From meditating with gurus to being one with a higher power, entering into the world of the mystical may be down to our brain's ability to 'just let go'.

Throughout history, many people have claimed to have had mystical experiences, often reporting feeling a deeply spiritual connection which leaves them permanently changed.

Now researchers have found that the doors of perception may be kept shut by inhibitory mechanisms in the brain, but dialling these down could be the key to 'blowing the doors wide open'.

From shamanic ceremonies to connecting with a higher power through meditation, entering into the world of the mystical may be down to our brain's ability to 'just let go'. Researchers have found that the 'doors of perception' may be kept shut by inhibitory mechanisms in the brain

According to scientists in the US and New Zealand, our ability to enter into such mystical experiences is governed by one of two theories: 'push' or 'pull'.

Neuroscientists have previously claimed to have found a single region in the brain, a 'God spot', associated with religious experiences.

OPENING DOORS OF PERCEPTION According to scientists, our ability to enter into such mystical experiences is governed by one of two theories: 'push' or 'pull'. The 'push' involves a single area of the brain, a 'God Spot'. Whereas the 'pull' argues that suppression of inhibitory functions opens up the brain to mystical experiences. From CT scans and questionnaires, researchers were able to predict how likely a person was to have a mystical experience. Those with damage to regulatory regions of the brain, in the frontal and temporal lobes, were more likely to report mystical experiences compared to healthy controls. Advertisement

This single region of the brain would 'push' us towards the mystical.

However, this has been countered by other researchers who suggested these experiences are far more complex, and draw on multiple areas of the brain.

Researchers at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) and Victoria University of Wellington, believe that instead of activation of a specific area of the brain, it is the suppression of the brain's regulating functions which boosts our chances of experiencing the mystical.

This would lead to a 'pull' as opposed to the 'push'.

'Push theories argue that activation of a single "God Spot" causes mystical beliefs, suggesting that injuries to these spots would reduce mysticism,' explained Dr Joseph Bulbulia from Victoria University.

'In contrast, pull theories argue that the suppression of our inhibitory functions opens up the brain to mystical experiences.

Throughout history, many people have claimed to have had mystical experiences, often reporting feeling a deeply spiritual connection which leaves them permanently changed. People have reported experiences while visiting spiritual sites, such as Stonehenge (pictured)

Previous research has searched for areas of brain linked with religious experiences, such as experience during pilgrimages (pictured is Mecca). The latest study found that those with damage to the certain regions of the brain were more likely to report mystical experiences compared with those without damage

'It is a hotly disputed topic, and we set out to clarify the debate.'

To test this, the group looked at more than 100 patients who were veterans of the Vietnam War, and who had undergone a battery of cognitive tests before the war and once they returned.

HOW TO MEASURE MYSTICISM The Hood Mysticism Scale, or M-Scale is used to quantify something quite abstract, our individual perception of experiences. Respondents are asked to answer how true or not a number of set statements are. These include their experiences of feelings such as unity, profound joy, and even being able to transcend time and space. Scores are then tallied up to give a quantifiable measure of how mystic the respondent perceives themselves to be. Advertisement

From CT scans showing the extent of damage to certain parts of their brains, the researchers were able to predict how likely they were to have a mystical experience.

Putting this data in context, they also carried out a questionnaire based on the Mysticism Scale, asking the veterans about their experiences of feelings such as unity, profound joy, or being able to transcend time and space.

The researchers found that those with damage to the 'God spot' region of the brain, in the frontal and temporal lobes, were more likely to report mystical experiences compared with those without damage to these regions.

One region in particular, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was linked to a hike in mysticism, reports Live Science.

Using CT scans (pictured) showing the extent of damage to certain parts of their brains, and questionnaires the researchers were able to predict how likely people were to have mystical experiences

Those with damage to the regulatory regions of the brain, in the frontal and temporal lobes, were more likely to report mystical experiences compared with those without damage to these regions. Stock image

'The frontal lobes are the most evolved areas of the human brain, and help control and make sense of the perceptual input we get from the world,' senior author Dr Jordan Grafman of the RIC, told Live Science.

'When the frontal lobes' inhibitory functions are suppressed, a door of perception can open, increasing the chances of mystical experiences.'

Dr Irene Cristofori, also from the RIC, added: 'Our study supports the 'pull' theory, as those who suffered traumatic injury to 'God Spots' were more likely to have mystical experiences,'

'This suggests that these spots may be linked to inhibitory cognitive functions, and a suppression of these functions, which typically help us regulate and resolve our perceptual experiences, appears to open up a 'door of perception', exposing people to more mystical experiences.'

Dr Grafman told MailOnline: 'Besides damage to the frontal lobes of the brain, other brain states associated with stress or distress, extreme circumstances, prior strong beliefs, and heightened emotions - in addition to mind altering medications - could all lead to a higher probability of having a mystical experience since all of these states may affect the key frontal lobe regions involved in modulating interpretations of perceptual experience.'

The findings are published in the journal Neuropsychologia.