I went to a doctor and told him I felt normal on acid, that I was
a light bulb in a world of moths. That is what the manic state is like.
There is scientific proof that meditation has the ability to
change a person’s brain chemistry over time.
Despite this compelling information, many people still refuse to give it
a try. This is not unlike the statistic
that bipolar people are the least likely to take their medication of any group
with mental illness. All of us tend to
prefer what we know, because it is comfortable.
The unknown can be scary, or just too much effort. Though bipolar people make up 1% of the
population, they make up 20% of those who commit suicide. One would think that suicidal thoughts would
motivate change, but sadly that is not always the case.
A person’s brain drives them to depression, anxiety or
mania. By changing the way a person’s
brain works, meditation relieves and balances a person’s sad or racing thoughts. It is very easy to start meditating. There are apps, like buddhify or podcasts and
of course, countless books. Like prayer,
all it takes is the simple act of trying.
There is no right or wrong way to do it.
With a little guidance, it’s impossible to mess up.
Addiction provides another example of human beings’
counterintuitive thinking. Many people
who struggle with addiction have a lot of evidence to support quitting and yet,
they do not. Drugs and alcohol alter a
user’s brain chemistry by over-stimulating the nucleus accumbens, or the
pleasure center. The pleasure center
floods the brain with dopamine. It is
the same part of the brain that activates during sex or gambling. The problem with the pleasure center is that
it requires ever increasing amounts of stimulation in order to produce the same
good feeling. This is why people have to
consume more and more of a drug in order to attain the same high.
On the other hand, there is an altruism center in the brain,
called the posterior superior temporal sulcus.
It cannot operate in conjunction with the pleasure center. It takes very little to activate and the
amount of stimulation needed stays consistently low over time. All it takes for the posterior superior
temporal sulcus to make a person feel good is the knowledge that one is helping
another person.
Thus, meditating and doing good deeds are scientifically
proven to make a person feel good. Also,
it doesn’t take an ever increasing amount of these things to produce the same
effects. People are flawed by nature,
impeding them from seeking out these simple behaviors. The world’s religions and spirituality in
general help people to reprogram their brains to feel happiness by praying and
helping others. Left to one’s own
devices unhappiness, or worse may take over.
A spiritual connection is the key to living a happy life.
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