Research by scientists who have learned how the brain changes during prayer
We have already written about the work of the American neurophysiologist Andrew Newberg from Thomas Jefferson University ("Prayer and meditation increase the concentration of" pleasure hormones "in the brain").
In an experiment involving 14 Catholic volunteers, Newberg found that spiritual practices increased the concentration in the brain of the "happiness hormones" - dopamine and serotonin. This explains why prayer and meditation can generate strong positive emotions. But does this mechanism work for non-believers? Do psychologists practice similar techniques? Are they effective? We decided to ask the famous psychologist, candidate of sociological sciences Anetta Orlova about this.
- Scientists have found a material explanation for why prayer brings relief to believers. But not all people are religious. Does it make sense for atheists to adopt this method: go into a kind of trance in order to get positive emotions?
- In order for a person to feel an influx of energy, he needs to enter a certain rhythm of the brain, when he stops thinking a lot. This applies to absolutely all spiritual practices, including prayer and meditation.
If a person goes to church, he disconnects from the rest of the world there. He reads something to himself, speaks out his thoughts and consciousness begins to rest. And if this lasts a long time, then after 15-20 minutes a person falls into a trance state. This is the relaxation that occurs while awake. We experience this internal regime before falling asleep. By the way, at these moments a person is most suggestible and hypnotherapists always use them to change a person's program. At the same time, he feels that he is observing the correct ritual, that his behavior is justified and arouses the approval of others. Such moments have an incredible sedative effect - a person becomes calmer, anxiety goes away.
- How to understand that you have reached a trance?
- Almost everyone experienced this state. Remember when you are driving and at some point you realize that you have passed a turn, but do not remember how it was. This is the same everyday trance that occurs when we perform automatic habitual actions and turn off consciousness. At this moment, muscles relax, breathing calms down, pulse normalizes and a person accumulates energy. But at this moment he has a reduced reaction to external stimuli, so if you often meditate while driving, be very careful.
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- It is easier for a religious person - there is a ritual that has been tested for centuries, certain words of prayer that must be pronounced … Or you can give simple recommendations on how to achieve a trance for a person who does not go to church.
- You need to practice meditation. They are not burdened with additional meanings. Remember a few things while doing this. First, you need to clearly understand why you are doing this? Not to visualize any of your goals (although it actually helps). You enter a trance state so that your unconscious, which has a huge, incredible resource, has the ability to feed you. Secondly, the effect of meditation is enhanced by the right music. Everything connected with natural sounds is perfect: birdsong, the sound of the surf, etc. Thirdly, you can just remember the place where it was good: something connected with a trip or a bright life situation. You must once again experience with your body what you felt then with the music. In fact, this is an ordeal for perfectionists who are accustomed to rushing and sharpening the results. It is difficult for them to focus on their body; they are constantly in the world of ideas and achievements. For them, the main task is to learn how to stop. Fourth, a great way to meditate is to relax to pleasant music and ask questions of parts of your body, to find out how they feel. You will see that the body begins to respond - this is how the human consciousness works.
Yaroslav KOROBATOV