Twenty years ago Dr. James Austin, a neurologist, had a mystical experience. As a result, he did not join a religious order, nor, for that matter, did he begin one. What he did begin was a new field of scientific exploration called neurotheology.

Lingo’s contention was that the amygdala could be consciously controlled and used to “click on” the pleasure response in the frontal lobes. Eventually, the practitioner would, as Lingo put it, “pop their frontal lobes” and experience nirvana, samadhi, or what he simply called self-transcendence. Moreover, argued Lingo, the practice was as easy as flicking on a light switch and could be done by anyone, anywhere.