6 Prefrontal Cortex Benefits on Emotional Health

Neurobiology is finding solid science behind many Biblical principles. Comparing neurobiology with Biblical principles deepens your understanding of them and enhances your ability to apply these principles for spiritual health and healing.  

Healthy Prefrontal Cortex

Neurobiology has leapt forward in recent years. Science shows the prefrontal cortex is responsible for things like:

1. Attunement: Enables us to tune into others, really hear them and connect.
2. Emotional balance: Permits the lower limbic regions to become aroused enough so life has meaning, but not too aroused that we become flooded.
3. Response flexibility: The capacity to pause before acting and inhibit.
4. Empathy: Considering the mental perspective of another person.
5. Insight: Self-knowing awareness.
6. Fear extinction: GABA fibers (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) project down to the amygdala and enable fearful responses to be calmed.

(Siegel)

Biblically Speaking

As you read through this list above you get a good summation of emotional health.

• Tuning into others.
• Having empathy.
• Insight.

These are key to expressing fruits of the Spirit such as love, kindness, goodness, and gentleness. (Galatians 5:22, 23)

Other prefrontal cortex functions mentioned: Response Flexibility and Fear Extinction. As our hearts embrace the Biblical truths of self-control and walking free from lust of the flesh and the pride of life we can see that physically in the brain, neural connections are made. (1 John 2:15-17)

Developing Your Prefrontal Cortex

Family – If you grow up in a family that is Biblical based, many of these things will normally be developed in your heart and in your brain. This occurs from repeated experiences of expressed love. It happens naturally as a mom and dad repeatedly model morality and godliness.

Church – Our experiences in church and personal devotions also help develop these traits of health. Examples such as when you hear good teaching that instructs and moves your heart toward love, or times of worship where God’s goodness convicts of sin and calls us to a higher place.

Prayer Ministry – When you have many unhealed experiences from not growing up in a Biblically based family your heart needs healing and your prefrontal cortex needs further development. Discovery Prayer Ministry accomplishes this well.  

As you learn how healing works and the steps to take, you will feel empowered and break free of any hopelessness and powerlessness you may be living in.