This post is a reflection on the Critical Meditation Theory^[1] by lsusr. I find it interesting as an attempt to integrate all states of consciousness into the matrix of experience. As someone who has experienced both states, it got me thinking: what are the similarities between them and what are the differences.

I'll start with a disclaimer: I am just a curious layman reflecting on this difficult topic by observing my experience and some data to support my words. So it's just a speculation from one particular and peculiar observer.

First, it is difficult to define what a mystical state is even to those who are studying them, so I will use a series of descriptions which underlie most mystical states: the "oceanic" feeling of oneness, loss of the self, perfect order, equanimity, stillness, peace, reduced/no thoughts. Commonly known examples include: "flow" in sports, deep absorption in chanting, etc.

Second, a similar description of a psychotic state: strong feeling of alienation, pronounced and distorted ego (usually with some "saving mission"), disorder, distress, barrage of thoughts.

So as one can imagine they are diametrically opposite to each other. And as a rule, while one wants to return to the mystical state, one doesn't want to return to the psychotic state under any conditions.  

However, I would like to emphasize that everything is not so simple in life, and sometimes disorientation might be the inevitable process of living and adaptation and even a good sign (if it leads to insight). Gary Weber (PhD in Materials Physics, who reached no-thought state) in his book Happiness Beyond Thought^[2] elaborates on the nature of disoriented states:

Complex systems theory is now being applied to psychological systems. In The Psychological Meaning of Chaos, Masterpasqua and Perna describe how traditional views of equilibrium and stability are assumed to connote healthy mental states, while non-equilibrium and disorder are judged to be unhealthy. Their contrary approach is that the opposite may actually be more correct. They believe that psychological pain results when one becomes locked in a futile attempt at stability and equilibrium “in order to maintain an old way of knowing and to resist the inevitable emergent novelty woven into the process of living.”^[3]

They also conclude that what looks like a disordered state may actually be the best way to deal with a continuously restructuring self that is the result of the complexity of today’s world.

But for the most part, psychoses are best avoided.

What drives mystical states? Gary Weber in his lecture Myths about Nonduality and Science^[4] quotes Newberg and d'Aquili who studied them:

The idea behind the Newberg and d’Aquili’s model being if we can run these [sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems] so you actually have the two of them at the same time fully activated — they will conflict and they will shut down the inputs to the temporal and parietal lobes, that do the important things for mystical experiences. You just jam the circuits and you just stop anything from going to these places that are expecting input, and almost always get input, and all of a sudden there’s no input. And they’ve postulated that that’s exactly what pushes mystical states into being.

In other words, blocking input to particular regions of the brain.

What drives psychotic states? There is no single satisfying answer (genetic predisposition plays a role, but it is not the whole picture). But I would present a hypothesis that represents a Pavlovian school of thought. Ivan Pavlov after his experiments on dogs^[5] postulated that the driver behind psychotic states is a strong ultraparadox state (granted that Pavlov’s framing is historical and rather metaphorical, while contemporary psychiatry uses different models, it is however helpful to elucidate the issue at hand). Ultraparadox state is a state where majority of inputs get disordered and often contradictory outputs. What's important: how one ends up in this ultraparadox state. Pavlov postulated that an ultraparadox state is driven by a strong existential contradiction or series of contradictions that cannot be resolved. For example, "I have to run", and at the same time, "I have no legs".

Therefore one might deduce that a psychotic state may be induced by a strong existential contradiction (or series of contradictions) in thinking which cannot be resolved. The keyword here is contradiction. I'm going to postulate that contradiction is what mystical and psychotic states have in common. And later will reflect on their major difference.

Where does the semblance of cause for mystical and psychotic states lie? What is a typical koan practice (or insight practice)? It is introduction of an experiential contradiction into thinking which cannot be resolved on the rational level, e.g. Who am I? Who hears? etc. Which have an inhibitory effect for the particular regions of the brain. So the common factor in both states is a contradiction that cannot be resolved rationally.

Further, I want to postulate a major difference. But first, I will define an existential threat as an existential contradiction that threatens the integrity of the organism (e.g. "I want to be safe."/"Someone threatens me with a knife."). I assume that during the anticipation of the existential threat the predominant default modes of thinking are initiated. As most of us identify with the body by default — i.e. when we say "I", we mean the body-mind complex — it is the default system that gets initiated during the anticipation of the existential threat. That is, the anticipation of the existential threat strengthens the self model currently operating in thinking.

And that leads us to a major difference between contradictions introduced in Zen practice of koans and the anticipation of an existential threat. In Zen practice (and other meditation practices) we switch from the ruminating network responsible for building the images "self in time" and "self and other"^[6], the Default Mode Network (DMN), to the Task-Positive Network (TPN) to resolve the experiential contradiction^[7]. So it inhibits signals from going to the regions of the brain that are building the model of the self (in effect shutting down the mechanism that builds "self and other" and "self in time", hence we get mystical "all is one" and "now, now, now"). While during the anticipation of the existential threat we are activating regions of the brain that are building the model of the self (feeding "self and other" and "self in time").

Insight practice deactivates the DMN by stabilizing attention in the TPN, whereas anticipating an existential threat does the opposite and activates the DMN. In one case, we are inhibiting the signals from going to the DMN and in another case we are activating them.

That, I suggest, is the major difference between the two states. If one is stuck in heavy self-rumination it makes one prone to experience of a psychotic state. If one is busy tasking, it makes one more open to experiencing a mystical state ("flow" is the most widespread mystical state available to anyone). Given that schizophrenia is associated with a hyperactive DMN, it is no wonder this condition entails greater vulnerability to psychoses, as the brain struggles to stabilize in the TPN.

To sum up, what mystical and psychotic states have in common is a contradiction in thinking. But the nature of that contradiction varies significantly: mystical states are reached through the activation of the TPN; while psychotic states are ignited through the overload of the DMN. One inhibits the self-ruminating network; the other activates it.

In view of this model, how can one minimize the risk of going psychotic? In times of uncertainty (hoping that those are not existential threats) it is by activating the TPN and stabilizing there, i.e. by tasking. The means for this are numerous, but the best thing is to do the task one loves doing (if common means are not available, then self-inquiry^[8], breathing practice^[9], chanting^[10], mudras^[11], etc. might do the trick). 

1. ^{^}

    lsusr, Critical Meditation Theory.

2. ^{^}

   Gary Weber, Happiness Beyond Thought.

3. ^{^}

   Masterpasqua, F., and Perna, P., The Psychological Meaning of Chaos: Translating Theory into Practice, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 1997, 36-37.

4. ^{^}

   Myths about Nonduality and Science. 

5. ^{^}

   I.P. Pavlov, Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes. (Twenty-Five Years of Objective Study of the Higher Nervous Activity (Behaviour) of Animals).

6. ^{^}

   Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna et al., Functional-Anatomic Fractionation of the Brain's Default Network.

7. ^{^}

   Judson A. Brewer et al., Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity.

8. ^{^}

   Self-inquiry.

9. ^{^}

   Wim Hof breathing tutorial by Wim Hof.

10. ^{^}

    Gary Weber, Simple Chants for NonDual Awakening.

11. ^{^}

    Gary Weber, Kirtan Kriya for Stress, Comprehension, Memory.