Inner Work: When Productivity is Counter-Productive

A friend recently wrote in an email; “I’m coming to realize that this transformational path I’m on isn’t exactly productive. I don’t know what it is but productive it’s not.” Her comments, coupled with my own experiences of times when I am not accomplishing as much as I would like, caused me to reflect on the relationship between outer productivity and the inner work of self-growth and transformation.

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Health, Spirituality and the Cult of the Perfect Body

Listening to Carrie Fisher’s encapsulated biography, “Wishful Drinking” on audiobook recently, I thought about how the Baby Boomers, and their Greatest Generation parents, had no choices when it came to depression, mental illness, homosexuality, or pain and grief.

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Towards an Integral Science of Consciousness

I received this gracious email a few days ago:

Hi Ryan, Here is a quote I read from your bio: “Principally, I am interested in pursuing a more radical materialism for both the sciences and the arts.” Would you say more about what you mean by this? I’ve studied material religion & theology, but I”m not sure if it’s anything like this.

I have to admit that “radical materialism” does sound like goobledy goop. The ideas behind it are too critical to be ill-defined, though, because this is the way science and the wisdom traditions of the world are beginning to merge.

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Consciousness, Mediumship, and Psychic Detectives

I”ve been spending a lot of time recently listening to the podcast interviews from Skeptiko. Run by Alex Tsakiris, this site is a breath of fresh air for anomalous psychology and psi research.

Neither a believer nor a materialist skeptic himself, Tsakiris walks a fine line as he interviews his guests about their research. More than anything, Tsakiris seems concerned that the research in question follows good scientific methods, even if (and especially when) the findings challenge the accepted paradigm of Western knowledge.

Lately, Trakiris has been on a tear about the so-called “psychic detectives.” Highly recommended listening, especially since shows like Ghost Hunters have made the paranormal momentarily stylish (but not exactly credible) again.

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A Shift in Consciousness & the Transfer of King Energy

Fiscal conservatives in the US aren’t happy, but around the world there is a sense of hope, promise, and a fresh start for American leadership. As Oprah was quoted as saying to CNN News in Chicago, IL last night:

“We”ve just experienced a profound shift in our consciousness.” Read more

Hallucinogens in the Stone Age

I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to discuss the recent discovery of “prehistoric drug paraphernalia” found in a Caribbean island archaeological site dated to @ 400 BC. Bone tubes and ceramic bowls were found in a human occupation site, suggesting the use of a sniffed substance, most likely cohoba, a hallucinogen made from the beans of a mimosa species.

“Drug use in the Stoned age!” That’s been the rallying cry of the mainstream media, including this article here, which actually reproduced an image of a early hominid to depict islanders who lived during the same time as the Golden Age of Greece. It’s kind of laughable, but of course the implications for public science education are unsettling.

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Google is Pro-Ecstasy, Professors Claim

For a change of pace, a recent study suggests that taking ecstasy only once can cause memory impairments. According to Keith Laws and Fabrizio Schifano from the University of Hertfordshire,

ecstasy users show significantly impaired memory when compared to non-ecstasy users and that the amount of ecstasy consumed is largely irrelevant. Indeed, taking the drug even just once may cause significant short and long-term memory loss. Professor Laws findings are based on the largest analysis of memory data derived from 26 studies of 600 ecstasy users.

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India’s Courts Convict on Untested Brain Scan Technique

According the New York Times, India’s courts have blasted into new territory this week by admitting brain imagery data to convict a suspect of a crime. The only problem is the method has not been verified by any scientific journal on the planet.

As a modern update to the lie detector test, The Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature test actually is fairly straight-forward. It’s based on the EEG machine, which measures the brain’s electrical activity, muscular tension, and eye movements. The makers of the machine claim that the processed imagery can provide proof that a suspect experienced the crime or if he is merely imagining it.

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Meditating Slows Down HIV Virus

In case you missed it, Science Daily reports that mindfulness meditation slows immune degradation in AIDS patients by lowering stress.

“Mindfulness meditation is the practice of bringing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment to experiences, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future. It is thought to reduce stress and improve health outcomes in a variety of patient populations.”

This finding is hopefully going to give meditation research another rush of neuro-psychology funding. Finding, funding, good!

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How to Deal with World Calamity

I”m having a hard time watching the news about the calamities in China and Myanmar. As of right now, there are 12000 people buried alive in the Sichuan Province, awaiting rescue. The numbers dead in both countries are impossible to comprehend. How can we, as consumers of news, deal with this information without just zoning out?

My friend Bonita, a holistic health educator, sent out this email below, providing ways to cope. These are healthy responses to tragedy, and can help clarify the confusion and guilt that often come with hearing about world events. Included at the bottom are resources to contact if you are the position of providing aid.

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