From Juliane Collins:

Re: Brain scans examine “speaking in tongues” (Nov. 1, 2006): This was a fascinating article to me especially because I speak in tongues. It explains why i had such a difficult time receiving tongues which is received just by faith as you ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit in prayer. Being baptized in water is a physical baptism, being baptized with the Holy Spirit is receiving tongues. So when i was prayed for to receive it i had a difficult time because i couldn’t wrap my brain around it, i didn’t know what to expect and quite frankly because i didn’t understand it, it was a little freaky. I thought it would just come flying out of my mouth. I kept waiting for those crazy sounds and words to just come to my brain and then i would know what to say. I kept trying to us my BRAIN. I even just tried to just make sounds like another person speaking in tongues but i couldn’t think fast enough to make up that many words. Finally someone told me to quit trying to use my brain, that it didn’t come from my brain, it came from my spirit, the Holy Spirit communicating through my spirit. Which explains why scientists can’t find in the images where it comes from in the brain.

Long story short, i finally decided i was just going to do it! and quit trying to figure it out and when i just let it flow i was doing it. But even then i had doubts if i had REALLY gotten it “what if i’m making it up” i thought. Then i started to notice that i would actually have certain sounds or words whatever you call them, i would hear the same ones being spoken again. Interesting, i thought. Then what finally really convinced me that i had it for real was i started to notice other people saying the same certain word i had been saying!!! I’m talking like guest speakers at the church that i had not been around and they had not been around me to say that maybe we picked it up from each other. So i was convinced... . and blown away. I always tell friends who wonder about it that it’s not as spooky as it seems. It never suddenly comes upon me and completely takes me over. I start it and stop it when ever i choose. But when i do choose to do it, it most definitely is mindless. Thats another thing that convinced me I had it and it was real. Before when i tried to just copy someone else using my brain, like i said i couldn’t think fast enough to make up words but after i allowed it to just come from my spirit I’ve never had to “think” about it, it just comes out. As a matter of a fact i can be day dreaming about something completely different and still be speaking in tongues with no problem.

Part of the point of what it’s for is that we don’t always know what to pray for and we don’t know the future but God does so allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through you, you are praying the PERFECT prayer and God’s perfect will. It also helps detach you from your mind and connect you with the Spirit of God so often while i’m praying in tongues i will receive understanding on something that i didn’t have before because now i’m listening with my spirit which is how God communicates with us. It really has been a huge blessing in my life that is very effective and has great purpose. It is not meaningless babble just for the heck of it. God had purpose for everything.