PART I
Dear Santosh,
You appear to carry a chip (or is it a log) on your shoulder against the
word"Catholic" and/or the Catholic religion.(quite similar to a psychiatric
illness called misogyny-- an illness afflicting human persons who hate of all
persons--- WOMEN) This is clearly apparent from your replies.I have not said
that "Catholic priests are immune to murders and suicides" as you claim I have
done.You are trying to misrepresent my post, therefore I am constrained to
resoundingly assert-- with Charity-- that this part is your interpretation
arising from the MUSCLE that lies between your two ears, not an evolved human
brain .If you were to peruse my post carefully you would notice that I have
referred to spirituality not religion. Spirituality could be based on
Hindu,Islamic,Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Zorastarian,Shintaoism or any other
practice that provides solace to the human person. Are the Vedas, Ramayana,
Mahabharata, Bible, Koran , or other
literature like that of Shakespeare, Kalidas, etc, etc peer-reviewed or peer
reviewable? The aim of discussion is to ELUCIDATE NOT OBSCURE. The bogey of
peer-review is either misunderstood or intentionally misconstrued to create a
smokescreen. According to my understanding the word "spirituality" encompasses
all matters relating to the psyche ,and which psyche is not material. Is it
any wonder that Psychiatry refers to psych ?
There is no point in you being obstinate and cussed in your approach, as I am
looking forward for you to prove, that the starting point of Science
is NOT based on "faith". How else can science proceed without believing
implicitly in the "predictability" of nature (even as to morphology of
animals/humans) and even say that all development of embryos proceeds along a
certain pattern. Is asserting that not unscientific, since future outcomes are
predicted on a MINISCULE sample size? What about your "scientific temper and
method" relating to representative sample size? But for "faith in yourself" you
cannot call yourself normal or abnormal.
To paraphrase what an enlightened person said " I might not agree with what you
say, but I will be ready unto death to defend your right to say it". There is
enough material available to meet your silly example, but I shall not do so
as I have no intention to match you in the ridiculous. On a parting note though
I would request you to read medical literature available on the role of
meditation in lowering/reducing hypertension. Or perhaps you would like to
reply that meditation is not a spiritual practice? Other books you may like to
refer to are " Man's Search for Meaning" by a medical Dr. Viktor Frankl, a
psychiatrist who survived the Nazi Prison Camps,who is regarded as the Founder
of Logotherapy. You may also like to read about the work of a medical Dr. Hess
,another Psychiatrist who uses "regressional therapy" to heal and bring to
surface "past lives experience" since he believes in the Hindu/Buddhist theory
of "transmigration of the soul".
Would you still like to deny the role of Spirituality in Psychiatry.
Obviously, you are free to choose your own "frame of reference".
With every good wish,
Gerry
PART II
Dear Santosh,
Since you both insist and persist that you need empirical evidence please
find copied two primary articles on Spirituality and Psychiatry and
Physiology.There is a surfeit of data. Will endeavour to forward only that
which immediately fit the hat.
As to the Jesuit part , it is contained in a text-book on Counselling written
by Joachim Fuster. S. J. Phd.The origin, role of Spirituality and Religion in
Psychiatric illnesses was also examined by the late Bishop Fulton Sheen
(holding a doctorate in Philosophy & another doctorate in Theology) Since
these sources to my personal knowledge are definitely Catholic in origin, I
have not included them so as to spare you the pain and effort ,as also because
these would be "worthless trash" in your eyes.
Most of the other researchers are Christian in origin except some who are
Atheists/Socialists/Communists by conviction. The success of the Alcoholic
Anonymous (AA) methodology which is open to all irrespective of religious
affiliation, has spawned treatments for human beings irrespective of religious
non-belief/belief, for other addictive conditions related to Overeating,Drug
Abuse,Nymphomania,Satyrism etc etc.Will you wake up atleast now and smell the
coffee? Do feel free to seek elucidation, if you deem it to be neccessary.
With every good wish,
Gerry
Psychiatr Serv 57:307-309, March 2006doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.307© 2006
American Psychiatric Association
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Columns
Innovations: Alcohol & Drug Abuse: Spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous: A
Valuable Adjunct to Psychiatric Services
Marc Galanter, M.D.
Abstract
TOP
Abstract
Introduction
Components of spirituality
Conclusions
References
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is described as a spiritual fellowshipby many of its
members, but its spiritual orientation needsto be better understood by
clinicians and researchers. Spiritualityis a latent construct, one that is
inferred from multiple componentdimensions, such as social psychology,
neurophysiology, andtreatment outcome research. Mechanisms related to its role
inpromotion of recovery in AA are discussed from the perspectiveof these
findings, along with related options for professionallygrounded treatment, such
as Twelve-Step Facilitation. This discussionillustrates the importance of
further research on AA and spiritualityand of employing them in the provision
of psychiatric services.
TOP
Abstract
Introduction
Components of spirituality
Conclusions
References
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) dates back to 1935 when Bill W, alayman, experienced
a spiritual reawakening that led him ona path toward recovery from alcoholism.
Since that time, countlesspeople with addictions have attributed similar relief
to thismovement. AA is called a spiritual fellowship by its members,but we are
only now beginning to understand the mechanisms thatunderlie this aspect of
recovery.
The validation of spirituality, a seemingly enigmatic term,must ultimately be
based on psychological and physiologicalfindings. An initial aspect of this
task lies in defining spiritualityin empirical terms, which was succinctly done
by Puchalski andcolleagues (1) as "that which gives people meaning and
purposein life." They amplified this definition by pointing out
thatspirituality can be achieved "through participation in a religion,but can
be much broader than that, such as belief in God, family,naturalism,
rationalism, humanism, and the arts."
The use of this term with this connotation is of surprisinglyrecent origin.
Anthropologists have typically applied the word"spiritual" to much more
concrete aspects of religious and shamanicpractice. Its current usage can be
understood to have derivedfrom a number of sources, some of them particular to
recenttrends in American culture over the past half century. Acceptanceof an
ecumenical religious orientation has led to an appreciationthat the formalities
of ritual practice may be less importantthan the values that many religious
denominations hold in common.Acceptance of the cultural basis of practices—like
meditation,with its relationship to Asian philosophies, and
complementarymedicine—has added another dimension to this concept.The emergence
of AA itself as a potent vehicle for personaltransformation has also been
influential, as it has broughtthe term spirituality to the attention of both
the general publicand mental health professionals. All
these have led to acceptanceby the general public of the various spiritually
oriented philosophiesand practice for recovery from illness that have emerged
outsideof the domain of established biomedicine.
Most psychiatric modalities are associated with a singular
mechanism:psychopharmacology with physiology, cognitive-behavioral
techniqueswith behaviorist psychology, or psychodynamic therapy with
intrapsychicand interpersonal conflict. However, spirituality has been termeda
latent construct: like the concept of personality, it cannotbe understood or
observed from a single perspective but ratherit is inferred from multiple
component dimensions. As such,we can examine here its multiple, empirically
grounded components:psychology, physiology, and clinical psychiatry.
Components of spirituality
TOP
Abstract
Introduction
Components of spirituality
Conclusions
References
PsychologyA psychological model of spiritual renewal was framed as earlyas
the turn of the last century by William James, who gave illustrationsof its
effectiveness as a euphoriant and vehicle for changein his book The Varieties
of Religious Experience (2). I recentlyreviewed how experiences of spiritual
renewal produce measuredimprovements in psychopathology among members of
zealous religioussects and born-again evangelicals (3). These improvements
werereflected in quantitative changes on psychometric measures andfrequency of
drug use. They were found to be lasting and transformativeof affective status,
social adaptation, and occupational activity.
The placebo response sheds light on the value of belief in atranscendent
entity, be it a pill or a traditional healer, andthis response comes about in
the absence of physiological intervention.For example, the prevalence of
response to placebo antidepressantsin study populations is more than half that
among persons whorespond to the active drug (4), and imaging studies have
delineatedinnate physiological changes that are correlates of the
placeboresponse (5). Although there is a clear distinction betweena placebo and
a spiritual commitment, the former suggests thevalue of pursuing further
research on the latter phenomenon.
Such findings underline the fact that a domain of psychologicalfunction exists
that can operate outside currently prevalentprofessional psychosocial and
pharmacologic clinical practice.Given this fact, it is reasonable to point out
that our currentpsychiatric interventions may not fully utilize the
transformativenature of spiritually oriented belief as an effective
modalitythat can be employed for its clinical utility. Instead,
spiritualrenewal has come to be seen as separate from mainstream care,typically
under the rubric of alternative and complementarymedicine. It is these latter
techniques that many ill peopleturn to in the face of technology-based medicine.
PhysiologyPhysiological research suggests that spirituality may be relevantto
the healing of psychiatric disorders. Individuals who scorehigher on
personality traits related to spiritual transcendencehave been found to have
characteristic activity in certain serotonergicbrain sites (6), suggestive of
individual physiological variationsin response to spiritually oriented care.
The close relationshipbetween symbolic thought and dream symbolism is
characterizedby the activation of certain brain centers and the
concomitantdeactivation of others (7), which suggests an association
betweenspiritual metaphor and neural function.
Response to the social context of spiritual conversion may alsobe correlated in
neurophysiological function. A person in asocial setting in which a spiritually
oriented perspective ispresented with intensity may be drawn in and adopt that
perspective.Correlates of such social compliance in thinking have been foundto
be associated with functional changes in an occipital-parietalnetwork (8). The
many studies on physiological correlates ofmeditation, which is rooted in
spiritually oriented subcultures,can be cited as well. Electroencephalographic
changes, for example,have been observed among long-term Buddhist meditators,
evenafter the act of meditation is completed (9).
Addiction psychiatryThe experience of Bill W at the inception of AA, in which
hewas "caught up in an ecstasy which there are no words to describe,"cannot be
easily researched. And framing the methods for studyingthe role of AA-based
recovery is difficult on other counts aswell. Twelve-step fellowships require
anonymity of their membersand are oriented toward the primacy of members' needs
beyondany research objectives that investigators might propose. Becauseof this
requirement, most outcome studies on recovery throughAA have been tied to
follow-up on patients engaged in professionallybased treatment who also attend
AA meetings.
Uncontrolled assessments of the Twelve-Step "Minnesota Model"for long-term
residential rehabilitation in a professionallydirected setting have shown
promising results, but one majorstudy related to AA-based recovery stands out
because it entailedrandomization and experimental controls. A large-scale
evaluationby the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
ProjectMATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity),was
carried out with careful long-term follow-up. It revealedthat Twelve-Step
Facilitation, a professionally grounded modalitydesigned to promote AA
attendance, was at least as effectiveas motivational and cognitive techniques
(both of which weredeveloped from empirically grounded research models), and
itwas more effective than these techniques in achieving long-termabstinence
(10). Twelve-Step Facilitation is a professionallybased intervention, and AA is
a peer-led lay fellowship. Nonethelessthis outcome suggests the
importance of further controlled researchon participation in 12-step programs.
Professional treatment of substance-impaired physicians alsooffers an insight
into AA's clinical value, because long-termabstinence has important public
health implications for thispopulation. One sample of physicians who had
previously abusedsubstances and had been abstinent for an average of two
years,previously in AA-based professional treatment, reported 12-stepmembership
to be the principal reason for their long-term abstinenceand recovery (11).
Also, in a sample of 101 physicians selectedat random among those monitored by
a committee on physicians'health, we found that 97 percent who had previously
been ina 12-step program continued with the program during the monitoringperiod
(unpublished data, Galanter M, 2006). Research on therole of spirituality in
the recovery process independent ofprofessional management has been modeled
empirically, and theassociation between AA involvement and improved outcome
hasbeen demonstrated (12). In any case, there
is no doubt thatmembership in AA, typically seen to be associated with its
spiritualgrounding, has now been undertaken by millions of people
withaddictions who credit the program for their addiction recovery.
The 12-step experience creates a sense of communality, as distinguishedfrom the
conventional institutional context, and this solidarityis an important aspect
of the program's spiritual nature. Thefellowship's orientation to mutual
support creates a sharedsense of renewal that validates the behavioral
requirement ofrecovery—namely, maintaining abstinence. For addicts asa group,
the orientation to mutual support has also sustainedthe integrity and structure
of AA as a movement. Substance-impairedphysicians, for example, have
established a supportive networkthrough AA-related Caduceus groups and the
organization InternationalDoctors in AA. The clinical benefit of AA's mutual
support hasbeen demonstrated in controlled studies on enhanced outcomein
addiction treatment programs (13), on decreased need forprofessional staffing
in alcohol outpatient rehabilitation (14),and on addiction treatment with
general psychiatric care forpersons with dual diagnoses (15).
Conclusions
TOP
Abstract
Introduction
Components of spirituality
Conclusions
References
Broadly speaking, the role of spirituality in recovery fromsubstance use
disorders relates to the promotion of individuals'achieving a meaningful life.
Recovery approaches, such as theuse of family therapy, meditation, and
religious revivalism,illustrate the value of infusion of such personal meaning
intothe recovery process. All these approaches are associated withthe factors
often termed nonspecific that underlie the curativeeffects seen across
different schools of psychotherapy.
What remains to be sorted out are the many ways in which spirituality,however
difficult to pin down empirically and however differentlyexperienced in the
lives of many people, can be fully employedin the context of professionally
grounded psychiatric services(and general psychiatric service as well). It is
clear, however,that multidisciplinary approaches to this latent concept
canenhance our understanding of such opportunities. Bringing spiritualityto
psychiatric services may represent a difficult task to undertakein the domain
of clinical care, but in the meantime AA, a spiritualfellowship, is clearly
valuable as an adjunct to professionalcare.
Acknowledgments Support for this project was provided by the Scaife Family
Foundationand the Bodman and Macy Foundations.
Footnotes Dr. Galanter is a professor of psychiatry and director of
thedivision of alcoholism and drug abuse at the New York UniversitySchool of
Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016(e-mail,
[email protected] ). Shelly F. Greenfield, M.D.,M.P.H., is editor of this
column.
References
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healing in palliative care. Clinical Geriatric Medicine
20:689–714,2004[CrossRef]
2. James W: The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human
Nature, Centenary Edition. London, Routledge, 2002
3. Galanter M: Spirituality and the Healthy Mind: Science, Therapy, and
the Need for Personal Meaning. New York, Oxford University Press, 2005
4. Walsh BT, Seidman SN, Sysko R, et al: Placebo response in studies of
major depression. JAMA 287:1840–1847,2002[Abstract/Free Full Text]
5. Leuchter AF, Cook IA, Witte EA, et al: Changes in brain function of
depressed subjects during treatment with placebo. American Journal of
Psychiatry 159:122–129,2002[Abstract/Free Full Text]
6. Borg J, Bengt A, Soderstrom H: The serotonin system and spiritual
experiences. American Journal of Psychiatry
160:1965–1969,2003[Abstract/Free Full Text]
7. Hobson JA, Pace-Schott EF, Stickgold R: Dreaming and the brain:
toward a cognitive neuroscience of conscious states. Behavioral Brain Sciences
23:793–1121,2000[CrossRef][Medline]
8. Berns GS, Chappelow J, Zink CF, et al: Neurobiological correlates of
social conformity and independence during mental rotation. Biological
Psychiatry 58:245–253,2005[CrossRef][Medline]
9. Lutz A, Greischar L, Rawlings N, et al: Long-term meditators
self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences USA
101:16369–16373,2004[Abstract/Free Full Text]
10. Project MATCH Research Group: matching alcoholism treatments to
client heterogeneity: project MATCH three-year drinking outcomes. Alcoholism
Clinical and Experimental Research 22:1300–1311,1998[CrossRef][Medline]
11. Galanter M, Talbott D, Gallegos K, et al: Combined Alcoholics
Anonymous and professional care for addicted physicians. American Journal of
Psychiatry 147:64–68,1990[Abstract/Free Full Text]
12. Owen PL, Slaymaker V, Tonigan JS, et al: Participation in
Alcoholics Anonymous: intended and unintended change mechanisms. Alcoholism,
Clinical and Experimental Research 27:524–532,2003[Medline]
13. Morgenstern J, Labouvie E, McCrady BS, et al: Affiliation with
Alcoholics Anonymous after treatment: a study of its therapeutic effects and
mechanisms of action. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
65:768–777,1997[CrossRef][Medline]
14. Galanter M, Castaneda R, Salamon I: Institutional self-help for
alcoholism: clinical outcome. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
11:424–429,1987[CrossRef][Medline]
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54:706–712,1997[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental
practice
1. Antoine Lutz* ,†,
2. Lawrence L. Greischar*,
3. Nancy B. Rawlings*,
4. Matthieu Ricard‡, and
5. Richard J. Davidson* ,†
+ Author Affiliations
1. *W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, Waisman
Center, and Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology,
University of Wisconsin, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705; and ‡Shechen
Monastery, P.O. Box 136, Kathmandu, Nepal
1. Communicated by Burton H. Singer, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ,
October 6, 2004 (received for review August 26, 2004)
Abstract
Practitioners understand “meditation,” or mental training, to be a process of
familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in
cognition and emotion. Little is known about this process and its impact on the
brain. Here we find that long-term Buddhist practitioners self-induce sustained
electroencephalographic high-amplitude gamma-band oscillations and
phase-synchrony during meditation. These electroencephalogram patterns differ
from those of controls, in particular over lateral frontoparietal electrodes.
In addition, the ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 Hz) to slow oscillatory
activity (4-13 Hz) is initially higher in the resting baseline before
meditation for the practitioners than the controls over medial frontoparietal
electrodes. This difference increases sharply during meditation over most of
the scalp electrodes and remains higher than the initial baseline in the
postmeditation baseline. These data suggest that
mental training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce
short-term and long-term neural changes.
electroencephalogram synchrony
gamma activity
meditation
Footnotes
↵ †To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected].
Author contributions: A.L., M.R., and R.J.D. designed research; A.L. and
N.B.R. performed research; A.L. and L.L.G. analyzed data; and A.L. and R.J.D.
wrote the paper.
Abbreviations: ROI, region of interest; EEG, electroencephalogram.
Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
Copyright © 2004, The National Academy of Sciences
r
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