My Personal Experience with the God-Spot

The mystery of God has been with us since the day the ape-man began to reason. At some point, the creature crossed the genetic line to an animal that could sense a more infinite reality called God. I believe that we are linked to God by our brains. Dr. Persinger in Percept Mot Skills suggests that there is a God spot in our brains located in the right temporal lobe. He has studied the heat patterns in the brains of patients who felt extreme religious beliefs. Dr. Persinger noticed that the patients had increased activity in their right temporal lobes. Melvin Morse in Right Temporal Lobe and Associated Limbic Structures claimed that the right temporal lobe may be a link to an alternate reality.

From personal experience, I am inclined to believe Dr Persinger. At around age 20, I began to have increased spiritual feelings. I felt as if God was always present. It was an astonishing experience, indeed. Every minute of every day, I felt an intense feeling of the presence of God. I could never understand how some others did not appreciate God the way that I did.

In 1998, I started taking melatonin, a sleeping supplement. After taking melatonin, I noticed my religious feeling beginning to substantially decrease. After a period of time taking this pill, the God feelings significantly lessened. I believe that melatonin decreased the electrical activity in my right temporal lobe.

In 2006, I took a pill, called Lexapro for bipolar disorder. After taking this pill for a year, the religious feelings were completely gone. Since the pill has anti-anxiety abilities, maybe it calmed my right temporal lobe. I stopped taking the Lexapro for 6 months, and the God feelings never came back. Lexapro may have changed my brain chemistry for some time, since it has a long half life, and also leaks from the liver.

I had developed an animosity toward organized religion, caused by drugs which changed my brain chemistry. I no longer had these spiritual feelings. There is no way anyone could convince me they were true. The funny thing is that if my brain chemicals reverted back its former, you could not convince me that God was not really present. Now, I understand why people can kill each other over religion. The feelings can be intense.
Why can't an atheist and a believer ever find some middle ground? The reason is due to brain chemistry. Feelings affect thinking. I would even go as far to state that people are born to be inclined toward religion or toward atheism, depending on their brain chemistry.

Maybe, the right temporal lobe is a link to another reality, but there is no way to prove it. But one thing is for certain, brain chemistry does influence religious feelings.

Persinger MA. 1984,People who report religious experiences may also display enhanced temporal-lobe signs. Percept Mot Skills:963-75

Melvin Morse, Right Temporal Lobe and Associated Limbic Structures, The Right Temporal Lobe and Associated Limbic Lobe Structures as a Biological Interface to an Interconnected Universe