Are There Two Levels of Being? Is This Necessary?

     Are there two very different types of people in this world - living two different levels of existence?

     Does one group assume, and thus live out a self-fulfilling prophecy, that they lack agency over their own psychosocialspiritual development? I suspect the vast majority of people are in this group. What impact does this absolutely fundamental self-concept / worldview have on one's ethics, proneness to: depression / anxiety, addictions & suicide, and overall quality of life? There are probably valid measures of spirituality to "diagnose" this powerful, pervasive form of hopelessness.

     The fact is that the normal trajectory of human psychosocialspiritual development goes far beyond what most of us know or even suspect. What impact would it have if this were common knowledge? What impact would it have if there were skilled facilitators - eg transpersonal psychologists - to help people pass through the glass ceiling of "ordinary unhappiness"?

     See: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/search?q=developmental

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/

Asceticism - Secular & Spiritual

     "The word 'asceticism' comes from the Greek term askesis, which originally referred to training athletes. If you want to win the race, you've got to train; you've got to look at your exercise regime. You've got to look at your diet and your sleep, and conduct, because if you don't, you're not going to win the race. So the asceticism an athlete undertakes depends upon putting some other things aside. If you want to be a doctor, you've got to go through the mill of medical training, working a hundred hours or more a week as a junior doctor, being tested under grueling conditions so you can become a healer. That enormous degree of renunciation, which involves laying aside other interests and concerns, is completely accepted by society. If we aspire to the spiritual version of that same kind of training in order to realize our potential, we have to prioritize the way we spend our time and where we put our energy."
     Ajahn Amaro

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/

How Do We Take Care of Ourselves?

     I think we all take care of ourselves, but HOW do we accomplish this?

     When we crave junk food, if instead we eat a healthy meal, we are actually denying ourselves - at one level.
     How often do we try to satiate our "hunger" with "junk food"? I suspect far more often than we realize. Shopping, eating, drinking, travel, work, all manner of entertainment - even real junk food. None of these, in themselves, in moderation, is necessarily unhealthy. However, insofar as these are regular substitute, fake gratifications for what we actually hunger for, they're all a waste of time, energy, our very life.

     So what do we really need? What has real meaning for us? How can we let go of junk food and live more authentically?

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/

Recognizing & Transcending Fear

     “Fear is the cheapest room in the house.
      I would like to see you living
      In better conditions.”                                             Hafiz

I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_a_baldwin.html#KQKea0dwqHKufJQi.99

I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_a_baldwin.html#KQKea0dwqHKufJQi.99

      "I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."

      “Love takes off the masks we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”                                                                                                                                                James A. Baldwin

     Listen to American meditation teacher Jack Kornfield being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. They spoke at length about practice & mindful living:
http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/Full-Episode-Oprah-and-Jack-Kornfield-on-Mindful-Living-Video

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/

A Higher Level of Consciousness is Being Called Forth Now

"some measure of inner peace and awareness is a necessary prerequisite for truly effective and compassionate action in the world."

        Welwood J. ed. “Ordinary magic. Everyday life as spiritual path.” Shambhala, Boston, 1992. 

 

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/

Science AND Spirituality - Using ALL our Capacities

     It seems perfectly healthy & reasonable to use ALL our CAPACITIES to learn about & make the most out of life.

 

     "Science is 'most usefully seen as a communal effort of humanity to describe and understand the world and prevent error as much as possible through systematic inquiry'.

     By contrast 'spirituality is an experiential realization of connectedness with a reality beyond the immediate goals of the individual'. 

     ... what they have in common is our human attempt to make sense of our world."

 

       Thurman SK. Review of 'Neuroscience, consciousness & spirituality.' Mindfulness 2013; 4(3): 286-88.

 

 

Shannon Stapleton photo

Spiritual & Mental Health Benefits of Secular Mindfulness Meditation (MBSR)

     "spirituality ... ‘the personal quest for understanding answers to ultimate questions about life, about meaning, and about relationship to the sacred or transcendent’.

     Although prayer is a common means to spiritual growth, mindfulness meditation offers another method of cultivating spirituality irrespective of religious affiliation, or non-affiliation. In theory, mindfulness meditation can foster an increased sense of spirituality by disengaging from a narrow self-focus, & engaging a much broader view of interconnectedness in which oneself is not seen as separate from everyday activities, other people, or the world. As such, the experience of mindfulness has been described as a method of self-transcendence.

     Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a standardized 8-week program that incorporates Buddhist traditions of mindfulness meditation into a secular instructional class designed to teach skills that reduce suffering associated with stress, pain & illness. Recent reviews of clinical & non-clinical populations report that MBSR training enhances mental health & quality of life. These positive outcomes have been related in part to enhanced mindfulness.

     This (current) study provides preliminary evidence for changes in mindfulness as a mediating mechanism through which changes in spirituality may partly explain the mental health benefits of MBSR — a secular behavioral medicine intervention that focuses on intensive training in mindfulness meditation. The main findings from a relatively large group of apparently healthy but mentally stressed adults showed that increases in daily spiritual experiences were directly related to increases in mindfulness, which, in turn, was associated with improved mental health-related quality of life following MBSR."

       Greeson JM et al. Changes in spirituality partly explain health-related quality of life outcomes after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. J Behav Med 2011; 34(6): 508-18.

John Bulmer photograph   www.theguardian.com

The Limits of Thinking

     "The mind may accept or deny that you are awareness, but either way it can't really understand. It cannot comprehend. Thought cannot comprehend what is beyond thought."                                                                    Adyashanti

Sea Fog from Halifax Seaport Farmer's Market on the morning of Dec 14, 2014

Minimum Daily Requirement for Silence?

     "The composer Claude Debussy once remarked that music is the stuff between the notes. He seemed to be saying that almost anyone can eventually get the notes right, more or less. The notes only become music, however, when you also get the silences on either side of them right. The margins around the notes matter: the silence is what gives meaning to everything else.
     Neuroscientists at Stanford recently corroborated Debussy’s assertion. They have shown that when we listen to music, it’s the silent intervals that trigger the most intense, positive brain activity. As George Prochnik reports, 'The peak of positive brain activity actually occurs in the silent pauses between sounds, when the brain is striving to anticipate what the next note will be. The burst of neural firing that takes place in the absence of sound enables the mind to perform some of its most vital work of maintaining attention and encoding memories.'
     In other words, in order for the sounds of life to have meaning, we need to consume our minimum daily requirement of silence."

The Search for Meaning
Science, spirituality, and our desire for satisfaction
by Galen Guengerich PhD
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-search-meaning/201308/getting-your-minimum-daily-requirement-silence 

"Dry Leaves Butterflies" by Lim Yau Tong   www.dpreview.com

Spiritual Practices - As Meaningful & Relevant As Ever

     "A spiritual practice or spiritual discipline (often including spiritual exercises) is the regular or full-time performance of actions & activities undertaken for the purpose of cultivating spiritual development. A common metaphor used in the spiritual traditions of the world's great religions is that of walking a path. Therefore a spiritual practice moves a person along a path towards a goal. The goal is variously referred to as salvation, liberation or union (with ultimate reality or "God"). A person who walks such a path is sometimes referred to as a wayfarer or a pilgrim." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_practice

     "The term spirituality lacks a definitive definition, although social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for 'the sacred,' where "the sacred" is broadly defined as that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration.
     The use of the term 'spirituality' has changed throughout the ages. In modern times, spirituality is often separated from Abrahamic religions, and connotes a blend of humanistic psychology with mystical & esoteric traditions & eastern religions aimed at personal well-being & personal development. The notion of 'spiritual experience' plays an important role in modern spirituality, but has a relatively recent origin.
     Social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for the sacred, for that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration, 'a transcendent dimension within human experience ... discovered in moments in which the individual questions the meaning of personal existence and attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context.'
     Spirituality can be sought not only through traditional organized religions, but also through movements such as liberalism, feminist theology, & green politics. Spirituality is also now associated with mental health, managing substance abuse, marital functioning, parenting, & coping. It has been suggested that spirituality also leads to finding purpose & meaning in life." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality

     See: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/search?q=meaning
     and: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=meaning

Kazuki Yamamoto - Japanese barista extraordinaire

Meaning in Life - the Essential Internal Compass & Life Force

     When parents, religious organizations, & schools fail to teach-by-embodying the meaningfulness of life, who will shine a light on & nurture this critical life force within each human being?
     Mindfulness (MBSR) is an evidence-based method / way of being, through which we EXPERIENCE the fact that meaning in life is independent of external forces. 

     "cross-sectional studies indicate that people who report greater meaning in life show less distress following stressful events such as terrorist attacks, cancer diagnoses, and bereavement.
     ... despite the toxic effect of bullying, meaning in life may prevent a young person from internalizing the victimization and/or provide a young person with additional reasons to live. 

     counselor, school or family-based interventions designed to bolster meaning in life & teach students that meaning in life should not be tied to external forces could be effective at helping students maintain a strong meaning in life, regardless of external circumstances that are perhaps beyond her control."

       Henry KL et al. The potential role of meaning in life in the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2013 DOI 10.1007/s10964-013-9960-2.

Pan Ice by Don Pentz   http://www.fogforestgallery.ca/bios/bio_pentz.html

Allostasis & Allostatic Overload in Today's Society

     "The brain is the key organ of resilience because it governs allostatic systems that affect the entire body & also responds to those signals by showing adaptive plasticity. However, dysregulation of those same systems & their overuse can also lead to cumulative damage. We have summarized findings showing that circadian rhythms, governed by the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus & synchronized by light-dark cycles &, in some peripheral cells, by circulating glucocorticoids are an important component of these responses, in that intact rhythms are necessary for efficient regulation of the stress axis, as well as other aspects of systemic physiology. We have reviewed evidence that shows that disrupted rhythms cause changes in neural structure in humans & non-human animals, decrease cognitive flexibility, and dysregulate metabolic systems. Other consequences of circadian disruption need to be explored in view of the widespread occurrence of circadian disruption in modern society, including urban life, shift work & jet lag.
     The goal of this review was to overview the factors that can confer resilience or mediate susceptibility not just at the level of an individual but also at the level of cells & neural circuits, since the brain is the master organ of stress & adaptation, and determines whether adaptation will be successful (allostasis) or lead to pathophysiology (allostatic overload).  
     In the context of the rapid development of modern human society over the past 100 years, these evolutionarily ancient systems have not yet ‘caught up’. In a sense, we are asking too much of our physiology, in that allostatic systems that played a key role in survival when resources were scarce or were activated when the individual was threatened by predators are now engaged with worry, social conflict & overwork. In developed societies, this all occurs in an environment of ample metabolic resources in the form of fast food or other high calorie consumables but with less & less physical activity. Coupled with an always-on-the-go society, where the sleep-wake cycle has been almost completely separated from the solar day & electric lighting & electronic gadgets provide us with ample light long into the night, there is no doubt that many of us live in a state of high allostatic load or even overload. The physical & mental health costs of this lifestyle are only now being appreciated, in the form of rampant obesity, increased cardiovascular disease & a rise in psychiatric disorders. By more clearly delineating the different players in this complex web, from the molec- ular & cellular through to the organismal & even societal levels, we will perhaps be able to tackle more easily some of these issues by finding ways to mitigate their effects, increase the resilience of individuals to such insults or, even better, prevent them from happening in the first place."

       Karatsoreos IN, McEwen BS. Psychobiological allostasis: resistance, resilience and vulnerability. Trends Cogn Sci 2011; 15(12): 576-84.

Kazuki Yamamoto - Japanese barista extraordinaire

Cheating Students, Professionals & Civilized Society

     Cheating is "a phenomenon that plagues colleges and universities at all levels. ... Some put the rate at 75%. That means three out of every four students admit to some kind of academic dishonesty at some point during their higher education.
     Cheating happens because students have the opportunity and the incentive to do so. If it was harder to cheat and if cheating didn’t benefit students by leading to higher grades, it would not happen as often."
     above from the intro to a Megna online seminar http://www.dal.ca/news

     This is disgusting, particularly among students who will occupy positions of minimally-supervised public trust: health-care professionals, pilots, quality control officers, accountants, lawyers, politicians, etc.
     Civilized society depends entirely on each individual's trustworthiness. How can we do better?

icric33   www.dpreview.com

Spirituality, Religiousness & Faith - Controversial, Essential & Universal

     We must learn to reconnect with the core of our own being & learn to communicate with each other at this very same deepest, most meaningful universal level. "Namaste" means the perfection within me recognizes & greets the perfection in you.
     An exclusivist's ego projects itself onto & judges "the other" inferior. Exclusivism is found in most if not all religions, as well as in "scientism". A civilized, educated, multicultural, multiethnic society is de facto inclusive - not exclusivist ("that only the members of one religion or sect will reach heaven ... while others will be doomed to eternal damnation..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_exclusivism). Exclusivism is characteristic of an early psychosocial developmental stage. All major religions (as well as science) have psychosocially-mature members, who have more in common with similarly mature people of other religions, than with immature members of their own religion. Immaturity breeds divisiveness & conflict, not religion per se.

     "spirituality ... the search for sacred or existential aspects of life ‘such as finding meaning, wholeness, inner potential, & interconnections with others’

     religiousness ... ‘a personal or group search for the sacred that unfolds within a traditional sacred context’"
       Beaumont SL, Scammell J. Patterns of spirituality and meaning in life related to identity. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 2012; 12(4): 345-67.

     Some use "faith" to encompass both of the above concepts - see: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2012/03/faith.html 

     Despite the fact that these words, for many, ring of violence, ignorance, divisive fear & guilt, nevertheless they do point towards absolutely essential universal components of a deeply-lived, fully conscious human life: "matters of truth, reality, & ultimate importance. … personal, affective, visceral, & passional dimensions of being & knowing ... meaning-making in its broadest sense."          Parks SD. Big questions, worthy dreams. Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, 2000.  

     We must learn to work wisely with this double-edged sword - the more powerful the medicine, the more powerful its adverse effects.

Mindfulness, Identity & Wisdom in Emerging Adults

     "Exploring one’s self-identity is important for well-being, particularly among emerging adults. The nature of identity exploration depends on whether one uses an open, self-reflective informational identity style, an inflexible normative identity style, or an avoidant diffuse identity style.

     This study examined whether mindfulness is uniquely related to informational identity processing, self-reflective capacities, & wisdom. Canadian university students (N = 183; M age = 20.1) completed an online survey consisting of randomly presented measures of mindfulness, identity styles, identity commitment, self-reflection, insight, and wisdom.

     The results revealed that only the informational identity style was positively correlated with mindfulness, self-reflection, insight, and wisdom. In addition, the top 25% of wisdom scorers reported significantly higher scores on mindfulness, the informational style, identity commitment, self-reflection, and insight compared to lower wisdom scorers. 

 

• Informational Style – involves openness, self-exploration, & self-reflection
• Normative Style – conforming to the expectations of significant others
• Diffuse-Avoidant Style – avoidant of identity decisions
• Mindfulness - open, receptive, & nonjudgmental attention & awareness of present moment experience.
• Self-reflection – “the inspection & evaluation of one's thoughts, feelings & behavior”
• Insight – “the clarity of understanding of one's thoughts, feelings & behavior" 

• Wisdom – an integration of cognitive, affective, & reflective dimensions, which includes a deep understanding of life & diminished self-centeredness, as well as high levels of self-awareness, insight, & interpersonal understanding & caring." 

 

       Beaumont, S. L., & Pryor, T. (2013, May). The role of mindfulness in identity and wisdom among emerging adults. Poster presented at the First International Mindfulness Conference, Rome, Italy. 

 

 

Very Different Individuals, Goals & Values - of Equal Maturity?

     "a broad (1987) review of the literature (found) two conceptions of maturity:

     • one emphasizing adaptive functioning within society and

     • the other emphasizing intrapsychic differentiation & independence of social norms.

 

     positive mental health patterns (can be distinguished) in three groups of people:

     • those who seek the security & harmony of living in accord with social norms (Conservers),

     • those who value social recognition & achievement (Achievers),

     • and those who seek personal knowledge and independence of social norms (Seekers).

 

     because these individuals have different & often mutually exclusive orientations toward what constitutes a successful life, they develop different strengths. 

 

     Values are a part of one's identity. They are diverse and often incompatible. Theorists typically consider them to be evaluatively equal. Thus, the idea of incompatible but equally mature paths of development becomes even more compelling if one thinks in terms of different individuals moving toward different goals in accord with different values. 

 

       Helson R, Srivastava S. Three paths of adult development: conservers, seekers, and achievers. J Pers Soc Psychol 2001; 80(6): 995-1010.

 

LifeIsAVerb   www.dpreview.com

 

Facing & Opening Up to Reality

     No matter what's in our DNA, early childhood, or current life circumstances, we create our future by our current thoughts, attitude, speech, choices, & behavior. Mandela, Gandhi, and many less well-known people have demonstrated this repeatedly. We can and must create a better future. Regardless of our identity styles, WE CAN ALL LEARN TO BE MORE open to experience, introspective, self-reflective, & psychologically flexible. Everything hinges on this.

     There are "three identity styles that differ in the social-cognitive processes employed to deal with identity-relevant questions and concerns.

     ... diffuse-avoidant identity style - ‘‘reluctant to face up to and confront personal problems & decisions’’. ... predict(s) problematic qualities (eg neuroticism), coping & decisional strategies (eg disengagement), and mental health outcomes (eg depression).

     ... normative identity style - ‘‘deal with identity questions and decisional situations by conforming to the prescriptions and expectations of significant others’’. ... associated with high self-esteem & educational purpose, ... associated with the tendency to be conservative, authoritarian, & racist.

     ... informational identity style - ‘‘actively seek out, evaluate, and use self-relevant information’’. ... associated with openness to experience, introspectiveness, self-reflection, & cognitive complexity. ... the only form ... that positively predicts mature adjustment in the form of psychological hardiness, personal growth, & life purpose.” 
       Beaumont SL. Identity styles and wisdom during emerging adulthood: Relationships with mindfulness and savoring. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 2011; 11(2): 155-180.

 

Apenza   www.dpreview.com

Transpersonal - Peak - Experiences

     "Humanistic psychologists wanted to study human experience and what was most central to life and well-being, rather than what was easily measured in the laboratory. One discovery in particular was to have an enormous impact and eventually give birth to transpersonal psychology. Exceptionally psychologically healthy people tend to have 'peak experiences': brief but extremely intense, blissful, meaningful, & beneficial experiences of expanded identity & union with the universe. Similar experiences have been recognized across history and have been called mystical, spiritual, and unitive experiences, or in the East, samadhi and satori.

     Transpersonal experiences may be defined as experiences in which the sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans) the individual or personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, psyche, and cosmos."

       Walsh R, Vaughan F eds. Paths beyond ego. The transpersonal vision. Penguin Putnam Inc, NY, 1993.

 

lim yau tong   www.dpreview.com

Health, Consciusness, Wisdom

     The paradigm "illness as the enemy" is partial, dualistic - because it obscures the complete picture - the positive health experience inherent in illness: a more mature understanding of the meaning of life, personal transformation, self-transcendence ... wholeness, healing.

      "Health is viewed as a process of expanding consciousness. Consciousness is defined as the quality and diversity of personal-environment interaction as manifested in connectedness, reciprocal energy flow and boundary openness."
       Moch SD. Health within the experience of breast cancer. Journal of Advanced Nursing 1990; 15: 1426-1435. 

     "Wisdom is a function of deep insight into, and mature understanding of, the central existential issues of life, together with practical skill in responding to these issues in ways that enhance the deep wellbeing of all those who the responses affect."  
       Walsh R. The varieties of wisdom: Contemplative, cross-cultural, and integral contributions. Research in Human Development 2011; 8(2): 109-127.

zenfr2009   www.dpreview.com

Health Within Illness - Prioritizing Evolution of Consciousness

     Many physicians & patients still tend to deal with "illness as an enemy, to fight for their life, and to choose treatments that prolong life regardless of the quality of that life. This view of illness as an enemy precludes a health-within-illness experience by focusing on getting rid of, rather than getting in touch with, the illness.
     Getting in touch with the message within illness is central to the ( health-within-illness concept ) ... ( that ) the experience of illness can accelerate personal growth through increased awareness and transformational change."
       Moch SD. Health within illness: conceptual evolution and practice possibilities. Advances in Nursing Science 1989; 11(4): 23-31.

     Health-within-illness is an opportunity to increase "meaningfulness of life through connectedness or relatedness with the environment and/or awareness of self during a state of compromised well-being."
        Moch SD. Health-within-illness: concept development through research and practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing 1998; 28(2): 305-10.

     Health-care professionals cannot & must not function as mere scientists with weapons against disease, we must in addition evolve to become wise human beings & teachers of wisdom. See "Wisdom": http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=wisdom

     See "Post-traumatic growth": http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=post-traumatic+growth

Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com/