Live a more "spherical" life, and your focus changes from basic needs/fears, to values. So says the neuroscience of spirituality
The Sphere Model of Consciousness, For more, see this paper
We don’t often go to the S-Word - spirituality [see archive] - in A/UK, given how varied the definitions of it are, and how personal the term can be to people. (Though our very kindred organisation, Perspectiva, is decidedly a “soul-tank” in this respect). But the project below (cited from Aeon’s subsite Psyche) ticks all the boxes that lets everyone in the room, as it grounds spiritual experience from a neuroscience perspective.
It also throws up an intriguing concept, to help our practice and personal development: What would it mean to live a “spherical” life?
The diagram above comes from the researches of Patrizio Paoletti and Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan, which they call the Sphere Model of Consciousness. Those who have meditated in a way that seeks to “chase away” or “quieten” our passing thoughts and feelings, through breathing and mental imagery, may quite quickly understand what’s being laid out here.
The dot at the centre is equidistant from every other passing phenomena - our mental events about time (past and future), self-determination (motivated by inner or outer factors), emotion (pleasant or unpleasant). Paoletti and Ben-Soussan call that dot “the place of pre-existence” - identified with a state of silence, or immersion in a white-out space (in their lab, they’ve built egg-like spaces that can help subjects get quickly to that “place”. But no special equipment is really required):
We can place ourselves at the centre of our own ‘sphere’ in daily life. By rooting ourselves, listening to our highest aspirations, and paying closer attention to our breathing, to the people we love and to the present moment, we can transcend the here and now to create a more ‘spherical’ life that changes our focus from basic needs and fears to values.
This is further accompanied by an intentional shift toward a clear ‘goal’ state, represented by the centre of our inner sphere in Paoletti’s model. In this sense, spirituality can be seen as actions that are not separate from daily life, but rather congruently connected to its different aspects – the body, family, career, friendship, relationships, finance and society.
As well as finding Paoletti’s Sphere Model of Consciousness useful in my neuroscience research, I also use it as a practical instrument with which to observe myself. As spirituality is closely related to one’s state of consciousness, self-awareness and neuronal synchronisation, the more one’s consciousness is elevated, the more one feels the connectedness of things.
Imagine you’re out driving and notice the sun setting. Is your next thought about the traffic, or are you awed by the glorious sunset and the daily planetary dance we all share?
Now imagine the same drive. Someone recklessly cuts you off and zooms away. Is your first reaction to get upset and start chasing them – risking yourself and others? Or do you remain calm, with your heart rate the same as before the car overtook you?
In both examples, the latter option involves engaging a more mature, present part of ourselves in the current once-in-a-lifetime moment – being fully connected to the experience of the sights, the sounds and the scents. This is the kind of experience some call spirituality, namely the interconnectedness of being.
In contrast, each time we react involuntarily, we aren’t anchored in our centre, but controlled by a more automatic state not chosen by us, and therefore we’re less connected both within ourselves and to the greater good.
For me, a big part of spirituality is overcoming daily challenging situations with calm and care. When we lose it, for instance, what exactly are we losing? Nothing less than our selves. We all lose it sometimes, but we can lose it less often by continually reconnecting to our best selves and to each other.
We would further draw your attention to the work that Jamie Bristow and Rosie Bell have brought regularly to the Daily Alternative over these last few years - making the case for mindful practice as a crucial contributor to better politics, policy-making and institution-building. See also our categories on practice and personal development.