Space Euphoria: Do Our Brains Change When We Travel In Outer Space?

In February, 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell experienced the little understood phenomenon sometimes called the “Overview Effect”.

He describes being completely engulfed by a profound sense of universal connectedness. Without warning, he says, a feeing of bliss, timelessness, and connectedness began to overwhelm him. He describes becoming instantly and profoundly aware that each of his constituent atoms were connected to the fragile planet he saw in the window and to every other atom in the Universe.

He described experiencing an intense awareness that Earth, with its humans, other animal species, and systems were all one synergistic whole. He says the feeling that rushed over him was a sense of interconnected euphoria. He was not the first—nor the last—to experience this strange “cosmic connection”.

Rusty Schweikart experienced it on March 6th 1969 during a spacewalk outside his Apollo 9 vehicle: “When you go around the Earth in an hour and a half, you begin to recognize that your identity is with that whole thing. That makes a change…it comes through to you so powerfully that you’re the sensing element for Man.” Schweikart, similar to what Mitchell experienced, describes intuitively sensing that everything is profoundly connected.

Their experiences, along with dozens of other similar experiences described by other astronauts, intrigue scientists who study the brain. This “Overview Effect”, or acute awareness of all matter as synergistically connected, sounds somewhat similar to certain religious experiences described by Buddhist monks, for example. Where does it come from and why?

Andy Newberg, a neuroscientist/physician with a background in spacemedicine, is learning how to identify the markers of someone who hasexperienced space travel. He says there is a palpable difference in someone who has been in space, and he wants to know why. Newberg specializes in finding the neurological markers of brains in states of altered consciousness: Praying nuns, transcendental mediators, and others in focused or "transcendent" states.

Newberg can actually pinpoint regions in subjects' gray matter that correlate to these circumstances, and now he plans to use his expertise to find how and why the Overview Effect occurs. He is setting up advanced neurological scanning instruments that can head into space to study--live--the brain functions of space travelers. If this Overview Effect is a real, physiological phenomenon—he wants to watch it unfold.

Newberg's first test subject will not be an astronaut, but rather a civilian. Reda Andersen will be leaving the planet with Rocketplane Kistler. She says, that as one of the world's first civilian space adventurers, she is more than happy to let Andy scan her brain if it can help unlock the mystery. Why do astronauts all seem to experience a profound alteration of their perceptions when entering space, and will it happen for Rita and the other civilian explorers as well?

After decades of study and contemplation about his experience, Ed Mitchell believes that the feeling of “oneness” with the Universe that he and others have experienced is a consequence of little understood quantum physics.

In a recent interview with writer Diana deRegnier of American Chronicle, Mitchell explains how the event changed his life and his entire perspective on the world and how each of us fits into the grand scale of the cosmos.

“Four hundred years ago. the philosopher Rene Descartes came to the conclusion that physicality, spirituality, mind and body belonged to different realms of reality that didn't interact. Now, that served the purpose to get the Inquisition off the backs of the intellectuals so they could disagree on material things with the church and without the fear of being burned at the stake. So that ended that, but it did cause, for four hundred years, science to consider consciousness and mind a subject for philosophy and religion and not a subject for science.

Now, one of the things that happened, in the 1940s, was the mathematician, physicist, Norbert Wiener (MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for the first time really defined information as the negative of entropy, and entropy as the idea of the universe is running down and wastes energy. But, Wiener defined information as the negative of entropy, and that's wonderful but it didn't go far enough.”

Mitchell says that in an attempt to fill in some of the missing gap, the 2008 revised edition of his book The Way of the Explorer explores the largely ignored science of human consciousness. Using what he calls the “dyadic model” he outlines the “two faces” of energy. “Instead of being two separate things, it's the energy as the basis of our existence in matter. And, it’s the basis of our knowing and information,” Mitchell explains.

“We had not had, in science, a definition of consciousness. The only definition of consciousness from the dictionary is that at its basic level it is awareness. Consciousness means to be aware, and then we have different levels of consciousness depending upon how complex the substance is. It has been demonstrated many times over in laboratories that basic awareness is demonstrable at the level of plants, at simple bacteria, at simple life forms.

This is done with Faraday cages. It's shown that this information at this deep level, at the quantum level, can transcend electromagnetic theory. And, now we're getting into quantum physics and we don´t want to go there at this point. But it's a very fundamental notion that awareness is at the very basis of things.”

Mitchell believes that perhaps both the theologians and scientists have missed the mark.

“All I can suggest to the mystic and the theologian is that our gods have been too small; they fill the universe. And to the scientist all I can say is that the gods do exist; they are the eternal, connected, and aware Self experienced by all intelligent beings.'

In response to DeRegnier questioning whether or not Mitchell believes in the idea of God, he responds that while he does not believe in the traditional “grandfather figure” version of God, “we do have great mystery about what is the origin of the universe, how it came to be. There's a great deal of question as to whether the big bang is the correct answer to the way the universe arose, and under what auspices and conditions. I don't think we have the full answers to that yet. Hopefully in due course we'll be able to find a much better way to describe all this.”

But while Mitchell does not claim to know how to perfectly interpret his experience, he is certain that it was a glimpse into a largely ignored reality: People, places and things are all more closely connected than they sometimes appear. He also mentions the need for better stewardship of our precious planet.

“The great thinker Buckminster Fuller, philosopher, now deceased but for a goodly portion of the twentieth century, pointed out at the beginning of our space exploration that we are the crew of ‘space ship earth’. But we 're a crew of mutiny and how can you run a space ship with a mutinous crew?”

by Rebecca Sato

1. Quotes on Knowing Yourself

No one remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself.
-– Thomas Mann

It is not only the most difficult thing to know oneself, but the most inconvenient one, too.
--H.W. Shaw

He who knows others is learned;
He who knows himself is wise.
-- Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching

2. Knowing Yourself by Jason Randhawa

Life is simply the process, or journey, of knowing yourself. The ultimate reason for life is self-discovery. Yet, many people spend their entire lives getting farther and farther away from their own true, inner nature. Most people are constantly distorting their own idea of themselves, only because they do not know what they truly are. They are not even aware that this identity they hold of themselves is false, since they do not know who they truly are. How can you expect someone to discover their true inner nature when they are constantly being distracted by society as well as constantly interacting with others who themselves also do not know their own true nature?

In this article, this false sense of self that almost everyone holds onto in place of truly knowing themselves will be referred to as the “false self”. I will discuss this issue more, but first I must answer the seemingly obvious question: why would anyone want to get to know their true self?

Only by knowing yourself can you ever understand and love others. This is not a superficial understanding of others. I am talking about feeling your deep, divine connection with each and every person that you come across in your life. When you truly understand yourself, you cannot help but feel a powerful, unconditional love for yourself. This love is so powerful that it breaks all boundaries between yourself and others. When you truly love and know yourself (Note: the powerful feeling of loving yourself only arises when you have come to know yourself) you stop seeing people’s false sense of self, instead you see everyone as a beautiful soul. When you are in contact with someone, you know without a doubt that they are you and that you are them.

The self that you must come to know is not an artificial creation of the mind. Rather it is the mind itself. We go through life projecting who we think we are. This false self is nothing more than an artificial creation of the mind, yet we fully believe that this is who we are. No! This is a projection of the barbaric society humanity has created for itself.

This false self is the person you project in hopes that somehow you are projecting your deep, divine self. Once again, you do not consciously project this false self. Instead you are mistaken and have not come to know your true inner nature. The false self is the person that others (who also do not know their own true nature) bring out of you. You act and think with this false sense of self completely oblivious to your true inner nature.

Even though you may have lived your entire life thinking of yourself as a false identity, you still have your inherent power to come to know yourself. In fact, we must all eventually come to know our own true inner nature. Most people spend their entire lives running away from their true selves, only to come crashing back to knowing themselves through the transition that we call death.

As a side note, your false self is the only thing that dies in death. It is the reason we fear death, because our true selves are unknown. All we know is our false self and we know that one day we will lose this false sense of self. On the other hand, the true self cannot possibly die, nor could it ever be born. It has always been. The true self is the Infinite Being at the heart of your soul. It is your Essence. God has always been a symbol of the true self.

Modern society is made up of distractions. These distractions consume our lives. They ensure that we remain oblivious to our true inner nature. Almost every pastime or activity that you can name is a distraction! This even includes working and accomplishing goals (when the purpose of the accomplishment is not the process of accomplishing the goal, but the reason behind it is to get you somewhere you think you want to go).

Even most spiritual growth or personal development information is a distraction. When you are holding a false sense of self, this information feeds it. Although, these distractions may help to give you clues as to your true nature, they cannot directly trigger self-realization. The only source of truth you have in your life is your own inner nature. Although these information products may guide you, the path to knowing yourself is a personal and intimate journey. I cannot come close to explaining the true nature of yourself, especially when you mistakenly believe in a false sense of self.

I strongly urge you to dedicate yourself to understanding the inner workings of your mind. If you choose this path, you must pursue it with an unrelenting passion for the mind as well as an openness to the unexpected and unbelievable intricacies of its true nature. This is how you will come to know your true nature. Do whatever it takes! If enough of us choose this path of running towards ourselves (instead of away), the next great age of humanity will arise from self-knowledge (which leads to a true, unconditional self-love). We have so much to learn from the workings of our own mind.

Society as we know it is fundamentally flawed. The false self is a result of this sick society. And, the false self is also what keeps us from recognizing the deep flaws in our current ways of living (or society in general). As you can tell, this creates a vicious circle that perpetuates the false sense of self and our barbaric society. Truly knowing ourselves is the only way we can ever transform society. Humanity must literally awaken to its own true nature in order for us to create a new world. Actually, once humanity realizes its true self, we will not have a choice in creating a new world. In other words, we will not even be able to live in the old ways of being (which were created as a result of being mistaken about our own true identity).

In order for the path of self-discovery to have an impact on whom you think you are, you must minimize the distractions in your life. Spend at least a few hours every week with absolutely no distractions. This means you simply be. You do not do anything and you do not try to get anywhere. Just be still and completely open to WHATEVER (including nothing) happens. Let go of all the resistance you are not even aware of holding. Open up to your own self. Look into your mind and do not judge what you see. If boredom (a projection of the false self) sets in, simply observe it. Completely surrender to the boredom. Do not choose to be distracted.

Chances are you have been living a distracted life and it is all you know. This can always change, but you must be the source of the change. Spend time with yourself. If you do this enough eventually you will surrender to all uncomfortableness (a result of the false self) that sets in when you are not distracted. Once this takes place you will initiate your magical journey of truly knowing your own inner nature.

The process of knowing yourself is a continuous one. I highly doubt that there is an end to self-discovery. The true journey of knowing the deep, inner nature of your own mind can be difficult to initiate. But once started, I can’t imagine it ever stopping. Your thirst for true self-discovery will never again be satisfied. Each day, in every way, you will come to love yourself more and more. This will have a profound impact on everyone you come in contact with. This wave of self-love will begin to radiate through society. Eventually vibrating to a level where society will be transformed. Remember, this is all a result of knowing the inner workings of your own mind.

The good news and the bad news is that there are no set-rules or guidelines for self-discovery. You must simply learn to surrender to your own mind. It may be helpful to acknowledge and reaffirm your intent to know yourself everyday. When it is right you will know exactly what your next step is. Go within, tune in to the “center” of your mind and simply listen. Listen intently and passionately, with absolutely no bias or expectations at all!

The only source of truth we have in life is our own inner nature. We are all on a journey of self-discovery. Once you get past all of your false needs and desires (the internal result of this false sense of identity) you will come to know whom you truly are.

It is a very personal process that you must painstakingly go through. Nobody can possibly tell you who you truly are. This includes you (or rather who you think you are). Stop trying to tell yourself who you are and truly listen within. Right now, you have the potential to realize that you simply are. At the very least, please never forget this potential within you.

3. Grand Delusion

Life is but a dream,
As real as it may seem.
Nothing more than a mere illusion,
Drowns the mind in utter confusion.

A rational mind is programmed to never perceive inside,
The magical, mysterious truths that the mind does successfully hide.
Constantly looking outside, but never within,
Locked up in its own prison.

This could not be how existence began,
There is so much potential in every human.
A seeker must consciously attempt to understand their own mind,
This understanding is key to the future of mankind.

Do not delay,
Nor to false idols should you pray,
To yourself, the greatest love and respect you should pay,
And eventually you shall come to understand the grand illusion that seems to haunt you day after day.

Thank-You for being You,

Jason

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Mind Over Cancer
by author Michelle Hancock

Not a day goes by that the word "cancer" doesn’t scare thousands of Canadians. Like a dreaded scourge, it hovers over us, presumably just waiting to claim its next victim.

But according to scientists in the growing field of mind/body medicine, the disease is not as much an external force as you might believe. Fear and anxiety–our thoughts and feelings–can impact our health just as much as a long list of cancer risk factors"Psychoneuroimmunology"’ is the scientific term to describe the study of the mind/body connection. Carl Simonton, MD, is an oncologist who pioneered research in this discipline as early as the 1970s. His book, Getting Well Again (Bantam, 1978), shows how “an individual’s reaction to stress and other emotional factors can contribute to the onset and progress of cancer [while] positive expectations, self-awareness and self-care can ontribute to survival."

Responsive Immunity

Scientists are still trying to chart the exact anatomical mechanisms for this phenomenon, but the key appears to be in the intimate relationship between the nervous and immune systems. In 1993, it was discovered that the nerve cellendings in the skin are close to the immune system’s white blood cells, and that chemicals secreted by the nerves can shut down nearby immune system cells. In other words, stress andanxiety can suppress the body’simmune response.

Conversely, when we use techniques or methods that enhance positive emotions and states of mind, the body is affected for the good. In clinical studies, cancer patients who participated in support groups where they could talk about their emotions had a better immune response and faster recovery times.

The Cellular Environment

Acclaimed cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton was in Vancouver last November to present his breakthrough research showing how our environment–including thoughts and beliefs–affects the behaviour and health of our cells. We are not victims of our genes, according to Dr. Lipton. In fact, studies show that our DNA can mutate to adapt to specific environmental conditions. This means we have the tremendous ability to determine the outcome of our health by altering our environment. Our thoughts have energy that gets into cells through the cell surface or membrane; it’s up to us to choose whether those thoughts are positive or negative.

The Centre for Integrated Healing in Vancouver is the first provincially funded, integrated cancer clinic in Canada. Philip Wood, integrative bodyworker and counsellor, explains that an important part of the centre’s multi-pronged treatment program is helping clients rediscover this mind/body/spirit connection to facilitate healing. The process is different for everyone, Wood says. Yet in documented cases of spontaneous healing of advanced, untreatable cancer, patients tend to have several things in common, including a deep belief in the body’s ability to heal in spite of being told by experts that their illness is terminal, and a regaining of a sense of control in their lives.

"A lot of it is about getting over the fear," says Wood. Not only does fear interfere with decision–making and emotional health, but–as the theory goes"when you’re scared, your mind sends a message to your body and your body reacts by getting stressed, which lowers immunity. If, on the other hand, you send messages of well-being, healing and relaxation, the body’s cells react in a healthy way.

Elesa Willies from Vancouver discovered this for herself when she was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. She describes herself then as an "extremely bitter, angry, jilted woman who chose to punish herself for ‘being so stupid’ by not eating right, practising poor sleeping habits, working like a fiend and taking up smoking again after a 15-year hiatus."

After more tests were done and surgery was recommended, "I walked out of the specialist’s office in a daze, got into my car and started to cry. I was inconsolable and so scared."

But rather than let fear run her life, she took control. She embarked upon what she calls a "voyage of discovery" by learning, reading and allowing herself to come in tune with her emotions and thoughts. At the same time, she underwent both conventional and natural therapies. This wholistic approach speeded her recovery tremendously–to the point where her oncologist’s jaw dropped when it came time for a checkup.

Now, happy and healthy, Elesa sees the experience as a gift. “Everything happens for a reason," she says. One of the things it did for her was send her on a new career path of supporting others who are experiencing their own health challenges. In addition to being a health coach, she is chairperson of the board for Daphne’s Healing Place in Coquitlam, BC, a centre that started last year to provide emotional support for cancer patients and loved ones. There, they use various techniques, such as guided visualization, meditation and affirmation, to tap into the healing power of the immune system.

"Why is it that people who do everything right, eat right and exercise can succumb to disease?" says Elesa. "The bottom line is a person’s emotional and mental level because that’s what does the healing."

Providing Hope in Vancouver

One Vancouver group has been quietly making huge differences in people’s lives for 22 years. Hope House does just what its name suggests by providing information, education, and emotional and psychological support to cancer patients and their friends and families.

The aim of Hope House is to help people living with cancer regain a sense of personal control in their lives. Claude Dosdall, author of God I Thought You Died, (McClelland and Stewart, 1986) first started the membership-based, not-for-profit organization. His inspiration came from outliving his own brain cancer diagnosis by eight years. What he found immensely helpful was getting together with others undergoing the same experience to relax and share in a positive way.

When executive director Sarah Stewart first started working at Hope House almost three years ago, volunteers, members and clients would introduce themselves to her. Many of them had the same thing to say: “ “Hope House saved my life.

In reality, “they saved their own lives,” says Stewart. Hope House was just there to help. Four peer support counsellors, all of whom are cancer survivors, receive 200 visits per month. They have never, nor will they ever, charge for services, which is incredible. It’s also why fundraising is so important. They are the only people in BC who do this work free of charge. There’s also a resource library and referral system.

Among the things Hope House instructors do are teach anti-stress strategies and self-care, and emphasize the mind/body connection–all within a non-judgmental environment. As Stewart says, they don’t endorse one particular form of treatment. “We support our clients in their choice."

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 Living an Authentic Life
by author Deborah Thiessen

In a world where success is defined by money, and happiness is just a weight-loss plan away, many of us have lost sight of our most valuable asset: our true selves. By living authentically, however, we can reach our potential and experience true happiness.

When you are living authentically, you feel happy and optimistic. You are honest and open and listen to your feelings. You can think for yourself, you are open to change; you can take responsibility, ask for help, and make healthy choices. More importantly, you want to do your best.

Recognizing Authenticity

Your authentic voice is that quiet, persistent messenger who speaks to your intuition, telling you what is right for you and what you really need.

In her book Create A Life that Tickles Your Soul (Tower Hill Press, 1999), Suzanne Zoglio, PhD, explains, “When you fashion a life where the decisions you make and the actions you take are considered, deliberate, and in harmony with what's important to you, you are living an authentic life.”

You will know that you are not living authentically when you feel anxious, confused, depressed, helpless, or angry. If you are not being your true self, you are living to please or impress others, second-guess your decisions, or hide your feelings. You feel trapped.

The good news is that these negative feelings are trying to tell you something. They are the red flares in the middle of the night, alerting you that your soul needs rescuing.

Live Your Truth

Being authentic means being yourself every day, and some days, that isn’t easy. Going to cocktail parties, job interviews, first dates, and meetings, says counsellor and life coach Carol Adrienne, PhD, can make almost anyone’s authenticity feel wobbly. Being ourselves when we are with others, especially strangers, is challenging. The stress of those situations can cause us to regress into old patterns of feeling anxious and trying to fit in.

While it may seem easier to stay in your comfort zone, finding the courage to be who you really are in all areas of your life will help you realize your true potential and, consequently, find the fulfillment and peace that society often tells us comes from money or fame. To get to your true self, you may have to examine dreams you have forgotten, fears that are holding you back, or beliefs that are not your own.

Adrienne explains that “a good sign that you are feeling authentic is when you feel expanded and relaxed. Feeling hemmed in or contracted is a sign that you are shutting down and not being as present as you could be.”

The Gift Within

While there may be some twists and turns along the way, living authentically means that you are able to live by your own personal truth. When you live by who you really are, you find not only freedom and well-being but also the joy of giving your talents to the world. The passions, hobbies, and interests you had as a child become the gateways to your soul, your true self.

Finding the truth about who you really are and what is important to you takes honesty, awareness, and some time. But the path to real happiness is not paved with fame and material wealth. It exists every day, in the big decisions and small choices you make, in the pursuit of your authentic self.

An authentic life can emerge one small step at a time. Dr. Adrienne offers these simple changes that can help you live with more awareness:

• Meditate. Practise clearing your mind regularly.
• Specify the fear. Write down exactly what you are afraid of.
• Identify the voice. Is it yours or your mother’s or the TV’s?
• Eliminate procrastination. Achieving one small goal will help erase self-doubt.
• Appreciate your uniqueness. Find your special talent or skill.
• Surrender. Know when to let go.
• Slow down. Enjoy each moment and savour small pleasures.
• Stand up. Express your passion through action.
• Simplify. Learn to say no and clear clutter from your life.
• Embrace nature. The natural world relaxes us and puts things into perspective.

You've Got the Power
by author Wendy Bone

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