On the Practice of Self-Generated Hallucination
Recent studies surrounding the nature of the visual patterns that result from meditation and other practices.
Jared Lindahl, researcher at Warren Wilson College and expert in the clinical analysis of meditation, recently published a study where he compares the visual hallucinations reported by people who meditate regularly. The resemblance between different patients’ visions and the similarities these share with those who practice voluntary sensorial deprivation is astounding.
After interviewing 28 subjects who for a long time have regularly meditated, Lindahl discovered that many of their descriptions about the hallucinations they experience during meditation (with open or closed eyes) are surprisingly similar: lights with sphere shapes, cobwebs and rays of light. On occasions, these visions move and float side by side. Additionally, some patients describe lights that emerge from behind them or from certain objects they observe during the practice.
Buddhist literature, specifically in the Theravada tradition, refers to the visions of meditators and calls them nimmita. In said texts, the hallucinations are described as pearls, clouds, moons, suns, lotus flowers, cobwebs, smoke clouds or stars, and the shapes that are perceived boast different meanings: in some cases they are the reflection of the pure mind of the meditator, while in others the symbol of an object that exists in reality.
Lindahl has also studied the relation between these visual patterns and those reported by individuals with neurophysiological disorders. The researcher maintains that this type of visions is very similar to that experienced by people who practice voluntary sensorial deprivation, isolation or stimulation (through blindfolds or earplugs, for instance) used by some alternative medicine disciplines. This type of isolation generates a hypersensitivity in the brain which results in neuronal reactions in the face of barely perceptible stimuli.
In some way, meditation is a sensorial privation, since the practice fosters inner silence and, in some cases, it implies closing our eyes or turning the lights off. This inspiring phenomenon, similar to lucid dreams, is also a voluntary act, which is why, after adequate training, visions can be generated at will.
Aside from their aesthetic potential, their lucid character or their experimental usefulness, the art of self-induced hallucinations is yet another example of the infinite field we have at our disposal to exercise the mind. And if we understand the mind as a seed that germinates in that which we call reality then, perhaps, we will confirm that we are designed to lay the foundations of a new world. At the end of the day, we are engineers of reality.
Tagged: Eccentricity, Hallucinations, Human Brain, Mind
Related Articles
Why shrinking the size of life is synonymous of well-being
One of the great misunderstandings regarding modern spirituality is that to achieve it requires many things: readings, food, exercise, travel, groups and techniques. But perhaps it should be suggested
What is energy medicine yoga?
Energy Medicine Yoga (EMYoga) is slightly different from other types of Yoga, but it provides the same benefits in addition to a few very specific ones. One of them is that it gives you much more in
Red tea, the best antioxidant beverage on earth
Red tea is considered to be the most unusual of teas because it implies a consistently different preparation process. ––It is believed that its finding came upon surprisingly when traditional green
Is the internet on the verge of self-awareness?
More than 50 years ago, Marshall McLuhan described technology as an extension of our brains, constantly mutating and branching out. “These new media have made our world into a single unit,” the
How art can help us to age, healthy
Perhaps many of us already well know the formula for aging in health and wellness. A balanced diet and, as much as possible, one that’s natural. Keep our brains active and stimulated. Preserve and
Earthanima: documenting the living language of nature
The basic intuition that the Earth is alive and that nature has a language through which it communicates with us is what prompted this wood-art project named Earthanima. For the past couple of years
Dialogue with the Dalai Lama on science and spirituality
The Dalai Lama has been interested in science since he was a child. Over the years he’s visited many laboratories and has attended conferences that discuss consciousness from the scientific point of
Brian Eno's literary recommendations to rebuild society
Artists and authors often get asked what books or records they’d take with them to a deserted island. On principle, this is naturally an extreme anthology: urgency and tragedy guide its selection. It
Bill Mollison, natural ideologue and father of permaculture
Permaculture has established itself as a path towards communitarianism, but one that is in full symbiosis with nature. In practice, it is more than just a combination of agriculture, horticulture
A New Year's resolution for the earth
Worrisome quantities of waste are generated by human populations. Especially in cities, these have reached unprecedented and alarming levels. A largely uncontrolled practice, it affects everything on