Harrison Koehli, Elan Martin, Corey Schink
Sott.netThu, 06 Aug 2020 00:00 UTC
What does meditation or contemplation have to do with our physiology? And what is the possible connection between our autonomic nervous system and a coherent theory of psi? Today on MindMatters we bring together three topics: contemplative practice (see our
interviews with Fr.
Joseph Azize), first sight theory (see our interview with Dr.
Jim Carpenter), and Stephen Porges's polyvagal theory, as discussed in a recent book by Stanley Rosenberg,
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve.
Porges's work on the two branches of the vagus nerve, and the states of consciousness they are involved in, has important implications for physical and mental health. But the connections may go even further than that, into areas considered spiritual or even paranormal. The states facilitated by ventral vagus nerve activation have a lot in common with the conditions most conducive to eliciting psi, both in the lab and in everyday life. And together they may explain certain features of contemplative states and practices.
Running Time: 01:11:32
Download: MP3 — 65.5 MB
Corey Schink was born and raised in the Midwestern United States, where he worked on farms and as a welder, musician, and social worker. His interests in government, philosophy and history led to his writing for SOTT in 2012 and to becoming a SOTT editor and SOTT Radio co-host in 2014. He now resides in North Carolina, where he enjoys the magnificent views of the Appalachian Mountains.
Harrison Koehli co-hosts SOTT Radio Network's
MindMatters, and is an editor for
Red Pill Press. He has been interviewed on several North American radio shows about his writings on the study of ponerology. In addition to music and books, Harrison enjoys tobacco and bacon (often at the same time) and dislikes cell phones, vegetables, and fascists (commies too).
Born and raised in New York City, Elan has been an editor for SOTT.net since 2014 and is a co-host for
MindMatters. He enjoys seeing and sharing what's true about our profoundly and rapidly changing world.
Reader Comments
According to what I believe the difference between humans and animals is that we have a soul and animals do not. Both species have instincts to breathe, digest, pump blood etc - the basic physical processes. For the animals most of their observed behaviours (like fight and flight) are also instinctual; whilst in humans our behaviour is driven by our soul condition; even physical indicators like temperature and sweating are because of stored emotions in the soul.
After awareness I have choices: ignore it, live in it or deal with it. If I try to ignore it, it grows, if I live in it I make very poor choices and it grows; I have learnt to deal with it by releasing the emotion and find that this is healing. When I heal something in the soul by releasing the emotion or false belief, any physical symptoms disappear.
It is common for humans to believe that we are predominantly a brain and that the brain controls everything; whereas I believe that the soul is the real me and the brain is just a tool. If I want to change what I am thinking I first need to make a change in the soul to an injury I am carrying (like lack of self worth) or a false belief ( like if I am wrong I will be punished, ridiculed or humiliated.)
These are the filters through which we observe life and respond to it. It is very hard to force change (like forcing meditation).
Many years ago, when I lived in the States, I discovered Edgar Cayce and practised his deep meditation techniques. I even took a weekend seminar at Virginia Beach to increase my PSI abilities.
I did this firstly, because certain childhood experiences had left me in no doubt that PSI was a fact and secondly, because after an NDE I had an increase in precognitive experiences so was naturally interested and wanted to see if I could improve my life by this means.
Every day I would listen to a guided meditation which started simply with deep breathing then encouraged deeper and deeper relaxation. It was not long before I began to experience images of events which transpired several days later. e.g. a scene which I was to see again in the middle of a TV programme.
One day, I just flopped down in a chair and had a fearful vision of a family member in a terrible accident,some sort of blow to the head with blood spurting out of his eyes. This frightened me so much that I stopped meditating. I realised that the information that I was receiving was in no way beneficial to my life, that I had opened myself to stuff I had no control over and would be happier not knowing.
The Akashic Records make sense with regard to past events being some how stored in some form of vibration but precognitive events are a puzzle to me.
Re the Vagus Nerve, I've saved a couple of lizards that that had gone into "Shut Down 3 mode from my cat that drops them down on the kitchen floor!
Naturally, I found the show very interesting. Thanks.
Spirits can share precognitive events but the thing is while something might be very predictive, because of free will people can change.
You can also connect to good spirits like your guides if you want to, but they will not force a connection with you; any one forcing a connection with you is likely bad news.
That there are spirit entities and that they are not all well intentioned I am open to the belief as Madam Blavatsky and other mediums with experience have spoken of them but that they "can share precognitive events" as you say, still begs the question of how anyone, even a spirit entity can know of an event before it takes place.
I tend to agree with Harrison's remarks that mystics who claim to speak with say Jesus or Mohammed are experiencing the information via that form. I've always thought that mediums who channel "spirit guides" are manifesting a personification of their own higher self or are tapping into the Akashic Records and receiving the info in voice form.
It is not that a future event is known, but that it is predictable given people’s current condition and therefore behaviour. But as I said people can change their condition and their behaviour. A simple example if a person on earth was 50 kg overweight and did not exercise you could predict that they become diebetic and have an early death. But that person can change, make new choices and change their fate.
It is definitely true that mediums can and do communicate with spirits. IMO it is not a personification of the higher self. I have experienced it and witnessed it with others. The form of communication can be in feelings or pictures. The medium translates into speech or writing.
My first experience was just to try it and asked to speak to my guide. I used writing and still use this method today. I can also just have short conversations (feelings). Anyone can try it. We all have the ability. I have spoken with my father who passed 25 years ago, children I miscarried, my guides, and others.
I bought Stevenson's book years ago but it was so boringly dry and academic it failed to convince me. I've always been highly sceptical of adults who claim they were( usually some famous person) in a past life, considering them to be delusional attention seekers, but there are many intriguing videos on YouTube of small children who can remember their former life and facts that they could not have known. I recommend you look into the subject.
Small children can be even more spirit influenced; this is why so many have an invisible friend, and quite often they can see them. We are all born with these mediumistic qualities but they are generally shut down by parents and carers.
Many people who lose a loved one can still feel their presence and even communicate with them; that is because their loved one is still around them, be it for company or to influence them. So if your loved one and my loved one are now spirits, doesn’t that mean everyone who has passed is a spirit? It is not a selective process IMO.
As for concrete evidence: all the spirits I speak with are just that. I can speak to anyone who is now in the spirit world. And there are books on mediumship - we are just reading different books right now. I am reading books by Robert James Lees.
You say you communicate with spirits. I don't doubt that you do but, lets face it, I just have to take your word for it as there is no way you can prove this to me.