Re-unlocking the Code of Love: The Science of Spirituality

A closer look reveals a surprising correspondence between science and spirituality.

On Valentine’s Day 2022, I published a post titled “Unlocking the Love Code” about why our bodies were created for love. So far, this is my most popular post. The Code of Love explains that our biology is hardwired for love, and that our health depends on love.

On the surface, we don’t think science and spirituality are compatible, but when we look deeper, they begin to align.

I published my memoir in 2021. Food, the body, and love: But the greatest of them all is love. In this book, I quote Einstein: “The more I learn about science, the more I believe in God.” I go on to say: “In my search for truth in the midst of extreme complexity, science and faith have converged in a simple place. A place I call love.” A life of depression, cravings and compulsive eating that led me to Describes a spiritual path that leads to an enlightened way of life. I offer a biological explanation for such changes, partially through the lens of polyvagal theory. But the deepest forms of love, those that transcend fear and reveal our unique purpose and truth, can only be explained by the presence of God.

Dr. Lisa Miller, Author The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and the Quest for an Inspired Life, broke down the barrier between science and spirituality. Her brain research is similar to my experience and confirms what I have seen in my clinical practice.

In her work, contrasting brain scans show what she coined the “achieved brain” and the “awakened brain.” The achievement brain keeps us in a cycle of motivation and reward. This area of ​​the frontal lobe can go into overdrive, leading to obsessive worry loops and addictions. Once we become overwhelmed, our reality becomes very small and we fall into stories of fear, regret, anger, despair, and wanting to escape. An awakened brain lets go of strong control over outcomes, softens boundaries, and reduces individualism and competition. The sense of love defaults to collective oneness. These two sides of the same coin are literally in our physiology.

Porges’ polyvagal theory has a similar biological framework in contrasting autonomic nervous system states.

In the absence of fear, we default to emotions that promote altruism, compassion, gratitude, and joy. In this state, we become more resilient. The love hormone (oxytocin) increases and the stress hormone (cortisol) decreases. This has been described as our most authentic state. When we are in a state of fear, we form protections that create mistrust, competition, and discord. We develop false attachments and addictive cravings, and chronic fear sends us into a depression-like shutdown response.

Miller explains that in quantum physics, the world is not made up of individual particles, but rather inseparable wholes. She argues, for example, what if our brains were not just creators of thoughts, but were actually docking stations for greater consciousness or spiritual consciousness. What if we were born wired to receive this spirit energy? The awakened brain sees relationships not just as transactions, but as loving spirit exchanges. Her research shows that awake brains are structurally healthier, experience dramatically less depression and anxiety, and are protected against addiction. They have more positive psychological characteristics such as grit, resilience, tenacity, and creativity.

“It connects us to the most expansive reality: that we are loved, that we are guided, and that we are never alone,” Miller said.

When it comes to our health, whether it’s the brain or the autonomic nervous system, the simplest answer seems to be to use love as a resource.

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