Newberg Andrew B
Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, Suite 120, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2025 Feb;27(2):105-111. doi: 10.1007/s11920-024-01584-3. Epub 2025 Jan 4.
Neurotheology is a nascent field of research and scholarship that seeks to understand the relationship between the brain and religious and spiritual phenomena. In the context of integrative psychiatry, neurotheology offers an intriguing intermediary between understanding how spirituality and religion affect brain function, and how this might be related to changes in mental health.
A number of research studies over the years have observed that religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences can have a profound impact on a person's psyche. Many times, the effects are positive leading to lower depression, anxiety and distress. However, there are times that religion and spirituality can lead to negative beliefs and behaviors. Neurotheology seeks to understand both the positive and negative effects of religion and spirituality on mental health from a brain perspective. In addition, neurotheology offers important philosophical insights into the nature of the human mind and how we perceive the reality around us. This review evaluates these many topics as it considers how neurotheology can have practical applications with regard to integrative psychiatry.
神经神学是一个新兴的研究领域，旨在理解大脑与宗教及精神现象之间的关系。在综合精神病学的背景下，神经神学在理解灵性与宗教如何影响大脑功能以及这与心理健康变化可能有何关联方面提供了一个有趣的中间环节。
多年来的一些研究观察到，宗教和精神信仰、实践及体验可对人的心理产生深远影响。很多时候，这些影响是积极的，可降低抑郁、焦虑和痛苦程度。然而，宗教和灵性有时也会导致负面的信仰和行为。神经神学试图从大脑角度理解宗教和灵性对心理健康的积极和消极影响。此外，神经神学还对人类思维的本质以及我们如何感知周围现实提供了重要的哲学见解。本综述在考量神经神学如何在综合精神病学方面有实际应用时对这些诸多主题进行了评估。
