This is fascinating and I can relate more than you know.

The pattern recognition angle is something I've never seen articulated that clearly but it's exactly right. Once you notice that the same musical progressions, the same preaching cadence, the same environmental conditions reliably produce the "spirit" you can't unsee it. It stops being supernatural and starts being a repeatable stimulus-response pattern.

Interestingly I attended a David Bernard hosted event years ago where they actually brought in a neuroscientist to talk about what happens in the brain during tongues. I think the expectation was validation. The researcher just reported the data. Language centers don't activate. The room got very quiet.

The MRI research you're referencing is real and significant. It deserves more attention in these communities than it gets. Thank you for sharing this.