Are mystical feelings healing?
Mysticism and spirituality involve awareness that there is much beyond physical reality. This is an exercise of the imagination-- that in-between quasi physical state, discussed eloquently by a master in field of psychotherapy, Winnicott. He termed this transitional space, between inner and out reality, the space of illusion where freedom, creativity and cultural appreciation reside. This is the space I hope to operate in when I am with patients. In this space, deep trusting bonds are created that allow for the openness necessary for change.
The spiritual or the mystical can include feelings of being awestruck or a sense of wonder. This happens frequently in nature – gazing up at the stars, watching a magnificent sunset, seeing the leaves change in autumn. Awe blurs the line between ourselves and others, and we start to feel connected to the whole of the universe. By experiencing more awe in life, we can become less stressed.
This has been studied scientifically. Academic researchers Jonathan Haidt and Dacher Keltner published a key study on awe, which indicated that it appeared to increase people’s feelings of connectedness and willingness to help others. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University, has been studying the physiology of self-transcendent experiences, such as meditation and prayer. His research suggests awe may be “felt” by the autonomic nervous system, which controls both our arousal and our calming mechanisms. Normally when one part of the system comes on, the other shuts down. But in intense spiritual experiences, both may turn on, contributing to the combination of feeling both calmed and aroused.
Newberg also indicates that the parietal lobe, which contributes to our spatial sense of self and orients us in the physical world, shuts down when we feel awe. This helps create a loss of the sense of self and a loss of the boundary between the self and other things in the world leading to a sense of oneness and connectedness.
Wilderness Therapy, which involves an immersion in nature and includes therapy and outdoor activities, utilizes these advantages to provide healing and transformative experiences for participants.
Another example of the healing power of the spiritual and the mystical is the recent research on psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Cancer patients who developed intense anxiety after a cancer diagnosis were given a single dose of psilocybin and had a psychedelic experience that stimulated mystical/spiritual feelings. This one dose of psilocybin followed by a series of psychotherapy sessions relieved this anxiety for up to 8 months. The researchers concluded that the psilocybin-induced mystical experience brought about the therapeutic effect.
Other studies suggest that psilocybin synchronizes brain activity in areas related to emotion and memory, resembling a wakeful state of dreaming. According to the researchers, this may help
explain the psychedelic effects of psilocybin which include unconstrained cognition, hyperassociation, and changes in the subjects’ perception of time, space and selfhood. In my view, it is reasonable that these characteristics facilitate an expansion of consciousness and mystical experiencing.
Our Deck of Cards is mindful of this healing power, and cards such as the Tree of Life, Nature or Spirituality card help bring you into this zone.