Spiritual retreats alter dopamine, serotonin levels

More than ever, Americans are embarking on spiritual, meditative and religious retreats as a means of enhancing their mental and physical wellbeing.

Recently, a team of researchers at The Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University found that there is a fluctuation in dopamine and serotonin levels in the brains of people going on these retreats. Their findings have been published in Religion, Brain, & Behavior.

“Since serotonin and dopamine are part of the reward and emotional systems of the brain, it helps us understand why these practices result in powerful, positive emotional experiences,” Dr. Andrew Newber, director of research in the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, said, according to Science Daily.

In the study, participants were scanned after returning from the retreat. The data showed that there were significant decreases in levels of dopamine transporter (five to eight percent) and serotonin transporter (6.5 percent) binding. The decrease in transporter binding was linked to a greater number of unbound neurotransmitters for use by the brain.

These decreases in binding are often linked with positive emotions and spiritual feelings, which corresponds with the feelings that spiritual, meditative and religious retreats aim to invoke in those who embark on them.

“Our study showed significant changes in dopamine and serotonin transporters after the seven-day retreat, which could help prime participants for the spiritual experiences that they reported,” Newber said, according to Science Daily.

More specifically, dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is involved in cognition, emotion and movement. Serotonin is the transmitter responsible for emotional regulation and mood.

The study was funded by the Fetzer Institute, a private operating nonprofit that partners with institutions working on research into spirituality and its effects on people. The study included 14 Christian participants ages 24 to 76. The retreat they embarked on was an Ignatian retreat that included exercises began by the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius Loyola.

Their days began with morning mass and then mainly consisted of silent meditation and contemplation. They then moved towards prayer and reflection and ended the day with a meeting lead by a spiritual director.

After coming back from the retreat, the participants were subjected to the dopamine and serotonin tests and were asked to complete a series of surveys about benefits they received from the retreat in a variety of areas including physical health, tension and fatigue.

“In some ways, our study raises more questions than it answers. Our team is curious about which aspects of the retreat cause the changes in the neurotransmitter systems and if different retreats would produce different results. Hopefully, future studies can answer these questions,” Newberg said.