Concentrative spiritual practices are utterly common to our species—practices like prayer, meditation and yoga exist in virtually every society. This presentation explores why we are driven to seek out transcendent experiences and how culture influences and shapes the meaning we construct for our experiences. A comparison of brain activity during meditation and prayer—and outcomes of these practices--will be part of this presentation.
Dr. Jeff Dykhuizen is a Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Global Peace Studies program at Delta College. In addition, he is a longstanding Board member of the Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Institute.