Dr. Lou Ritz is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience, in the McKnight Brain Institute and the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Dr. Ritz’s research interests investigated new procedures and techniques that hold promise in helping to alleviate the devastating consequences of injury to the spinal cord. Course director for Medical Neuroscience, a first year course for medical students, and a member of the College of Medicine Curriculum Committee. As a member of the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health, he co-directs Honors Undergraduate courses entitled “Spirituality and Health” and “Neurotheology”. Dr. Ritz has had a longtime interest in meditation and in the relationship of the central nervous system, and of trans-brain mechanisms, to mystical experiences.
Title of UFCSH talk: “Neurotheology: This is your Brain on Meditation!”
Tuesday, February 28th, 2006
Are religious and spiritual experiences brain-based? If they are, what are the implications to understanding brain circuitry? If they are not, what are the implications to our understanding of who we are? In this lecture, we will discuss the role of meditation in spirituality and health, the emergence of meditation research in medical science, and the implications of brain correlates to religious and spiritual experiences.
Title of UFCSH talk: “Meditation and the Seven Common Features of Spiritual Traditions”