Page 29 - Hall et al (2015) Principles of Critical Care-McGraw-Hill

xxviii Introduction

(SPECT). During spiritual experiences in seasoned meditators, he THE STILL SMALL VOICE VERIFIES BELIEF
discovered a neural pathway for spiritual experiences which differs
from that used in day-to-day processing of materialistic observation. In My brief description of Agnes’ complex case probably makes sense to
particular, both parts of the autonomic nervous system were activated many readers, but I venture to guess that many more are confused or
(sympathetic and parasympathetic outputs are almost always antago- skeptical about the still small voice. For me, there was this background.
nistic), and there was a thalamic mediated shift in activation of self- Some 35 years ago on a spiritual retreat, I was instructed on the use of
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orientation associated areas toward attention-associated areas within a spiritual journal. Each entry began with a letter from me to the Lord
frontal lobes. These spiritual pathways help the brain in interpreting of my life, describing my concerns and considerations for that day. But
concepts like worship, love, prayer and altruism; and are used to process the second part of this experience seemed unusual—I write the Lord’s
spiritual experiences, like those accompanying meditation, glossolalia response. The retreat directors, Matthew and Dennis Linn, outlined the
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and yoga. Conceivably, this is how we are wired for spiritual experi- characteristics of the response as: affirming, with a vocabulary of words
ence. Yet he is quick to point out that the use of neural spiritual pathways and concepts not recognizable as mine, but compatible with my nature,
does not prove the existence of God nor Her participation in conversa- usually of scriptural origin, and almost always surprising (Table 3, left
*
tion with, or healing of, Her children. The “report back” of mystical or column). About that same time, I read two books recording the con-
spiritual experience “feels real” to the reporter. To understand better, versations with God by two listeners. 32,33 Immersed in reading the daily
Dr. Newberg invites us to compare perceptions in the awake state with entries, I became habituated to these conversations as a prayer. When I
those in the dream state where those in the dream do not “feel real.” This found another compilation of God’s conversations with Neale Donald
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may seem flimsy evidence to validate spiritual experiences; certainly it is Walsch 20 years later, they seemed perfectly natural.
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much more subjective than is allowed by the scientific method. An interesting corroboration was published last year, The Power of a
So far, we have been discussing two methods of inquiry and Whisper in which the author describes how his life was favorably influ-
knowing—science and belief. But epistemology alerts us to other ways of enced by hearing and following the still small voice. Wishing to guide
knowing. One such is the New Archaic based on performative spiritual his readers on who was speaking, he offered several filters to ensure it
practices which bind together fragmentary subjective experiences into was God’s voice. They matched the Linns’ guidelines (see Table 3, right
the one subjective sensation “I am here within the world.” Considerable column). Then he told of writing his parishioners to solicit from those
neuroscience observation parallels this behavioral binding—there are who had such experiences descriptions of God’s conversation. Over one
17 distinct brain areas in both hemispheres and at all levels responsible weekend he received 500 replies each describing messages of affirma-
for religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences (RSMEs) when they tion, admonition or calls to action. He concluded that we have a com-
are integrated, yet during everyday activities each acts separately. This municating God, and hearing His voice is a common experience in his
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brain activity underlies RSMEs as one form of belief. Parish. So I wonder how common it is among my colleagues in Critical
A new discipline, neurotheology, studies correlations of neural phe- Care. Again, I invite you to find in your own experiences any similar
nomena with subjective experiences of spirituality as well as hypoth- occurrences as a basis for exploring further this topic.
eses to explain this phenomena. The principles of neurotheology are My experience with spiritual journaling over the intervening years
described in a new book by Andrew Newberg in which 54 principles was repeated, consistently affirming, scriptural, surprising. I recently
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are discussed as the foundation for this discipline. Taken together, the scanned my ten 3-ring binders in which I had collected those conversa-
analysis of myth, the spiritual neural pathway of Newberg, the integrat- tions, and selected 10 consecutive conversational exchanges. I compiled
ing or binding function of the brain for subjective experiences, and the these with other stories told in this chapter to get some feedback from
development of neurotheology seem to invite greater attention to belief some twenty friends. One reply was especially helpful:
as a method of inquiry and knowing. A demeanor of humility and docil-
ity seem to me a fruitful soil to grow understanding, for we have only I was totally stunned by your story of “the still small voice.” I have a
begun to understand the meaning of belief. HUGE problem with people who believe they communicate directly with
Bruce Lipton is a cell biologist whose research focused on the cell God, and I have an even greater problem with those who try to justify
membrane. He describes a spiritual awakening while contemplating the it with such lightweight and “shaky” logic. If I didn’t know you better, I
beauty and elegance of the membrane’s mechanics: “the fact that scien- would say the person who wrote that was delusional, dysfunctional, or
tific principles lead me, a non-seeker, to a spiritual insight is appropriate just plain crazy.
because the latest discoveries in physics and cell research are forging
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new links between the worlds of science and spirit.” One such link is In my view, this response articulated well several problems with living
our growing understanding of fields, the nonmaterial region of influence the interface of science and belief. First, “if not delusional, dysfunctional or
which surrounds the energy of a system such as a magnetic field. Matter just plain crazy,” what am I? My best explanation is that I am a man living
is energy bound within a field. And a field of compassion surrounds the the interface of science and belief, taking the evidence of each seriously.
physician and patient during the healing process to provide a space for This allows me to experience the joy and awe of discovery through science
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the still small voice to speak and be heard. In his classic series of lec- and the gratitude and blessing of conversation with God through belief.
tures in 1902, William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience cited Second, what would we accept as evidence for God’s existence or willingness
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numerous accounts of persons who had mystical experiences, often with
profound and life-changing effects. He concluded that the beneficial TABLE 3 Characteristics of the Still Small Voice
effects of these experiences could not be discounted, yet he highlighted Linn’s Attributes Hybel’s Filters
that these experiences were personal, could not be externally validated,
and were limited to a select group of persons. Can others tap into this 1. Scriptural 1. Scriptural
spiritual knowledge? Speaking from an extraordinary background as a 2. Consistently affirming 2. Compatible with God’s character
healer, Caroline Myss says: “medical intuition can help Physicians to
understand the human body to be both a physical system and an energy 3. Vocabulary of concepts/words not easily 3. Wise, simple, elegant choice of words
recognized as one’s own
system, who have a spiritual context for the human experience, to iden-
tify the energy state of a physical illness and heal the underlying cause 4. Surprised by novelty and fit of answers 4. Direction of message compatible with
as well as the symptoms.” 30 to questions character of listener

*My belief system includes God’s gender as both masculine and feminine, so I alternate randomly.

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