Our Mission

Utilizing cutting-edge neuroscientific and phenomenological techniques developed in the study of meditation and consciousness, we delve into the less-charted domain of Christian prayer. We have preliminary significant findings showing that speaking in tongues involves letting go (preSMA deactivation) and cognitive loosening (Increased divergent thinking). Our goal is to explore the potential of prayer for enhancing compassion, relaxation, fostering self-transcendence and boosting cognitive flexibility, and shaping the balance between universalist and parochial experience of compassion and community.

Our work began with generous support from the John Templeton Foundation in Anthropology at Stanford University and has since expanded to include research at UC Berkeley in Psychology, McGill University’s Transcultural Psychiatry Division and Lady Davis Research Institute, the Harvard Divinity School and now the Religious Studies Department at Stanford. Additional funding came from The National Science Foundation, The Bial Foundation, The Wenner Gren Foundation, and The Mind and Life Foundation.

Prayer: Prayer has been a central feature of all human communities; some scholars even describe its invention as pivotal for the emergence of society. Over half of the people in the US say they pray daily (Pew 2018). Over half a billion people in the world pray in the charismatic evangelical mode we are exploring here.

Exploring Prayer's Effects on Cognition and Emotion: With an innovative approach, our research will examine the intricate effects of prayer on cognitive, autonomic, and emotional mechanisms, exploring also how prayer fosters feelings of hope and empowerment.

Extending Research into Largely Overlooked Contemplative Practices: Our project extends the growing field of contemplative practice research by directing attention to Christian prayer, an aspect often overlooked in comparison to other forms of contemplative practices.

Our Method

Our research method involves what we call “community engaged neurophenomenology”. That means we design our studies in close dialogue with the people involved and affected. We develop our questions and analyze our findings together. Also, we believe that neuroscience can only measure so much, so the details of our participant’s experiences matter tremendously – that is what we call phenomenology, or a focus on the phenomenal.