February 15, 2010 |
no responses 
Queues and bottlenecks occur during rush hour in our cities. At other times of the day, the traffic is less active and therefore flows better. It is the same with the body and mind; when activity is reduced, we experience a less stressed and less blocked state than that which we normally find ourselves in with our daily chores.
The states of consciousness were previously divided up into three main categories: waking state, dream and sleep. But over the last thirty years, science has acquired a broader view of our states. In the late sixties an American doctor, Dr. Keith Wallace, had his doctoral thesis accepted under the title Meditation as a Fourth Major State of Consciousness. Since then there have been a lot of different publications and research on altered states. One of the major works from 1969 is still worth reading: Altered States of Consciousness edited by Professor Charles T. Tart, is a collection of articles from researchers all over the whole world.
The relaxed brain
The relaxed state soon received a scientific classification, which is practical, but also limiting. It was called the Alpha state. By pasting small round silver discs called electrodes on various places on the scalp, the brain’s activity could be measured. The electrodes were connected to a machine, an Electroencephalograph (EEG). There was a row of pens on the EEG and each one was connected to an electrode on the head. The pens were attached in such a way that each drew a line on a piece of paper that was running through the machine underneath. Every time an impulse came from the electrode, the pen moved so that the line on the paper became a wavy line, hence the expression brain waves. Today everything is recorded on computer, so that the waves can be analyzed and displayed on a screen.
The activity of the brain is divided into four states. See the chart below.
|
|
Beta, 13-40 waves/sec., normal, active
Alpha, 8-13 waves /sec., relaxed
Theta, 4-8 waves /sec., dream, sleep
Delta, 1-4 waves /sec., deep sleep |
|
Activity of the brain
The more active the brain is, the more impulses the nerve cells fire. A description of the four states shown on the left, their frequency (oscillations or waves per second) and their scientific names are also shown there.
The EEG sinks from Beta to Alpha when one relaxes, but it is rarely pure; this means that there is both Alpha and Beta concurrently
|
Besides the EEG, there are other means of measuring the relaxed and somewhat deeper meditative state.
- Skin resistance, for example, is measured on the palm between two electrodes. If you have a high skin resistance, then your palm is dry and you are relaxed. However if you become provoked a little, within a few seconds the skin resistance will fall due to an imperceptible perspiration on the palm. Skin resistance is used to measure the reactions in the autonomous nervous system, and can reveal when the level of stress or anxiety increases or diminishes. A similar method is used in lie detectors.
- Muscular tension decreases when you relax, just as a tension decreases when you keep a muscle stretched for a while in a yoga pose. The muscular tension is also measured by placing two electrodes on the muscle in question. The pulse drops during relaxation or meditation. As does the breath rate and frequency.
Copyright © 2010 Body and Spirit Healing.com
Leave a Reply
