Tami Simon—Measuring the Immeasurable
As a society, we value what we can count. Without qualitative proof that t system or practice offers benefits, it’s an uphill battle toward social acceptance. We need scientific evidence of the results of spiritual practice so that experts in such fields as educations, healthcare and medicine, psychology and psychiatry, can seriously consider the inclusion and integration of spiritual approaches in their work. If we are able to measure, for example, how slow, calm breathing lowers cortisol levels in the blood and therefore reduces stress and anxiety, then slow, calm breathing can become a medical prescription—not simply a practice marginalized to the world of yogis and mediators.
Additionally, many people already on a spiritual path may draw strength and validation from having their subjective experiences confirmed by the objective tools of science. For some people, the language of science is the language of the prevailing authority of our time. If there are scientific studies that confirm and validate the experiential realizations of mystics, saints, sages and intentional healers, this may provide important support and encouragement to some spiritual practitioners.
Moreover, what if research—and specifically the emerging field of neuroscience—can help spiritual practitioners refine and hone the way we approach traditional contemplative practices? It’s only in the last century, with the invention of the EEG machine, that scientists have had an objective way to measure brain activity; it’s more recent still that researchers have begun to take an active interest in exploring the correlations between contemplative practice and brain structure and function. From the use of biofeedback in meditation practice to the manipulation of our brainwave patterns through auditory stimulation, the possibilities for scientific discover are endless. If research findings and “new spiritual technologies” can help accelerate our access to expanded states of consciousness, I am interested and want to know more.
As a society, we value what we can count. Without qualitative proof that t system or practice offers benefits, it’s an uphill battle toward social acceptance. We need scientific evidence of the results of spiritual practice so that experts in such fields as educations, healthcare and medicine, psychology and psychiatry, can seriously consider the inclusion and integration of spiritual approaches in their work. If we are able to measure, for example, how slow, calm breathing lowers cortisol levels in the blood and therefore reduces stress and anxiety, then slow, calm breathing can become a medical prescription—not simply a practice marginalized to the world of yogis and mediators.
Additionally, many people already on a spiritual path may draw strength and validation from having their subjective experiences confirmed by the objective tools of science. For some people, the language of science is the language of the prevailing authority of our time. If there are scientific studies that confirm and validate the experiential realizations of mystics, saints, sages and intentional healers, this may provide important support and encouragement to some spiritual practitioners.
Moreover, what if research—and specifically the emerging field of neuroscience—can help spiritual practitioners refine and hone the way we approach traditional contemplative practices? It’s only in the last century, with the invention of the EEG machine, that scientists have had an objective way to measure brain activity; it’s more recent still that researchers have begun to take an active interest in exploring the correlations between contemplative practice and brain structure and function. From the use of biofeedback in meditation practice to the manipulation of our brainwave patterns through auditory stimulation, the possibilities for scientific discover are endless. If research findings and “new spiritual technologies” can help accelerate our access to expanded states of consciousness, I am interested and want to know more.