Ancient Minds Psych Exam 1

Tao

ultimate reality - nothing is static, not human reality, cannot experience w/ sensory detectors

Rational / Relative Knowledge

indirect experience of reality filtered through senses, science, abstraction, “intellectual”, fragmentation

Intuitive / Absolute Knowledge

direct experience of reality and not through our senses or intellect, religion, mystical experience, “non-intellectual”, unity

Newtonian Physics

rational knowledge, corresponds well with our senses, the foundations is space & time and cause & effect, does not correspond well with ancient teachings

Electromagnetic Radiation and Ancient Wisdom

newtonian physics cannot explain that electromagnetic radiation can exist as waves and particles at the same time, only ancient wisdom can explain this

Empirical

observable through your OWN experience

Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex can effect..

affects decision-making because of internal sensations

Autonomic Nervous System

involuntary, controls organs (heartbeat, respirations, etc.), sympathetic: fight or flight (inhale) & parasympathetic: rest and digest (exhale)

Somatic Nervous System

voluntary, includes peripheral NS and central NS

What two things are influenced by peripheral sensations?

cognition and mood

Spinal Nerves connect…

connect brain to muscles

Vagus nerve connects…

connects brain to organs

Proprioception

sensations coming from muscles

ex.) spinal cord allows brain to get info. about muscles

• type of interoception

Interoception

sensation of what is going on inside of you

ex.) feeling hungry, feeling your heartbeat

Exteroception

external sensations, five senses

ex.) feeling the sun on your skin

The Frontal Cortex Includes..

the insula and VmPFC

Insula Function

creates mood state, (“fifth lobe” interoception)

ex.) takes the hungry sensation and turns it into hangry

VmPFC Function

decision-making

Mindfulness

present moment awareness of the “universe within”, interoception

Meditation

practice performed to clarify and purify the mind, internal focus points (chakras), external focus points (candle flame), may or may not involve mindfulness

Atoms

subatomic particles constantly moving, make up our self and our non-self

Yoga

prepares body to sit in meditation, “to connect”, mastery over the roaming tendencies of the mind, intuitive experience of reality

Patanjali Ashtanga

made the yoga sutras- 51 sutras, a manual for achieving samadhi

Sutra

meant to achieve samadhi, snippets of wisdom

Samadhi

emancipation from “roaming tendencies of the mind”

1. Yamas

restraints, relationship with the world

2. Niyamas

observances, relationship with the self

3. Asana

comfortable posture (physical practice)

4. Pranayama

breath restraint or extension

5. Pratyahara

sensory withdrawal

6. Dharana

concentration, deeper form of focus

7. Dhyana

meditation

8. Samadhi

emancipation

The First 5 Limbs are…

bahiranga → external, deals with the rest of the world

Limbs 6-8 are…

antaranga → internal, going within

What are the Yamas?

set of guidelines of how to have a real/mature relationship with the world, translates to restraints

Ahimsa

non-violence, in order to be non-violent with others you have to be non-violent with yourself

Satya

truthfulness, meant to be a service of non-violence

Asteya

non-stealing

Brahmacharya

non-indulgence, healthy balance, moderation, intentional

Aparigraha

non-grasping, do not hold on to thoughts or memories

Yamas vs Niyamas

yamas are more outwardly focused while niyamas are inwardly

Niyamas

observance (internal)

Saucha

purity, cleansing the mind and body (inner purity)

Santosha

contentment, loving your life and wanting what you already have

Tapas

self-discipline, choosing the self-discipline to grow the inner fire → fire is transformative

Svadhyaya

self-study, know yourself and do the work necessary to be your own witness

Ishvara Pranidhana

surrender, accept what life is asking of you and surrender your ego

Ayurveda

ayu = everyday life

veda= knowledge

practical everyday knowledge

Five Elements

earth, water, fire, air, ether

Earth

stability, foundation → bones and muscles

Water

lubrication system → lymph, reproductive system

Fire

transformation → digestive

Air

change → breath, neuronal conduction

Ether

the space between, absence of other 4 elements → spaces in lungs

Dosha

fault-line, elements coming together to create change

Vata

ether & air, that which MOVES → nervous system, respiration, elimination

Pitta

fire and water, that which DIGESTS → digestion, metabolism

Kapha

water and earth, that which BINDS → muscles, fat, bones, lymph, mucous

Prakruti

“first creation”, we are each born with a unique combination of these doshas, influenced by life experiences which can unbalance the doshas

Prana

life force ex.) breathing

• eat foods with prana → non-processed, recently killed

Agni

digestive fire, eat the biggest meal when digestive fire is strongest → middle of the day

Ama

toxic buildup

• ama goes UP when agni goes DOWN

  • ama is foundation of ALL disease

How can Fasting extend lifespan?

making energy creates waste and with fasting = less energy and less waste which → decreases cellular stress

When did the Split between Spirit and Matter (mind and body) Begin?

Heraclitus believed in constant change and unity of opposites, but the Eleatic school opposed him and believed there is a divine entity and all is one and that matter is unchangeable

Democritus

brought both views together, unchangeable substance (atom) is combined in multiple ways to yield change

Democritus believed that matter was…

believed that matter was passive → changed only by external forces of spiritual origin

• newtonian physics corresponds well with this and believed that gravity was the external force

Descartes

dualistic view of nature, mind vs matter, “I think, therefore I exist” → separated mind and body, mind in dominant position of controlling the body

Somatic Markers

automatic/instantaneous, physical reactions “gut feelings”

• short cut: sifts through possibilities to make a decision

• marker: what’s happening in you and the world, leads to the decision

Secondary Emotions

not driven by feeling but mental representation of emotions

Chakra

feel, “wheels of energy”

Sushumna

line of energy

Nadis

lines of energy through the body, energy channels

• pingala and ida (causes the “spinning wheels” of the chakras that rotate infront of your body")

Current of Liberation (ascending current)

solid things are becoming more airy (solid → root chakra)

Current of Manifestation (descending)

airy chakra becoming more solid → take thoughts and make it to action

Muladhara

root chakra, grounding of physical self

• located in perineum

• element: earth

• function: survival, physical self, self-preservation

Svadhishthana

self-established, to taste pleasure, sweetness, desire

• located in sacrum

• element: water

• function: desire, emotional self, self-gratification

Manipura

“jewel filled”, drive

• located in solar plexus

• element: fire

• function: will, ego, self-definition

Anahata

“unstruck”, tapping into love on cosmic level, love yourself so the love can shine out of you

• located in the heart

• element: air

• function: love, social identity, self-acceptance

Vissudha

“purified”

• located in the throat

• element: ether (sound, sound waves)

• function: communication, creative identity, self-expression

Ajna

“enhanced knowledge”

• located in the third eye

• element: light

• function: intuition, visualization, self-reflection

Sahasrara

“thousand-petaled lotus”

• located in the crown

• element: thought (crown chakra transcends boundaries of self to the universe)

• function: understanding, transcendence, self-knowledge

Human Vision

the stimulus = electromagnetic radiation

• human “reality”: its what we can detect with our visual systems

Human Hearing

the stimulus = sound waves

Function of the Brain

to move our body

Blind-Sight

able to demonstrate an element of sight, even if they’re blind

• feeding “how” pathway from information from the superior colliculus

• old visual pathway enables blind-sight

Old Visual Pathway

eyes → superior colliculus → “how” pathway → parietal lobe

• the “zombie”

• ex.) seeing a pencil through peripheral and the “how” pathway is reaching out to grab it

New Visual Pathway

eyes → thalamus (LGN) → occipital lobe → “what” pathway (temporal lobe) → “how” pathway (parietal lobe

Temporal Lobe

recognition of what you are seeing

Parietal Lobe

visually guided movement

Maya

illusion of reality that is created by our senses, relative knowledge

Blind-Spot

where optic nerve connects to the eye but the spot is filled with axons with NO photoreceptors

Scotoma

blind-spot out in your visual field that you can see, huge missing information

Basal Ganglia

sub cortical circuitry that automates, habit circuit → automated, autopilot

Rumination

looping thoughts

Yoga Philosophy teaches that humans have a core…

pure luminosity → consciousness, timeless

• represents you but connected to everything else

Vritti

disrupting thoughts

Samskara

imbedded/entrenched thought or movement pattern, drives you further from samadhi

Vasana

imbedded NEGATIVE samskara that colors our thoughts and distorts understanding of the world

How did the Ancients tackle the Vritti-Samskara-Chakra Cycle?

with the 8 limbs (yoga), this is the complete mastery of the roaming tendencies of the mind