From “The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life” by Lisa Miller, PhD
The MRI findings marked a pivotal moment on the way to my breakthrough discovery that each of us has an awakened brain. Each of us is endowed with a natural capacity to perceive a greater reality and consciously connect to the life force that moves in, through, and around us. Whether or not we participate in a spiritual practice or adhere to a faith tradition, whether or not we identify as religious or spiritual, our brain has a natural inclination toward and docking station for spiritual awareness. The awakened brain is the neural circuitry that allows us to see the world more fully and thus enhance our individual, societal, and global well-being.
When we awaken, we feel more fulfilled and at home in the world, and we build relationships and make decisions from a wider view. We move from loneliness and isolation to connection; from competition and division to compassion and altruism; from an entrenched focus on our wounds, problems, and losses to a fascination with the journey of life. We begin to live beyond a “pieces and parts” mode of identity and a splintered, fragmented view of who we are to one another, and to cultivate a way of being built on a core awareness of love, interconnection, and the guidance and surprise of life.
I didn’t set out to study spirituality per se. My discovery of the awakened brain began with a desire to understand human resilience and help people who were struggling. Bit by bit, striking data points and my patient’s stories of hurt and healing helped me see that spiritual experience was a vital, though overlooked, component of healing.
So what is spirituality? Many of us have had experiences we might describe as spiritual. A moment of deep connection with another being or in nature. A feeling of awe or transcendence. An experience of starling synchronicity or a time when a stranger showed up and did something that changed your life. A time you felt held or inspired or buoyed up by something greater than yourself – a higher power perhaps, but also nature or the universe or even the surge of connection at a concert or sporting event.