Comparing the three states of Dhikr, meditation, and thinking about God: an fMRI study
M. Saraei, A. Newberg, Seyed Ruhollah Hosseini, Tahereh Bayati, Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli
Religion, Brain & Behavior September 14, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/2153599x.2022.2108888 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBrain activity during three Islamic spiritual practices—Dhikr, body scan meditation, and thinking about God—shares common neural networks, including the angular gyrus and parahippocampus, and differs from resting state in areas like the caudate and anterior cingulate. Twenty-two distinct neural networks were observed across 31 healthy, highly religious participants using fMRI. The three tasks also showed differences in the precuneus and posterior cingulate. The findings suggest these practices engage the default mode network in a non-directive way, supporting transcendent experiences and emotional regulation.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | Mentally and physically healthy, highly religious individuals |
| Interventions | Islamic Dhikr body scan meditation thinking about God |
| Keywords | Psychology |
| Key finding | Islamic Dhikr, body scan meditation, and thinking about God activate overlapping and distinct neural networks, including the default mode network, in highly religious Muslims. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Objectives: While there are researches on the neural processes of some religious/spiritual practices like mindfulness meditation, no fMRI research on brain functions of mindfulness in Islam is available. Methods: In this study, by using a 3T MRI machine and recruiting 31 (16F) mentally and physically healthy and highly religious individuals, we performed four different tasks during the fMRI: doing Islamic Dhikr, listening to a voice on body scan meditation, freely thinking about God, and being in resting state. The brain activations relevant to these four conditions were estimated and later compared. Results: Twenty-two distinct neural networks of brain activations were observed. Several brain areas showed similar activations between the four conditions, such as the angular gyrus and parahippocampus. A few areas were only different in resting state, such as caudate and anterior cingulate. The three tasks also showed differences such as in precuneus and posterior cingulate. Discussion: This study demonstrates similarities and differences between the three spiritual tasks and how they lead to transcendent experiences and emotional regulation. It also suggested that Muslims do these three mindfulness practices in a non-directive way, resulting in an increased activity of the default mode network.