One of the most mysterious phenomena of psychophysiology is the so-called altered states of consciousness, when a person is, for example, in a state of hypnosis, meditation, religious ecstasy, etc. What is happening in his brain at this time? What role can such phenomena play in human evolution?
The correspondent of "RG" talks about this with Dmitry Spivak, a leading researcher at the Institute of the Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Philology.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Recently, a sensational report appeared in the Western media that a special zone was found in the brain of deeply religious people in one laboratory. Moreover, when they pray, the brain works in a special rhythm. Maybe this is due to the fact that the believer enters an altered state of consciousness?
Dmitry Spivak: I have not heard of such work, so I don’t presume to comment, although it sounds, frankly, strange. Now about what is well known. Until now, no special structure or any kind of rhythm has been discovered in the brain that is responsible for religion, for spiritual experiences. And the brain cannot be imposed, say, a certain alpha rhythm, wanting to cause a person to experience religious feelings.
At the same time, studies in different laboratories around the world have shown that deeply religious people tolerate operations better and recover faster. Moreover, they achieve a positive result without a large number of pills. In our works, we have revealed the following pattern: the more religious a person is, the more chances he has to live longer, remaining active and clear of mind until the end of his life. Of course, we are talking about genuine faith, which is the essence of a person and his actions.
RG: But why does a religious person recover faster if, as you said, there are no religious zones in the brain?
Spivak: Maybe other mechanisms are at work. For example, the Japanese scientists Kasamatsu and Hirai studied Buddhist monks in a state of meditation using electroencephalograms and discovered very interesting phenomena. At the very beginning, their frontal lobes of the left hemisphere worked more actively. That is, the person was aware of what he was doing, maybe he remembered the words of the prayer. It is important to emphasize that in this case, the alpha rhythms in the brain were amplified and synchronized. An indicator that a person has calmed down and is ready to enter an altered state of consciousness.
And then there was a rapid shift in brain activity to the right hemisphere, a kind of "land of images." This was followed by a failure in the so-called "oceanic feeling", when a person loses control over himself. It's like going to sleep. At this stage, unusual phenomena occur. Devices register in the brain the appearance of "packs" of ten cycles of theta rhythms. But the most curious thing is that it is at such moments that an insight occurs, the famous "eureka" of Archimedes, when a person solves complex problems, makes discoveries and even predicts some events, etc. Moreover, he finds reserves in himself to cope with his ailments.
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RG: All this is very interesting, but what does it have to do with religion? After all, we are talking about meditation, and any person, both a believer and an atheist, can engage in it.
Spivak: It is difficult to say about the direct connection of these results with religiosity, but here's what is curious. Japanese scientists have tried to understand how deeply monks are immersed in an altered state of consciousness. To do this, they gave a sharp click, which was supposed to return the subject to wakefulness. So, for a master with 20-40 years of meditation experience this practically did not work, his theta rhythm was instantly restored. The "packs" of cycles went on as usual. That is, you can't beat the master.
But a student who has been meditating for several years could remain in deep immersion with theta rhythms, and could return to the alpha rhythm stage. And ordinary people turned out to be completely unstable - they returned to the very beginning of meditation.
Now about religiosity. In Buddhism, the art of meditation is inextricably linked with true faith. Therefore, as a hypothesis, we can suggest that the master, with his amazing ability to plunge into an altered state of consciousness, is also a deeply religious person. Faith became his essence.
RG: Still, meditation is a very specific method of entering an altered state. Have you explored any other options? Say, psychics or people under hypnosis?
Spivak: We studied women during childbirth. It turned out that their brain works in the same way as in a person with an altered state of consciousness, in particular, there is high activity in the right hemisphere, activation of alpha rhythms. Moreover, women who are deeply religious during childbirth enter this state much more often than non-religious ones. Practice shows that they give birth easier, they have fewer complications.
While these are only observations, science still has to understand this phenomenon. It can be assumed that a change in consciousness makes it easier to overcome stress, and some women manage to enter it intuitively. And religiosity can make this path easier. I repeat, this is just one hypothesis.
But one practical solution is obvious. You can try to teach women who are preparing to become mothers to enter an altered state of consciousness in order to facilitate both the birth itself and the entire period that follows.
RG: If an altered state of consciousness helps to overcome stresses, to treat diseases, and to look into the future, why hasn't nature endowed us with it?
Spivak: I would say that everything has its time. How has man developed so far? His main task, like all living things, is to leave offspring. As they say, shot, you can leave. Nature no longer needs you.
But today humanity has come to a certain threshold of its development. The amount of knowledge has become simply enormous. To assimilate it, and most importantly to realize ourselves, it is not enough for us that nature has given. You need to change, discover new potencies in yourself. And maybe one of the options for future evolution is now being played on people with an altered state of consciousness.