Through the use of these techniques (setting aside whether we call them “meditation,” “contemplation,” “prayer,” etc.), regardless of one’s particular religious tradition, practitioners have triggered otherwise atypical experiences that are characterized by emotional equanimity (or decreased emotional volatility), increased awareness (or decreased dissociation), and long-term psychological flexibility (or decreased cognitive and affective rigidity). Greek Orthodox monks at Mount Athos might describe this experience as opening oneself to the divine energy that pervades all things, including our bodies; while Sufi dervishes might appeal to the end of Attar’s Conference of the Birds, when the birds, in search of their new king, are simply shown a mirror.
Temazcal: A Mayan Tradition Ego Death???s a Celt
I share this as a reminder that there exists a boundless cultural history of healing methodology to be explored. Howler monkeys wake us on…