, 2026
C. Ayubcha, Thomas Werner, A. Alavi et al.
This review describes how advanced functional neuroimaging, especially FDG PET, has been used to study the neural basis of consciousness across a range of states: waking awareness, sleep, anesthesia, and conditions like seizures and schizophrenia. It presents key findings from these investigations and discusses the methodological limitations and conceptual challenges inherent in using neuroimaging to study consciousness.
American journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
January 1, 2026
Raj N Patel, Shiv Patil, Alexander L. Gerlach et al.
Advanced neuroimaging studies have examined consciousness across normal waking, sleep, anesthesia, and disorders like seizures or schizophrenia, as well as altered states induced by meditation or psychoactive substances. This review discusses relevant research and highlights limitations and challenges in studying consciousness with PET, SPECT, and advanced MRI modalities.
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews
November 30, 2022
Calixto Machado, Andrew B. Newberg, Yanín Machado et al.
Memories of near-death experiences (NDE) and spiritual contemplative experiences (SCE) show similar brain activation patterns in delta, alpha, and gamma bands, along with frontal lobe activation, as measured by quantitative electroencephalography tomography. The Greyson Scale evaluation indicates a correlation between the attributes of NDE and SCE, such as cognitive timelessness, affective peace, transcendent oneness, and out-of-body sensations. SCE subjects exhibited statistically greater brain activation than NDE subjects. The study used QEEGt methodology, which incorporates MRI anatomical information to improve the precision of EEG source localization.
The Varieties of Spiritual Experience
October 15, 2022
David B. Yaden, Andrew B. Newberg
Spiritual experiences can be triggered by a variety of scientifically identified factors, including specific circumstances, personal dispositions, mindsets, rituals, practices, and psychoactive substances like psychedelics. Future neurotechnologies may also play a role. This chapter, drawing on the Jamesian approach of setting aside theological questions, summarizes research on the conditions that make such experiences more likely to occur.
The Varieties of Spiritual Experience
October 15, 2022
David B. Yaden, Andrew B. Newberg
Mystical experiences involve an intensely felt fading of the sense of self and/or feelings of increased connectedness, up to a sense of complete unity. In ordinary consciousness, there is a distinction between self and everything else, but during such experiences the sense of self can fade and become part of everything else. Neuroimaging of meditators and nuns shows that brain regions that differentiate self from the world are inhibited during these experiences.
Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
February 14, 2022
Aleeze Sattar Moss, Diane K. Reibel, Nancy Wintering et al.
After an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, 11 elderly adults (mean age 79) showed altered cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity in brain regions including the cingulate gyrus, limbic structures, and parts of the temporal and frontal lobes. These changes resembled those seen in younger meditators and were accompanied by significant improvements in depression symptoms. The findings suggest that MBSR may modify brain function in older adults.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2019
Jonathan Nash, Andrew B. Newberg, Bhuvanesh Awasthi
correction
This notice corrects an earlier article. No new findings, arguments, or data are presented.