Feelings of spiritual transcendence and oneness with God and/or
the universe can be attributed to a purely physiological phenomenon. There is a
region of the brain that neuroscientists call the orientation association area
(OAA) that orients us in physical space. It is this area that controls our
perception of ourselves in relation to the objects around us and differentiates
between "me" and "not me." People with damage to this part
of the brain have trouble navigating through even familiar spaces, and will
frequently bump into things that a typical person will easily avoid.
It has been found that meditation and some drugs can cause activity
in the OAA to decrease. As its function of differentiating between a person and
the rest of the world decreases, the
person feels a sense of connection to things outside himself. Damage to the
OAA, in addition to bumping into things, can cause people to spontaneously experience
feelings of spiritual transcendence.
This is a physiological explanation
for the feelings people may experience during davening. Davening is a form of
meditation, and can at times cause the OAA to go into hibernation. The spiritual
feelings people experience are likely not the result of a connection with the
divine, but are the result of a malfunction in the brain that blurs the boundaries
between "me" and "not me."