How spirituality protects your brain from despair | Lisa Miller
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2023
- Suicide, addiction and depression rates have never been higher. Could a lack of spirituality be to blame?
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What if our innate spirituality was the antidote to the escalating rates of mental health issues in the world? Dr. Lisa Miller, a Columbia University professor, studies the profound interplay between spirituality and mental health.
She argues that our modern obsession with achievement has led to neglect of our spiritual side, contributing to increased depression and despair. In contrast, "awakened awareness," a state where we are receptive to life's signals and guidance, can serve as a neuroprotective mechanism against such issues.
Emphasizing the universality of spirituality, irrespective of religiosity, she suggests altruistic acts as a means to strengthen our spiritual core. Such acts, she argues, could ignite a journey of recovery and holistic wellness.
Read the full video transcript: bigthink.com/t...
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I think the spike in depression/anxiety is the result of a culmination of a ton of factors: decline in spirituality being one (unconditional love is a hell of a drug). I would blame the new isolation/tech-centered lifestyle norms that were set by the pandemic as well.
I'm not sure if this is felt societally or if this is just a personal feeling - but as a (typical) millennial I grew up with a ton of purpose and aspirational hope of changing the world and making it better. The older I've gotten, the less I've believed in my ability to make a difference, and it feels like the world just gets more divided and ugly. That's pretty depressing. But - to your point: I CAN do something nice for my neighbor. Maybe that's enough.
If everyone did that
I feel the opposite, so maybe its just you.
I do think society is more polarised than before and the social media echo chamber has definitely been a contributing factor. Even things like text messaging, on the one hand texting is a handy way to send a quick message but I know people who almost never have a person to person telephone chat and openly admit they hate talking on the phone. We are living unnatural lives.
@@Sextusheap you feel the opposite of which part? they said a lot, you really said and contributed nothing.
@@freemantle252 what's wrong with not enjoying talking on the phone? is talking on the phone natural?
It's amazing to see people like Dr Miller still working on such topics, modern world has abandoned this reality, this part of consciousness, which I think is the bigger picture of the whole thing. For those who are interested I would recommend reading Ghazali and Rumi for a headstart
This video is, in itself, a synchronicity for me. I had just gotten off the phone with my brother after discussing these very things - remaining “open” to seeing and hearing, synchronicities, feeling supported by God, that we are all one, and how all of those things have led me to where I am today. After the call, I opened up my email and saw one from a sender I didn’t recognize titled “Awaken Your Brain” and decided to click on it. It led me here. BAZOONGA!!!
"When we become spiritually aware-through synchronicity, for example-it’s a sign that despite the uncertainty, we are aligned with the force of life.” - Lisa Miller, from her book "The Awakened Brain" ❤️
It might help if you can occasionally attempt these 3 things:
- breathe through nose steadily and fully to provide oxygen to the brain
- exercise focus instead of getting attached to idle thoughts
- allow yourself to feel the physical sensation of any emotion you have until it runs it's course
I'm sure the last could be useful with nuerotypical brains, but that's certainly not how a lot of brains function consistently
@@Hmm...Whats-Their-Name you mean allowing the sensation to run it's course?
@@Hmm...Whats-Their-Name difficult for neurodivergents yes. But not something completely inaccessible if looking at it as a practice of learning about yourself, as opposed to something to implement and see the results right away, or integrate into routine. All the best! ❤
This comment rocks lol. Tries tested and true for me... your comment is a nice cheat code because I'm so tired, #2 is not happening even with this 6 min video 😂 Thanks!
@@blahblahblehp that's what up! Would wonder if focusing on only a sound and an image in your mind, as a go-to focal point, might go
I am the least spiritual person I know and the happiest person I know. Since I decided that spirituality is just magical thinking, I have never felt the need for it, yet I've overcome situations of mild depression or mild anxiety by just thinking, reading, or going to therapy. I understand the role spirituality can have in people's lives, however, I don't feel it has a role in mine at all and I am happy to know that I don't need it in order to live a fulfilling and happy life as I do and have done during most of my life.
To westerners spirituality is some compartmentalized mystical thing lol. “Spirituality” is just how life is lived in South Asia - and it sits beside one of the most rigorously logical societies (historically)
The math, science and logic we enjoy today comes from the Indo-Iranic region and cultures
@@pulse3554 Yes, I'm certainly biased on this since my thinking is certainly very westernised. However, I don't believe in something "greater than us" or some kind of "universal" rule over our lives. And I certainly won't deny the role that both spirituality and religion have had in our cultural development. I'm not saying is not important, it's just that it doesn't apply to everyone, it can't be considered a "must have" to have a fulfilling life.
@@germanlondono8700 this is part of my point - western spirituality hinges on “something greater than us”, and is closely tied to religiosity. Eastern “spirituality” is far more expansive and has the depth to allow for your worldview to exist within it. I would wager that a lot of your worldview originates from the east actually, it’s the quintessential semi nihilism of some parts of Dharmic beliefs like Buddhism. Whether you’re aware of its origin or not
I think spirituality is just a word. I mean... Do you know like one expression or word is used in so many ways during so much time that or it looses it's original sense or has different meanings for different people? It's like that. The point is that if you are able to face your life through good and bad moments and come stronger and renewed on the other side you are being "spiritual" maybe even more than people that define themselves as one. 😂
I DO LOVE the concept of "awakened brain", which grants us wholeness and unity, by Prof. Lisa Miller.
Moreover, "love your neighbor" really breaks down my loneliness and gives happiness for me. It's true scientifically and experientially!
Just try it. you don't have to buy it. Feel if you happy if not try it
The beauty, laws and changes of nature is what keeps me going and connected, along with the traits that make us uniquely human such as art, music and storytelling these things are truly magic
Remember y’all, spirituality doesn’t have to mean religiosity.
Please define spiritual or spirituality as precisely as you can. What are its characteristics? Does it reside in the human brain? How is it different from the soul? Is it a "spirit?" How does it differ from thoughts, i.e., awe, wonder, love, drive, passion, asthetic appreciation?
@@gooddaysahead1as i understand it when u peel back all of the layers of cognition such as thoughts, emotions, bias and awareness what you’re left with is your spirit
@@gooddaysahead1also it can’t be precisely defined because it is ineffable and language isn’t developed enough to capture what it is
@yeet-gv5fx describe what's left. What you're stating is a rhetorical sleight of hand. Frankly, it's meaningless. Sorry. I'm sure you think it's clever or some kind of hackneyed wisdom, but it's just nothing.
@@yeet-gv5fx that's a cute answer, but love is ineffible. Love is human. It's not otherworldly. Why do people like you underestimate humanity? Damn.
We need more distinction between spirituality and religious
That is something you may need to figure out for yourself
Then create your own new religion. That’s the only solution.
I think that in some way being religious (to follow a religion) is like following other's rules, values and practices about spirituality, it's easier and comfortable and may lead you to a point where you feel stuck. On the other hand searching for your own spirituality is questioning your own rules, values and practices. It takes full responsibility for what you are and become. It never ends and there is always something new to be.
@@kleders precise thinking
maybe there is nothing to distinguish because most religions are spiritual. we are souls with bodies
This was the much needed explanation for all of us who loves psychology and spiritually at the same time. Thank you @The Well team 🎉
We're so happy to hear this! Thanks for being here!
Miss girl, the lack of papers, the lack of studies cited and the ammount of mentions of "vibrations" have my bullshlt-o-meter beeping.
Spirituality has given me freedom from severe addiction to drugs and alcohol. The 12 steps of AA put me in contact with that inner resource and I have had 8 incredible years without despair because of it!
This is an incredible achievement, congratulations!
❤ Beautiful! Keep going my friend. The most amazing thing about spirituality is that there is always something new to achieve (or should I say TO BE)
Good for you 💖
i am AGNOSTIC and i appreciate this knowledge...
The wave-particle duality analogy is incredible 😍
How absolutely right you are, sadly too many humans are blind and deaf , I'm not religious but I am very spiritual and it feels absolutely wonderful
There is simply no real evidence that people today are more depressed or mentally problematic than in the past.
finally, a scientist researching and explaining about spirituality. its like found hidden gem in this modern world. thank you, keep up the great work ❤
She should start out by defining spirituality from the start since it means different things for everyone.
I would define it overall as feeling a connection with something bigger than ourselves. This could be a persons belief in a higher power, communing with nature, participating and being part of a group like a church, a fan at a sporting event, or volunteering for a charity.
Spirituality is simply an emotional need.
Which are multi factoral, and not able to be studied as a whole.
To be fair, she started by saying science cannot really define it completely. All those things you listed don't really capture spirituality. Yes, they may hold some aspects of it, but it's more an experience, a way of being, a perspective, and so much more.
The fact that it is undefinable is itself an opportunity and a message that spirituality is far more grand and complex and intrinsic than can be adequately described through any definition.
@@elijahclaude3413 Science can’t define something intangible (perceived and interpreted with no actual certainty) only by cognitive human experience.
She is almost implying the God of the Gaps argument for spirituality. Just because we don’t fully understand the process doesn’t make it a supernatural phenomenon.
@@thewb8329 I'm not sure what you meant to say with the first statement if you're not agreeing lol. That is indeed the point... that science cant define something as intangible as spirituality.
However, that also does not necessarily mean it is a 'supernatural phenomenon'... and even if it is. So what? There is much in life that we can't yet explain. Maybe one day we will. But we certainly won't if we just assume that we have already defined it, when we can't. We have to recognize when something is far beyond our current knowledge in order to stoke curiosity and desire to study it more rigorously.
For instance, when Kelvin said there was nothing new to be discovered in physics anymore... than Einstein upended the whole field shortly after.
My point is that we need to be more humble about thinking we have things all figured out.
To me (and I think to Lisa Miller), the point is not to believe in the supernatural, its to believe in something, anything, bigger than ourselves, similar to what you were saying initially. But even beyond that... it's to believe that there is more to the story. There is more to discover. There is more to learn. There is more to do. There is more to life than whatever you currently believe it to be.
That being said, I do think it does matter what you believe. Because certain beliefs can lead you astray and actually close your mind to what is possible and to further study.
This is why I think it differs from just being an emotional need. It is, but its also more than that. It can be a way of living. A way of doing. A mindset. A practice.
It's like trying to define life itself, or consciousness. Yes, you can have some definitions that are better than others. But we currently don't actually know enough to say with certainty what it is.
We are constantly learning more and having to rethink our definitions.
I think spirituality highlights the importance of humility, amongst other things.
I think words are too subjective to each one interpretation. There are as many definitions to spirituality as there are paths to it, thus everyone experiences it differently, for me spirituality is a mindset that leads us back to our best version of ourselves.
I agree wholeheartedly with what you said. From my personal experience I went through some personal crisis and somehow found Buddhism. Through the teachings of buddha I could see the depression and anxiety just melt away. Many points you made have references to Buddhism. I really recommend the book "understanding the mind by monk Thich Nhat Hanh". It has given me great insight for life.
Thanks for the recommendation! We'll add it to our reading list!
I'm also very inclined towards concepts like Spinoza's god and the force, a sort of universal life force energy that flows through and connects all things in the universe
I eas on a lot of psyche drugs. Im healing myself with god. Its like a miracle. I have built a huge spiritual life and im healing. I am conscious. Without god i would never get off the drugs. She great im glad i found this channel
So grateful to see this in a mainstream context. Thank you ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it!
I get all my awakening from the love and awe of nature and the mind boggling science and beauty of ecosystems and animals. I love cats and dogs. I love people as long as they don't get too close. People are very hard to understand because the people I know don't seek truth and understanding and value arbitrary things over ethical and cooperative mindsets. I always feel incredibly alone. The only ones who think like me are on RUclips.
What beautiful smiles in this video❣ May everyone have a blessed day.😊
Thank you! Same to you!
This was so helpful. Perfectly timed. Second great video in a row from this channel. You just won a new subscriber.
Today is a beautiful day!!! Wishing everyone happiness, love and joy!!! And thanks for the video))))
Thank you very much for the to the core explanation love it!!!!
Pay attention to what IS, right now, deeply. If you do this as much as possible, all day if you can, deep peace develops :)
Great advice; thanks for sharing!
I find the distinction between the two awarenesses, rather confusing. They seem both like ways of thinking and making meaning. "Awakened awareness" just sounds more like openness to experience (on a spiritual or non-factual level) but in a way it's just less judgmental thinking from what I understand.
This video is just what I needed!
We're so happy to hear that! Thanks for watching!
Our minds are capable of observing the world through many different filters (logic, pattern recognition, social expectations, emotions, sensory, etc.) The human experience includes all of them. But judging by all the naysayers in this comments section you can see how our modern day reliance on the scientific method has influenced many of us to become overly reliant on logic alone. Those other parts of the mind aren’t going away though. That was made abundantly clear in the last few years.
Wow that's good stuff. "Spiritual bedrock" is a flooring combination of words. It's a keeper
For those curious about how Dr. Miller technically defines spirituality, I found this excerpt from her book The Spiritual Child: "Spirituality is an inner sense of relationship to a higher power that is loving and guiding. The word we give to this higher power might be God, nature, spirit, the universe, the creator, or other words that represent a divine presence. But the important point is that spirituality encompasses our relationship and dialogue with this higher presence."
Though not explicitly stated in this video, I think this context helps a lot. Dr. Miller isn't telling us we need God with a capital G, or to study the energy of crystals (though these can both be valid practices) she's telling us to connect with the things around us that are larger and deeper than our individual, isolated selves. Picking something outside of ourselves to resonate with, and dedicating goodness to that something, can make us happier.
Thank you, I needed this.
The biggest reality of Spiritual is our Soul.
I’m very sorry, spiritually just doesn’t seem to make sense to me. I wish it did, so very much though!!!❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
I agree.Altruism is magical.
Her book on this topic was really enjoyable, if you want to actually see the studies and data and sources that back up these claims. This is based on years of scientific study, which I don’t think some viewers are getting from the video alone.
but when and how do we decipher an awakening and if we have recovered from depression...? And how is it possible to acknowledge this as a new direction... with out going back through a mental health illness loop.. or without telling yourself it is just a mental illness trap.?
I do wonder, is the spike in depression a sign of causation or just correlation?
I saw a paper a while back about how people who are depressed use language differently than people who are not. Basically when the authors catalogued and studied all of the words that people with depression versus people without depression spoke during interviews for the study, they found that the people with depression had much more self-oriented language. This doesn’t mean that they were selfish or something like that, but that they felt disconnected from the people around them and this lack of connection was reflected in the language that they used (google depression and first-person pronoun use)
@@alyson42I heard of that aswell. But when you’re depressed your technically self centered/self absorbed because you’re in a me me me, my life sucks, I’m going through this state of mind. Now don’t get me wrong, being in that state of my temporarily is perfectly normal but if you state in that state for too long, it becomes the default setting of your psyche. You now become self absorbed
@@silentmouse2136 I suppose it depends on how you define “selfish”. For many people the word has a very negative connotation, and may even be considered immoral. It’s certainly possible that a person with depression may act this way (jut as a person who isn’t depressed might also); however, self-focused behavior can encompass many different things (which may be “good”, “bad”, or “neutral”), and I was attempting to differentiate between being self-focused and engaging in behaviors that harm others for one’s own benefit. For example, self-care is a self-focused behavior that is generally associated with having good boundaries and being not only beneficial, but necessary.
Just a simple question : How to become a spritual person & where do I start from?
Can anyone guide me ?
Thanks in advance ❤.
This reminds me Jason Silva's breakdown of how we have a "Responsibilty to Awe."
Great scientific explanation! I searched all your videos on RUclips and it was a"big discovery "for me, I will also look for your book"the awakened brain "! Thank you Professor you wake me up!!
Maybe we are depressed because we tend to have more time to think, but instead using this time for productive thoughts or occupy it with actions we dwell in self critical thinking, judgement of one’s worthiness with other’s achievements. Staying in our own lane can be very beneficial imo.
I appreciate the variety of this channel, anyway, as a non-believer, there are some basic flaws in the reasoning.
An easy one is: "We saw spirituality improves lives, therefore is good": Doing the wrong thing for the good reason is still wrong.
Another one is the assumption that a life of peace and happiness is the optimal life. I could argue that when you see a person full of joy and life, it's usually because he struggled a lot, tried to achieve a lot, experienced all sort of negative emotions.
Spirituality can be enlightening, but also sedating. Accepting where you are will make you feel good, but can you really appreciate the fullness of life in this way? Or is actually the journey, the adventure, the challenge?
Sometimes the road to feeling "just better" is the opposite to the one for feeling the best. The fact that you are walking uphill, doesn't mean that you are climbing the Everest. (For math people, is the concept of local maximum).
Maybe you think you don't need to do it, because you are happy where you are, but you know what? You'll never know if you will be happier on top, and surely, you'll never experience the climb (which arguably, is what life is about).
Only the man who reached the top knows.
Spirituality has pros and cons, as everything. Depending on the context (which includes subjectivity) it can or not be worth it.
There is no black and white, no good and bad (Socrates), there is always a compromise, an optimal "trade-off".
Fantastic video !
Nature connection is the primary source of all spirituality and hence all religions, and this is well known even today by Indigenous cultures throughout the world. Disconnection from Nature is at the root of all other human problems. Our current sociopolitical and economic systems are the antithesis of connection, spirituality and sanity, and the human prospect won't end well if we don't deeply reconnect with Nature and end the dellusion that we are separate from the source.
Yes. And not everything needs to be validated by or interpreted in terms of science, but it does help to keep the discussion within Reason and to develop science beyond exclusive materialism. 👍:)
But it does need to have epistemic validity. Many use the word "something..." or "higher than..." or, "awe." Why are these so non-descript? Can't awe be appreciation? Beauty is a pleasing stimulation of the senses. Why undervalue the human mind and automatically hurdle it to get to "something higher?" The mind has wonderful abilities. Give credit where it's due. Not understanding something does not equal something, ex humana. People can have extraordinary experiences just by singing and dancing together. This is a very human activity that's been lost. They used to be ritual trances. Our ancestors experienced these things for millennia.
It seems more like she is trying to prove her higher meaning, then others. She alludes to those with substance abuse in the beginning. Yet those who have substance abuse issues are more likely to have spiritual beliefs then others. So her whole scientific foundation falls apart, which makes her push her agenda from then onwards.
@@gooddaysahead1 Interesting mix of points, not necessarily coherent but reflective of language's possibilities. Beauty is not necessarily merely sensation but reflects deeper philosophical aesthetic quality. Giving "credit where credit is due" is part of humility. Humility helps to understand the human mind and experience in perspective.
@avonsternen6034 Your mix of points needed a couple of reads. Aesthetic communication was probably created before language, and that included painting, singing, and flute playing using animal bones. I have some knowledge of prehistoric anthropology/archeology. None of these discoveries are attributed to spirits or spiritual intervention. It's who we are. The use of "spirituality" is still a sloppy and imprecise term used to frame human experiences that some don't know how to frame with words. (At least when one uses the term "religion," most people have a concrete reference point.)
So then, dance, sing, or write a poem, and you can reflect emotional and meaningful experiences of human life... not a life of spirits.
I suspect we don't hold ourselves in enough high esteem because of all the sinister things we've done. BTW, are those spiritual as well? Shouldn't you "give the devil her due?" 😉
That should be coherent enough for you. If not, I can explain further, old chap.
@@gooddaysahead1 Aesthetic communication existed well before human beings.
entrepreneurs as in spiritual people are the source of suffering and alienation in the world..
what we need is a return to shared values
entrepreneurship is gambling and causes social unrest through all of the changes in which society has to then adjust to
Wawww thankyou🎉
Spirituality can help, I'm sure. But when your home is under an existential threat that you have no control over I just don't know that spirituality is gonna save you from that kind of despair
Spiritually ❤ there's so much to learn about it and feel it, I just can't deny spiritually in my life anymore! It's what makes everything lighter and what makes sense to me: Spiritually. It lights up the path.
Wonderful! Best of luck on your journey!
perfect
Spirituality is just another way for people to validate their existence. Why are we here? What difference can we make in the short time that we exist in our human form? We are no more then a grain of sand on a beach in relation to the amount of other human bodies that have been and will be on this planet. Is it not possible that the universe has always been in existence? Why does there have to be a beginning? Validation for our existence? Think about why some people believe in a future in another form. This is it people. We are born, we live and then we die. That's all folks. "LOL" Show me otherwise and I might think about the possibility of creation. Until then I "believe" I will enjoy my time in this human form. I will treat others as I wish to treated. My most happy time is seeing others enjoy my gifts. Both verbal, informative and helpful in their use of them as well as physical objects for my grandchildren as I watch them enjoy the use. I am now watching as children seem to be addicted to the cell phone and its use. Also adults showing what they seem to think others might enjoy as they hold up the phone to show them what they find interesting of the small screen. Why is this necessary? Will AI take over human life? Addiction to a hand held computer now seems to be a reason for existence. WTF people. PEACE AND LOVE AS RINGO SAYS.!!!
Hi... To have a clear answer towards spirituality, study Swami Vivekananda.
I think the point is what you have made of your experiences. How you judge them and than decide who to be in the next moment. The point is that you are free to be whatever you want, for example where you may think that watching this video and reading this comment is just another happening of life, other people may think it speaks to who they are. Like the smartphones that seem to make everything artificial also allowed me to write this message to you and a knive that kills by the morning can cook a delicious meal for a family in the evening. You judge and decide. You create your reality, and more importantly this creates diversity. You don't have to be like me and I don't have to be like you. We just need to BE.
I wonder WHY everyone started talking about human capacity now. In last 2 years everyone started taking about those things. Why wasn't this mentioned 5 ago? it’s kinda weird
I thank you Lisa and team for this... take care!
It's all Head Game
Head job
The last part about altruism is not really new and not really connected to spirituality. It's about socializing and helping other people, which is in our nature. I don't like it, when messages are connected in a way they shouldn't be.
My spirituality comes from being in nature, creating art, working with animals at a rescue, and connecting with people. It is most definitely not religion, or a belief in any God, as that has been unethical and immoral, leading to a loss of spirituality and often individuality (as they all do as they are told, without thinking).
In my experience if you're not surpressing your emotions with external stimulations eg. If you're sad u watch cat videos. You should completely feel your emotions. With that spirituality increases. Youre in direct contact with yourself
I’m curious what evidence there is that spirituality is innate. Is there some social mechanism that depends on spirituality as part of our human evolution?
Empirically, it's impossible to argue against a "religious urge." After a deep dive studying archeology of pre-historic and Neolithic rituals, they certainly had an idea of an afterlife, sacrifice, and supernatural forces. It's easy to see how a complex and dynamic Earth could be frightening and amazing. There's just no way they had ideation of causation about most natural events. Mythmaking is a way of feeling as though one has some contact with these unknown forces.
It appears that rituals became more idiosyncratic and complex given the culture. These rutuals definitely impacted, if not created cultures around them. So yeah, there have been thousands of religions over the last 40K years. We appear to be prone to them.
More people need to hear and understand the awakened mind and the innateness of spirituality in humans!
help others to help urself
my way of protecting myself from depression is 37,5% or 40% good russian "spirituality"
Pretty powerful stuff Professor. Is there a biological and philosophical explanation why there are more guns in the Americas than humans? How does human society disarm itself? ❤
done
goosebumps!!! thank you
While she makes some good points and offers some meaningful advice, her tendency to cite conclusions based loosely on one association with cortical thickening calls into question the validity of her scientific reasoning. Perhaps I will read her book, if for no other reason than to explore her references from peer reviewed literature which, I would hope, would demand scrutiny and application of the scientific method to validate her conclusions.
A religious mind frees itself at every moment from any religious dogma and listens religiously to the present.
Inserts please read the myth of normal by Gabor Mate
Well said.
....nice, but is the music track necessary
The things you decide to "define" are paraphrases of definitions, and particularizes ones at that. This is a supremely sub optimal undertanding and exection of a scientic method. Maybe they asked you to present like this, but almost all of this is word vomit to get to the next point of word vomit, attempting to make it seem like logical steps.
I read her book on this topic a few months ago, it’s really good. This was all based on repeated observation and imaging done by neuroscientists, in combination with survey and psychological work with spiritual and non-spiritual people. If you want to see the studies, they’re there. They seem to have opted not to get into that part of it for the video.
Hi
They alone live who live for others; rest are more dead than living.
- Swami Vivekananda
Ancient 3,500 year old knowledge in Advaita Vedanta can offer an incredibly interesting tho not necessarily easy path to enlightenment. 🙏🏼
I’m an atheist Buddhist, a lot of similar concepts :)
Brother... You are on the right path to self discovery.
❤
Resonates
I was born in the 60's, mocked and corrected for questioning God. Now kids are mocked for mentioning God. The good news is it manipulates critical thinkers into researching beyond conformity!
What is spirituality
i want to be alone. more than anything
Gosh can you imagine never being left alone... *shudder*
⛔🌀 You have done a wonderful work to study spirituality.. Spirituality is your heart drama.. The intelligence of the heart.. No matter how spiritual one claims for best conduct, your heart will not rest from melancholy and intense nagging for the truth. The answer is you must find the true guide for your heart which is only Allah and I wish you all the best because if you have found Allah you have found your dearest pearl worth beyond the world and its fill.. Yours sincerely
This lady should be preaching to the oligarch class. Please go tell them to be kind.
I am not a spiritual person and I don't understand why it's as necessary as it's made out to be. I don't feel I need something more out of life than good food, exercise, a little companionship and sex. I can easily have that without spirituality and without lots of money so I don't see why 'success' is so important either.
You don't have to think of it so deeply, if those things are bringing joy, stability, or love and morals from your heart that itself is what's good for your spirit whether you believe in spirituality or not. There are people who believe in nothing that are more spirited than some religious people honestly
We are all spiritual beings, what you described is also spiritual
Natural spiritual capacity? If you can’t define and measure it, it is not of useful concept. .
Such an American and Anglophone thing to talk about, spirituality. The concept is very much centered around a specific linguistic reality created for its speakers by the English language. Other tongues either do not even have the word with that broad vague lousily defined meaning or do not share the spiritual/religious spectrum of meanings.
What are you guys even talking about?
Spirituality aside, I think you can be religious without being naive. If you keep you brain tuned on and don't blindly trust everything con can still feel a kernel of truth
The piraha people from Brazil do not have spirituality and/or belief and/or religion and they live very well.
I have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and have studied Positive Psychology. I am astonished Big Think published something this poorly done.
I can think of a dozen issues with this talk including: religiosity and depression in society are negatively correlated (e.g. Europe has far lower despair levels), activity in parts of the brain does not match her very inaccurate statements (e.g. parietal lobe activity means "we are never alone"), vague statements like "the awakened brain" which have no real meaning, she conflates religion with separate attributes like community or altruism, and that the Templeton Foundation's job is to promote religion.
Every paragraph she says mischarectizes the brain or religion.
Perhaps you are the one who has conflated spirituality with religion. Religion being the teachings and practices associated wi th a particular religion, spirituality as being about transcendent experiences beyond o self and connection and community with others. The opposite of spirituality, would be alienation high is correlated with negative emotions. Many people understand what she means by awakened brain. Maybe you just need to expand your understanding.
Religion is man made. Spirituality is connection to the All-powerful Oneness.
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So... we should lie to ourselves and that's it?
I think It seems to be easy to decide what is a lie or a truth based on simple facts happening in our lives, but wait until your inner experience of something is so confusing that you start to question the whole definition of those dualities, then you will start to see that there is no thuth without lie, light without darkness, love without fear etc. And all of those are parts of your self, thus rejecting something you judge as bad is rejecting yourself and brings up suffering.
@@kleders Even if you leave those dualities aside that does not mean all lies are equal
@purplemelody307 those dualities doesn't exist to be put aside. You just can't as much as you can't put yourself aside. They exist for you to experience yourself the way you choose (freewill). Comparisons or saying that something is good or bad are just movements of your judgmental mind based on your beliefs and values. A lie like everything else that happens in your experience is just an event. The way you react to it constructs who you will be in the next instant. Believing or not there are no victims in the universe, one must take full responsibility for who he is.
Spirituality YES...religion NO. God connection, YES...dogma, NO.
Spirituality is great! Dogma, however, is not.
That graph at the beginning is a good bit of nonsense. Even though it is from a reputable source, any method of data collection regarding that particular subject will not be accurate, and any data collected before the mid 1980s can be handily be thrown out the window due to the social and criminal stigmas associated with drug use and mental illness... and substandard data collection methods.
When was the use of laudnum and cocaine most prevalent among the general population? When it was available at every drugstore without a prescription. Yes, this may have been influenced by the misery of the common man inflicted by the industrial revolution and the second industrial revolution, but religion and spirituality were much more influential, to put it mildly, than any time in the 21st century. Once again, though, data about mental illness during that period is entirely speculative as psychology wasn't a thing until the 1890s. Hell, germ theory wasn't even accepted until around then either. Look up the 1854 broad street cholera outbreak and you'll get a good look at the state of medicine and academia at the time... Many factory owners actively encouraged cocaine usage among their workers to maintain their energy levels during the 12 plus hour long shifts in brutal heat.
However, I do agree that faith does have a positive effect on those suffering depression. Faith is the belief in something despite a lack of evidence. It is the opposite of reasoning. Anyone living in the world today who is capable of sound reasoning should be depressed. Believing in something greater, some benevolent force at work in the destinies of mankind, will obviously trigger warm and fuzzy areas of the brain during scans.
Obviously we have more reported cases of mental illness these days because the data is more readily available, diagnostic methods have been improved, and there has never been more acceptance and available (and profitable) treatment for those with mental health and substance abuse issues. This is just like that perplexing graph showing a disproportionate rise in autism from the mid 20th century to present: the peercentage of the population afflicted is the same, we're just better able to identify and report it... fewer people think it'd just demon posessesion.
As a deeply spiritual pagan suffering from depression, I can attest that outcomes always vary. As a scholar of history, religion, and literature, I have to wag my finger at the innacurate portrayal of the religion dominated past as a place with fewer problems. The aroma of golden age thinking is sweet but it is a logical/rhetorical fallacy.
As a person raised in the church who attended Christian schools from preschool to 12th grade, I can act as a primary source, telling you that I would not wish the guilt, fear, and anguish religious institutions utilize as control mechanisms upon my children.
As a dude with graduate degrees in literature and education, I resent the use of science as an ethos to promote irrational thought, especially in an age wherein critical thinking skills are so important.
People do indeed have spiritual needs. Meditation is a great and healthy practice. Faith in a higher power triggers all sorts of pleasure receptors in the brain. However, one should not confuse cause and correlation. Is our lack of faith the cause of our widespread depression or a symptom of it?
Nitie contacts zako
Help me, please
Listen to J Krishnamurti, not pseudo stuff
Deep dive into your inner self by immersing in meditation; you would slowly find answers, though not in hours or days; but in months. It is a lifetime experience that is worthy above anything. Read about Swami Vivekananda...
"Scientists cannot define 'spirituality'": and that is exactly where you should have stopped, before proceeding with "I've devoted my life to the scientific study of spirituality." In any case, what is meant by "Scientists cannot define"?: That they are not able to define it in a way that serves scientific purposes, or that it falls beyond the purview of science? That there is (of course!) such a thing as "spirituality," but scientists can't formulate or agree on a set of other words that conceptually reproduce it, such that the term itself can't be made sufficiently distinct to permit scientific study, or that there may not be any scientifically identifiable phenomenon that that word can usefully represent?
When you write the intro to a paper, you start by defining terms. If you can't, won't, or in any case don't do this, any claim you make or outcomes you "point to" about [whatever -you- might mean by the term] can be interpreted at will to mean whatever you or anyone else wants, and this doesn't comport with the scientific method. I'm so sorry, but I can't even imagine how your "lens" can indicate the "impact" of something -you can't define- on any scientific measure, no matter how sexy-sounding, and enable you to claim that it means anything. It's like dividing by zero: The claim is meaningless.
All I can hear in this, after the "Don't pull my funding, I'm really doing science" opener, is the not-very-subtly pseudoscientific promotion of a lot of correlations, nearly-accusational social presumptions, and heavy generalizations. I'm sure you have to pass your IRBs just like everyone else, but please: If there is any part of a brain that is registering "you are never alone" when you clearly and in every rational objective way are always alone, what that brain part is doing is not "spirituality," unless by "spirituality" you mean "self-delusion." The kind of "sacred consciousness" you are referring to then is only "sacred" in the sense of "beyond mundane reasoning": "Take your depressing rational hands off my helium feels." I have no doubt that permitting oneself to self-delude in this way, and practice existence in ways that self-delusion encourages, -could- help provoke neuroplastic effects, although I'd be looking out for confounding factors there, as it reminds me of the way that choosing to believe in magic would bring a lot more awe and wonder into your emotional life, which could be interpreted as measurably provoking creative neuroplasticity. In this analogy, to claim that "spirituality" is neuroprotective against depression is not much better than trying to make it make sense that "choosing to be happy" is neuroprotective against sadness. Putting these "awakened" effects in the passive voice is a transparent marketing strategy for an opinion: "Are held and loved" and "are guided" both imply a subject agency, don't they? "Spirituality" is -not- innate - unless you are referring to the infant's incapacity to distinguish self from other, which is not the same thing at all - and I'm not sure how that could be made testable; the capacity for whatever you're calling "spirituality" might be, but that requires an environment to validate it. There is no journey; there is no path; there is no synchronicity that is not the same as the brain's wiring to perceive patterns. There's only Schopenhauer's "illusion": “Nature attains her ends by implanting in the individual a certain illusion by which something which is in reality advantageous to the species alone seems to be advantageous to himself... This illusion is instinct” ("Metaphysics of Love"). No one requests or even gets a vote in being brought into existence. Once you figure out that existence is pain, the only way to put that genie back in the bottle is to consciously choose to abdicate your reason in favor of an "awakened" perspective that studiously - almost hysterically, arguably psychotically - blunts and sugarcoats the miserable reality into an unrecognizable peripheral inconvenience - this capacity being advantageous to the species by sidestepping adolescent suicide. All well & good if one needs to do that - only excepting that it's neither real nor true.
TL;dr: too much woo. and deep down, in a place you've buried because you can't tolerate looking at it, you know this.
The Truth isHuman beings born with basic needs, basic instincts i.e., Food, Security n optional reproduction at some age.
Spirituality will come or cultivate only after those are taken care of.