Authors like Daniel Goleman or Howard Gardner have a concept of the spiritual that goes beyond the religious and even the cognitive, we talk about the need to achieve a deeper and more sensitive knowledge of our reality, in which we consider us to be part of the whole, in which to achieve a higher level of well-being and to move away from the ego, from fixation by the material.
Since ancient times, humanity has always sought to transcend all that is everyday and ordinary, we are not just talking about the classic need to have contact with the divine, the religious practices used to ask for rain in exchange for an offering, to ask to be healed, forgiven or blessed with luck or fortune. We are talking mainly about this human need to realize a ‘second reality’. to escape, to find calm, self-realization or even?and why not ?? Wisdom.
- “The secret of physical and mental health is not to cry for the past.
- To worry about the future or to predict problems.
- But to live the present moment with wisdom and seriousness.
- -Bouddha-.
Neurologists call this the need for selfish consciousness or limbic consciousness, because whatever the mystique, we are talking about a series of very specific emotions and mental processes, for which our brain is responsible; in doing so, we do not want to diminish the value of religiosity or spirituality itself, we are talking mainly about a reality that is there, in our brains and in a series of structures that, when stimulated, generate specific changes in our perception, in the way we feel and perceive our environment.
So much so that neuroscientists like Andrew Newberg, author of the book?Principles of Neurotheology ?, have shown that the brains of Buddhist monks used for years to practice meditation show a lower level of neuronal aging, a greater ability to memorize and retain and even better resistance to the sensation of pain.
The call? The spiritual brain is today the basis of various researches, it is not about seeking God in the brain, nor is it about supporting or criticizing the practice of any kind of religion or doctrine; the purpose of this science is to understand how spirituality itself affects our minds and our physical and emotional health.
It is curious that the multiple intelligence hypothesis raised in 1983 by Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard University, already envisaged adding a “ninth intelligence”, the so-called “existential intelligence”, intimately linked to the concept of spiritual and which would be defined by the following principles:
It should be noted, as the philosopher Francesc Torralba says, that “spiritual intelligence is not religious consciousness”, but the vision of spirituality as a tool with which we can transcend our own reality, always from self-knowledge and awareness. account for other knowledge.
This is not easy, of course, because to develop this existential intelligence that Howard Gardner speaks of, at many times we must not only tolerate, but want solitude, it would also be desirable to use other resources that are within our reach, such as philosophy, socratic dialogue with oneself, meditation and the complex art of living consciously, taking advantage of the “here and now”.
There are structures in the brain that, when stimulated, can produce mystical experiences in our minds, a fact that we have known for a long time and is closely related to the alternation of stages of consciousness and certain changes in the temporal lobe, hippocampus and amygdala. Sometimes it is enough to electrically stimulate these regions to have visions, experience certain sensations and live experiences similar to those that can be felt when taking LSD.
“The spiritual journey is individual, personal. It cannot be organized or regulated. It’s not true that everyone has to go one way. Do you hear your own truth?
However, in the interesting book “Neuroculture, a Brain-Based Culture,” physiologist Francisco Mora explains something that certainly goes a little further. According to him, spirituality is closely linked to culture, to our approach, to what kind of practice of philosophical and religious principles can offer us to know better, make a change, acquire a series of transcendental and enriching knowledge at a time in our lives.
Spirituality and its practice are closely related to our natural curiosity, our motivation, the need to channel emotions such as fear, anxiety, feelings of loneliness and stress Why not?Existential vacuum. Human beings seek not only inner well-being, mental tranquility and emotional healing, but also the meanings of a world that often has more questions than answers.
Neuroscience, of course, does not accept the existence of supernatural entities, in the first place it seeks to understand our motivations to practice activities that produce tranquility and well-being, such as yoga or meditation, activities that release dopamine in our body, increase the connectivity of the prefrontal cortex or improve the plasticity of our brain.
“Spiritual technologies,” as experts call them, are at their peak, so a very interesting path is opened between the scientist and the spiritual to understand the benefits, to understand the internal processes that undoubtedly go beyond any doctrine or religion.
The goal of this idea of spirituality is to achieve a deeper sense of identity, the goal is to start a path of self-knowledge in search of happiness, personal realization.
Images courtesy of Cameron Gray.