Sensation, Perception and Mystical Experience

Sensation, perception and Mystical Experience : Sensation, perception and Mystical Experience A scientific look at Unverified Personal Gnosis and Mystical Experience

Introduction to mystical experience : Introduction to mystical experience Part of man's nature for thousands of years The basis for religious practices in nearly every culture. Cultural techniques to produce the mystical experience on demand. Methods which allow a different state of subjective consciousness.

Universality of Mystical Experience : Universality of Mystical Experience Greely and McCreedy found over 35% of people in a national sample, equivalent to a population polled of 45,000,000, to have had a near ecstatic experience. Their respondents said they ‘had the feeling that you are very close to a powerful spiritual force that seems to lift you out of yourself’.

Universality of Mystical Experience : Universality of Mystical Experience Wuthnow in 1976 reported a 50% positive response from a random sample of 1,000 people in San Francisco, California, to a question about religious-type ‘peak experience’. In Nottingham University amongst post graduate students, David Hay has reported a 65% positive response.

Universality of Mystical Experience : Universality of Mystical Experience Not an isolated phenomenon A part of life for a large proportion of the population. It isn’t weird, unusual, or odd. People who have experienced this are not necessarily crazy, schizophrenic, fakes or in need of psychological help. The Bradburn scale was used to measure the psychological well-being of their respondents. ME positive respondents obtained the highest mean score of any group ever measured on this scale for psychological well-being.

What constitutes a Mystical Experience? : What constitutes a Mystical Experience? Mazlow listed twenty five points which he feels describe what he calls ‘peak experiences’. The ones most often cited are: The whole universe is perceived as an integrated and unified whole The cognition or experience when it comes is fully attended to. The world is seen as part of nature rather than as part of human destiny The perception is egoless, transcending. The experience is self validating and seen as highly valuable. The experiences are ends in themselves. There is frequently a lack of consciousness of time and space. Phrased positively, this is like experiencing Universality and eternity. The world is seen only as beautiful, good, desirable and worthwhile.

What constitutes a Mystical Experience? : What constitutes a Mystical Experience? Deikman sums up ME by saying it has five main features: Intense realness, more real even than ordinary experience. Unusual sensations, e.g. being wrapped in light or a flame colored cloud, or hearing enchantingly lovely music. The feeling of unity, that the individual and the whole cosmos is one. Ineffability, being unable to speak about it because the experience is outside the range of normal experience. Transensate phenomena or experiences which go beyond and are different from the usual sensory experiences of ordinary life.

What types of experiences are there? : What types of experiences are there? Mystical (religious) experiences have been categorized into four basic types (Stark 1965). Confirming, is the most common form, it is regarded as intrinsically true. Responsive, includes a component of mutual awareness. A feeling that you are aware of the supernatural and it/they is/are aware of you. Ecstatic, includes both the confirming and the responsive types but also entails a more intimate or familiar relationship with the supernatural. Revelational, is the least frequent type. The experiencer receives a divine message or prophesy to share with others.

Who has these experiences? : Who has these experiences? These experiences are universal. 35-65% of the population has experienced them. Social and psychological events influence the experience itself, not just the interpretation of it. Experiences vary according to mystics' religion, education, experience, and culture. Those with a richer tradition of these kinds of experiences are more likely to have them and they will likely be flavored by the experiencer’s subculture.

Sensation and perception : Sensation and perception How real are Mystical Experiences? Wigner (1964) said 'There are two kinds of reality of existence; the existence of my consciousness and the reality of everything else. The latter reality is not absolute, but only relative''..excepting immediate sensations and, more generally , the content of my consciousness, everything is a construct, but some constructs are closer, some farther from the direct sensations..'

Sensation and perception : Sensation and perception How real are Mystical Experiences? Schrodinger (1958) says, 'It is convenient to regard the world as existing objectively on its own but in fact it is simply a construct of our sensations, perceptions and memories'.

Sensation and perception : Sensation and perception How real are Mystical Experiences? Mystical experience has both subjective and objective elements. The personal subjective consciousness of the individual appears to be affected as does his view of the external world. To your brain, Mystical Experience is not qualitatively different from other subjective or daytime experiences

Spontaneous mystical experiences : Spontaneous mystical experiences Spontaneous Mystical Experiences often give rise to what we often call Unverified Personal Gnosis or UPG. Spontaneous Mystical Experiences appear to be stimulated by a variety of "triggers" (Hardy 1979, Laski 1961). Sensory deprivation, frustration, threat, music, prayer, beauty, nature, sex, stress, or joyful events

Spontaneous mystical experiences : Spontaneous mystical experiences Set and setting determine whether or not people have religious experiences (Rosegrant 1976). They are also are activated by a variety of procedures that have been found to be effective, including: Meditation, pilgrimage, fasting and special diets, sensory restriction or overstimulation, hypnotic motions such as dancing or twirling, and both sexual abstinence and indulgence.

Spontaneous mystical experiences : Spontaneous mystical experiences A variety of trance-induction techniques appear outwardly different but lead to the same, or similar, results (Winkelman 1986): Chanting or rhythmic singing Drumming Dancing Body stress Meditation Other sensory overload and restriction techniques

mystical experiences HEALTH : mystical experiences HEALTH ME is associated with a number of health benefits. Maslow (1964) indicated that "peak experiences," tend to be associated with good mental health. Greeley (1975) found his "mystical" experience question to be highly correlated to indications of psychological well-being. Hay and Morisy (1978) found that those who claimed religious/ mystical experiences scored significantly higher on the Bradburn Balanced Affect Scale of psychological well-being than did non-experiencers. Kass et al. (1991) found that ME was associated with increased life purpose and satisfaction and decreased frequency of medical symptoms.

Spontaneous mystical experiences : Spontaneous mystical experiences Although mystical experiences are influenced by expectations, education, goals, and beliefs, such episodes usually reflect a skill that apparently provides psychological and physiological benefits. The existence of some universal features within mystical experience accounts supports the argument that some forms of these perceptions are not wholly cultural products but that we may just be “wired” that way (Hufford 1982, McClenon 1994).

What’s Happening in the brain? : What’s Happening in the brain?

What’s happening in the brain? : What’s happening in the brain?

What’s going on in the brain? : What’s going on in the brain? Research links paranormal, mystical, and religious experiences with temporal lobe processes in the brain. Sensory-affective associations appear to be established within the temporal lobes. Patients with unilateral temporal epilepsy differ from patients with other forms of epilepsy in regard to specific psychosocial aspects of behavior.

What’s going on in the brain? : What’s going on in the brain? Temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with: Holding deep religious beliefs Sudden and multiple religious conversions Mystical states Unusual perceptions attributed to spiritual forces.

What’s going on in the brain? : What’s going on in the brain? Studies of normal and clinical populations indicate that the incidence of complex partial epileptic signs occurs as a continuum from normal people to epileptics. Although extreme forms of temporal lobe lability are associated with pathology, more common, moderate levels are linked with creativity (Persinger and Kakarec 1993).

What’s going on in the brain? : What’s going on in the brain? Spiritual Leaders, sudden religious conversions, Shamans? Paul of Tarsus Ezekiel Muhammad Joan of Arc

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance Recent studies have explored changes in hormonal and immunological function associated with meditation. Studies have also explored the clinical effects of meditation in both physical and psychological disorders.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance Studies have measured cerebral function during meditation techniques using neuroimaging techniques. These neuroimaging techniques include: positron emission tomography (PET) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Each of these techniques provides different advantages and disadvantages in the study of meditation.

Meditation : Meditation Functional MRI would probably give us the best results. However, it is impractical in studying meditation. Noise from the machine Requires the subject to lie down. An atypical posture for meditation.

Meditation : Meditation

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance The two types of meditation most associated with ME are: mindfulness meditation automatic self-transcending

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance ACTIVATION OF THE PREFRONTAL AND CINGULATE CORTEX Willful acts and tasks that require sustained attention are initiated via activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Particularly in the right hemisphere of the PFC.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance ACTIVATION OF THE PREFRONTAL AND CINGULATE CORTEX The cingulate gyrus is involved in focusing attention, probably in conjunction with the PFC . Since meditation requires intense focus of attention, it seems appropriate that a model for a theory of meditation begin with activation of the PFC, particularly in the right hemisphere, as well as the cingulate gyrus. Increased activity has been observed in these regions in brain imaging studies.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance THALAMIC ACTIVATION The PFC, when activated may innervate the reticular nucleus of the thalamus. Possibly by the PFC’s production and distribution of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, used to communicate between PFC neurons. The thalamus governs the flow of sensory information to cortical processing areas via its interactions with the lateral geniculate and lateral posterior nuclei and also likely uses the glutamate system to transmit information.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance THALAMIC ACTIVATION The lateral geniculate nucleus receives raw visual data from the optic tract and routes it to the striate cortex for processing. The lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus provides the posterior superior parietal lobule (PSPL) with the sensory information it needs to determine the body’s spatial orientation.

Meditation : Meditation THALAMIC ACTIVATION When excited, the reticular nucleus secretes the inhibitory neurotransmitter c-aminobutyric acid (GABA) onto the lateral posterior and geniculate nuclei, cutting off input to the PSPL and visual centers in proportion to the reticular activation. During meditation, this would mean that fewer distracting outside stimuli would arrive at the visual cortex and PSPL, enhancing the sense of focus.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance posterior superior parietal lobe (PSPL) DEAFFERENTATION The PSPL is heavily involved in the analysis and integration of higher-order visual, auditory, and somaesthetic information. It is also involved in a complex attentional network that includes the PFC and thalamus. Lobes of the brain. Parietal lobe is yellow, and the posterior portion is near the red region.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance PSPL DEAFFERENTATION Through the reception of auditory and visual input from the thalamus, the PSPL is able to: Help generate a three-dimensional image of the body in space Provide a sense of spatial coordinates in which the body is oriented Help distinguish between objects Exert influences in regard to objects that may be directly grasped and manipulated

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance PSPL DEAFFERENTATION These functions of the PSPL may be critical for distinguishing between the self and the external world. An individual may begin to lose his or her usual ability to spatially define the self and help to orient the self. Patients with parietal lobe damage often have difficulty orienting themselves. The effects of meditation are likely to be more selective, and instead of destroying the sense of self, they alter the perception of the self.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HIPPOCAMPAL AND AMYGDALAR ACTIVATION Meditation might also be expected to alter activity in the limbic system, especially since stimulation of limbic structures is associated with experiences similar to those described during meditation. The partial deafferentation of the right PSPL during meditation may result in stimulation of the right hippocampus.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HIPPOCAMPAL AND AMYGDALAR ACTIVATION The hippocampus greatly influences the amygdala, they complement and interact in the generation of attention, emotion, and certain types of imagery. The fMRI study by Lazar et al. support this notion of increased activity in the regions of the amygdala and hippocampus during meditation.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HYPOTHALAMIC AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CHANGES Stimulation of the right lateral amygdala has been shown to result in stimulation of the ventromedial portion of the hypothalamus with a subsequent stimulation of the peripheral parasympathetic system. Increased parasympathetic activity should be associated with the subjective sensation first of relaxation and, eventually, of a more profound quiescence.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HYPOTHALAMIC AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CHANGES Activation of the parasympathetic system would also cause a reduction in heart rate and respiratory rate. All of these physiological responses have been observed during meditation

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HYPOTHALAMIC AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CHANGES The drop in blood pressure associated with parasympathetic activity during meditation practices would be expected to relax the arterial baroreceptors leading the caudal ventral medulla to decrease its GABAergic inhibition of the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. This lack of inhibition can provoke the supraoptic nucleus to release the vasoconstrictor arginine vasopressin (AVP).

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance HYPOTHALAMIC AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM CHANGES Thereby tightening the arteries and returning blood pressure to its normal level. The sharp increase in AVP should result in a decreased subjective feeling of fatigue and an increased sense of arousal. It could also help to enhance the meditator’s memory of his experience, perhaps explaining the subjective phenomenon that meditative experiences are remembered and described in very vivid terms.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance PFC EFFECTS ON OTHER NEUROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS As a meditation practice continues, there should be continued activity in the PFC associated with the individual’s persistent will to focus attention. As PFC activity increases, it produces ever-increasing levels of free synaptic glutamate in the brain. Increased glutamate can stimulate the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus to release b-endorphin. b-endorphin (BE) is an opioid produced primarily by the arcuate nucleus of the medial hypothalamus and distributed to the brain’s subcortical areas.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance PFC EFFECTS ON OTHER NEUROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS BE is known to depress respiration, reduce fear, reduce pain, and produce sensations of joy and euphoria. That such effects have been described during meditation may implicate some degree of BE release related to the increased PFC activity. It is likely that BE is not the sole mediator in such experiences during meditation because simply taking morphine-related substances does not usually produce equivalent experiences as in meditation.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance OTHER NEUROTRANSMITTER ACTIVITY Activation of the autonomic nervous system can result in intense stimulation of structures in the lateral hypothalamus and median forebrain bundle, which are known to produce both ecstatic and blissful feelings when directly stimulated. In fact, several studies have shown that after meditation, the breakdown products of serotonin (5-HT)in urine are significantly increased, suggesting an overall elevation in (5-HT) during meditation.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance OTHER NEUROTRANSMITTER ACTIVITY When cortical 5-HT2 receptors (especially in the temporal lobes) are activated, the stimulation can result in a hallucinogenic effect. Tryptamine psychedelics such as psylocybin and LSD seem to take advantage of this mechanism to produce their extraordinary visual experiences. These visual hallucinations seem to occur because 5-HT inhibits the lateral geniculate nucleus, greatly reducing the amount of visual information that can pass through.

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance DMT Under circumstances of heightened activation, pineal enzymes can also endogenously synthesize the powerful hallucinogen 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Several studies have linked DMT to a variety of mystical states, including out-of-body experiences, distortion of time and space, and interaction with supernatural entities

Meditation and trance : Meditation and trance Melatonin has been shown to depress the central nervous system and reduce pain sensitivity. During meditation, blood plasma MT has been found to increase sharply, which may contribute to the feelings of calmness and decreased awareness of pain.

Conclusions : Conclusions There is no proof that these religious experiences are not real; it is at least possible that stimulating the temporal lobes helps people to perceive the Divine. If this is what is happening, then this activity in the brain is merely facilitating experiences of reality. Just as giving a person a pair of glasses may enhance their ability to see distant objects, perhaps, stimulating their temporal lobes helps them to perceive the Divine. The former does not cause us to doubt the existence of distant objects, so why should the latter cause us to doubt the existence of the Divine?

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