Traumatic stress, neural self and the spiritual mind.

Stressful experiences can cause physiological disturbances and neuroanatomical changes, while psychotherapy and meditation may influence brain functions. Traumatic stress often involves a dissociative response that disintegrates conscious experience. Self-reflection is essential for posttraumatic growth, which is linked to spiritual experiences and meditation states that enable mental integration and create a novel integrated self. There is no widely accepted evidence about specific neural mechanisms of mental integration related to spiritual experiences and meditation, but growing evidence shows these integrative experiences relate to alterations in brain physiology and morphology. These findings offer a new paradigm for understanding mental disorders and emphasize the fundamental role of mental integration and an integrated self in psychiatric therapy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

According to recent findings stressful experiences may influence various physiological disturbances and also neuroanatomical changes and some studies also show that psychotherapy and meditation may influence brain functions. Traumatic stress is frequently related to a dissociative response that disintegrates conscious experience. In this context, self-reflection is an essential principle in the process of posttraumatic growth related to spiritual experiences and meditation states that enable mental integration and create the novel integrated self. According to recent findings there is no widely accepted evidence about specific neural mechanisms of processes related to mental integration linked to the spiritual experiences and meditation. Nevertheless there is growing evidence that these integrative experiences are related to various alterations in the brain's physiology and morphology. These findings provide a new paradigm for understanding of mental disorders and emphasize the fundamental role of mental integration and integrated self in the therapy of psychiatric disorders.