Fascinating! I have taken a shirt hiatus from my studies, but this seems like a great jumping off point to understand scientific applications as they relate to the "non-ordinary states of conciousness".
to have a focus on concerning issues that deal with experiences that are traditionally classified as mystical or religious.
This is of great importance to me, as I have observed people backing off while on the verge of some really interesting insights into these planes but at a certain point start down the mysticism/religious path and let that be where it lies. I am far too skeptical and rational to take the leap just yet, but I can enjoy the opportunity to learn when I'm wrong. I have confidence in the power of science to reveal evidence further, especially with the resurgence of interest in exploring these phenomena.
I feel ya - I can be pretty skeptical and rational at times. Even though I have studied Transpersonal Psychology and find myself very deeply rooted in the philosophy, some of the New Age stuff I approach with caution. It gets kind of crazy! I think applying some science and rigor to these techniques and theories is important. It is definitely a delicate balance. When do you actually let go, trust the process, and have some faith in the unknown and when do you approach it with rigor, rationally, and some objective truth?
One interesting point that Stan Grof makes is that many of the health sciences - medicine, psychology, psychiatry, etc. are kind of stuck in this Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm while some other fields of science like physics have broken someone-what free from the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. What would medicine or psychology look like if we explored outside the mechanistic box that dictates these disciplines? Or is it even possible?
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There are so many channels to keep up with! I realized I haven't made a post here in about 2 months.. eek! I'll have to try and keep up with it!
Thanks again!
-Kyle