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HAROLD: Maude, Do you pray? MAUDE BRINGS UP AN EXCELLENT POINT about prayer. We were taught in our traditional religions that praying is talking/asking God. The conversation is flowing from us to a Supreme Being. Current writings on spirituality explain how to communicate with a Supreme Being/The Universe, or what we naturally perceive as something greater than ourselves - our own "God of Our Understanding" (Whitfield 2006, 2009).
I spent six years as a researcher at the University of Connecticut Medical School studying the after effects of near-death experiences, including my own that included a profound life review. And now after writing 5 books on the after effects of near-death experiences and natural spirituality in general, I would like to propose a new genre of expanding spirituality because of the new research that is proving that we, as a species are evolving beyond where we were before and because I witness this expansion in myself, my colleagues, my friends and in my counseling practice. Here is some background information to address what is happening within the genre of spirituality, including its current findings, scientific research and publication. At the University, my colleagues and I interviewed hundreds of people who had near-death experiences and we witnessed living proof that religion and spirituality can harmoniously enhance each other - or this new expanding spirituality can stand alone in a well balance peaceful life. It's our choice. We demonstrated that the positive emotions and sense of connection experienced in a near-death state create changes in the person' life that are long lasting. After a near-death experience there is an earthy realness to how these NDErs relate to their life. Their needs for materialism and prestige diminish and they turn to altruistic goals. They change jobs because they are looking for meaning in their lives and they are driven to share unconditional love. Many grieve if that is impossible with their existing relationships and have to move on. Many of us wrote books about our near-death experiences
and our changes afterwards. Some of the researchers who wrote books admitted
how they were changed by their research and their contact with NDErs. Spirituality and the "New Age" long were lumped together. I propose a separation between the two. The New Age is really old spiritual philosophy reframed so that some of us can understand it better. However, over time charlatans have moved in (as they have in other movements). They capture their audiences with charismatic personalities and aren't evolved enough to balance their ego with their new found or invented wisdom. They can sound narcissistic to many who criticize and are turned off by what they mistakenly see as "New Age." Some even teach and preach psychic abilities as the end all when that is just a development that may happen along the way. Somewhere in this confusion, people become psychic magnets for others painful emotions because no one is talking or writing about healthy boundaries. (See section on Spiritual Bypass in Whitfield 1995, 2006). Lately, a few of these authors and self-made gurus have turned to materialism as their agenda: how to get more, more stuff, more money, and the like. New Discoveries in Neuroscience Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg from the University of PA Medical School used functional imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET scans) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPEC7) to demonstrate that spirituality lies in the limbic system of the brain. Both religion and "New Age" writing usually activate the neocortex where we think in words. The limbic system is where we feel the positive emotions and our positive relationships with others. This area activated by these positive feelings increase our parasympathetic activity producing relaxation, followed by a profound sense of serenity. So writing about theology is located in our neocortex where we are once removed from the experience and the feeling. This new genre of spirituality goes to the limbic system where we feel first hand what the writer is conveying. Newberg studied Tibetan Buddhists who practiced Kundalini Yoga meditation and had been meditating for many years. They were advanced in their own practice. He showed that when these meditators achieve a state of mystical union, followed by a profound sense of calm, that the activities of those parts of the neocortical brain were functionally cut off from the rest of the brain. At the same time, both the limbic hippocampus and amygdala were more active. Newberg's subjects meditated on a spiritual symbol or a positive emotion. Some focused on the feeling of forgiveness. He found that the area activated by these positive feelings increases their parasympathetic activity, producing relaxation, followed by a profound sense of serenity. There are no words used in this experience, only a sense of positive or joyful feelings.
A New Genre of Expanding Spirituality What we are describing in the above scientific research validates this new definition of expanding spirituality and it's increasing understanding within our evolving biology. There is a powerful link between stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system of the limbic area of the brain and our immune system. Positive emotions and a loving connection to our self, others - including our community - and God can boost our immunity so that we become physically healthier. What this all means is that there is a new spirituality emerging that is actually part of our biology. We are evolving toward a more naturally spiritual human race and medical research is helping us realize that. We could even hypothesize that becoming physically healthier because of a chain reaction that strengthens our immune system means that this will enhance the spiritual nature of humans by natural selection. In Heading Toward Omega: In search of the meaning of the near-death experience Social Psychologist Kenneth Ring hypothesized a new evolutionary step for humans. He called this new evolutionary development The Omega Prototype. That book came out in 1984. 25 years later, this science could be validating his theory.
The positive feelings, emotions and attitudes of true spirituality bring us into and beyond focusing on ourselves and into compassion for all of life. Our writing can even reflect our deepest experiences by describing emotionally our spirituality through our inner life. Below is a poem I wrote to help explain the earthy realness of this new genre of natural spirituality: When the sun is hanging just
below the top of the trees My doorway to spirituality is a
simple prayer, I watch giant pines, oaks and beeches The slow fan over head gently
moves away I melt into Spirit. These moments bring serenity and
sometimes awe. These moments out of time, or
what we call My next book The Natural Soul belongs in this genre. It's a
book about relating to ourselves, our loved ones, others in our life, and God
with the positive emotions listed above. It's a continuation of my Life
Review that happened 33 years ago. This new book helps me to feel like my
life review is continuing and expanding and gives me the joy of knowing I can
share this with my readers. Just like the researchers that caught positive
changes from the near-death experiencers they interviewed - I wrote this to
experientially demonstrate what I felt and was shown in my Life Review can be
contagious. © 2009, Barbara Harris Whitfield References Ring K (1984), Heading Toward Omega. William Morrow, New
York, NY. |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Barbara Harris Whitfield is the author of five books on Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and Natural Spirituality. She is in private practice in Atlanta Georgia with her husband, author and physician Charles L. Whitfield, MD. They assist adults who were repeatedly traumatized as children in their recovery. Her new book The Natural Soul will be released by SterlingHouse Publisher in 2009. |
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