Essay Example on Neuropsychology of Spiritual Experiences: Exploring the Brain's Role

Religious and spiritual experiences are highly complex states that involve numerous brain structures, including those involved in higher-order sensory and cognitive input processing, and those involved in the elaboration of autonomic responses and emotions. A neuropsychology analysis can help elucidate the biological correlates of experiences and provide new information about the function of the human brain. The main aim of this paper is to research the ability of neuropsychology and spirituality and their benefits for one’s mental well-being.

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Sobiecki (177) explained that psychoactive plants had been perceived to play a significant role in the initiation process and religious practices of southern African traditional healers. It indicates a common mechanism of action of utilizing plant medicines towards vomiting and cleansing within the Ayurvedic and South African traditional medicine systems that hold a comparable psychoactive healing outcome. A sequential utilization of initiation plant medicine classifications as part of their spiritual practices within both the South African and South American traditional medicine systems shows a therapeutic healing technology across cultures and self-evolvement by traditional healers in both countries.

According to Sobiecki (178), the use of cleansing medicines with the primary purpose of ritually letting go of the past, whereas preparing for the emergence of the new involves the use of a single essential medicine. Sufficiently cleansing oneself with this finely ground powder, which is rich in flavonoids and tannins, not only clean ritual pollution, but it also gives one the feeling of being energized as well as more confidence. The use of the medicine by carefully adhering to the strict dietary and behavioral restrictions greatly helps in enabling an effective familiarization with the enhanced consciousness states experienced and assist in anchoring new learnings. The conscious mind comprises everything of human awareness. It is the aspect of an individual's mental processing that people can think as well as talk about in a rational manner. The enhanced conscious mind is beneficial since it includes feelings, perceptions, fantasies, memories, and sensations inside a human's current awareness. The medicine is well known for its emetic, purgative, anthelmintic, and laxative properties as well.

The foam produced by ubulawu is consumed at night. The infusion is drunk first thing in the morning, and on an empty stomach, which is then vomited with for cleansing an individual, shows saponins, some of which are said to be psychoactive. It is used for opening luck, enhancing the dreaming process, producing clearer thinking, and more energy. The medicines are also responsible for increased sensitivity as well as intuition to the point that one feels overwhelmed with an urge to be in any place with a lot of stimuli. These effects are as a result of the vomiting cleansing action with the ubulawu plant medicines along with the psychoactive properties of the given species utilized that are absorbed in the body. Sobiecki (179), claimed that the significance of being clean within one's body to have good mental well-being together with the connection should not be overstated at all. On the contrary, the culmination of prolonged use of medicine is associated with the feeling of being forced to face the deepest personal questions of one's life. Additionally, the use of strong medicines such as ayahuasca helps open the mind of an individual.

The licorice medicine referred to 'sweet mouth' functions as a tonic for calming and boosting one's energy (Sobiecki,179-180). It has fast uplifting effects of allowing an individual to calm as well as to speak easily, whereby other people easily reflect this kind of behavior through communication. The medicine is used to assist in grounding the initiate following what can be an intense opening and for helping to anchor new insights into possible new behavior and learnings. Also, the use of the red strengthening medicine is beneficial for relaxing an individual and also assists the initiates in stabilizing together with strength following an intense mind opening period. It strengthens an individual spiritually and physically for the person to be in a position to move forward within the learning process.

As with other social support forms, spiritual or religious support can serve as a valuable source of information, self-esteem, companionship, and practical help that enables individuals to cope effectively with stress and negative life events or even exerts their significant effects. Robinson (11) argued that certain expressions or elements of spirituality are capable of positively affecting several physiological mechanisms involved in health. Many emotions encouraged in numerous spiritual traditions, comprising of hope, forgiveness, contentment, and love, may serve a person by basically affecting the neural pathways which connect to the endocrine as well as immune systems. Neuropsychology and spirituality have been associated with marital satisfaction, general well-being, and overall psychological functioning. Similarly, Ho et al. (86), indicated that certain spiritual activities are capable of affecting the mental health of individuals undergoing schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. In general, spirituality is beneficial in effectively contributing to mental health together with well-being, mental illness as well as recovery.

Conclusion

The initiation medicine procedure is a pragmatic technology utilized for interrupting old behavior patterns and familiarizing the initiate with enhanced awareness' states, self-inquiry, growth along with potential self-mastery which is afforded by the ritual context and the psychoactive medicines produced from plants. In the modern world, numerous westerners are focusing on the use of plant medicines primarily for cleansing the body, hence opening the mind via a gradual procedure of enhanced intuition and sensitivity. Therefore, the subtle psychoactive impact of initiation plant medicines plays a vital role in psychological and spiritual healing.

Work Cited

Ho, Rainbow Tin Hung, et al. "Understandings of spirituality and its role in illness recovery in persons with schizophrenia and mental-health professionals: a qualitative study." BMC Psychiatry 16.1 (2016): 86.

Robinson, Spencer M. "A Scientific Study of Spirituality as the Foundation of Consciousness & the Core Component of Mental Health & a Meaningful Life." Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research 11.3 (2020).

Sobiecki, J. "Psychoactive initiation plant medicines: Their role in the healing and learning process of South African and Upper Amazonian traditional healers." Ethnopharmacological search for psychoactive drugs (2017): 175-180.