Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...ef=online-news

WHEN we fall under the spell of a charismatic figure, areas of the brain responsible for scepticism and vigilance become less active. That's the finding of a study which looked at people's response to prayers spoken by someone purportedly possessing divine healing powers.

To identify the brain processes underlying the influence of charismatic individuals, Uffe Schjødt of Aarhus University in Denmark and colleagues turned to Pentecostal Christians, who believe that some people have divinely inspired powers of healing, wisdom and prophecy.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Schjødt and his colleagues scanned the brains of 20 Pentecostalists and 20 non-believers while playing them recorded prayers. The volunteers were told that six of the prayers were read by a non-Christian, six by an ordinary Christian and six by a healer. In fact, all were read by ordinary Christians.

Only in the devout volunteers did the brain activity monitored by the researchers change in response to the prayers. Parts of the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, which play key roles in vigilance and scepticism when judging the truth and importance of what people say, were deactivated when the subjects listened to a supposed healer. Activity diminished to a lesser extent when the speaker was supposedly a normal Christian (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsq023).

Schjødt says that this explains why certain individuals can gain influence over others, and concludes that their ability to do so depends heavily on preconceived notions of their authority and trustworthiness.

It's not clear whether the results extend beyond religious leaders, but Schjødt speculates that brain regions may be deactivated in a similar way in response to doctors, parents and politicians.

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Amazing!

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Well, something's wrong with my brain, then, because when the Faith Healer hits the stage, my skepticism goes to 50 on a scale of 1-10!:lol

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

I had that problem at IBC many times sadly.

Listening to student and sometimes the visiting speakers preaching will give you a potent combo having young ministers without doctrinal balance and life experience telling you the 3, 5, or 7 steps to (fill in the blank: revival: spiritual power: lukewarmness: powerful evangelism: selling out the true doctrine)

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

I wonder at what age this becomes more true. How much are our children affected?

Been Thinkin

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

My brain's going through a shut-down sequence right now.

Night, all!

:heeheehee

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Many of us who grew up in the experience have neuro-linguistic triggers. Over the years I have identified many of mine. I swear when they do the old time singing and preaching using the older formulas/keys/preaching styles I can almost smell the wooden pews at Bro. Rooks church in Miami that I used to sit on as a kid. Or when they sing certain songs like Majesty or Ain't God Good in certain keys it almost teleports me back into a certain emotional/mental state by default.

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Boy that's a fact. Or smell the old pot belly stove sitting on the right of the sanctuary. I remember at a very young age, I was singing a special and the words of the song dropped below the regular lines, because they ran out of space on the regular line. I couldn't find the next words so I stopped and started singing another song.

Been Thinkin

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Have you seen pictures of their new church in a new location and with a new name and a new pastor? Some friends of ours go there, Bill and Brenda Skirvin.They used to live across the street from us. I've preached for Bill's grandfather in Warsaw, KY. Brenda's sister is married to my wife's brother.

Re: Brain shuts off in response to healers prayer
 

Let's see, that would make Bill your brother-in-law-in-law-in-law-in-law?