By Michael Bernard Beckwith — 2010
Is there something woven into the fundamental fabric of our being that urges us to seek fulfillment beyond the offerings of the external world?
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Our normal waking consciousness . . . is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.
Maslow’s highest level on the hierarchy of needs.
Sometimes intimate moments can be life-changing and this is worth exploring.
Self-transcendence is, at its core, about transcending (or rising above) the self and relating to that which is greater than the self.
“People have these unaccountable mystic experiences,” Ehrenreich tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “Generally they say nothing or they label it as ‘God’ and get on with their lives. I’m saying, ‘Hey, no, let’s figure out what’s going on here.’ ”
It turns out, mystical experiences may stem from the brain letting go of inhibitions, opening a “door of perception,” the researchers found.
Many people have a spiritual experience on psychedelics. How they make meaning of it could be influenced by the metaphysical beliefs of their therapists.
Abraham Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs is depicted as a triangle with self-actualization at the very top. Right before his death, Maslow wanted to add another to the hierarchy: Self-transcendence.
As we search for ways of understanding the possibly infinite resources of human consciousness, I suggest that the potential of psychedelics as tools for learning should not be ignored.
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Before we claim that spiritual experiences heal, we must agree on what a spiritual experience is.