Traumatic stress, neural self and the spiritual mind

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Authors

BOB Petr LAKER Matthew

Year of publication 2016
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Consciousness and Cognition
MU Faculty or unit

Central European Institute of Technology

Citation
Web http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810016302896
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2016.09.008
Field Psychology
Keywords Dissociation; Stress; Self; Spiritual experience; Meditation
Description 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. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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