Psychology And Spirituality

Let me share my personal reflections with you.

The word psychology has several meanings to me. The first thought that come to mind is mental illnesses and how psychologists and psychiatrists do everything they can to understand the workings of the human mind. Then, I move on to thinking of psychotherapy where the therapist and client explore human suffering by connecting with the client's feelings and thoughts. To me, psychology can be as fascinating as it can be mysterious. What does psychology mean to you? Take a moment to think about it...

Spirituality on the other hand calls forth images of colorful ceremonies and rituals staged in exquisite temples. Spirituality also makes me think of individuals who withdraw from the hustle and bustle of modern life and seek out solitude to rests in the present moment.

Now, what does psychology and spirituality have in common and at what point do these studies of mind merge or overlap if you like? This post is of an experimental nature - join me as I dive into the pool of conscious experience...

Psychological Theories And Observations

Psychology endeavors to understand the mind and human behavior through thinking. No matter how trivial it may seem it must never the less be clearly understood - if not, we won't be able to appreciate the differences between the psychological and spiritual approaches in their endeavors to understand the workings of the human mind.

One of the kernel tools applied in psychology, is thought. By intellectualizing we come up with ideas, causes and effects that we end up calling theories.

These theories are not truths or facts as such, but rather assumptions of how something might work. It's the intellect that gives rise to these theories. Now, as a second step psychologists or researchers if you like carry out studies where they observe human behavior and it's the combination of these theories and collected research data that together form the foundation of psychology.

To sum it up, psychology depends on intellectual theories and external observations as its chief tools. Of course, one could argue that it's possible to measure a patient's EEG and other biochemical reactions during research, however, these remain external observations of the mind and human behavior. In order to move away from this external mode of research, we have to enter upon the mind itself.

Spirituality And Awareness

So, what are the differences between thinking and awareness? If you had fired this question at me 10 years ago, I would probably have replied,"To think is to process words while being aware is to give an object attention." I don't have a problem with these definitions of thinking and awareness, but are they really true? I would say that it all depends on who you ask.

Someone with direct or first-hand experience of awareness would relate to it quite differently, but doesn't every human being have first-hand experiences of awareness? Sure, even a fetus is aware of it's surroundings which means that awareness is not limited by birth.

Thinking Versus Awareness

Most of us are caught up in a 16-hour cycle of non-stop daydreaming, with sleep as our only rescue. Of course there are brief moments when we're not, but those moments are far and few between. Think about it, if you're traveling on a bus or train for example, what would you normally think about? Your mind would probably be processing thoughts about the fellow passengers, what you did yesterday, what you're going to do when the bus arrives at its destination and you're quite likely to make plans for tomorrow.

I call it daydreaming, when the mind runs around like a stressed chicken. You may think that you're in total control of these thought processes - but you're not. The daydreaming makes us absent-minded to the point where awareness of the present moment only occurs during fleeting moments.

Nonstop thinking is the nature of the human mind. Do you find it hard to accept the facts presented so far? Not to worry, resisting is another high-profile characteristic of the mind. Besides, don't believe in anything I say or write - reflect on it and find out the truth for yourself. So, what is awareness then?

Awareness the way we talk about it here, is simply consciousness without thought. When we think we're aware, that's true. But this kind of awareness is only momentary and clouded by distractions. The type of awareness that I'm pointing to is steadfast and completely free of thinking.

The Restless Mind

Imagine you've got a stomach ache and you're lying down on your bed and for a brief moment you only pay attention to the discomforting pain, without any thoughts going through your mind. This is pure awareness or pure consciousness if you like. Awareness doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

To be able to sustain this mode of awareness takes a lot of practice though, because the nature of the human mind is to process thoughts from morning till night, with sleep as its only refuge - the mind is as restless as it is active.

The Nature Of Awareness

So, let's take a look at the main tool used in spirituality for the purpose of understanding the mind and human behavior. When we're fully aware of the present moment, there are no thoughts processed by the mind. This makes the mind peaceful and calm. Most people have probably never experienced such calm during an awake state because normally only sleep is able to calm us down to this degree. Now, someone who meditates a lot becomes radiant as the purity of mind shines through the physical body.

Spiritual Observations

Unlike in psychology where theories and external observations make for advancements, in spirituality the understanding of the mind and human behavior stems from direct observations of the mind itself.

The tool used is relaxed and steadfast awareness of the present moment. What could be more natural than letting the mind observe itself in the quest to understand its own nature? For those of you who have little or no experience of awareness of the present moment, all I can say is that awareness has to be experienced - thinking about it is not it.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with awareness, I recommend that you download my guided meditation Learning To Relax. No previous experience needed, practice makes perfect...

Psychology Meets Spirituality

There are many books where these two approaches to understanding the human mind are combined. Note that psychology leans more towards spirituality than the other way around. It's also true that most of the inspiration has been drawn from buddhism. So, where does psychology merge with spirituality and what do these two schools of mind have in common?

For one, they share the same aspirations when it comes to understanding the workings of the mind and human behavior. Two, the psychology camp has realized and is starting to recognize the lofty benefits of present moment awareness especially as a therapeutic tool. Hopefully, psychology as a science will continue to open up to the healing qualities of awareness.

Unfortunately, few if any scientists have developed their abilities to be aware to a high-enough degree to successfully apply these faculties in their quest to understand the mind. Besides, your colleagues would probably shrug their shoulders and turns their backs on you - if you as scientist based your research on observations by the mind itself!

Emphasizing Awareness

Spirituality gives little importance to thinking and intellectualizing, instead it points to awareness as the path to insight into the nature of conscious experience. So, in order to understand the mind, the mind has to observe itself.

It's my wish that the field of psychology will continue to open up to awareness of the present moment and look deeper into this wisdom that has been cultivated over millennia by spiritual seekers. Many patients would benefit from these changes. What it would take to bring about this change are influential health professionals with open hearts.

Awareness of the present makes for superior understanding of the mind and the mysteries of mankind. Find out for yourself...

Best of luck!

Related: Subtle Intuitions Memory And Thought Guided Meditation

You are welcome to share your experiences with me!

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