Mystical or Spiritual experiences occur everyday in so many ways for so many different people. Some people tend to encounter these experiences through religious rituals or even just on thoughts of life itself. Whatever the thoughts or feelings may be, everybody has such an experience sometime during their life. Could the feelings that some may have be reactions in the brain or acts of God to help us realize our faith, and discover new mysteries that may lie ahead of us? Hearing many stories of different individuals can give us new insight into the beliefs of others and of ours as well.
My first interview involved my grandmother, Elizabeth Barajas. She stated that she has had many spiritual experiences in life. She was brought up in a catholic educational system throughout her whole life and was raised by a very strict mother that had a firm and strong belief in God and faith. My grandmother chose to talk to me about my great grandmother, her mom, Esther P. Kelly. My great grandmother always attended church and would pray constantly during the day and night. My grandma was always curious as to why her mother was always praying. All through out childhood she would just watch my great grandma pray and do other religious acts of worship. When she became an adult she was finally able to ask my great grandma why it was that she prayed so much and how it came to be. My great grandmother answered by saying that she knows God can hear her prayers. She then said that while she prays she can no longer hear any outside interference or anybody else speak. She said it feels as if she is in a secluded dark place all by herself and that she has conversations with God. She said that sometimes she doesn’t even feel the touch of my grandma when she needed something. My great grandma also attended mass just about every day and she loved to sing along with the choir. According to my great grandma, she feels a chill down her spine when she sings and she feels a sort of heavenly and peaceful presence around her. She said that she would get so caught up in the moment that she would forget all about her personal problems and the problems that awaited her outside the church doors. For some reason, my great grandmother had spiritual experiences or feelings whenever she was involved with her beliefs and rituals.
Ramachandran and his team concluded that although the patients were not experiencing seizures or experiencing supernatural occurrences at the time of testing, they were highly sensitive to religious words. Thus, the experiences of temporal lobe seizures strengthened the patients interest in religion (11).
L’s psychological health it was found during the interview that she has a possibility for complicated grieving related to the death of many of her close friends. A handful of times throughout the interview Mrs. L explained the grief that she has related to the death of many of her close friends and family. One activity that Mrs. L could do would be to talk to a priest at her church. She stated during the interview that she enjoys going to church and members of the clergy are able to meet with people to help them deal with grief. If Mrs. L is able to talk about her grief and the death of so many of her family members and friends in recent years, it may help her deal with any remaining grief that she still has. During the interview, there were pictures of Pope John Paul II and the current pope, Pope Francis. So, it is clear that her religion is very important to Mrs. L and this intervention would have the potential to help her a great deal. Mrs. L could also deal with her grief by talking about it in a support group that included other older adults in a similar situation (Grief: Helping Older Adults With Grief). By being a part of a specifically designated support group, there may be a professional who can offer advice and support that may truly be able to help Mrs. L. Also, being in a group that includes older adults would give Mrs. L a chance to talk with people who truly understand that amount of loss she is experiencing. While other people, such as her
Psychedelic drugs affect more then creativity, they are also known to have the ability to increase the users sense of spirituality and religion. In the academic journal, “Voice of The Psychonauts,” author Levente Moro explores the correlation between spirituality, and psychedelic drug use. He claims that when psychedelic drugs are taken in a “supportive” environment they have the ability to induce “deeply meaningful religious revelations and spiritual awakenings” (Moro et al. 190). Psychedelic drug use in hopes of spiritual revelations is not new, and has actually been going on for hundreds of years. The Native American Church has been known to traditionally use psychedelic drugs for spiritual experiences (Moro et al. 190). Some Mexican tribes are also known to ingest psilocybin mushrooms in order to induce religious awakenings (Moro et al. 190). To further prove his argument, Levente Moro conducted an online survey amongst 667 random people. His results suggested that people still take psychedelic drugs in order to have religious experiences, even though it is looked down upon in certain religious groups (Moro et al. 195). Levente Moro is not the only one interested in psychedelic drugs and religion. Many other scientists have also examined this theory. In the article, “Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users,” author Michael Lerner also discusses the relationship between psychedelic drug use and spirituality. Lerner also believes that when psychedelic drugs are taken with the correct mindset, they have the ability to increase ones sense of religion. In order to test his theory, Michael Lerner had 183 volunteers fill out a questionnaire. Even though he conducted the survey amongst people from all over the world...
The world is not what it appears to humans, but there are things that may be recorded, repeated, and experienced by others. Though each person is different, it is believed that we all experience the world in the same way more or less. Touch, taste, sight, smell and sound are the ways we interpret our environment. However, from time to time people have experiences that occur beyond those five senses and defy explanation as anything other than an otherworldly. Those experiences became a large part of religion, yet the manner in which most occur begs the question – why?
Kennedy, J. E., & Kanthamani, H. (1995). An exploratory study of the effects of paranormal and spiritual experiences on people’s lives and well-being. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 89, 249–264.
A ghost, according to the article “History of Ghosts” on History.com, is a person's spirit once it has separated itself from the body after death. Also known as specters, ghosts continue existing even after the heart stops and the corpse is cold, and they fall under the category of paranormal phenomena. When something is considered paranormal, it simply means that science has no explanation for it. So if science can't explain it, it can't be real, right? Not necessarily. It just means that it hasn't been proven a fact, it's all in theory. But Jack Porter makes a valid point in his article, “The Study of Paranormal Phenomenon is a Legitimate Science”, when he says, “It is important to remember the Big Bang is a theory, but that is still considered science.”
ABSTRACT: This paper addresses religious epistemology in that it concerns the assessment of the credibility of certain claims arising out of religious experience. Developments this century have made the world’s rich religious heritage accessible to more people than ever. But the conflicting religious claims tend to undermine each religion’s central claim to be a vehicle for opening persons to ultimate reality. One attempt to overcome this problem is provided by "perennial philosophy," which claims that there is a kind of mystical experience common to all religious traditions, an experience which is an immediate contact with an absolute principle. Perennialism has been attacked by "contextualists" such as Steven Katz who argue that particular mystical experiences are so tied to a particular tradition that there are no common mystical experiences across traditions. In turn, Robert Forman and the "decontextualists" have argued that a certain kind of mystical experience and process are found in diverse traditions, thereby supporting one of the key elements of perennialism. I review the contextualist-decontextualist debate and suggest a research project that would pursue the question of whether the common ground of the world’s mystical traditions could be expanded beyond what has been established by the decontextualists. The extension of this common ground would add credibility to the claims arising out of mystical experience.
Psychedelics have always been a controversial subject in the world of drugs because they have the ability to alter one’s perception of reality. L.S.D, MDMA, and psilocybin are three of the main types of psychedelics on the drug market, all three of which are listed as schedule 1 by the DEA. A schedule 1 drug is considered to have a high addiction risk, has no medical value whatsoever, and is illegal to have in your possession. A schedule 2 drug is considered to have the potential for both medical purposes, and abuse. A schedule 3 drug is considered safe for medical use and can only be prescribed by a doctor. I however, believe that psychedelics should be reconsidered for at least schedule 2 as studies have shown an increase in the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy and can even help the terminally ill come to terms with their own deaths.
Newberg, A. B., & Newberg, S. K. (2006). A neuropsychological perspective on spiritual development. In E. Roehlkepartain, P. E. King, L. Wagener & P. L. Bensen (Eds.), The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescenceThousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Lisa as a young teen begins to manage her special gift to connect with spirits by progressing from the motivation her grandmother gave her to grasp a stronger understanding of what she spiritually obtains. Lisa’s grandmother encourages her to learn about the spirit world and the consequences that follow, to make sure her mistakes don’t mislead her, “Never trust the spirit world too much. They think much differently from the living.”(Robinson, 153). Ma ma oo (Lisa’s grandmother) ensures that Lisa is provided with the knowledge of the supernatural world at her current age so she will be prepared for the future and along with that she wants her to being to learn about herself through these teachings and develop from them. Considering that the bond between Lisamarie and her grandmother is already well established it makes the understanding and communication of the spirit world more interesting for her. Overtime Lisa becomes curious about her gift of connecting with spirits, “What do spirits look like?”...
It is definitely a sensitive subject to breach, and there may never be a true answer to it, but the perception of God must have a part in these manifestations. Individuals that may not find themselves having an “experience” because of their beliefs should not, in turn belittle someone else claiming to have an experience. No proof of the “experience” should be required from them. As Alston describes the double standard of not proving proof for using your normal senses to detect things, then why, when it comes to God, should people have to prove that they had an “experience?” Alston identifies that there are unrealistic requirements for people that have a religious
Mysticism, mystic experiences, and encounters with the divine are important—and even integral—to many religions throughout the world. Mysticism, defined as experiencing the divine, should have a special importance in Christianity. Christianity posits a God who is transcendent, yet immanent, and as Christians we believe we can have a relationship with the Deity. Because of this we should have a unique conception of mystical experiences as significant to our spiritual lives.
Spirituality is seen as a universal concept relevant to all individuals; the uniqueness of each individual is paramount (Mcsherry, 2000). Therefore, the subject is complex and relatively complicated topic to discuss. This is due to the different interpretation which is influenced by the individual’s life experience. Therefore definitions of spirituality may differentiate significantly to all individuals and literature (Mcsherry, 2000).
Walsh, K., King, M., Jones, L., Tookman, A., & Blizard, R., (2002). Spiritual beliefs may
When discussing the relationship of brain and behavior, the materialist view of human experience runs into conflict with the historically dominant religious accounts. Recent studies, however, suggests that there may be a "middle view" between the two world-views. Religions, especially Buddhism, stress the role of meditation in one's spiritual growth. Meditation has tangible psychological and physiological benefits, though, which can be explained strictly in neurobiological terms. Understanding of how meditation affects the brain, and, by extension, human behavior, also gives insight into consciousness, the role of feedback loops, and the nature of the I-function.