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Inner Light Perception of Vihangam Yogis: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Meditation hasrecently emerged as a topic of interest for the medicinal scientists as well as for the neuropsychological scientists for different reasons. The methods used by both of these approaches have been mostly objective. This quest of objectification has led to vigorous use of tools like EEG and ERP, which has definitely led to revealing of marvellous aspects of meditation. However, the subjective states of meditation have been much less explored, especially when seen in contrast to the objective states. The need of the hour is to use the qualitative methods for exploration of these states because these methods better depict the unique experiences of meditation. In this context, we conducted a qualitative study in the form of Interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the subjective experiences associated with the inner-light perception of a group of meditators practising the meditation technique of Vihangam Yoga. It is an ancient meditation technique of India, initiated by HH Sadguru Sadafal Deoji Maharaj in the year 1924 and now being propogated by HH Sadguru Swatantra Deoji Maharaj. When asked in detail, the practitioners often report of many mystique experiences. This particular Yoga group was chosen because in a survey of among four groups, the maximum number of confident mediators reporting of perceiving some sort of luminance during meditation was found in this group. For this study, the inner-light perception experience of this meditation was chosen because of the divine value attached to this experience across all the cultures and religions. This experience was also chosen because of the great impact on their lives that Vihangam Yogis attributed to this experience. As the results of the study, four major themes were obtained which were: (a) Uniqueness of the nature of light (b) Experiences during light perception (c) Explanations of the source of light (d) Change in outlook towards world and associated changes in thinking.
... This was the technique used to elaborate the richness of the Inner light perception experience of Vihangam Yogis. The same technique as modified by Prakash et al.[35] was used as a method of qualitative data collection in present experiment. Considering NDE as a unique state of consciousness, IPA was used to get a detailed picture of subjective experiences of the individuals during these experiences. ...
... The 3 patients who were very clear about that they experienced the NDE were subsequently assessed by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA has been used several times for obtaining the subjective picture of different conditions, but only once has it been used to study any state of consciousness.[35] This was the technique used to elaborate the richness of the Inner light perception experience of Vihangam Yogis. ...
Near death experiences (NDE) are receiving increasing attention by the scientific community because not only do they provide a glimpse of the complexity of the mind-brain interactions in 'near-death' circumstances but also because they have significant and long lasting effects on various psychological aspects of the survivors. The over-all incidence-reports of NDEs in literature have varied widely from a modest Figure of 10% to around 35%, even up to an incredible Figure of 72% in persons who have faced close brush with death. Somewhat similar to this range of difference in incidences are the differences prevalent in the opinions that theorists and researchers harbor around the world for explaining this phenomena. None the less, objective evidences have supported physiological theories the most. A wide range of physiological processes have been targeted for explaining NDEs. These include cerebral anoxia, chemical alterations like hypercapnia, presence of endorphins, ketamine, and serotonin, or abnormal activity of the temporal lobe or the limbic system. In spite of the fact that the physiological theories of NDEs have revolved around the derangements in brain, no study till date has taken up the task of evaluating the experiences of near-death in patients where specific injury has been to brain. Most of them have evaluated NDEs in cardiac-arrest patients. Post-traumatic coma is one such state regarding which the literature seriously lacks any information related to NDEs. Patients recollecting any memory of their post-traumatic coma are valuable assets for NDE researchers and needs special attention.
Our present study was aimed at collecting this valuable information from survivors of severe head injury after a prolonged coma. The study was conducted in the head injury department of Guangdong 999 Brain hospital, Guangzhou, China. Patients included in the study were the ones Recovered from the posttraumatic coma following a severe head injury. A total of 86 patients were chosen. Near death experience scale (NDES) score of 7 or more was used as the criteria of screening NDE experiences. After identifying such individuals, the Prakash-modification of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interview and record the data for qualitative analysis.
We found that contrary to earlier incidence reports, NDEs in post head injury patients were markedly low. Only 3 out of 86 of the patients recruited had a clear and confident experience of NDE. We conducted a qualitative study to explore further into these experiences. IPA of these 3 patients revealed four master themes: 1. Unique light visions 2. Intense feelings of astonishment, pleasure, and fear 3. The sense of helplessness 4. Supernatural but rationality of experience.
NDE is uncommon in head-injury cases as compared to other near-death conditions. But the persons experiencing it have immense impacts on their belief systems and emotions. This experience should be further explored by studies of larger samples.
... Then we try to compare with Samadhi state experiences.. Perhaps I can introduce one mystic and one scientist from India: Mr. H. S. Pal is a mystic and he can tell us his experiences. Dr. Ravi Prakash is an expert in inner light perception and published few articles (Prakash & Caponigro, 2009;Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009;Prakash, Prakash, Shevchenko, & Sahay, 2009). In that way, we can scientifically progress further in these areas. ...
Abstract
The dominant metaphysics of science is materialism (mind from matter) and that of religions are idealism (matter from mind) and/or interactive substance dualism (mind and matter are two independent entities but they interact in us when we are alive). All these three metaphysics have serious problems. Because of these problems science and religions are at opposite poles. We cannot ignore science because our daily life is based on it and we cannot ignore religion because it teaches us how to live. Therefore, serious effort is needed to bring them closer.
Materialism has an explanatory gap problem in: how can subjective experiences (SEs) arise/emerge from non-experiential matter? Idealism has the reverse of the materialism’s explanatory gap problem, i.e., how can non-experiential matter arise/emerge from SEs? The interactive substance dualism seven problems are: (1) Association or mind-brain interaction problem, (2) Problem of mental causation, (3) ‘Zombie’ problem, (4) ‘Ghost’ problem, (5) Neurophysiological many-one/many relation problem, (6) Causal pairing problem, and (7) Developmental problem.
The IDAM framework addresses those problems well. The IDAM framework is the Inseparable dual-aspect monism framework: the Dual-Aspect Monism (Vimal, 2008b) with dual-mode (Vimal, 2010c) and varying degrees of the dominance of the dominance of aspects depending on the level of entities (Vimal, 2012a), where each entity-state has inseparable mental and physical aspects.
As per (Vimal, 2011g), “All theist religions have built-in interactive substance dualism. This is because, after death, the presumed ‘soul’ (mental entity) is separated from the dead body (physical entity). This means the soul is a separate substance/entity and the dead body is a separate substance. These two substances interact when we are alive in such a way that they appear inseparable. Moreover, both (soul and dead body) and all other entities are postulated to be the parts of the same fundamental entity (one may call it by different names such as: God, Brahman, Allah, the dual-aspect entity, physics’ vacuum, and so on) whether we are alive or dead; and the same Brahman is in all entities: this is the doctrine of ‘All (entities) in One (Brahman/God/Allāh) and One (Brahman/God/Allāh) in All (entities)’. All religions also include idealism that God/consciousness is the fundamental reality.”
In IDAM framework, we argue that in the soul (if it indeed exists after death), the mental aspect is dominant and its physical aspect is latent/recessive as ‘subtle body’ where traces of karmas and unfulfilled intense desires are embedded; whereas, in dead body, it is other way around (physical aspect is dominant and its mental aspect is latent). Brahman/God/Allāh is the fundamental dual-aspect entity; in its unmanifested state (before or at Big Bang), Brahman/God/Allāh has both the dominant physical aspect and latent mental aspect; this is called the causal Brahman/God/Allāh. The physical aspect of the unmanifested state of empty-space (void at ground state of quantum potential with minimum energy) with quantum fluctuations leading to Big Bang for creating universe is equivalent to the fluctuations in cosmic consciousness (the mental aspect of the unmanifested state of kāran (causal) Brahman/God/Allāh) leading to the creation of universe. This is because the mental and physical aspects of unmanifested state of causal Brahman/God/Allāh/sunyatā/void are inseparable and hence fluctuations in physical aspect can be translated to that in the mental domain automatically and vice versa. The manifested state of Brahman/God/Allāh is called kārya (effect) Brahman/God/Allāh that started after Big Bang. Kārya Brahman/God/Allāh has varying degrees of dominance of aspects depending on the level of entities. Inert entities have a dominant physical aspect and latent mental aspect. Over 13.72 billion years after Big Bang, kārya Brahman/God/Allāh evolved into us; when we are awake and conscious, both aspects are equally dominant; when we are in deep sleep, our physical aspect is more dominant than our mental aspect, that is why we are non-conscious; in dream state, both aspects seem dominant to some extent because we experience something, but it is different from wakeful state. In samadhi/mystic/sufi-state, both aspects are dominant and we experience (a) BLISS (Ānanda) that is called God/Allāh/Parmātman/Sat-cit-ānanda, (b) inner light perception, and (c) unification of subject and objects. Therefore, we should meditate and reach to this state and meet our God living in each of us; this is our final goal of life consistent with all religions. This is rigorously consistent with modern science.
Conclusion/Summary: We all have our own views. My view is expressed in the IDAM framework, where a state of each entity including primal entity has dual-aspect. The two aspects of each entity-state are: (i) subjective first person perspective (1pp) mental aspect and (ii) objective third person perspective (3pp) mental aspect. The 1pp-mental aspect is always latent to a third person; for example, I will never know what you experience or think; it is personal and private; but we converse so both of us are confident that our (brain-state’s) 1pp-mental aspect is dominant in us during conscious wakeful state of our brain along with its inseparable physical aspect. Therefore, 1pp-mental aspect of inert-entity-state is always latent to us, which implies that 1pp-mental aspect of primal entity is also latent to us. In other words, both aspects are latent in the primal entity in its unmanifested state. During its manifestation, first, its physical aspect appeared through cosmic fire (such as Big Bang) because there are scientific evidences. Both aspects of manifested state of universe co-evolved and over 13 billion years, 1pp-mental aspect became dominant in us along with its inseparable physical aspect. This means we are one of the best products of evolution. A normal human being usually has 3 major states: sleep, dream and wakefulness. The fourth state is rare, but is known to be achieved by sufis, yogis, mystics, and like. This fourth state is called God/Parmātman/Sat-cit-ānanda/Allāh in my view because we get unlimited pleasure (pleasure center gets activated), subject-objects appear unified (enmity disappears), and we acquire all the useful attributes of God. Thus, if we are able to achieve this state (e.g. via meditation), we become Him and we get liberated from negative energies. Since all above have scientific evidence and metaphysically not inconsistent with all religions, we can bring science and religions in the same boat, i.e., in the same dual-aspect monism metaphysics (foundation). Otherwise, they are and will remain in different boats while sailing in opposite directions. This is because science’s dominant metaphysics is materialism and religion’s metaphysics are idealism and/or interactive substance dualism, which are opposite to materialism; all these three metaphysics have serious problems. Thus, through the doctrine of unification of science and all religions, the IDAM framework can maximize peace and happiness and minimize war and suffering.
... As elaborated in (Vimal & Pandey-Vimal, 2007), cortical phosphenes are usually generated thru yoga. In the NS-state, presumably such illumination may be possible; this is also called inner light perception in Vihangam yoga as elaborated in (Prakash & Caponigro, 2009;Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009;Vimal, 2009b). Imaginations (such as green color blood) are also reproducible experiences (1pp-mental aspect), except they are not 'real' and do not 'exist' in the 'world out there' as an objective 'table-in-itself' is real and exists in the mind-independent reality (MIR), not just its appearance in the mind-dependent reality (MDR). ...
Abstract
We propose a dual-aspect framework for consciousness, which is an extended version of dual-aspect monism metaphysics (IDAM) framework based on the robust and reproducible two sources of scientific empirical data:
(i) The data from the 1st person perspective (1pp) such as our subjective experiences and
(ii) The data from the 3rd person perspective (3pp) such as their respective neural bases.
In this article, the term ‘consciousness’ is defined as the mental aspect of a state of brain-system or brain-process, which has two sub-aspects: conscious experience and conscious function from first person perspective (1pp); the terms ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ are used in the sense of the IDAM framework (not dualism). The IDAM framework has five components:
(I) Dual-Aspect Monism framework, where
(a) Each entity-state has inseparable physical and mental aspects,
(b) The potentiality of primary irreducible subjective experiences (SEs) co-exists with its inseparable physical aspect in Nature,
(c) SEs are the excitations of Universal Potential Consciousness (UPC) that is the mental aspect of the unmanifested state of the primal entity (Brahman), in analogy to the ripples of an ocean, and
(d) Its inseparable the physical aspect is ubiquitous physical quantum vacuum field (both radiation reaction and stochastic zero-point radiation field (ZPF)) from the very beginning (de la Peña, Cetto, & Valdes-Hernandez, 2015).p196.
(II) Dual-mode (conjugate matching between stimulus-dependent-feed-forward-signals-related-mode and cognitive-feedback-signals-related-mode and then the selection of a specific subjective experience by the self); and
(III) The degree of manifestation of aspects depends on a state of an entity. The mental aspect is from 1pp and the physical aspect is from the objective third person perspective (3pp).
(IV) The fourth component is the segregation and integration of dual-aspect information and
(V) The fifth component is the necessary conditions of consciousness, which are developed here. The necessary conditions for access (reportable) consciousness are the formation of neural networks, wakefulness, reentry, attention, information integration, working memory, stimulus contrast at or above a threshold, and potential experiences embedded in the neural network. Attention is not necessary for phenomenal (non-reportable) consciousness.
This framework is parsimonious and has the least number of problems compared to all other frameworks, and it addresses the objections raised in Biological Naturalism by traditional views (dualism and materialism). The IDAM framework (a) is consistent with psychophysical, biological, and physical laws; (b) it attempts to address the ‘hard’ problem of consciousness (how to explain subjective experiences), and (c) it can be tested scientifically: if the doctrine of inseparability between the 1pp-mental and 3pp-physical aspects of a conscious brain-mind state is somehow rejected then the IDAM framework needs major modification.
We have followed the least problematic ‘bottom-up’ approach, which starts from the robust and reproducible two sources of empirical data and then extrapolates carefully backward in time. This process eventually entails the manifestation of an entity is from its potentiality in the primal entity (Brahman) to its realization thru the process of co-evolution. This approach concludes that the degree of manifestation of the unmanifested state of Brahman is highest in us presumably at Nirvikalpa Samādhi state, which entails that ‘God’ is inside us because we attain ‘godly’ virtues at this state, such as compassion, humility, bliss/Ānanda, love for all, inner light perception, and the unification of subject and objects.
... 8 They hypothesized that (i) the "inner light (or the state before it in time) could be a state of quantum superposition in brain", (ii) this "occurrence of inner-light would be present irrespective of the meditators observation of it", and (iii) then "the perception of innerlight would be seen as the collapse of the quantum superposition". Yogis practicing Vihangam Yoga reported (Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009) the experience of inner-light perception as follows: "the perception of the inner light is unique in that it is multimodal": ...
Previously (Vimal, 2008a, 2008b, 2009a, 2009c, 2009e, 2009h, 2009i), we hypothesized that the state of each of fundamental entities (strings or elementary particles: fermions and bosons) have two aspects: (i) objective third person perspective (3pp) material aspect such as mass, charge, spin, and space-time, and (ii) ) subjective first person perspective (1pp) mental aspect, such as experiences (proto-experiences (PE)s for inert entities and subjective experiences (SEs) for conscious beings with life). We concluded that the optimal framework that has the least number of problems is the IDAM (inseparable dual-Aspect Monism: Dual-Aspect Monism with dual-mode and varying degrees of manifestation of aspects depending on the levels of entities) framework with the superposition-based hypothesis H1 (Vimal, 2009i). In H1, the fundamental entities and inert matter are the carriers of superimposed potential fundamental subjective experiences (SEs)/proto-experiences (PEs) in the mental aspect of a state of an entity. A specific SE arises in a neural-net as follows: (i) there exist a virtual reservoir that stores all possible potential fundamental SEs/PEs, (ii) the interaction of stimulus-dependent feed-forward and feedback signals in the neural-net creates a specific dual-aspect neural-net state, (iii) this specific state is assigned to a specific SE from the virtual reservoir during neural Darwinism, (iv) this specific SE is embedded as a memory trace of neural-net-PE, and (v) when a specific stimulus is presented to the neural net, the associated specific SE is selected by the matching and selection process and experienced by this net. SEs occur when essential ingredients of SEs (such as wakefulness, attention, re-entry, working memory, stimulus at or above the threshold level, and neural-net-PEs) are satisfied.
In this article, we discuss the empirical data related to samādhi state and explain it in terms of various frameworks. We conclude that our five component IDAM framework implies that the SE of a subject or ‘self’ in self-related neural-network is tuned to the self-related SE superposed in other innumerable entities during samādhi state via matching and selection processes. This leads to bliss, ecstasy, OBEs, and other unusual experiences at thoughtless Nirvikalpa Samādhi state.
... This is only a overview and the details of the method can only be taught by authorized meditators from the Vihangam Yoga Sansthan of Vedic Sciences, Allahabad, India. Regular meditators report experiencing unique states of peace, stability of emotions and of increased ability to concentrate on their day-to-day work (Prakash, Ul Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009). ...
... 8 They hypothesized that (i) the "inner light (or the state before it in time) could be a state of quantum superposition in brain", (ii) this "occurrence of inner-light would be present irrespective of the meditators observation of it", and (iii) then "the perception of innerlight would be seen as the collapse of the quantum superposition". Yogis practicing Vihangam Yoga reported (Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009) the experience of inner-light perception as follows: "the perception of the inner light is unique in that it is multimodal": ...
... Given that the subjective experience of meditation as a series of psychological states appears to be highly relevant to the discipline of psychology, it is perhaps surprising that most recent studies examining the actual experience of meditation have employed neurophysiological, or other similar objective methods (Prakash, 2009). This contrasts with pioneering psychological studies of meditation practice, which examined the phenomenology of the experience of meditation (e.g., Goleman, 1976;Kornfield, 1979). ...
Unpublished honour's thesis: This qualitative study explores an eclectic range of meditation practices, and specifically considers: the phenomenology of the actual meditation experience, motives for taking up meditation and their evolution over time, and outcomes of meditation practice and the associated mechanisms of change. Employing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis with a narrative focus, the researcher invited ten participants with a current meditation practice to participate in a semi-structured interview. The findings indicate that all participants gained considerably from their meditation practice, irrespective of the specific practice they undertook or the length of their practice, with a short (10-15 minutes), daily practice being sufficient to generate transformational change in the lives of some participants. Two additional mechanisms of change supporting such transformations, beyond those already reported in the literature, were uncovered: ‘an enhanced inner connection to self’ and ‘an enhanced inner connection beyond self’. Both these additional change mechanisms appear to directly link the phenomenology of the meditation experience to outcomes arising from practice. The study is the first to provide empirical validation for D.Shapiro’s (1992) three-stage model of motives, suggesting that motivations for meditating do evolve in a structured manner over time, at least for some individuals. These findings support the potential for using and prescribing meditation in clinical and counselling contexts.
... In-fact, out of these, superconsciousness word can only be used in the expanded-state of meditation. In-fact, in the qualitative study conducted by one of the authors, all the meditators described that they were aware of the surroundings, but they were also aware of their own internal states of emotions, thoughts, and of consciousness itself Prakash et al., 2009a). So, it is highly unlikely that the state of awareness of meditation should be clustered with the states of sleep and unconsciousness. ...
... L. P. Vimal, , 2009bR. L. P. Vimal, , 2009c and (ii) inner-light experiences at samadhi state (Prakash & Caponigro, 2009;Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009). ...
About forty meanings attributed to the term consciousness can be identified and categorized based on functions and experiences. The prospects for reaching any single, agreed-upon, theory-independent definition of consciousness appear remote. Here, the goal is to search for a theory-dependent optimal (with the least number of problems) and general definition accommodating most views. This quest is mostly based on the premise that evolution must have optimized our mental system in terms of experience and function. Based on a dual-aspect dual-mode proto-experience/subjective experience optimal framework, an optimal definition of consciousness describes it as a mental aspect of a system or a process with two sub-aspects: conscious experience and conscious function. A more general definition describes consciousness as a mental aspect of a system or a process, which is a conscious experience, a conscious function, or both, depending on contexts and particular biases (e.g. metaphysical assumptions). Both experiences and functions can be conscious and/or non-conscious. Our definitions are a posteriori insofar as they are based on observation and categorization.
... L. P. Vimal, , 2009bR. L. P. Vimal, , 2009c and (ii) inner-light experiences at samadhi state (Prakash & Caponigro, 2009;Prakash, Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009). ...
About forty meanings attributed to the term consciousness can
be identi�ed and categorized based on functions and experiences.
The prospects for reaching any single, agreed-upon, theory-independent
de�nition of consciousness appear remote. Here, the goal is
to search for a theory-dependent optimal (with the least number of
problems) and general de�nition accommodating most views. This
quest is mostly based on the premise that evolution must have optimized
our mental system in terms of experience and function.
Based on a dual-aspect dual-mode proto-experience/subjective
experience optimal framework, an optimal de�nition of consciousness
describes it as a mental aspect of a system or a process with two
sub-aspects: conscious experience and conscious function. A more
general de�nition describes consciousness as a mental aspect of a
system or a process, which is a conscious experience, a conscious
function, or both, depending on contexts and particular biases (e.g.
metaphysical assumptions). Both experiences and functions can be
conscious and/or non-conscious. Our de�nitions are a posteriori
insofar as they are based on observation and categorization.
... This is only a overview and the details of the method can only be taught by authorized meditators from the Vihangam Yoga Sansthan of Vedic Sciences, Allahabad, India. Regular meditators report experiencing unique states of peace, stability of emotions and of increased ability to concentrate on their day-to-day work (Prakash, Ul Haq, Prakash, Sarkhel, & Kumar, 2009). ...
The general consensus that cognitive abilities decline with advancing age is supported by several studies that have reported that older adults perform more poorly on multiple tests of cognitive performance as compared to younger adults. To date, preventive measures against this cognitive decline have been mainly focused on dietary, physical, and lifestyle behaviors which could allow older adults to maintain their cognitive abilities into late life. However, much less stress has been laid on evaluating meditation as a preventive measure in such cases in spite of the fact that the role of meditation on attention has been proved in several studies. In the current study, we extend this preliminary idea, examining the practice of concentrative meditation and the differences in the cognitive performance of older adults who have or have not employed this practice long term.
This was a cross-sectional study comparing the cognitive performance of meditators and non-meditators in the geriatric age group. Twenty (age > 55 years) long-term practitioners of Vihangam Yoga meditation (>10 years of practice) were recruited in the present study and were applied six paper-pencil neuropsychological tests for assessment of short-term memory, perceptual speed, attention, and executive functioning. The tests used were: (1) the Digit Span test, (2) the Stroop Color Word test, (3) the Trailmaking test, (4) the Letter Cancellation Task, (5) the digit symbol substitution test, and (6) the Rule Shift Card Test. All the tests were also applied to 20 age- and education-matched geriatric adults who have not practiced the meditation technique.
Vihangam Yogis showed significantly better performances in all these tests of attention (p < .05) except for the digit backward test, where a trend (p = .08) was found in favor of meditators.
Long-term Vihangam Yoga meditators have superior cognitive abilities than non-meditators in the old age group. This technique should be studied further for its ability to prevent age-related cognitive decline.
Inspite of the fact that the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are yet to receive a universal definition, they have received recognition and application prospects in a wide variety of subjects including diverse fields like radar, pattern recognition and trading strategies. In parallel to these non-neurological applications (or for that matter non-biological applications), there have been efforts of implying ANNs in cognitive neurosciences also. At the cognitive-function level, ANNs are defined as connectionist models for cognitive processing. However, another important way of modelling ANN is in its biological form, using all the biological constraints. This biological model of ANN, first conceptualised by McCollough (4) has seldom been used for exploring cognitive functions because of its high complexity (5). In this article, we highlight an important application of this biological model of ANN in cognitive neurosciences field. We explore how such models can be used in enhancing our abilities of perceiving neural behaviours in different states of consciousness. In this present article, we focus on three different states of consciousness which can be modelled. These are the death, sleep and the state of meditation, like the much studied inner-light perception state of Vihangam Yoga. For this purpose, we present a step-wise approach, consisting of five steps needed for this modeling.
A much repeated theme in spiritual experiences is that the subject often feels that he can experience multiple states at the same time or he can experience multiple states of time. This theme of simultaneous multiple states of awareness are a unique subject the scientific understanding of which remains almost nil. The most common simultaneously existing states of awareness recorded in the spiritual literature is that of an inner blissful state of awareness along with the awareness of the outer world perceived through the sensory flow of information. On one hand, the inner state of blissfulness (a meditative/spiritual experience) is a realm of unique world which encompasses a plethora of strange and unique experiences. At the same time, the reported awareness of the outer world perceived through the sensory flow of information is the same as always. At present, there is no psychological construct which could explain such an existence and mostly such experiences have been rejected as para-psychological or mystical. However, before rejecting the very theme of dual-consciousness at the outset, it is important to evaluate the possibility of simultaneous existence multiple experiences in other disciplines. In fact, such a theme has some analogies in quantum mechanics. It is a well-known fact that quantum states exist in multiple superimpositions of space time probabilities. In this article, we will explore another under -studied concept of quantum mechanics- the many minds view (MMV). We will explore the perspectives of MMV from the vantage points of both Albert & Loewer as well as that of Lockwood. At the end of this exploration we will be concluding that in both of these versions of MMV, the existence of multiple states of consciousness is an arguable possibility and thus MMV can be explored further for explaining these mystical consciousness experiences.
This brief paper argue about a possible philosophical description of the implicate order starting from a simple theoretical experiment. Utilizing an EPR source and the human eyes (as biological detectors) of a "single" person, we try to investigate the philosophical and physical implications of quantum entanglement in terms of implicate order. We know, that most specialists still disagree on the exact number of photons required to trigger a neural response, although there will be many technical challenges, we assume that neural response will be achieved in some way. The objective of paper is to investigate possible links between: quantum mechanics, quantum cognitive science, brain and mind. At the moment, the questions are more than the answers. We argue that we are perennially immersed in the implicate order and that the "real path" of quantum entanglement process is from the implicate order towards explicate order, not vice versa. Finally, we speculate about the common ground between the implicate order and chitta (Vedic theory of Mind).
The dominant metaphysics of science is materialism (mind from matter) and that of religions are idealism (matter from mind) and/or interactive substance dualism (mind and matter are two independent entities but they interact in us when we are alive). All these three metaphysics have serious problems. Because of these problems science and religions are at opposite poles. We cannot ignore science because our daily life is based on it and we cannot ignore religion because it teaches us how to live. Therefore, serious effort is needed to bring them closer.
Materialism has an explanatory gap problem in: how can subjective experiences (SEs) arise/emerge from non-experiential matter? Idealism has the reverse of the materialism’s explanatory gap problem, i.e., how can non-experiential matter arise/emerge from SEs? The interactive substance dualism seven problems are: (1) Association or mind-brain interaction problem, (2) Problem of mental causation, (3) ‘Zombie’ problem, (4) ‘Ghost’ problem, (5) Neurophysiological many-one/many relation problem, (6) Causal pairing problem, and (7) Developmental problem.
The DAMv framework addresses those problems well. The DAMv framework is the extended dual-aspect monism framework: the Dual-Aspect Monism (Vimal, 2008b) with dual-mode (Vimal, 2010c) and varying degrees of the dominance of the dominance of aspects depending on the level of entities (Vimal, 2012a), where each entity-state has inseparable mental and physical aspects.
As per (Vimal, 2011h), “All theist religions have built-in interactive substance dualism. This is because, after death, the presumed ‘soul’ (mental entity) is separated from the dead body (physical entity). This means the soul is a separate substance/entity and the dead body is a separate substance. These two substances interact when we are alive in such a way that they appear inseparable. Moreover, both (soul and dead body) and all other entities are postulated to be the parts of the same fundamental entity (one may call it by different names such as: God, Brahman, Allah, the dual-aspect entity, physics’ vacuum, and so on) whether we are alive or dead; and the same Brahman is in all entities: this is the doctrine of ‘All (entities) in One (Brahman/God/Allāh) and One (Brahman/God/Allāh) in All (entities)’. All religions also include idealism that God/consciousness is the fundamental reality.”
In DAMv framework, we argue that in the soul (if it indeed exists after death), the mental aspect is dominant and its physical aspect is latent/recessive as ‘subtle body’ where traces of karmas and unfulfilled intense desires are embedded; whereas, in dead body, it is other way around (physical aspect is dominant and its mental aspect is latent). Brahman/God/Allāh is the fundamental dual-aspect entity; in its unmanifested state (before or at Big Bang), Brahman/God/Allāh has both the dominant physical aspect and latent mental aspect; this is called the causal Brahman/God/Allāh. The physical aspect of the unmanifested state of empty-space (void at ground state of quantum potential with minimum energy) with quantum fluctuations leading to Big Bang for creating universe is equivalent to the fluctuations in cosmic consciousness (the mental aspect of the unmanifested state of kāran (causal) Brahman/God/Allāh) leading to the creation of universe. This is because the mental and physical aspects of unmanifested state of causal Brahman/God/Allāh/sunyatā/void are inseparable and hence fluctuations in physical aspect can be translated to that in the mental domain automatically and vice versa. The manifested state of Brahman/God/Allāh is called kārya (effect) Brahman/God/Allāh that started after Big Bang. Kārya Brahman/God/Allāh has varying degrees of dominance of aspects depending on the level of entities. Inert entities have a dominant physical aspect and latent mental aspect. Over 13.72 billion years after Big Bang, kārya Brahman/God/Allāh evolved into us; when we are awake and conscious, both aspects are equally dominant; when we are in deep sleep, our physical aspect is more dominant than our mental aspect, that is why we are non-conscious; in dream state, both aspects seem dominant to some extent because we experience something, but it is different from wakeful state. In samadhi/mystic/sufi-state, both aspects are dominant and we experience (a) BLISS (Ānanda) that is called God/Allāh/Parmātman/Sat-cit-ānanda, (b) inner light perception, and (c) unification of subject and objects. Therefore, we should meditate and reach to this state and meet our God living in each of us; this is our final goal of life consistent with all religions. This is rigorously consistent with modern science.
Conclusion/Summary: We all have our own views. My view is expressed in the DAMv framework, where a state of each entity including primal entity has dual-aspect. The two aspects of each entity-state are: (i) subjective first person perspective (1pp) mental aspect and (ii) objective third person perspective (3pp) mental aspect. The 1pp-mental aspect is always latent to a third person; for example, I will never know what you experience or think; it is personal and private; but we converse so both of us are confident that our (brain-state’s) 1pp-mental aspect is dominant in us during conscious wakeful state of our brain along with its inseparable physical aspect. Therefore, 1pp-mental aspect of inert-entity-state is always latent to us, which implies that 1pp-mental aspect of primal entity is also latent to us. In other words, both aspects are latent in the primal entity in its unmanifested state. During its manifestation, first, its physical aspect appeared through cosmic fire (such as Big Bang) because there are scientific evidences. Both aspects of manifested state of universe co-evolved and over 13 billion years, 1pp-mental aspect became dominant in us along with its inseparable physical aspect. This means we are one of the best products of evolution. A normal human being usually has 3 major states: sleep, dream and wakefulness. The fourth state is rare, but is known to be achieved by sufis, yogis, mystics, and like. This fourth state is called God/Parmātman/Sat-cit-ānanda/Allāh in my view because we get unlimited pleasure (pleasure center gets activated), subject-objects appear unified (enmity disappears), and we acquire all the useful attributes of God. Thus, if we are able to achieve this state (e.g. via meditation), we become Him and we get liberated from negative energies. Since all above have scientific evidence and metaphysically not inconsistent with all religions, we can bring science and religions in the same boat, i.e., in the same dual-aspect monism metaphysics (foundation). Otherwise, they are and will remain in different boats while sailing in opposite directions. This is because science’s dominant metaphysics is materialism and religion’s metaphysics are idealism and/or interactive substance dualism, which are opposite to materialism; all these three metaphysics have serious problems. Thus, through the doctrine of unification of science and all religions, the DAMv framework can maximize peace and happiness and minimize war and suffering.
Although the literature indicates that meditation has beneficial effects on several aspects of human functioning, few studies have specifically investigated the effects of meditation on various domains of attention. This study was conducted to examine the differences in various domains of attention between long-term concentrative meditators versus matched controls. 15 practitioners of Vihangam Yoga (> 10 yr. experience) were enrolled in the study. Controls matched on age, sex, and years of education were recruited. Both groups were administered the Stroop, Trail-Making, and Digit Symbol Substitution tests as well as the Digit Forward and Digit Backward tests. The group of Vihangam Yogis had significantly better mean performance on all tests of attention. Long-term Vihangam Yoga meditation improves attention span, processing speed, attention alternation ability, and performance in interference tests.
In this article, the issue of shamanism and altered states of consciousness (ASC) is reviewed from a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary perspective. It is suggested that in spite of considerable differences in the uses of these terms, there are conceptual and empirical grounds for distinction among different types of trance practitioners. The authors argue that shamanism is a cultural adaptation of hunting and gathering societies to the biological potential for ASC, and that the specific nature of that manifestation changes as societies become more complex. The role of ASC in understanding shamanic phenomena, the roots of religious experience, and the modern manifestations of the potential for trance are examined. Western cultural avoidance of ASC has inhibited understanding of these phenomena, and has prevented an integration of shamanistic and trance perspectives into the understanding human of psychology, consciousness, and knowledge of the world.
In two longitudinal studies the Freiburger Personality Inventory (FPI) was administered to beginners of Transcendental Meditation (TM), using pre-post-test-intervals of 8 weeks (study 1) and 14 months (study 2). TM-beginners showed a typical psychologically moderately stressed FPI-profile including a considerably reduced domineering tendency. Meditators in study 2 exhibited significantly greater improvements after 14 months compared to dropout-controls with 7 of the 12 FPI-factors. Before starting TM, controls showed significantly greater extraversion compared to successful meditators. Significantly reduced openness compared to the norm was found at the time of the second testing in study 1 and with 47% of the participants in a cross section study including 360 TM-practitioners (study 3). The uncritically reserved TM-practitioners within study 3 described themselves as remarkably positive; however, no effects correlating with length of practice could be distinguished in this group. In the same study the open meditators and several selected subgroups drawn from them--subjects with no treatment, subjects with any medical treatment and psychosomatically treated subjects--showed different focal points of generally constructive hypothetical effects resulting from long-term TM-practice for each group. In consequence, for meditating successfully a sufficiently self-critical and open attitude has to be required as a prerequisite. Subjects scoring clearly above average in extraversion should be discouraged starting TM because of the increased probability of abandoning the TM-routine early.
Yogic breathing is a unique method for balancing the autonomic nervous system and influencing psychologic and stress-related disorders. Part I of this series presented a neurophysiologic theory of the effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). Part II will review clinical studies, our own clinical observations, and guidelines for the safe and effective use of yoga breath techniques in a wide range of clinical conditions. Although more clinical studies are needed to document the benefits of programs that combine pranayama (yogic breathing) asanas (yoga postures), and meditation, there is sufficient evidence to consider Sudarshan Kriya Yoga to be a beneficial, low-risk, low-cost adjunct to the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress-related medical illnesses, substance abuse, and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. SKY has been used as a public health intervention to alleviate PTSD in survivors of mass disasters. Yoga techniques enhance well-being, mood, attention, mental focus, and stress tolerance. Proper training by a skilled teacher and a 30-minute practice every day will maximize the benefits. Health care providers play a crucial role in encouraging patients to maintain their yoga practices.
Emotional distress is an increasing public health problem and Hatha yoga has been claimed to induce stress reduction and empowerment in practicing subjects. We aimed to evaluate potential effects of Iyengar Hatha yoga on perceived stress and associated psychological outcomes in mentally distressed women.
A controlled prospective non-randomized study was conducted in 24 self-referred female subjects (mean age 37.9+/-7.3 years) who perceived themselves as emotionally distressed. Subjects were offered participation in one of two subsequential 3-months yoga programs. Group 1 (n=16) participated in the first class, group 2 (n=8) served as a waiting list control. During the yoga course, subjects attended two-weekly 90-min Iyengar yoga classes. Outcome was assessed on entry and after 3 months by Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Profile of Mood States, CESD-Depression Scale, Bf-S/Bf-S' Well-Being Scales, Freiburg Complaint List and ratings of physical well-being. Salivary cortisol levels were measured before and after an evening yoga class in a second sample.
Compared to waiting-list, women who participated in the yoga-training demonstrated pronounced and significant improvements in perceived stress (P<0.02), State and Trait Anxiety (P<0.02 and P<0.01, respectively), well-being (P<0.01), vigor (P<0.02), fatigue (P<0.02) and depression (P<0.05). Physical well-being also increased (P<0.01), and those subjects suffering from headache or back pain reported marked pain relief. Salivary cortisol decreased significantly after participation in a yoga class (P<0.05).
Women suffering from mental distress participating in a 3-month Iyengar yoga class show significant improvements on measures of stress and psychological outcomes. Further investigation of yoga with respect to prevention and treatment of stress-related disease and of underlying mechanism is warranted.
Neuroelectric and imaging studies of meditation are reviewed. Electroencephalographic measures indicate an overall slowing subsequent to meditation, with theta and alpha activation related to proficiency of practice. Sensory evoked potential assessment of concentrative meditation yields amplitude and latency changes for some components and practices. Cognitive event-related potential evaluation of meditation implies that practice changes attentional allocation. Neuroimaging studies indicate increased regional cerebral blood flow measures during meditation. Taken together, meditation appears to reflect changes in anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal areas. Neurophysiological meditative state and trait effects are variable but are beginning to demonstrate consistent outcomes for research and clinical applications. Psychological and clinical effects of meditation are summarized, integrated, and discussed with respect to neuroimaging data.
The prevailing neuroscientific paradigm considers information processing within the central nervous system as occurring through hierarchically organized and interconnected neural networks. The hierarchy of neural networks doesn't end at the neuroaxonal level; it incorporates subcellular mechanisms as well. When the size of the hierarchical components reaches the nanometer range and the number of elements exceeds that of the neuroaxonal system, an interface emerges for a possible transition between neurochemical and quantum physical events. "Signal nonlocality", accessed by means of quantum entanglement is an essential feature of the quantum physical domain. The presented interface may imply that some manifestations of altered states of consciousness, unconscious/conscious shifts have quantum origin with significant psychosomatic implications. Healing methods based on altered states of consciousness and common in spiritual or shamanic traditions escape neuroscientific explanations based on classical cognition denoted here as "perceptual-cognitive-symbolic" (characteristic of ordinary states of consciousness). Another channel of information processing, called "direct-intuitive-nonlocal" (characteristic of non-ordinary states of consciousness) is required to be introduced for interpretation. The first one is capable of modeling via symbolism and is more culturally bound due to its psycholinguistic features. The second channel lacks the symbolic mediation, therefore it has more transcultural similarity and practically ineffable for the first one, though culture specific transliteration may occur. Different traditional healing rituals pursue the same end: to destroy "profane" sensibility. The ritual use of hallucinogens, the monotonous drumming, the repeated refrains, the fatigue, the fasting, the dancing and so forth, create a sensory condition which is wide open to the so-called "supernatural". According to contemporary anthropological views, the breakdown of ordinary sensibility/cognition is not the ultimate goal, but the way to accomplish healing, that is psychointegration in the widest sense. From the perspective of system theory, integration needs information to be brought into the system. According to the presented model, when the coping capability of the "perceptual-cognitive-symbolic" processing is exhausted in a stressful, unmanageable situation, or its influence is eliminated by the use of hallucinogens or in case of transcendental meditation, a frame shift occurs, and the "spiritual universe" opens up through the "direct-intuitive-nonlocal" channel. There is little chance either for a psychointegrative effect, or for a meaningful "opening" without ritual context, and with the recreational use of mind altering strategies. .
Metaphors link positive affect to brightness and negative affect to darkness. Research has shown that such mappings are "alive" at encoding in that word-meaning evaluations are faster when font color matches prevailing metaphors (positive = bright; negative = dark). These results, however, involved reaction times, and there are reasons to think that evaluations would be unlikely to influence perceptual judgments, the current focus. Studies 1-3 establish that perceptual judgments were biased in a brighter direction following positive (vs. negative) evaluations, and Study 4 shows that such biases are automatic. The results significantly extend the metaphor representation perspective. Not only do evaluations activate metaphors, but such metaphoric mappings are sufficient to lead individuals to violate input from visual perception when judging an object's brightness.
Author Summary
Vision scientists have long adhered to the classic opponent-coding theory of vision, which states that bright–dark, red–green, and blue–yellow form mutually exclusive color pairs. According to this theory, it is not possible to see both brightness and darkness at a single spatial location, or an extended set of locations, such as a uniform surface. One corollary of this statement is that all perceivable grey shades vary along a continuum from bright to dark. At first glance, the notion that brightness and darkness cannot coexist on a single surface accords with our common-sense notion that a given grey shade cannot be simultaneously both brighter and darker than any other grey shade. The results presented here suggest that this common-sense notion is not supported by experimental data. Our results imply that a given grey shade can indeed be simultaneously brighter and darker than another grey shade. This seemingly paradoxical conclusion arises naturally if one assumes that brightness and darkness constitute the dimensions of a two-dimensional perceptual space in which points represent grey shades. Our results may encourage scientists working in related fields to question the assumption that perceptual variables, rather than sensory variables, are encoded in opponent pairs.
Adapting decision making according to dynamic and probabilistic changes in action-reward contingencies is critical for survival in a competitive and resource-limited world. Much research has focused on elucidating the neural systems and computations that underlie how the brain identifies whether the consequences of actions are relatively good or bad. In contrast, less empirical research has focused on the mechanisms by which reinforcements might be used to guide decision making. Here, I review recent studies in which an attempt to bridge this gap has been made by characterizing how humans use reward information to guide and optimize decision making. Regions that have been implicated in reinforcement processing, including the striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate, also seem to mediate how reinforcements are used to adjust subsequent decision making. This research provides insights into why the brain devotes resources to evaluating reinforcements and suggests a direction for future research, from studying the mechanisms of reinforcement processing to studying the mechanisms of reinforcement learning.
Doing interpretative phenomenological analysis This chapter introduces one particular form of qualitative analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and takes the reader through the stages of conducting studies employing IPA, with illustrations taken from the authors’ own research in health psychology. 1 The main aim is to provide the reader with detailed descriptions of the analytic process, and therefore the theoretical orienting material is kept to a minimum. Readers interested in knowing more about the theoretical underpinning and rationale of IPA are referred to Smith (1996). After a brief introduction, the bulk of the chapter is taken up with two extended examples of IPA in practice. In the first, an idiographic, case-study approach is outlined, where the analysis slowly builds from the reading of individual cases to claims for a group. This procedure is illustrated with material from a project on patients’ perceptions of chronic back pain. In the final The ...
Kakuso Okakura died in Japan September 2, 1913. He was an “Admirable Crichton” in his way, a man of vast learning, which covered both sides of the world. He was graduated from the Tokio University in 1880 with honors in philosophy and English literature, to which he might have added honors in Oriental philosophy and literature had not the drift of education in Japan at that time been all in the direction of the Occident. He always kept in close touch with the Occidental world, and was for ten years the head of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Sensitivity to light is a common experience during prayer or Zen meditation, in both western and eastern cultures. Higher levels of happiness and lower health insurance costs are typical for those who experience inner light. In this report, the connection between the experience of inner light and Zen meditation is investigated by using EEG and flash visual evoked potential (F-VEP) recorded from the occipital site Oz. EEG results indicate that the experience of inner light during Zen meditation by experienced practitioners is also accompanied by a large amount of alpha-suppressed EEG. The F-VEP data also reflect shorter latency, and indicates a stronger and more sensitive visual response during Zen meditation. These data are also the typical physiological responses when the eyes are open during a rested conscious state, and thus provide a possible closer connection between Zen meditation and the sensitivity of inner light
The Varieties of Religious Experience : a Study in Human Nature / William James Note: The University of Adelaide Library eBooks @ Adelaide.
In a state of voluntary trance or meditation, the perception of reality appears to extend beyond the usual spatial and temporal boundaries that are normally perceived by the sense organs. It is argued that the problems of validity and reliability of trance experiences for scientific discourse are in principle no different than the problems associated with ordinary perception. The shift in early Greek philosophy from myth to an emphasis on logos (reason) has led to a neglect of those subtle qualities of reason that were considered to be gateways for divine revelation. Scientific methodologies cannot account for such revelation, and there are no criteria known to science that would enable people to utilize these phenomena. Shamanic experiences are intersubjectively accessible and provide data that is suitable for the construction of rational theories if appropriate methodologies are developed. However, for a scientist, shamanic experiences are considered at most to be psychological ones, and consequently without any value for empirical research. This article examines the possibility of reevaluating the terms "rational" and "consciousness," in order to expand scientific methodologies in such a way that volitionally altered perceptions of reality can be integrated into scientific research.
The effects of three different procedures, relaxation, visualization and yogic breathing and stretch (pranayama) on perceptions of physical and mental energy and on positive and negative mood states have been assessed in a group of normal volunteers ( N=71, age range 21–76).
Pranayama produced a significantly greater increase in perceptions of mental and physical energy and feelings of alertness and enthusiasm than the other two procedures ( P<0.5). Relaxation made subjects significantly more sleepy and sluggish immediately after the session than pranayama ( P < 0.05). Visualization made them more sluggish but less content than pranayama ( P<0.05) and more upset than relaxation after the second session ( P<0.05).
?Thus, a 30 min programme of yogic stretch and breathing exercises which is simple to learn and which can be practised even by the elderly had a markedly ‘invigorating’ effect on perceptions of both mental and physical energy and increased high positive mood. A more extensive investigation is planned to establish whether such a programme can readily be incorporated into everyday life, and with what long-term results.
Twelve senior Kundalini (Chakra) meditators were assessed during meditation session and non-meditation or control session using Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory. The data has been analyzed using structural analysis to measure the altered state of consciousness and the identity state by comparing meditative state with non-meditative state. The structural analysis of pattern of consciousness during the meditative state revealed altered experience in perception (percentile rank PR = 90), meaning (PR = 82) and time sense (PR = 87), while positive affect dimension showed increased joy (PR = 73) and love (PR = 67). The imagery vividness (PR = 72), self-awareness (PR = 77), rationality (PR = 73) and arousal (PR = 69) were found to be structurally different from the ordinary state. With regards to identity state meditative experience was found to produce statistically significant changes in terms of intensity in meaning (P < 0.05), time sense (P < 0.05), joy (P < 0.05), love (P < 0.05) and state of awareness (P < 0.01). Our results indicate that long term practice of meditation appears to produce structural as well as intensity changes in phenomenological experiences of consciousness.
The perceptions of lightness or brightness elicited by a visual target are linked to its luminance by a nonlinear function that varies according to the physical characteristics of the target and the background on which it is presented. Although no generally accepted explanation of this scaling relationship exists, it has long been considered a byproduct of low- or mid-level visual processing. Here we examine the possibility that brightness scaling is actually the signature of a biological strategy for dealing with inevitably ambiguous visual stimuli, in which percepts of lightness/brightness are determined by the probabilistic relationship between luminances in the image plane and their possible real-world sources.
According to the experimental results and practitioners' subjective experience, we report some hypotheses that may account for meditative phenomena during the practice of Zen-Buddhism. Orthodox Zen-Buddhist practitioners, aiming to prove the most original true-self, discover and uncover the inner energy or light on the way towards their goal. Perception of the inner light can be comprehended as resonance. Uncovering the inner energy optimizes physiological and mental health. In the meditation experiment, a significant correlation was observed between perception of the inner light and electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha blockage. We further examined this phenomenon by recording the EEG from subjects during a blessing that the subjects did not know being given. During the blessing period, significant alpha blocking was observed in experimental subjects who had been practicing meditation for years in preparation for being in resonance with the inner light. This report provides a new insight into the debate that meditation benefits our health.
This study investigated the relationships between a mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation program for early stage breast and prostate cancer patients and quality of life, mood states, stress symptoms, and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin.
Fifty-nine patients with breast cancer and 10 with prostate cancer enrolled in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program that incorporated relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga, and daily home practice. Demographic and health behavior variables, quality of life, mood, stress, and the hormone measures of salivary cortisol (assessed three times/day), plasma DHEAS, and salivary melatonin were assessed pre- and post-intervention.
Fifty-eight and 42 patients were assessed pre- and post-intervention, respectively. Significant improvements were seen in overall quality of life, symptoms of stress, and sleep quality, but these improvements were not significantly correlated with the degree of program attendance or minutes of home practice. No significant improvements were seen in mood disturbance. Improvements in quality of life were associated with decreases in afternoon cortisol levels, but not with morning or evening levels. Changes in stress symptoms or mood were not related to changes in hormone levels. Approximately 40% of the sample demonstrated abnormal cortisol secretion patterns both pre- and post-intervention, but within that group patterns shifted from "inverted-V-shaped" patterns towards more "V-shaped" patterns of secretion. No overall changes in DHEAS or melatonin were found, but nonsignificant shifts in DHEAS patterns were consistent with healthier profiles for both men and women.
MBSR program enrollment was associated with enhanced quality of life and decreased stress symptoms in breast and prostate cancer patients, and resulted in possibly beneficial changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. These pilot data represent a preliminary investigation of the relationships between MBSR program participation and hormone levels, highlighting the need for better-controlled studies in this area.
This study investigated the relationships between a mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation program for early stage breast and prostate cancer patients and quality of life, mood states, stress symptoms, lymphocyte counts, and cytokine production.
Forty-nine patients with breast cancer and 10 with prostate cancer participated in an 8-week MBSR program that incorporated relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga, and daily home practice. Demographic and health behavior variables, quality of life (EORTC QLQ C-30), mood (POMS), stress (SOSI), and counts of NK, NKT, B, T total, T helper, and T cytotoxic cells, as well as NK and T cell production of TNF, IFN-gamma, IL-4, and IL-10 were assessed pre- and postintervention.
Fifty-nine and 42 patients were assessed pre- and postintervention, respectively. Significant improvements were seen in overall quality of life, symptoms of stress, and sleep quality. Although there were no significant changes in the overall number of lymphocytes or cell subsets, T cell production of IL-4 increased and IFN-gamma decreased, whereas NK cell production of IL-10 decreased. These results are consistent with a shift in immune profile from one associated with depressive symptoms to a more normal profile.
MBSR participation was associated with enhanced quality of life and decreased stress symptoms in breast and prostate cancer patients. This study is also the first to show changes in cancer-related cytokine production associated with program participation.
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