Historic Cuba Medicine & Religion Dialogue
Moderator - John Graham, M.D., D.Min., President and CEO, Institute for Spirituality & Health
Panelists-
Robert J Hesse, Ph.D. President, Contemplative Network, Houston, TX
Calixto Machado, M.D., Ph.D. – University of Habana
Ramiro Salas, Ph.D. - Baylor College of Medicine
This panel will discuss the impact of the first interfaith medicine and religion (M&R) dialogue at a symposium held in Cuba. This 2015 symposium is historic because it is the first time in over 50 years since the revolution that religion is presented to the University of Havana. This provides a unique case study to observe the impact that spirituality and health research has on the underlying normative views of human health held by a medical community that, by government policy, is non-religious, but considered to be the best trained in the communist/socialist world.
One all-day session of this symposium was dedicated to “Spirituality & Health” with speakers from Cuba, US, and Europe in the fields of medicine, science, and religion. The keynote speaker is one of the world’s top experts on Medicine & Religion. Local participants are drawn from medical and science professionals at the University of Havana.
All panelists gave presentations at the “Spirituality & Health” session. Three of them will summarize their individual talks in Cuba, which are described below and include groundbreaking current MRI and fMRI research results from studies on the healing benefits of spirituality and prayer. Finally, one panelist, who is the Cuban M.D., Ph.D. President of the symposium, will provide direct feedback on the impact that the “Spirituality & Health” session had on the local Cuban medical attendees. The panelists include diverse Cuban and American medical, scientific, and religious professionals.
1. CONSCIOUSNESS STATES & NEUROTHEOLOGY: Neuroscientific studies on the effect of prayer on the brain and consciousness will be presented. This will lead to a discussion on the neurotheology of altered states of consciousness. Neuroscientists are recognizing that current-day contemplative experiences are similar to those reported by historical mystics such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. This presentation will explore the nature of these phenomena such as the brain’s dualities and conflicts including both conscious and unconscious. Prayer can lead to contemplative experiences, which promote healing.
2. SPIRITUALITY BRAIN RESEARCH: Groundbreaking neuroscientific MRI research will be reviewed, which has been described as “the first real hard evidence that religious involvement may actually change the structure of the brain, reducing vulnerability to depression.” Then the presenter will summarize the preliminary results of his soon soon-to-be published fMRI research, showing that one-on-one discursive prayer lessens depression and changes the brain’s habenula, a structure involved in the signaling of negative events. Prayer also changed the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, an area important for self-referencing processes and cognitive control.
Panelists-
Robert J Hesse, Ph.D. President, Contemplative Network, Houston, TX
Calixto Machado, M.D., Ph.D. – University of Habana
Ramiro Salas, Ph.D. - Baylor College of Medicine
This panel will discuss the impact of the first interfaith medicine and religion (M&R) dialogue at a symposium held in Cuba. This 2015 symposium is historic because it is the first time in over 50 years since the revolution that religion is presented to the University of Havana. This provides a unique case study to observe the impact that spirituality and health research has on the underlying normative views of human health held by a medical community that, by government policy, is non-religious, but considered to be the best trained in the communist/socialist world.
One all-day session of this symposium was dedicated to “Spirituality & Health” with speakers from Cuba, US, and Europe in the fields of medicine, science, and religion. The keynote speaker is one of the world’s top experts on Medicine & Religion. Local participants are drawn from medical and science professionals at the University of Havana.
All panelists gave presentations at the “Spirituality & Health” session. Three of them will summarize their individual talks in Cuba, which are described below and include groundbreaking current MRI and fMRI research results from studies on the healing benefits of spirituality and prayer. Finally, one panelist, who is the Cuban M.D., Ph.D. President of the symposium, will provide direct feedback on the impact that the “Spirituality & Health” session had on the local Cuban medical attendees. The panelists include diverse Cuban and American medical, scientific, and religious professionals.
1. CONSCIOUSNESS STATES & NEUROTHEOLOGY: Neuroscientific studies on the effect of prayer on the brain and consciousness will be presented. This will lead to a discussion on the neurotheology of altered states of consciousness. Neuroscientists are recognizing that current-day contemplative experiences are similar to those reported by historical mystics such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. This presentation will explore the nature of these phenomena such as the brain’s dualities and conflicts including both conscious and unconscious. Prayer can lead to contemplative experiences, which promote healing.
2. SPIRITUALITY BRAIN RESEARCH: Groundbreaking neuroscientific MRI research will be reviewed, which has been described as “the first real hard evidence that religious involvement may actually change the structure of the brain, reducing vulnerability to depression.” Then the presenter will summarize the preliminary results of his soon soon-to-be published fMRI research, showing that one-on-one discursive prayer lessens depression and changes the brain’s habenula, a structure involved in the signaling of negative events. Prayer also changed the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, an area important for self-referencing processes and cognitive control.