ALTERED AND EXPANDED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN HIGHLY CREATIVE HUMAN BEINGS. THE CALL OF VOCATION IN MEDICINE AND SCIENCE.

The article argues that the current crisis in science, medicine, and society stems from a stagnation in the level of human consciousness, specifically modern rationality as the dominant mode of thinking. This rational level cannot grasp the multifactorial roots of psychological, medical, and sociopolitical problems. To find real solutions, a shift to a supra-paradoxical, non-dualistic, Taoist-like thinking is needed—a quantum jump in human evolution that integrates diverse perspectives. The author proposes a new vocational, non-dual creative process based on the psychospiritual experiences of great creative individuals across fields, highlighting how altered states of consciousness and deep psychological crises enable them to overcome paradoxes and blockades.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article tries to define and reach a deep understanding of the intimate nature behind the present-day situation in science and medicine, and how this affects nowadays the human crisis of the world. It also shows how at the base of all these problems rests the stagnant stage of the level of consciousness of rational thinking of the status quo: namely, modern rationality as the unique prevalent thought allowed. This level of human consciousness is not endowed to fully understanding the roots, origin and dynamic mechanisms that have led to the psychological, medical and sociopolitical nature of the crisis. Staying at that level, it will always be impossible to find real solution to the multifactorial nature and multidimensional aspects of nowadays biggest and growing problems of humankind. To overcome them, we need to activate a type of supra-paradoxical, supra-rationalistic and non-dualistic, Taoist-like thinking, that through a quantum jump in the stage of human evolution may allow to achieve a great syncretic synthesis necessary to integrate the various evolutionary perspectives at hand as peaceful, however revolutionary step to change, in the sense of improving and creating new external and inner realities. To this end, a new type of vocational and non-dual process of creativity is proposed here. It mainly relies on the psychospiritual experiences of great creative personalities in the various areas of science, medicine, politics, but also in literature, art and the human spirit. Finally, the so-called altered - also known as expanded - states of consciousness and the deep psychological crises that these individuals must first face and then overcome, are here displayed to understand how they have dealt with the deep-seated paradoxes, as well as despairing periods of stagnation and emotional blockades that small group of these, sometimes odd, but always highly creative beings.