The Mind of a Mystic
Research report of American neurologists who studied Swamiji's science-defying neurological system
Appendix : The Mind of a Mystic
Does all life spring from one cosmic source? Are we all connected in ways too deep for the mind to grasp?
Is there really such a thing as no-mind state?
For centuries, science and spirituality have been battling it out on these issues of perennial importance for humanity.
Although spiritual leaders have always maintained that the no-mind state is a 'real' phenomenon, and a perfectly realizable goal for all of us, the scientific community has naturally been unwilling to accept this without solid proof.
For the first time in our century, science has hopefully found a key to supernormal and paranormal phenomena, with sound medical evidence that explains why the spiritually super-evolved are blessed with 'powers' that the rest of us can only dream about.
In March 2004, hoping to find answers to these vital questions, a team of top neurologists from Oklahoma (USA) performed pioneering and extensive scientific research on Swamiji's science-defying neurological system.
The team's preliminary research report, presented in the following pages, has profound relevance not only for the global medical fraternity, but for every one of us who has been silently asking these same questions - who believe and yet don't believe, who know and yet don't know - for all of humanity, fellow adventurers on this pathless path that is Life!
A Mind Matters Column™ The Mind of a Mystic By R. Murali Krishna, M.D. President COO, INTEGRIS Mental Health & James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit
Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swami is a trim, healthy-looking young man with dark, shoulder-length hair. Handsome and polite, possessing an open manner and a wealth of curiosity, he could be any ordinary American college student.
The difference is that ordinary American college students do not wear saffron robes and turbans, have not experienced spiritual enlightenment and are not regarded as a teacher, healer and mystic by millions of people in all corners of the world.
A mystic? The term is not a bad fit for 'Swami', as he is known. Mystics, popular culture tells us, have direct communion with God. Through means not understood or measurable, mystics are thought to have access to ultimate realities or truths. Picture a mystic and you'll probably picture someone full of bliss, someone gifted with lofty thoughts and insights that the rest of us do not possess. The very presence of a mystic is thought to bring peace and healing to others.
That's an apt description of Swami, a 27-year-old from South Bharat. He is approached by thousands of people every year seeking relief from diseases and ailments that conventional medical approaches have not cured. Swami's background lends him the air of a mystic, too. He left his home as a teen, visited ashrams across Bharat, immersed himself in philosophy, read extensively and mastered the art of meditation.
When Swami passed through Oklahoma City recently as one stop in his world travels, I asked him if he would let me use some of modern medicine's newest technology to peer into his brain while he meditated. My goal: to understand, measure and demystify what happens during the mystic phenomena. Swami, who believes that meditation has a scientific basis, happily agreed.
The procedures Swami went through were administered by some of Oklahoma City's finest and most experienced physicians, neuropsychologists and researchers: Drs. Fordyce, Ruwe and Higgins of the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center Neuropsychology Department and Dr. Chacko of the PET Center of Oklahoma. These doctors were using technology they use with patients on a routine basis. When they look at images obtained by their technology, they know what's normal and what's not.
The results from testing Swami? Decidedly not normal!
Imaging Brain Activity
Our first look into Swami's brain was achieved with the help of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) device. Unlike traditional diagnostic techniques that produce images of the body's structure or anatomy, such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI, PET produces images of the function of the brain through the metabolic activity of cells. An analog of glucose is attached to a radioactive PET tracer. The PET scanner then images the metabolically active brain areas at any given time.
In the case of Swami, the drug was intended to identify highly active areas of the brain in an alert and conscious state, in the early stages of meditation and during deep meditation.
The results of the PET scan tests were stunning. To begin with, the activity in the frontal lobes of Swami's brain were significantly heightened, even in early meditation stages. The level of activity was several times higher than would be seen in the average human brain under any conditions. The frontal lobes are associated with the functions of
Appendix : The Mind of a Mystic
intelligence, attention, wisdom and judgment.
When we then asked Swami to go into the deepest meditation state, there were two more remarkable findings.
First, the dominant hemisphere of Swami's brain was more than 90 percent shut down. It was as if Swami's brain had packed up and gone on vacation. It was quiet and still, completely at peace … and Swami had made it so at will.
A second amazing aspect of Swami's deep meditation was that the lower portion of his mesial frontal areas lighted up in a very significant way. This area roughly corresponds to the reputed location of the mystical 'Third Eye'.
When we later asked Swami what he was doing when the mesial frontal areas lighted up, he said he was opening his Third Eye.
Associated with both cosmic and inner knowledge, and thought to be a place of clarity and peace, the Third Eye is considered by many to be the seat of the soul. Were we seeing an indication that deep meditation can open an area of the brain responsible for communicating with the divine, looking deep into the mysteries of Self or creation? I believe the PET scan revealed what I call the brain's 'Dspot'. Whether you consider the 'D' in D-spot to stand for Delight, the Divine or even Dopamine (the chemical through which our bodies experience pleasure), initial indications are that meditation can stimulate it.