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April 22, 2004
Peak States
The Institute for the Study of Peak States is, as the name implies, studying peak states. The idea is that the way we feel isn't necessarily just built from our genetic makeup, the way we've been treated, the amount of trauma we've experienced, etc. That's part of it, but it is possible to overcome any such limitations. Specifically, it is possible to attain states of health, happiness and success that might not be explained from studying our background. Even better, there might be high levels of functionality and happiness that can be attained deliberately, and maintained on a continuous basis. They provide an interesting list of peak states, categorized in various ways, and marked according to their probablity of occuring in the general population. Stuff like:
'Underlying Happiness' stateObvioiusly, by examining such states more closely, key enabling factors might be located, and it might become possible for more people to function in higher states more of the time. Which seems to be the purpose of their work. Posted by Flemming at April 22, 2004 01:17 PM | TrackBack
• Characteristics: A feeling of happiness underlies all other feelings. It exists simultaneously even with difficult feelings such as sadness or anger. In women, a continuous loving feeling is more dominant, although the happiness is still present.
• Cause: Heart and body brains fused together.
• Comment: Doesn't stop the past from feeling emotionally traumatic.
• Frequency: Estimated 9% relatively continuously, additional 12% recognize it.'Big Sky' state
• Characteristics: The world feels huge. Looking at the sky, it feels gigantic. Your boundaries disappear, especially above your head.
• Cause: Body, mind and Buddha brains fused together. The sensation of the huge sky is from a body sensation of the relative distance between objects and one's body.
• Comment: I'm not sure if I've accurately analyzed this state. Treat it as possibly being due to some other phenomenon. More work needs to be done on it.
• Frequency: Not determined.'Brains Communicate' state
• Characteristics: The three brains can communicate with each other. Brains interact like a dysfunctional family.
• Cause: All the brains' awarenesses are touching and in communication.
• Comment: A useful intermediate state, but not as valuable or dramatic as a fused one. In a Perry diagram, the circles all overlap slightly.
• Frequency: Estimated 12% relatively continuously, additional 23% recognize it.'Deep Peace' state
• Characteristics: Deeper peaceful feeling than the Beauty Way. A feeling of being balanced, evenness, no irritation. Feels like the physical heart is lower in the body. Feel more lightweight. Not effortless, but not as bad as normal consciousness. Brains are aware of each other, can communicate directly, and you are aware of each simultaneously.
• Cause: Brains' awarenesses are superimposed, but not completely fused. No hollow sensations in the body.
• Comment: An intermediate state that we don't try to get.
• Frequency: Not determined.'Hollow' state
• Characteristics: Body feels hollow inside the skin. All parts of the body feel 'continuous'. Emotions have a cognitive rather than affective quality.
• Cause: All brains fuse together.
• Comment: Chakras are not merged. Brains are not connected to the Realm of the Shaman.
• Frequency: Estimated 7% relatively continuously, additional 12% recognize it.'Wholeness' state
• Characteristics: The word 'wholeness' is the most accurate for this state, and is used spontaneously by people acquiring it. A feeling of being complete, with nothing missing. Music is especially vivid.
• Cause: A fusion of the placental and sperm tail 'energy' or 'awarenesses' with the other triune brains.
• Comment: The sensation of wholeness exists independently of the state of fusion of the other brains.
• Frequency: Not determined.
"Cause: Heart and body brains fused together."
"Body, mind and Buddha brains fused together."
"Brains' awarenesses are superimposed, but not completely fused."
But do the above statements correspond to anything real in terms of brain dynamics? These phrases remind me of attempts to define fire in terms of phlogiston, or life in terms of aqua vitae. "Here's something we don't understand, let's make up interesting-sounding phrases to pretend that we're actually describing what is happening."
Or are these thinkers using phrases like "Body, mind and Buddha brains fused together" in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, not really serious that that's what is happening, but as a sort of shorthand for a vague interim understanding?
Do you expect the causes underlying these deep states to eventually be described in terms of cognitive science and brain structure, as large chunks of the "sensation of religious experience" have, or will they forever lie beyond the realm of being connected to real physical patterns? Does the mystery disappear if we describe these phenomena in terms of brain dynamics, or is a more accurate understanding of what is going on actually desirable?
Posted by: Michael Anissimov at April 23, 2004 03:49 PMHeheh, yeah, they don't sound overly scientific per se. I.e. they're subjective states. The author probably takes them seriously and finds the distinctions meaningful. More than I do, I'm sure. But I nevertheless think it is useful to catalogue subjectives states. If we find that certain percentages of people identify with certain states, or that their occurance can be increased, and that is found to be useful - it suddenly becomes much less subjective.
I don't necessarily find the brain structure more "real" than such states. It might well be the other way around. But it would be very useful to find correlations. Like, how do such states relate to the prevalence of various brain wave patters (alpha, beta, theta, delta)? Is the brain activity balanced or not when they occur? I would find it very likely that if somebody really is experiencing an extraordinary state of being, it would be reflected in brain activity. And maybe heartbeat, body temperature, skin resistance, and a number of other measurable factors.
If we're talking about actual states, even somewhat inexplicable and mystical ones, and not just wishful thinking, they would naturally leave traces and clues. Or even I would be skeptical about their validity.
But if we find such correlations, does that mean that one merely predictably feels like that because of that brain activity? Or does it mean that the brain synchronizes to something else? The real me? Or is it all just different sides of the same thing? Either way, it is worthwhile to attempt to better understand higher states of being, even if there initially is no very precise language available to describe them with.
Posted by: Flemming Funch at April 23, 2004 05:35 PM