Manifestations of mystical experience and evolution of the human brain

Abstract

Recently, the emphasis has been put on the change in brain biochemistry (neurotransmitters) and neurohormonal regulation during the evolution of human mental capacities. One of the products of those changes has been the development of dopaminergic systems, especially those located in the prefrontal cortex as pointed out by Fred Previc. These systems enable humans to elicit mental images of the space above their heads. This coupled with improved imagination in general and expanded memory, allowed humans to produce multiple images of other worlds in their minds. Since biochemistry does not fossilize, it is difficult to ascertain when in the course of human evolution the ability to create mental images of what cannot be directly observed and experienced arose and how it developed. Here we try to reconstruct early stages of the evolution of this ability by examining archaeological and anthropological records of shamanic practices. We conclude that the neural substrate of mystical experience in humans, that appeared probably at H. erectus stage, offers an almost limitless source of mental imagery which has been foundational to all religious systems.