Glossolalia
Talking Heads
Glossolalia, or speaking in tongues,
comprises the utterance of semantically meaningless syllables. Glossolalia is claimed by some to be an unknown mystical language; others claim that glossolalia is the speaking of an unlearned foreign language (see xenoglossia). Glossolalic utterances sometimes occur as part of religious worship (religious glossolalia).While occurrences of Glossolalia are widespread and well documented, there is considerable debate within religious communities (principally Christian) and elsewhere as to both its status - the extent to which glossolalic utterances can be considered to form language - and its source - whether glossolalia is a natural or supernatural Spiritual phenomenon.
A recent neuroimaging study (Newberg et al, 2006) was able to catch 5 religious women in the act of glossolalia while a SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scan measured the changes in their cerebral blow flow. SPECT is a relatively inexpensive cousin of PET scanning (positron emission tomography) with lower spatial resolution. One of the reasons fMRI was not a feasible technique for this study is that the amount of movement artifact produced by vigorous babbling would render the resultant images unusable.
Language Center Of The Brain Is Not Under The Control Of Subjects Who 'Speak In Tongues'The participants were screened for psychiatric conditions (other than speaking in tongues) and did not meet criteria for current Axis I or II disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Interestingly (and fittingly), the authors chose voluntary gospel singing as the control state for glossolalia. In contrast, speaking in tongues is an involuntary state over which the Charismatic or Pentecostal adherent has no control. The curious thing, however, is how the subjects were able to enter the state on cue:
. . .
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered decreased activity in the frontal lobes, an area of the brain associated with being in control of one's self. This pioneering study, involving functional imaging of the brain while subjects were speaking in tongues, is in the November issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging...
Following the "singing" scan, the subject returned to the room to perform glossolalia. It began with the music playing and the person initially singing, and then relatively quickly entering into the glossolalia state (usually within 5 min). Once the subject was observed performing glossolalia for 5 min, she was unobtrusively injected with 25 mCi of 99mTc-ECD. The subject continued to perform glossolalia for 15 min and then the session was ended. The subject was then scanned ("glossolalia" scan) for 30 min using the same imaging parameters as above.The Neurocritic is not all that knowledgeable about SPECT as an imaging method, but these authors are (Committee on the Mathematics and Physics of Emerging Dynamic Biomedical Imaging, National Research Council), in case you're interested in learning more.
Newberg AB, Wintering NA, Morgan D, Waldman MR (2006). The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia: A preliminary SPECT study. Psychiatry Res. Oct 11; [Epub ahead of print]
Glossolalia (or "speaking in tongues") is an unusual mental state that has great personal and religious meaning. Glossolalia is experienced as a normal and expected behavior in religious prayer groups in which the individual appears to be speaking in an incomprehensible language. This is the first functional neuroimaging study to demonstrate changes in cerebral activity during glossolalia. The frontal lobes, parietal lobes, and left caudate were most affected.
SPECTacular Glossolalia (Newberg et al., 2006)The figure above illustrates the singing state (a) and the glossolalia state (b). The authors say there is decreased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) bilaterally in the frontal lobes and unilaterally in the left caudate, so we'll just have to take their word for it. BUT:
Our results were hypothesis driven so comparisons were only tested for the major structures of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, as well as the amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus, and thus a correction for multiple comparisons was not performed.I don't think that having a hypothesis exonerates one from correcting for multiple comparisons. [NOTE: right dorsolateral PFC and left caudate decreases would likely survive correction.] Anyway, the authors related the frontal rCBF decreases to the loss of volitional control that is experienced while speaking in tongues. The only healthy increase in rCBF was in the left superior parietal lobe (SPL). They predicted no change in the SPL.
What does it mean? How does this compare to another neurotheology study, recollection of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns (Beauregard & Paquette, 2006)? The one commonality is an increase in left SPL in both studies.
Can we really say She's Lost Control?
posted by The Neurocritic @ 4:12 PM
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The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body
by Steven J. Mithen
http://www.amazon.com/Singing-Neanderthals-Origins-Music-Language/dp/0297643177
I believe it is simply a loss of control.
Interesting stuff and I am sure you are aware of the Nightline episode for tonight discussing these concepts.
But to the contrary, I would suggest that Christian glossolalia, properly understood, is voluntary. This was its practice in the New Testament, where it is seldom if ever characterized as "ecstatic" in the popular sense of the term.
In fact, regulations are laid down by the Apostle Paul for the public exercise of glossolalia in which he takes pains to tell people not to exceed three utterances in a tongue because it defeats the goal of the rational edification of those in attendance at gatherings.
Paul gives his own example as one heavily devoted to the practice and discusses how he of his own volition can choose to either speak/sing "in the spirit" or in the vernacular, as it were. You can read about this in First Corinthians chapter 14 if so inclined.
To tie speaking in tongues to the term "ecstatic" clouds the issue in my opinion and we do not typically see "uncontrolled" overwrought tongues speaking in the New Testament.
Full disclosure: I am a charismatic Christian and have been around this for 25 years +. Most people I know who speak in tongues do this voluntarily as and when they so choose and usually tongues is taught to be a volitional act under the control of the speaker who can "turn it on and off" at will.
Nick, thanks for your comments. I hadn't seen the Nightline episode and am not (in general) familiar with the practice of Glossolalia in charismatic Christian churches. My expertise is in the neuroscience of the subject (obviously), and not religious practice. I took the description by Newberg et al. (2006) at face value:
Glossolalia, sometimes referred to as “speaking in tongues,” is an unusual mental state associated with specific religious traditions. The individual appears to be speaking in an incomprehensible language over which he or she claims to have no control. Yet, the individual perceives glossolalia to have great personal meaning. The individual also describes a lack of voluntary control over the vocalizations.
Since you have vast experience with glossolalia and describe the practice as voluntary, I wonder why the quote above says otherwise?
I am a Christian, and have been for 10 years. I grew up in the church, and have been around this all my life.
When we say, "voluntary" we mean that we can choose to utter sound - we simply don't choose which syllables these would be, we don't "think" as we speak, it is as if our tongue and verbalization is taken over. Yet we can stop speaking if we so choose.
Sometimes as I pray in tongues, I can "listen" to myself. I've wondered at times if what I was saying was a specific language. I was shocked the other night to hear a woman at church praying in tongues, and she was a repeating a phrase (in tongues) that I had also heard myself uttering in many previous sessions. And yet I had never prayed with her before. So it seemed to me that we shared a common prayer language, even though we hadn't prayed with each other before. It's strange, I'll admit. Supernatural.
I've also heard of stories where Christians were praying in tongues and the listeners recognized a language that they spoke, even though the speaker wasn't a native. (This phenomenon is recorded in the Bible as well).
Thanks for your perspective, Cara. Sounds like it's both voluntary and involuntary at the same time (somehow).
I can speak in tongues, but unfortunatly hardly any other Christian can see
http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/TongueSpeaker
I am a Christian and pray in tongues on a daily basis. The point the study you refer to is trying to make regarding gossolalists not having control over their tongues I can relate to my own experience thusly: when I am speaking in tongues, I generally do not exercise control over the syllables that I am speaking; however, at all times I have full control over the pitch, volume, clarity of pronunciation, whether to cease or pause, etc. Additionally, I could choose to insert an English word at any time within the expression of glossolia. Since I am praying or worshiping while I speak in tongues, I might insert "Thank you Jesus" or "Hallelujah" at any time. However, when not intentionally interposing a word or syllable like that, I would say that I have no control over what syllables I actually utter when praying in tongues.
I have been speaking in tongues since 1971 and my experience is generally the same as Cara, Nick and Anonymous but may I add that I can always listen to myself, and it seems as though I am able to speak in one language that may sound very French, or I my "flow" into a langauge that is very sing-songie like Chinese. Then I may speak in a language that sounds Russian or Native American. (complete with sounds that I have NEVER made in my native English). I was told by a Frenchman once that I was speaking in a very old French dialect that he recognized from childhood, spoken by his grandparents in the south of France. At the time, I was praying for a woman with stomach problems. She was healed as we prayed. Later, "Laurent", the French electronics engineer, recounted to me, to his amazement, that he even recognized some of the words, which sounded like medical terms and parts of the body. He was so moved by the experience that he was in tears. I have had other experiences like this. I beleive that there are believers who never mature in the free-flow of this supernatural gift, who really believe they have the gift when they repeat syllables they have heard in prayer meetings. They desire the gift so badly that they subconsciously repeat what they have heard. Sadly, this is probably true of the candidates used in the linguistics study from the 1970's. I would love to see a study done using candidates who find themselves speaking what appear to be mature languages with myriads of differing syllables. There are many out here like myself who experience this phenomenon.
If you have no control over what
syllables you are speaking when speaking in tongues, then how do you know if you are being directed by
God or by the devil ?
In response to the post by grammatink said "I would love to see a study done using candidates who find themselves speaking what appear to be mature languages with myriads of differing syllables. There are many out here like myself who experience this phenomenon."
I will be conducting such a study at:
tonguesresearchblog.blogspot.com
First of all, because I'm a Christian. Secondly because I trust God. The same faith that brought me salvation, brought me the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Everything in God happens by and from faith. I'd been saved from my sins, then baptized in water already (Mark 1:8) but I wanted the next baptism - the one with the Holy Spirit. I believe every promise in the Bible, especially those Jesus spoke: Jesus promised me what I would get if I would ask, so I asked my Father in heaven to baptize me with fire and with the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:11, Luke 3:16) and that's what I got - no other spirit but the Holy One. Good fathers give their children what they ask for, and God is a good Father. He only knows how to be good to His children. Luke 11:10-13 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" And for 35 years I have received miracles of physical healing, loved ones getting saved, wondrous provision, and healed hearts too many to count, simply from praying both with my understanding and with my spirit. May your fears be erased and your faith in a God that only does wondrous things for His children, be released. The mysteries of the Kingdom all come by faith and cannot be explained by science - only explored. That's why they're called "mysteries" and it's why God is God, and we are not. He decides how to destribute the gifts, to whom, in what measure, for His purposes. We are the created beings, the receivers, the benefactors of the mysteries, and only child-like faith opens the door to receiving.
It’s amazing that we live in the 20th century and we still have people performing these rituals from the Bronze Age.
Why don’t Muslims, Hindus, Jews and other religions do this?
Oh wait Jesus is the one true god?
The human race is a funny little mammal!
Misitheus, please try or ask a non-believer to imitate Glossolalia... Not just producing weird sounds but speaking with distinct syllabes in a fluent way. If he manages to do that, ask him to speak very fast (the syllabes being still clear) and to do something else in the same time, like resolving a multiplication. If either the Holy Spirit or a demon isn't speaking through you, it is impossible to do that. (I said a demon, because sorcerers also practice a kind of glossolalia).
I want to tell you about some talent, gift or whatever you may call it that in a way is like what is described as Xenoglossia.All my life I have been able , with certain languages, to listen to people speaking and then suddenly a word that is totally different than English will make sense and after that I can understand what they are saying. There is no one geographical area envolved, they have been Asian, European, African languages. I have what I call my "Helen Keller Moment" and one single word clicks and the computer inside finds the correct algorithm and I take off from there. I can't speak original sentences, just understand. I am 51 and as far back as age 3 I am told I had this. Is there anyone who studies such a phenomenon? I would like to talk with them. I do speak , read and write a half dozen languages that I have , with some effort, learned . I don't do this with every language I hear, but maybe its because I just don't have time to run through all the programs or I would. I do have some trouble with tonal languages but if I hum along it helps.
i think it's interesting how you can find glossolalia in certain hindu sects in India that sounds just like the same glossolalia in christian churches.
what could this mean?
possibly a sign that christians and hindus worship the same god???? that would freak most of america out.
I am a Christian who prays in an unknown language. I didn't grow up with it. I believe that there are tongues of men and angels, as Paul said.I am almost positive that there are also demonic tongues, as I had a bad tongue once, and was sharply corrected by the real Holy Spirit.`I also was talking on the phone with a lady who was supposedly Chritian, and while she was in tongue,an evil spirit came thru and it almost gave me a heart attack,my heart was out of rythym from it.GOD IS LOVE,and He would never hurt us. I hope and pray that the churches hear this message.Just because a person talks in an unknown tongue,DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN ITS FROM GOD.You have to be seeking God and the things of God ,like Jesus commands us to do, or else you can't really be sure. There have always been false brethren,and they are murderous and hateful,they tried to kill Paul.In my life I have seen that the devil can mimic nearly all of Gods gifts,EXCEPT LOVE!!"I AM THE LIFE ,THE TRUTH ,AND THE WAY."
Former pentecostal humanist who can still speak in tongues...
It still feels good. It still feels divine, though I believe it is a learned behavior. I wish I could find more neurological studies on it than this.
I used to be a Christian but am now rather apostate, though I still have remnants of belief. When I was a Christian I practiced glossalia. I am also a pretty good linguist; in my life I have spoken about 10 language, 3 somewhat fluently.
I think the distinction between the voluntary action and the involuntary choice of vocalization is somewhat accurate, but I do think a person who speaks in tongues has some control over the patterns of vocalization, even if not the specific utterances. There is also quite a numinous, not necessarily ecstatic, feeling associated with glossalia. The experience is real and often life changing, whether or not you believe the underlying justifications or explanations.
Kevin
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