EEG activity in Carmelite nuns during a mystical experience
Mario Beauregard, Vincent Paquette
Neuroscience Letters August 15, 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.08.028 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMystical experiences—intense feelings of union with God—are common across cultures, but their brain activity had not been measured with EEG. In 14 Carmelite nuns, EEG was recorded during a resting state, a control condition, and a mystical condition. Compared to the control condition, the mystical condition showed increased theta power at frontal, central, and parietal electrodes, and greater gamma1 power at right temporal and parietal sites. Higher ratios of delta/beta, theta/alpha, and theta/beta appeared at several electrodes. Coherence increased in a frontal-parietal theta band and in several alpha-band pairs across both hemispheres. These results indicate that mystical experiences involve measurable changes in brain electrical activity across multiple cortical areas.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Carmelite nuns |
| Citations | 105 |
| Key finding | Mystical experiences in Carmelite nuns are associated with increased theta and gamma1 EEG power and altered coherence across cortical areas in both hemispheres. |
Abstract
Mystical experiences relate to a fundamental dimension of human existence. These experiences, which are characterized by a sense of union with God, are commonly reported across all cultures. To date, no electroencephalography (EEG) study has been conducted to identify the neuroelectrical correlates of such experiences. The main objective of this study was to measure EEG spectral power and coherence in 14 Carmelite nuns during a mystical experience. EEG activity was recorded from 19 scalp locations during a resting state, a control condition and a mystical condition. In the mystical condition compared to control condition, electrode sites showed greater theta power at F3, C3, P3, Fz, Cz and Pz, and greater gamma1 power was detected at T4 and P4. Higher delta/beta ratio, theta/alpha ratio and theta/beta ratio were found for several electrode sites. In addition, FP1-C3 pair of electrodes displayed greater coherence for theta band while F4-P4, F4-T6, F8-T6 and C4-P4 pairs of electrodes showed greater coherence for alpha band. These results indicate that mystical experiences are mediated by marked changes in EEG power and coherence. These changes implicate several cortical areas of the brain in both hemispheres.