PREVIOUS: Misc. uses

SITE: Trauma & Social Locations

◆ CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

Childhood experiences have a tremendous impact on future violence, victimization & perpetration, as well as lifelong health & opportunities.
But there’s more to a person’s stressors than just experiences. We come “into this world in structures & conditions already established,” which are often punitive & embedded in racial bias. They limit opportunities & come with built-in economic & social inequities. (More…)

The original ACE Study (scroll to Quiz) was conducted at Kaiser Permanente (1995 – 97) in two waves of data collection. Over 17,000 Health Maintenance Org. members from Southern California who receive physical exams, also completed confidential surveys about their childhood experiences, as well as current health status & activities. (More….)
❖ Almost 2/3 of study participants reported at least one ACE, & more than 1 in 5 reported three or more. (Traumatized brain…. slides #21, 22)

◆ VERBAL ABUSE
This pyramid show how barrages of cruel words cause an avalanche of destructive behaviors – at school, cyber bullying, at work & as domestic violence, sometimes leading to suicide or murder.
Domestic violence usually starts with words, & then escalates.  In at least 3 cases a day in America, this pattern of violence ends in a death!
Many ACoAs experience the base level of verbal abuse all thru childhood, causing a life-time of slow self-destructiveness via self hate, in thoughts & actions.

As Rogers and Hammerstein said in South Pacific, “You have to be carefully taught” – to hate.  Cruel messages remain powerful because they were spoken by people who were supposedly safe, trustworthy & loving. So the words & their meaning were never challenged, simply accepted as core truths. Like the teenage boy who eventually killed himself because he believed his girlfriend who he trusted, when she kept saying : “You’ll be better off / You just have to do it / No more pushing it off /  No more waiting…..”   (More…)

♦ HATE
The Pyramid shows biased behaviors, growing in complexity from the bottom up. Behaviors at each level negatively impact individuals & groups, with increasingly more life-threatening consequences, each level supported by the ones below.
When actions at the lower levels are treated as acceptable then those at the next level seem “normal” & therefore acceptable, possibly leading to genocide. (“Human Rights“)

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.” Martin Luther King Jr.

♦ VIOLENCE
To understand the violence pyramid, we must first understand rape culture, where people experience a continuum of threatened violence, from sexual remarks to sexual touching, to rape itself. In any such culture both men and women assume that sexual violence is a fact of life, inevitable as death or taxes. Rape Culture

However, much of what many people accept as inevitable – especially women – is actually the outward expression of values & attitudes that  spiral down into progressively more abusive behavior, as seen in both pyramids.
As with all these tragic events, when anyone gets away with the attitudes & actions on the bottom tiers their ‘right’ to do so is reinforce, & so excuse those above. For this to change, the culture must change.  (More…..)

 ◆ SURVIVING & THRIVING
PHYSICAL: Look for safety when under threat. Pay attention to – and trust – your bodily sensations of stress. Find natural / nature environments that can soothe as well as expand your horizons.

SOCIAL: Get away from hateful & destructive relationships (avoid / hide), & only re-connect if the abuser gets help to change, or via an intermediary. Look for like-minded allies for support. Communicate your emotions without self-judgement, with safe people.

PERSONAL: Make use of trauma experiences as a way to learn about yourself – what your strengths are & where to make changes. Continue to express thoughts & emotions. Find or regain personal freedom from stressful people & situations. Learn when to bend as well as when to stand firm.

SPIRITUAL: Take time to mourn. Integrate your experiences into a broad & healthy world-view. Improve & strengthen beliefs, meaning, purpose & values. Stick to what’s real & true, & go beyond (transcend) by letting go of pain & resentment. (More…) (See all posts on RESILIENCE).

NEXT: Relationships

PREVIOUS: Reversed, #2

♦ TRUST
NOTE: this pyramid is constructed in relation to websites (Amazon, Facebook….) & its users – how safe is it, how much of our personal info to give….However, we can apply the same criteria to our personal relationships, whether family, friends, lovers, work mates…..

People must (should) have basic trust needs met before moving into deeper interactions (PMES intimacy).
HOWEVER, ACoAs have not been allowed to trust their gut & still small voice, & so often ignore red flag signals from others or situations which are available from the very beginning – continuing to form a connection with inappropriate PPT which, over time, is disappointing or causes us harm.

Establishing trust, in any category, should be gradual. As the relationship progresses, skepticism need to be overcome by proof that the ‘other’ is trustworthy, dependable, consistent…. .

Then comfort level can increase, & new demands / expectations can be made. The relationship should progress through the stages, built on progressive experience. Higher levels of commitment cannot be gained before the lower ones are proven.  (More…re. websites & users

♦ What’s BEST for RELATIONSHIPS : Passion or Dedication?
Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love identifies 3 elements that combine in different ways for different types of relationships:
▪︎ Passion is associated with physical attraction & intense emotional arousal.
▪︎ Intimacy refers to a sense of emotional closeness, comfort, and support between two people
▪︎ Commitment is the choice to be dedicated to a relationship and make an effort to preserve it for the long-term

a. All 3 combined is called “Consummate Love”, but doesn’t last – for most couple – because over time Passion often diminishes or fizzles as the novelty wears out
b. A high level of Intimacy + Commitment, but lower level of Passion is “Companionate Love”, based on common interests, sharing & deep friendship

Research shows that (b) tends to be the stuff happy marriages are made of, AND – people who are very dedicated to their relationship can take a proactive approach to keeping passion alive, such as doing exciting things together, since increased adrenaline can heighten attraction. (More….)

♦ DATING
Healthy – Base needs: Physical attraction / chemistry, common interests, able to have fun, good communication, friendship
Middle: Respect, honesty, loyalty, reliance, physical affection, similar values, deepening friendship & communication, trust
Highest: Commitment, love, marriage, sex

♦ ORDER of FORMING Relationships
1. Rubin’s theory of love:
▪︎ Caring – valuing the other person needs as much as your own – but not more
▪︎ Attachment – the need to receive care, approval & physical contact
▪︎ Intimacy – sharing thoughts & emotions, desires, hopes, dreams

2. Hattfield’s version:
▪︎ Compassionate love – based on respect, attachment, trust, and its reciprocation
▪︎ Passionate love – based on intense emotions, sexual attraction & affection.

3. The relationship pyramid: It’s crucial to work from the bottom up, because if we consistently try to form relationships starting from the top, we could damage our heath…. :
…. Physically (STDs, unwanted pregnancy)
…. Emotionally (being used, ashamed/guilty, in fantasy)
…. Social (effect reputation, trouble at work, bad role model for siblings…)
So, following the healthier process helps prevent problems.

♦ LONG-TERM vs. SHORT-TERM RELATIONSHIPS  (More….)

 ♦ SEXUAL activity
This is from a Christian perspective, looking only at the top 3 categories:
🔆 Everything but – intercourse, before marriage. These are people who aren’t deeply connected to a religious community (an island) & since they’re much looser in their sexual options, can easily get often run into value conflicts with someone they date.

🌺 Kissing only, & holding hands, but no form of sexual activity. These people are driven & deeply spiritual, able to keep a balance between personal goals and keeping up a pleasant romantic relationship, without feeling feel too frustrated. They can maintain their innocence, which helps them to not cross the line.

😘 No dating til marriage. The belief is that God has somebody perfect in mind for you, & you’ll recognize them…. so in the mean time you’re just going to live for yourself & God until you meet the person you recognize as your soul mate. (More….)

NEXT: Parenting

PREVIOUS: REVERSED Pyramids #1

♦ RAISON d’ÉTRE
♦ FREEDOM

♦ 5 NEEDS for HAPPINESS
G. Filotto (the “SJW Hunter”) says that self-actualization comes first rather than last – underpinning & supporting all other possibilities for a successful life.

1. Know yourself (Oracle of Delphi, ancient Greece). It both means : Know who you are inside, AND Find the truth of things & how they relate to you  – on your own, in your own way, that suits your purpose, ideas & abilities – to deepen self-understanding

2. Someone to share yourself with. We all have a powerful built-in need to be loved & to love, to share our minds & hearts with someone else who we know can appreciate it, & who we can do the same for

3. A Mutual stimulus group, whether friend (supporters) or foe (challengers) = people who push us to be react, respond, improve, create, grow…. & where we can reciprocate – anything but stagnate

4. Freedom of action, to do what we personally want – when, how & with whom. This includes Having Money, but to truly achieve we need to have a handle on point #1 – a clear, realistic & healthy mind.

5. Give back to the world . If we achieve the first 4, we may still feel something’s missing. This void can be filled by using our specific talents to give back to the world – in whatever way – inspiration, help, guidance, pleasure, happiness, safety or comfort to others.

♦ REVERSES EDUCATION
The 6 components of Bloom’s Taxonomy  pyramid can also be put in other words: (previously learned) knowledge, then comprehension,  application, analysis & finally synthesis – to identify the differences between knowing, understanding, & applying information.
However, this version suggests there’s a scarcity of talent & imagination in students – only those who can plow thru the lower levels & reach the top – can be creative. This is not true.

FLIPPED LEARNING reverses the traditional instructional goals for what happens in & out of class, so that students becomes increasingly pro-active. This makes it easier for them to master the process of thinking & thus now to learn.

The FLIPPED classroom starts with creating, & eventually it gives us the info needed. Students watch short instructional videos at home, then use in-class time for discussions, exercises & projects (More…):
▪︎ Based on the class topic, students are given real-world problem to solve
▪︎ They create something that shows their understanding (video, podcast, website, wiki….)
▪︎ They participate in a discussion or debate (More….)

NOTE: Both reverse pyramids are suggested by Lorin Anderson – using creativity as the base  / or using ‘understanding’ as the base

♦ WRITING ARTICLES
Journalists know that 80% of web readers don’t go thru a whole story, only scanning headlines. Web readers dislike long-winded, flowery, promotional writing with boastful claims. They prefer facts – realistic, useful information.

So the key to getting a reader’s attention is simplicity, addressing ‘What? When? Where? Who? Why? How? ‘
The writer must place the most important elements of the story at the beginning, starting with the conclusion / outcome of the story, followed by the most important supporting information, & end with the background.  (More….)

♦ AA STRUCTURE
The AA 12-Step service structure is described as “the upside down triangle of AA“. Everything in AA begins at the group level. Every group is autonomous & is governed by it’s own group conscience. If there’s an issue outside the group that they would like to address, their General Service Representative or GSR will bring their concern to the District Committee.⬇️ (More…..)

NOTE: This arrangement applies to all 12-Step programs, such as Al-Anon, D.A., O.A., G.A……

♦ PETS
“No one goes into Animal welfare for the money. They do it for love. But when passion comes before self-care, the weight of the world takes it toll.”
Laura Young is the founder of NoSafeDistance.com (pyramid). She knows there’s a difference between being tired, even to the point of exhaustion, vs. the world-weary state of compassion fatigue….

Striking the balance between compassionate caring & trying to address the tidal wave of need that greets everyone who joins a cause, be it animal welfare, child welfare, addressing  race or gender related violence,or global climate change is quite another. (More ...)

NEXT: Relationships Pyramids

PREVIOUS: Maslow’s pyramid & Music

♦ RAISON d’ÉTRE

In  “Geopolicraticus”, N.J. Nelson objects to Maslow & Erickson’s stages of personality development as too simplistic, even misleading, They can contribute to the insidious assumption that if you’re not following their stages, there’s obviously something wrong with you for not developing naturally or normally.

Instead Nelson states that:
“…I don’t believe that a person can get out of bed in the morning without implicitly having formulated a philosophical judgment that life is worth living and therefore there is a reason to get out of bed, and not merely to lie there and do nothing.”

His inverted pyramid puts raison d’être at the foundation, so that the fulfillment of emotional & psychological drives can eventually build up to the final satisfaction of physical drives & needs. This doesn’t deny the crucial need for food, water, air….. but they don’t automatically provide a motivation for successfully getting going every day, especially in the face of life’s many stressors. (ALSO…..)

Similarly, Arjun Paul (Flipkart Stories, India) suggests in this reverse pyramid – a person’s entire existence balances on a single point. “Esteem is something that can be sought only after a person has satisfied himself.”

It seems obvious to him that in order to provide all our human & personality needs, first we must have a reason to get out of bed every morning.  “Why should we have to move through a hierarchy to achieve what is already in us? In our mind? Also, nothing in nature is linear, so why would our development as human beings be linear? ”

He places Maslow’s levels 1 & 2 as supports to the fundamental one, & continues: “It is safe to assume that reason & the will to live, coupled with forming connections, are what make us humans, & differentiate us from AIs – so far. So unless the higher needs are met with the utmost care & balance, the whole pyramid tips over on its side.“

♦ FREEDOM
Maslow’s original hierarchy only works if a person is free. This reverse pyramid is Ravi Agrawal’s theoretical model : Moving from the bottom up ⬆️, more & more people are involved in our life at each stage, while the restrictions to our freedom decrease ⬇️. This means we have more choices with more opportunity to decide what we want to do.

At the same time, what kind of impact a particular negative event will have in our life depends on which level it occurs in…. the broader the category (the bigger our life is), the more disruptive it can be.

1. Base NEEDS – Upbringing: Only a few people contribute at this level, & their actions have a profound impact on a person’s psyche & thought process

2. Subconscious – Whatever your needs are for functioning, must be met. If they’re not, the whole structure is thrown off balance

3. Personal – where your ethics & values come into play. … if the previous levels aren’t met, you might be willing to sacrifice them just to ensure you can fulfill them
Agrawal suggests Ethics & Values are formed by repeated sets of experiences. At this level, everything is transactional (interaction with others, especially influenced by the role as parent, child, or peer), & is judged by the face value of events. Doing things in a certain way (positively?) leads to improvement in one’s mental attitude

4. Association – This need is stronger than anything else, more than physical ones. Even with restricted access (limited connectivity), people still want to be a part of the group. Religion, nationality, professional organizations, gangs (in jail as well)…. are all associative groups we gravitate to, without questioning the drive

5. Forced (final level before freedom) – life situations causing real-world pressures, force us to act in ways that often sacrifice basic needs like food & sleep (get a degree, don’t get fired, feed your family….) in order to achieve a goal or passion
EXP: a business person rushing to a morning appointment without enough sleep or breakfast.

IMPLIED – FREEDOM to choose: Able to function optimally with less interference from the demands of others. (See Iceberg model of Competencies)

NEXT: Reversed #2

PREVIOUS: Transcendence & the brain

SITE: “What is Self-transcendence?” 6 EXP

MODERN
In “Renovating the Pyramid of Needs: Contemporary Extensions Built Upon Ancient Foundations” Kenrick, Griskevicious, Neuberg, & Schaller, (2010) modified Maslow’s pyramid to reflect a controversial, more ‘up-to-date’ approach, based on findings from neuroscience, developmental & evolutionary psychology —> which assumes that everything in human nature is in our genes, & can only be there if it helped our Paleolithic hunter-gatherer ancestors to survive & reproduce.

😴 These sciences claim that Maslow’s Pyramid is old-fashioned & needs revamping because it missed some very basic facts about human nature not well understood in his time, but have since been emphasized by ongoing research & theory. (Arizona State U.)

In the new pyramid, reproduction of our genes is considered one of humankind’s most fundamental drives. Self-actualization may be an important concept, but is no longer considered an evolutionary requirement, & so has been eliminated. Replacing it are 3 motives researchers believe Maslow did not account for: mate acquisition, mate retention, & parenting. Kenrick et al. pointed to universal human efforts to create & maintain family bonds, & the parental investment in raising young. (Explanation of each TREE ⬇️).

In addition to this dramatic change at the top, researchers add need- overlapping. This replaces Maslow’s initial idea that once a need is met it disappears & the individual moves on to the next level.
Kenrick et al. explained that this is not accurate. The reality is that even if a person had fulfilled a level & then gone on to the next – they may have to revert to earlier ones.

This is because there’s an ongoing interplay between our internal motivations & environmental situations, either by opportunities or threats, determining which needs capture our attention at any point in life. “Cognitive systems (the human mind) are biologically prepared to learn or have evolved a vigilance for stimuli relevant to fundamental goals. Neither the stimuli nor goals exist in isolation – the psychological system has co-evolved with features of the ecology.”

HOWEVER, other researchers – such as those in the emerging field of Existential psychology, & the subjective well-beingness of Positive Psychology – have called for retaining the emphasis on personal meaning & self-actualization.

▶︎ Lonnie Aarssen (Ontario, Ca) suggests that Kenrick’s version is also missing something important.
He offers a revision, where: ” …. the exalted pyramid cap represents gene transmission success – not a motivation as such, but the overarching functional (adaptive) consequence of all of the underlying needs / drives.”

He combines Kenrick’s levels 1-3 into the Survival Drive, 4-7 into the Sexual/ Familial Drives. Between them he proposes a “…. greater emphasis on a ‘narrative of the Self’, involving motivational elements that include & expand on the idea of self-actualization…. important requirements because they help people deal with – & mask – the human reality of impermanence (we all die.)

Different ‘sub-selves’, defined by pyramid goals, are activated by environmental cues. So we might expect activation of the ‘Legacy-Drive’ subself vs. the ‘Leisure-Drive subself to be based on local ecology and culture.
One recent study of responses to mortality salience provided an intriguing example of this: European Americans tended to focus on achieving symbolic immortality (legacy), while East Asians generally wanted to engage in & enjoy life (leisure).

There can also be a blurring or blending of the various drives. For example, Legacy functions (2) also feel good, which satisfy the Leisure Drive (3), and can gather resources or earn favor in one’s social group, reaping advantage for the Survival Drive (1).

OR combining all 4 levels: Accumulation of wealth ensures survival, but also earns status (legacy), allowing for conspicuous consumption (leisure), & can attract romance (sex). (More….)

Aarssen notes that the evolutionary roots of Survival & Sexual/Familial Drives (1 & 4) are supported by a large body of literature. However, Legacy & Leisure Drives (2 & 3) are mostly hypotheses yet to be tested with more research. The assumption is that they served our ancestors well by masking consciousness of our limited life-span, (a potentially incapacitating ‘curse’) – at least until we reach reproductive maturity, so we can pass on our genes.
He believes such research can lay the groundwork for a new view of the evolutionary roots of human nature & social life.

NEXT: Modern Pyramids #2

PREVIOUS: Personal Growth

SITE: HUMAN WELL-BEING

★ “Maslow 2.0” post by Turil Cronburg, 4/18/10
Fulfilling human needs can be thought of as the matter & energy requirements of each developmental stage, created by giving & receiving interactions. Each pyramid LEVEL ⬆️ of needs indicates what a person’s motivations & behaviors are generally like – the combination of personality traits.

😴 Physical : needs of one’s own body, 0-1
🧡 Emotional: of all members of one’s intimate group, 2-3
🔎 Intellectual: of members of one’s community, ie. society, 4-7
🔆 Spiritual : the broad spectrum of needs of all living things, Apex

Consciousness is complex because it’s based on what someone is most focused on at any given time, fed mainly by the various arts of  the cerebral cortex, the outer surface of the brain. At first, as a baby, we have only a very limited awareness of our environment, but it’s still real & valid. With growth, we can pay attention to more & more PPT (people, places, things).

★ Cronburg visualizes human development as FRACTAL diagrams ⬇️, in binary form, showing the complex process of consciousness-growth, starting with pre-birth.
It’s a combination of input & output interactions between the Self (red) and family & close friends (green), human society (light blue), & all the species of Earth (dark blue).  Article: “Is Consciousness Fractal?”

0 = fetus to birth : AWARE of self-input
1 = birth to 9 months : aware of self-output
10 = 9 months to age 2 : how others’ (family/friends) outputs meet internal needs
11 = 2-3 : how self & others’ outputs combine to create new things (connections, experiences)
100 = 3-7 : how self & others’ needs are met by society

101 = 7-13 : self-outputs + society’s needs, used to meet those of others
110 = 13-19 : others’ outputs + society’s, to meet self-needs
111 = 19-35 : how self, others & society’s outputs combine to make new things (community, projects, art….)

1000 = 35-60 : aware that the planet’s outputs meet self, others & society’s needs
1001 = 60-102 : aware of how one’s own outputs can meet the planet’s needs!

‘SATISFACTION with LIFE INDEX‘ by Adrian G. White,  (U of Leicester, Eng).
It was a collection of data from a metastudy, wanting to show life satisfaction in different nations, by directly asking how happy people feel, as well as considering social & economic factors.

Subjective measures of well-being correlated most strongly with health, wealth, & access to basic education.
In 2006, Denmark ranked #1, USA at #23, & Burundi the lowest

📌Edward Diener (U of ILL) helped create a Gallup poll survey on well-being, with 60,865 participants from 123 countries (2005-2010). Qs covered:
▪︎ Basic needs (food, shelter) /  safety / social needs (love, support) / respect / mastery / & autonomy.
▪︎ 3 measures of Well-being : life evaluation (a person’s view of his or her life as a whole) / / positive feelings (day-to-day instances of joy or pleasure) / / & negative feelings (everyday experiences of sorrow, anger, or stress).

Responses clearly indicated that Maslow’s basic list of needs does apply to everyone, regardless of culture. Diener commented that while our most basic needs tend to get the most attention when we don’t have them, we don’t need to fulfill them all before benefiting from higher level needs.”
EXP: Even when we’re hungry, we can still be happy being with friends (#4 over #1)

The human brain is a complex system with parallel processes running all the time, so that many different drives can be active at the same time.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all activities lead to well-being, which are called ‘pseudo-needs’. They’re unhealthy drives leading to behaviors which never bring mature, permanent satisfaction (addictions, people-pleasing, rescuing, isolating, being controlling….. ).

Diener’s study suggests that only when looking back on the quality of our lives do the basic needs become important indicators of well-being.
— Re. Troubles:  they come mainly from lack of esteem (3), lack of freedom (2), & lack of nourishment (1), in that order
— For everyday Satisfaction: interpersonal needs – such as love & respect (3 & 4) – are most important.
Healthy human needs work independently, & like vitamins, all are necessary…. “Since each of them correlates to certain aspects of happiness, all are important – all the time.”

Martin Seligman, (U of Penn) says governments should “focus away from monetary measures, especially in light of Diener & Tay’s findings – that income has little impact on day-to-day happiness, & is significant for well-being only in so far as it allows for basic needs to be met.”

NEXT: Maslow updates #2

PREVIOUS: Spiritual Transcendence (Part 2)

NOTE:  While the value & ‘legitimacy’ of the Maslow’s Pyramid in general & the Self-Actualizing level in particular are being debated by researchers, behavioral scientists, anthropologist & psychologists, (see evolutionary theories of Human Needs: “Renovating the Pyramid of Need“, and “Updated Maslow“), we can still use the original level #5 as a way to improve our life.

Self-development –To be actualized means living up to our true potential, & Maslow suggested ways to work towards this goal – not so different from current mental health ideas. It includes not taking things personally & being less defensive. Using our steadily guided by the True Self as a stable guide gives us the best chance of becoming & staying ‘in the zone’ .

Becoming self-actualized is not an end-state, but rather a life-long process. Maslow talked about it as ‘working to do well – the thing that one wants to do’. He also talked a lot about Transcenders’ ‘peak’ experiences, as ‘transient moments‘ of self-actualization. They’re times when we feel truly at peace & in harmony with our environment & the universe, marked by feelings of euphoria & deep joy.

Behaviors leading to self-actualization:
✩ Experience life as a child can, with full absorption & concentration
✩ Listen to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority
✩ Avoid pretense (‘game playing’) & be honest
✩ Try to identify your defenses & have the courage to give them up
✩Try new things instead of sticking to safe paths
✩ Be prepared to be unpopular if your views don’t agree with the majority
✩Take responsibility & work hard

• At every moment, each of us are trying to fill a fluctuating pile of PMES needs (physical, mental, emotional & spiritual)
• Some needs are currently more important (intense) than others
• Each of us will identify, experience, & rank current needs differently
• Conflicting needs cause “problems” inside & between people
• To promote personal & social harmony, it’s useful to identify our current primary needs, rank them, & then fill the most important ones as best we can.

♦ From the Conscious Aging Institute:
In Western societies, we tend to want much more of the lower level needs in order to be satisfied, compared to Eastern peoples. Therefore, Western egos & desires for more objects & status often slow our progress toward self-actualization & transcendence, even are inhibited by them altogether.

♦ The Peak Performance Center had some suggestions to counted this trend. Maslow believed that educators should respond to the potential an individual has for growing into a self actualized being.  He recommends ways education can switch from its usual person-stunting tactics to person-growing approaches. If we were taught to recognize our potential from our earliest years, we could achieve our dreams.

EDUCATORS can help / teach everyone:
• to see that our basic needs are satisfied, including safety, belonging & esteem
• to discover our vocation, calling, fate or destiny in life, especially focused on finding the right career & the right mate

• to accept ourselves as we really are, based on our inner nature. To be authentic, & hear the inner-feeling voice. From accurate awareness of our aptitudes & limitations we can know what our true potential is & what to build our life on

• that life is precious, that there’s joy to be experienced in life, & if we’re open to seeing the good & positive in all kinds of situations, it makes life worth living
• to refresh our consciousness, by appreciating beauty & all good things in nature & life in general

• to be good choosers, & given practice to make the best possible ones
• that controls are good, & complete abandon is bad. It takes healthy self-control to improve the quality of life in all areas (Cartoon: Chris Wildt)
• to transcend our cultural conditioning & become world citizens
• to transcend life’s trifling problems, & grapple with the serious ones, including injustice, pain, suffering & death.
(from “Psychology – Search for Understanding”, Simons, Irwin & Drinnien)

NEXT: 

PREVIOUS:Spiritual Transcendence #1

SITEs: Of 2 minds – Is the brain wired for faith? (Catholic focus)

REVIEW: Transcendence is identified as an emotional & mental connection with a Higher Power, or as experiencing cosmic unity

RESEARCH: For decades scientists studying the brain mainly focused on mental illness or physical injuries. Now advances in Neuroscience are beginning to identify  complex mental processes & brain activity. EXPs:
▪︎ Scans of normal vs Alzheimer’s brains —->
▪︎ The effect of child abuse & PTSD, which parts respond to music… where emotions, memory, facial recognition show up…. ALSO,
▪︎ Some spiritual moments are tightly linked to “fight-or-flight” regions related to survival impulses

Researchers are also finding a neuro-psychological basis for spirituality, & like any emotionally intense human experience, it involve multiple brain systems. EXP:
When Carmelite nuns were asked to remember their most intense mystical experience (bliss), neuro-imaging noted activity in their:
— RIGHT medial orbito-frontal cortex, middle temporal cortex, caudate, inferior & superior parietal lobules
— LEFT medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, inferior parietal lobule, insula, caudate, brainstem.

▪︎ Other studies found that when nuns meditated on a Bible verse – their language regions lit up, & for monks focusing on a sacred object, it was the visual areas.

▶︎ Scientists at Columbia & Yale believe there’s a universal, cognitive (mental) basis for spirituality – as opposed to cultural grounding. They chose to do a study that “sought to directly examine spiritual experiences, particularly when using a broader, modern definition that may be independent of religiousness.”

Participating psychiatrist Marc Potenza stated that finding “the neural bases of spiritual experiences may help us better understand their roles in resilience, & for recovery from mental health & addictions.”
In this study (published 2018) participants were given fMRI scans while listening to recordings based on their personal spiritual experiences. All of them showed changes in the parietal cortex, specifically less brain activity in the left inferior parietal lobule, which minimized sensation, attention, spatial orientation & language – differing from responses to other forms of relaxation.

This shift may explain how spiritual experiences can reduce or even eliminated altogether the barrier between oneself & others. It showed that transcendence is a real, measurable phenomenon, whether it involves communion with God (church), nature (trees), or humanity (at a music concert, sports stadium)….. Although we definitely need good boundaries for protection & to manage reality, removing the barrier every so often is also valuable.

▶︎ Brick Johnstone Ph.D (with the interdisciplinary faculty at U of Missouri) asks: “What is it about humans that allows us to experience Spiritual Transcendence?”
Their answer: “Spiritual experiences are based on the neuro-psychological process of “selflessness.” 

It’s known that the precuneus portion of the parietal lobes on both sides of the brain are involved in episodic memory, visuo-spatial processing, & aspects of consciousness. This area defines & focuses ‘self-orientation‘.
Proof: when a person looks at a picture of themself, the right parietal lobe (RPL) lights up, seen with the help of electrodes placed on the scalp.

IN CONTRAST
▪︎ Studies of Buddhist monks in meditation or Franciscan nuns deep in prayer – showed a minimization of their RPL.
▪︎ Andrew Newberg (U of PA) discovered that the frontal lobe, associated with focus & concentration, lights up at the same time as the parietal lobe, integrating sensory info, goes dim. (Meditation Scans)

▪︎ Reports of brain injuries at U of Chicago & of tumor patients in Italy showed that injury to the RPL is associated with increased reports of an altered state of consciousness. Therefore, when that part is suppressed, by injury or during religious rituals, we focus less on the Self as a separate entity, making it easier to notice things outside & beyond oneself.

This does not mean one must be brain-damaged to have such experiences, nor that there’s one spot in the brain that makes us believe in God. Rather, both religious practices & injuries/ disorders can minimize a focus on the self, increasing spiritual transcendence.
Research does not claim to know spiritual truths, but it does show how the brain allows for different kinds of spiritual experiences – what Christians call God, Buddhists Nirvana, & atheists being connected to the earth.

NEXT: MODERN Pyramid #1

PREVIOUS: Transcendence #2

BOOK: “The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul“

▪︎ Living with our Spiritual Brain

BACKGROUND: Maslow’s parents were first generation Jewish immigrants from Kiev (living in Brooklyn, NY), & he experienced anti-Semitism from teachers & schoolmates. Coupled with a troubled relationship with his mother & no childhood friends, he become a loner, spending hours in libraries.

As an adult – he was an atheist & so found it difficult to accept religious experience as valid, unless placed in a positivistic framework. Rather than ascribing peak experiences to God (as did many people he interviewed), Maslow argued that the basic experience is human, & that we use the language of “God” to describe it because that’s the only language available in most cultures to discuss such things. Accordingly, his “God” was the description, not the cause.

In contrast to Maslow, Victor Frankl – founder of Logotherapy & Existential Analysis – was deeply religious, & considered religious-spiritual experiences an important part of human nature. This in spite of what he suffered in Auschwitz, & where he lost his wife, his mother & brother.

Frankl criticized Maslow’s Humanistic Psychology movement for overlooking the transcendent nature of human experience.  He said: “Religion is the search for ultimate meaning…. not about ensuring the accomplishment of a relaxed life conduct, or the lack of conflict or some other psycho-hygienic objective. Religion offers more to human beings than psychotherapy, & indeed expects more from us.”

Their contemporary, Carl Jung, was luckier than Frankl – as a Swiss citizen he was spared the hell of war. Even so, the mental/emotional instability of his mother & the experience of poverty in his early years also caused psychological injuries. Yet he too was profoundly spiritual, delving into its many forms.

And the French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said:  “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience”.

3 Intelligences – IQ = Mental  //  EQ = Emotional // SQ = Spiritual
SQ says that human beings are essentially spiritual creatures, driven by a need to ask fundamental / ultimate questions. It allows us to be creative, seek answers & play an ‘infinite’ game. Spiritual experiences can be communing with God, for humanists – a feeling of oneness with nature, embracing humanity, or as simple as being elated during sporting events.

BENEFITS of enhanced SQ = resilience:
• live an energetic & balanced life
• effectively manage emotions
• become more reflective & introspective
• build capacity to face life’s ups & downs
• reluctance to cause unnecessary harm (also slide #46)

BLENDING – In a 2011 article, Dr. Melvin Morse wrote: “Recent scientific advances in Neuroscience & Information Theory have triggered a profound shift currently rippling through all areas of society – the long-awaited reunion of Science & Spirituality.  The New Paradigm embraces consciousness as a primal component of the Universe, no less than the mathematical laws which are also embedded in it.

Like prior shifts, ‘Consciousness Comes First’ does not overthrow our current knowledge of material reality. It simply adds a deeper level of understanding, that our Universe is made of ‘Vital Dust’, as Nobel Laureate Christian De Duve described it.” (More….)

Tony Jack & Julie Exline (Case Western Reserve U.) have studied the pragmatic conflict between science & spirituality/religion. They used neural imaging to shed light on the divide, finding that the differences come from the brain’s wiring.

Humans have 2 mutually exclusive & distinct neural pathways, so when one is activated, the other shuts down:
— an Analytical mode, ie. task positive network, which kicks in when we need to solve a task,  AND
— an Empathetic mode, ie. default mode network, which helps us understand other people’s emotions, & to identify with them.(More….)

Exline reminds us that our analytical mind sometimes comes up short on answers to life’s problems. Her research shows that when people dealing with spiritual struggles avoid tackling the big existential questions, their mental health suffers. Science & spiritual inquiry, says Jack, are like breathing in & breathing out. “You can’t do both at the same time, but you need both to stay healthy & well.”

A 2012 study which followed 114 adults for 10 years, showed that those with strong spiritual convictions had only one-fourth the risk for major depression, compared to their opposites. Researches stated : “Spiritual experiences involve pronounced shifts in perception, buffering the effects of stress on mental health.”  (American Journal of Psychiatry).

In addition to strengthening intellectual abilities, cultivating spiritual experiences can help people lead emotionally richer lives, & develop more open minds.
Surprisingly, it’s science that’s telling us to be more spiritual.

NEXT: Spiritual Transcendence #2

PREVIOUS: Transcendence (#2)

SITE: Some thoughts about “Meaning“

HUMAN TRANSCENDENCE
DEF:  An experiential meaning-making process to form extraordinary connections within, & beyond the self with others – in time & space.

♦ In his Spiritual Awakening Blog – Jim Tolles defines Transcendence as the a conscious ability to choose how we respond to any situation – about walking through the fire (of life & Self), not away from it. ‘Achieving’ spiritual transcendence is NOT about:
– running away from oneself, or being free of ego
– that we’ll somehow be better than everyone else
– never feeling pain or facing adversity again. Life still brings hard times.

Transcendence is the OPPOSITE of reactions from the ego state, choosing something we think would get us the best result or would get us away from uncomfortable feelings. These are driven mainly by fear, aggression, or anything that’s heart self-protective, where we react & then later have to clean up the mess it made.

Tolles continues: Transcendence is like going to a new floor in the building (the Earth). Awakening is the elevator, but you still live in it, & have certain rules to abide by (our body, dealing with others…). All these things make an ego a useful tool. BUT it’s erratic & out of control…..

Transcendence doesn’t think the ego-way. It doesn’t exactly think. It’s an intuitive knowing that allows you to see a bigger picture, and from that awareness, you can choose actions that allows you to see where you’re out of alignment with love & kindness, & then consciously re-align yourself.

♦ In “Transcendence & Spiritual JOY” – Cabrini Pak, (U of Chicago), sees transcendence as a process rather than a specific event or continuous state of being, which allows for various possible outcomes:
1) Stabilizing a sense of Self, to better answer: “What am I?”

2) Making extra-ordinary connections within & outside the Self, with space-time moral connections to specific meaningful events, which can then be used for future reference

Anti-transcendence, the reverse, is the end result of someone not being able to make positive meaning from a personally relevant extremely negative event, (see Post above). This inability is accompanied by markers such as profound shame or guilt, or a lack of valued support, which then overshadow future experiences.

Transcendence requires enough personal growth (actualization) to extract positive meaning from difficult & painful situations in life. Here are 3 ways:

A. Understanding / figuring it out – by thinking
B. Discovering it for oneself – by reflection, pondering, letting the unconscious work, meditating….
C. Create it – by taking actions, trying something & observing the outcome

EXAMPLE re. Illness
Dr. Marie Dezelic, Living with Meaning, applies Victor Frankl’s Logotherapy & its techniques to ‘Meaning in Illness’. The idea is that regardless which specific needs may be thwarted, each patient has the capability of “becoming”, even in the face of the unsatisfied ones. (Frankl)

Goethe stated: “If we take people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat them as if they were what they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming”. And from Niklaus Graber (2004): “The resources of inner strengths are to be found in the spiritual dimension”.

Dr. Dezelic: “With cancer, or any terminal illness, many of the basic lower level (D) needs are missing, or are changed altogether”…… Suffering can take over one’s identity, & while higher level needs (B) may be longed for, they’re hard to pursue, so existential value & meaning are ignored.

Logotherapy can help diagnosed patients construct a new way of seeing themselves, focused on “Being” & “Becoming,” rather than on what was lost, changed, or on any limits the person is faced with. So while the needs caused by illness are addressed, ‘Meaning’ can also be worked on

As shown on this pyramid, not all lower areas of meaning have to be met or progressed through in order to reach transcendence. Instead, all meaning-making opportunities can lead toward it to form a new self-understanding.

NOTE: People who have a solid faith in God / Higher Power already have a clearer sense of Meaning / purpose / reason, giving them a strong foundation to rely on in the face of any adversity.

Helpful CHARTS re. : Hope, Processing Grief & Healing

NEXT: Maslow “Modern”