Elevated emotional, mental and spiritual states have been described by mystics for millennia. Now, modern research tools like MRIs and EEGs are allowing us to analyze the brain patterns of these adepts and map their neural activity. Science has built up a profile of their most active brain regions and found that they match those of people in peak states of "flow." These states also produce seven of the most pleasurable neurotransmitters and hormones known, from serotonin to anandamide, the "bliss molecule." This presentation reviews the neuroscience behind "Bliss Brain" and includes an experience of the practices that induce it.
OBJECTIVES