NEUROFUNCTIONAL AND ANATOMICAL CORRELATION OF SELF-ACTUALIZATION

Abstract

Several clinical studies show how exercises from Vedic traditions, such as yoga, or from Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, as well as Tantric practices, have a significant psychobiological impact. This study seeks the neurophysiological correlates of practices called Tantric and non-Tantric meditations through empirical trials and a qualitative systematic review. First, the results of the non-Tantric practices were verified, then the data from the Tantric practices were analyzed and compared, and the results are presented in three parts. It was shown that non-Tantric practices create a better relaxation response with increased parasympathetic activity and inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system, inducing a hypometabolic state of deep rest where the practitioner remains awake and their attention in a state of "tonic alertness," with the corresponding symptoms of this hypometabolic state—hypotonia, decreased oxygen consumption, heart rate, and blood lactate concentration—modification of normal endocrine function, increases in phenylalanine concentration in advanced meditators, increases in plasma prolactin levels, a fivefold increase in plasma arginine vasopressin levels, while thyroid-stimulating hormone decreases both chronically and acutely. On the other hand, Tantric practices produce an increase in sympathetic activity, a state of "phasic alertness," and improved performance on visual-cognitive tasks. They promote greater alertness and a reduced propensity for sleep, generating an increase in cognitive activity and metabolic modifications contrary to those observed in non-tantric practices as a consequence of the relaxation induced by these practices. Tantric practices produce a state of calm and mental clarity, with sufficient energy and arousal to function effectively in the environment, managing irritability, tension, and fatigue, as well as fear and anxiety. The spiritual experience of "awakening" and "self-realization" has its neurofunctional and anatomical counterpart, involving neuroplastic modifications that develop a new level of sensitivity, perception, and self-awareness. This neurophysiological difference corresponds to the differences found in the researched texts, which indicate that Tantric practices aim to increase alertness or an awakened quality of mind and warn against excessive calmness. Conversely, the scriptures and meditation instructions of the Vedic tradition—yoga, Theravada, or Mahayana—aim to achieve stillness and calm. This research paves the way for developing longitudinal clinical studies to confirm the long-term beneficial effects of these practices and establish mechanisms to counteract the undesirable side effects shown here. Compilation of a clinical trial published in three parts in the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the MenteClara Foundation https://doi.org/10.32351/rcafmc.2017.v2.2