Altered States and Spiritual Awakening in Psychosis David Lukoff, PhD Professor of Psychology, Sofia University
Altered States of Consciousness
What is an Altered State? Term created by Charles Tart" Subjectively sensed change in mental functioning" Not just a change in contents" Not necessarily recognized at the time" Relatively short-term, reversible" Defined by comparison to normal waking state
Some Types of Alerted States trance" shamanistic ecstasy " prayer ecstasy" Psychosis/mania " "highway hypnosis" " hypnosis" alcohol / drugs" yoga / meditation" dream states " culture bound syndromes
Entering an Altered State of Consciousness Sensory Deprivation or constant exposure to repetitive actions: Solitary Confinement and Assembly-line daydreaming" Sensory Overload: Opposite of the above, brought on by sports/ ecstatic dancing/chanting, getting all worked up via sounds, smells, sights." Continuous focus over long periods of time: Study/work for hours on end, mind may wander/dream." Decreased alertness: Emptying the mind, meditation, conscious relaxing of the muscles." Alterations to the Nervous System: Dehydration, sleep deprivation, hyperventilation, temporal lobe seizures (like video), recreational/prescribed drugs (e.g. cannabis/lsd/morphine)
Features of Psychotic Altered States" 1. Beliefs and expectations about the nature of reality, "society and the divine are altered." 2. Perceptions of time, space, shape, color, tastes, smells etc. are altered." 3. Thought becomes nonlinear." 4. The unconscious spews forth ancient and archetypal "images: To my amazement... the imagery of schizophrenic fantasy perfectly matches that of the mythological Hero's Journey. " 5. Primitive thoughts and feelings are unleashed." 6. Personal and collective unconscious elements intermingle.
"The phenomenology (imagery, cognitions) of the psychotic condition shares many characteristics with dream experiences (Hall,1977), hallucinogenic drug trips (Kleinman et al,1977), spiritual awakenings (Assigioli, 1981), near death experiences (Grof & Grof,1980) and shamanic experiences (Halifax, 1979). The fantastic or bizarre content of reported experiences is not sufficient indication that a person is psychotic" (p.162).
The mystic dances in the sun," Hearing music others don't." " "Insanity," they say, those others." If so, it's a very gentle, nourishing sort." " Rumi"
!! " The psychotic comes closer to " the great secrets of life and offers a reservoir of mental health to those who are restricted by routine rationalism." " " Psychiatrist Andre Breton, a founder of the surrealistic movement
Trickster" "compensate the disposition to rigidity in the collective consciousness and to keep open the approaches to irrational depths and to the rules of the instinctual and archetypal world" " (Jung and Von Franz 1985, p. 362)." " represents all those possibilities of life that your mind hasn't decided it wants to deal with. The mind structures a lifestyle and the Trickster is the one who represents another whole range of possibilities. He doesn't respect the values that you've set up for yourself and smashes them...[one gets] wisdom from this.(campbell 1988)
Neurological disease, by deconstructing habitual reality, shows us how we normally construct reality, its colors, sounds, relevance, coherence, meaning, value. We see that the world is not given us, but is composed, in all its richness and particularity by our brains " " Oliver Sacks
Wallace (1956) has documented several cases where individuals underwent psychotic episodes and subsequently developed an entirely new mythology for their social group. For example, on the basis of the visions he had while psychotic, Handsome Lake created a mytholgocial foundation for a new way of life among the Iroquois Indians in the late 1700's.
"Neither reason, nor environmental contingencies have determined our collective and individual destinies, but as the poet Robinson Jeffers called them, 'visions that fool him out of his limits'" " (Campbell 1972, p. 249).
Religious ASC "Paul on the road to Damascus" Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and hear a voice saying to me Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? "
Perils on the Path the danger of ego-inflation" there is the danger of the self getting battered or shattered by the uncontrolled inflow of spiritual energies. Kundalini awakening or other forms of spiritual energy can rapidly stream throughout the person's body and consciousness, disorienting the person and disrupting the normal structures of the self." Cortright p. 155"
When novices who don't have the proper education or guidance begin to naively and carelessly engage mystical experiences, they are playing with fire.whereas spiritual masters have been warning their disciples for thousands of years about the dangers of playing with mystical states, the contemporary spiritual scene is like a candysotre where any casual spiritual "tourist" can sample the "goodies" that promise a variety of mystical highs. " Halfway Up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment " by Mariana Caplan p. 127"
Mystical Experience symptomatic of ego regression (Leuba)" a psychotic episode (Horton)" temporal lobe dysfunction (Mandel)" Infantile helplessness (Freud)" Regression to primary narcissism (Freud)
" Similarities: Mystical and Psychotic Experiences Being Transported" Communion with divine" Ecstasy" Loss of self-object " Noesis" Distorted Time-sense" Perceptual changes" Hallucinations" Heightened awareness
Gallup Poll: Have you ever been influenced by a presence, power, God? " 1973: 27%" 1986: 42%" 1994: 54%" 2001: 71%
Mystical Ecstasy
52% of the people with schizophrenia reported having a mystical experience, "supporting the idea that th schizophrenic population perceive themselves as having mystical experience at least as often as individuals in nonschizophrenic populations" (Siglag, p.4)
" Recovery means recovering the divine from within the disorder, seeing that its contents are authentically religious." James Hillman
" What remains... is an ideal model and a sense of direction which one can use to complete the transformation through his own purposeful methods." " John Perry"
Jung (1964) case:" " I vividly recall the case of a professor who had a sudden vision and thought he was insane. He came to see me in a state of complete panic. I simply took a 400-year-old book from the shelf and showed him an old woodcut depicting his very visionp'there's no reason for you to believe that you're insane," I said to him. "They knew about your vision 400 years ago." Whereupon he sat down entirely deflated, but once more normal (p. 58). " " Rosenthal "Inflated by the spirit""
Three Phases of Therapeutic Integration Telling the story" Tracing its symbolic/" " "spiritual/cultural heritage" Creating a new personal mythology
treated as crises of transformation, or crises of spiritual opening. Something that should really be supported rather than suppressed. If properly understood and properly supported, they are actually conducive to healing and transformation." " Stanislav Grof "
Distress, even the distress associated with psychosis, can be hallowed ground upon which one can meet God and receive spiritual teaching During the passage that is madness, those of us who are diagnosed can have authentic encounters with God. These spiritual teachings can help to guide and encourage the healing process that is recovery." Pat Deegan
" The acute hallucinatory phase usually lasts about six weeks. This, by the way, corresponds to the classical description of visionary experiences in various religious texts, such as the proverbial forty days in the wilderness often referred to in the Bible. " " John Perry" Interview: Mental Breakdown as a Healing Process" "
Loren Mosher (1999), described the core of Soteria as the 24 hour a day application of interpersonal phenomenologic interventions by a nonprofessional staff, usually without neuroleptic drug treatment, in the context of a small, homelike, quiet, supportive, protective, and tolerant social environment (p. 142).
The Soteria project (1971 1983) compared residential treatment in the community and minimal use of antipsychotic medication with usual hospital treatment for patients with early episode schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. Newly diagnosed DSM-II schizophrenia subjects were assigned consecutively (1971 to 1976, N 79) or randomly (1976 to 1979, N 100) to the hospital or Soteria and followed for 2 years.
" Particularly in domains of psychopathology, work, and social functioning, Soteria treatment resulted in better 2-year outcomes for patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia spectrum psychoses. " " Only 58% of Soteria subjects received antipsychotic medications during the follow-up period" " Only 19% were continuously maintained on antipsychotic medications." " "
Soteria implications for today The Meaningfulness of psychosis and states of madness" Minimal use of medication" Valuing non-professional understandings and personal experiences of madness" Valuing different cultural / community understandings, especially spirituality
"Both what you say and how l listen contribute to how close or far apart we are. " " RD Laing (1982)
Spiritual Awakening
Spirituality is an intrinsic property of the psyche that emerges quite spontaneously when the process of self-exploration reaches sufficient depth." " Stanislav Grof
Survey of Individuals Receiving Mental Health Services and Their Families The purpose of the survey was to document the needs, experiences and preferences of consumers and family members so we could better include their voices within the Initiative's goals, values and deliverables." The survey was translated into 8 languages including Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Tagalog, Cantonese, Farsi, and Russian and English." Surveys were administered on paper and online." Over 2600 responses are being analyzed for a statewide report.
Question for the Audience: Have you personally experienced some powerful non-" ordinary states of consciousness? In what context?" " 1. Intense experiences during religious service or spiritual practice?" 2. Shamanic rituals or other native ceremonies?" 3. Experiential psychotherapy?" 4. Experiences induced by psychedelic substances?" 5. Near-death experiences?" 6. Intense spontaneous experiences in everyday situations ( spiritual emergency )?