Video Transcript: Altering Consciousness without Drugs

In our previous video, we talked about drugs and how drugs alter the mind's  consciousness. We recall too. We talked about Rene Descartes Now we talked  about the difference between your differentiation between the mind and the  spirit, the brain and the soul, and how he said, there's that separation of that  soul and body. But of course, that's been rejected. Many of the researchers  have come to prove that there is no division, like the Greek idea that there is this misty Spirit in us that separates from our body, and the Hebrew idea, of course,  too, is that it's all one. So as we look at altering the mind's consciousness, drugs and alcohol are definitely stimulants, things that we ingest, things that we then  engage with, to then make stimuli come into our bodies, into our brains, and  also to alter what we see, what we perceive, as far as the perpetual system. But  now we want to get into ways that our minds are altered, in non drug ways, or in  a better way to put it, where it's not dependent on drug inducement. Let's take a  look at those ways. What are they? And there aren't too many ways, but these  are the main foundational things that have been developed over the years. And,  of course, are ancient first, you want to look at hypnosis. Now this is more  recent, if you all look at all ancient context and and where this all came from,  and comes from, Dr Mesmer, Dr Mesmer. But before we get into Dr Mesmer  himself, let's look at the ideas of hypnosis. Hypnosis, you see hypnosis takes us  into these, these states of memory of sleep, but also we're going to look at  sensory deprivation and meditation. So hypnosis, that is from coming from the  1700s and then sensory deprivation comes from more recent in the 20th  century, meditation, of course, is as old as the hills, as they say, so, altering  consciousness without drugs. Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian doctor who  believed that all living bodies were filled with magnetic energy. And as he  believed this, what he did with his patients was that he would then pass  magnets over their bodies, of his patients and and he believed that things were  to be drawn out and therefore mesmerized. You probably wondered where that  word mesmerized came from. It came from Dr Mesmer himself. So if you are  mesmerized by something, now you know where that term comes from, and  especially how the thought and the theory that Dr Mesmer thought that there  could be energy brought out of the patient using magnets. Well that then turned  into the what we now know of as hypnosis. Hypnosis. Now hypnosis is defined,  as you read in your book, a trans like trance like state that is a consciousness  usually induced by a procedure known as hypnotic induction. Hypnotic induction which consists of heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation and intense focus.  Maybe you have been at an event where the use hypnosis and they brought  people up on the stage, and they were all sitting next to each other, and as the  leader brought that watch, or He then brought suggestions to them and said,  Okay, you announce you're now in a deep sleep. You're sleepy, you are now  acting like a chicken. And they would then walk like a chicken, or they would act  like a dog, or meow like a cat and then, of course, do other silly things. Now you 

could say that those are cheap parlor tricks, but really it is a serious and  disciplined practice that Dr Mesmer instituted and has been developed over the  years now from a Christian worldview, we don't take a whole lot of stock in  hypnosis. Hypnosis does help. I think we think many have taken the position  that is with repressed memories, things that have been buried in the in the  subconscious, of course, as we find out from Freud, and Freud really helps  hypnosis to become more popular, as far as putting the two theories together,  and as we then use hypnosis to get into the person's subconscious to dig out  what is underneath there that was Dr Mesmer's idea, and what Dr Freud then  made more popular, and of course, what has been used now since then? Well,  from hypnosis, we then get into the practice of sensory deprivation. This was  developed in the mid 20th century, particularly the 1950s and it was the  intentional reduction of stimuli affecting one or more of the five senses with the  possibility of resulting changes in consciousness. And so what was developed in order to accomplish this was a sensory deprivation tank. So 1954 John Lilly, a  neurophysiologist at the National Institute of Mental Health, developed the  sensory deprivation tank. Now, a deprivation tank was developed so that you  could then put water in there. Chlorine was was used so that it could block out  any other senses. And also salt was put in there so that the person could then  float in a deprivation tank. And as person would float the deprivation tank, they  could block out any kind of any stimuli. And the reason why was because the  idea was in Dr Lilly was he was saying, we need to help those who are dealing  with trauma, those are dealing with mental health issues, to be able to shut out  any stimuli that seems to be traumatizing them, bothering them, and be able to  focus on thoughts and the inner person, and be able to then build a sense of  peace tranquility and also becoming more even keeled, because outside the  deprivation tank, life was chaos, so Dr Lilly and others built this and has been  used ever since then, now for over 60 years, and has helped many who have  dealt mental illness to be able to get that sense of balance and tranquility  without being stimulated. By other things and other people and other situations.  So from hypnosis the deprivation tank, we then come to the practice of  meditation. Meditation. Now, as believers, we look at meditation as an of course, meditation. We meditate in the Word of God. We meditate in prayer. We  meditate in many, many ways. However, meditation is ancient, as well as been  used in many other religions. Take a look at that definition of meditation.  Meditation is, or has to do with techniques in which the individual focuses on  something specific, such as an object, a word, or one's breathing with the goal  of ignoring external distractions, again, focus like the deprivation tank, really. But this is a not you're putting yourself into a space where everything is shut out, but you are outside that you're literally outside or in a room or in other another  space that is open, and you are then ignoring external distractions, focusing on  one's internal state and achieving our state of relaxation and well being. So let's 

compare the two. If we look at the deprivation tank, the deprivation tank, then.  Looks at the theory and the idea of putting a person in a space where they are  shut out, closed in, almost in fact, I would say that some may have had that top  of the deprivation tank brought down. Others, not they just they float in the water with the top up and are able to get that again, that focus on the internal state,  much like with them, with hypnosis, what's going on in the subconscious and the eternal state. And that's the point in the practice of hypnosis, although again  believers, we don't use hypnosis as a regular practice, because it does get into  the spiritual realm and can become quite dangerous, at least, that's my position,  perhaps, or other Christian therapists who do not take that position. But coming  back to the sensor, sensory deprivation tank and the act of depriving our  senses, it helps to focus us, help us to focus on those internal things, to be able  to shut out external stimuli. And when we come to the practice meditation, by  definition in your book, it gives you the definition about techniques. But also  looking at the altered state of consciousness, which follows along the theme of  consciousness that we've been looking all the way along for the past two videos. And also looking at mind changing, or your mind does change. That is after long  term practice. However, let's take a look at meditation. See with meditation, let's  look at this again, techniques in which the individual focuses on something  specific, such as an object, a word or one's breathing, with the goal of ignoring  external distractions, focusing on one's internal state and achieving a state of  relaxation and well being. Now the Hindu religion and the Buddhist religion,  which really Buddhism, is not necessarily a religion in and of itself. The Buddha  was not intending to create a religion when he came that to go and and seek in  meditation what he was seeking, and he really didn't know what he was seeking. And it came that point of utter, utter desperation and starvation and and then  that, as the story goes, that little girl comes up to him, says, eat, eat. Eat this  grain of rice. Eat some rice. And then he does. And then he he realizes what he  was doing was not working. But then out of that, his followers created a religion,  and they carry over from Hinduism. The act of meditation in Hinduism,  meditation, you may or may not know, is used in a way of achieving nirvana or  going into a state of nothingness because of the whole teaching of  reincarnation, meditation is the key. Meditation is where everything else is shut  out, and there's a focus on that word. Focus is focusing on that image, focusing  on different things that then shut everything else out, or just thinking of nothing  in that context of Hindu meditation, and therefore to achieve nirvana when it  comes to samsara and the whole thing of coming out of the Wheel Of  reincarnation, of the birth, death and rebirth cycle and then going over the  bridge, if you will, which is samsara, into nirvana. Buddhism carried that over as  well too. And although with Buddhism, we then look at how it's more atheistic,  there's no God involved, whereas with Hinduism, there are 3, over 330 million  gods to consider. And so with Hinduism and Buddhism, we see a an atheistic or 

polytheistic way of doing meditation, truly a non biblical way of doing meditation. So we first needed to consider that we need to look at that and point it out. And  meditation is used in the Eastern religions. It's also used in other religions, such  

as Taoism, Daoism or Taoism. They're the same religion. As far as Daoism,  Taoism. And just switch out the D and the T, but the Dau or the tau is the way.  There's nothing wrong with that term tau or dau, as far as being the way, just a  word for the way. But then how you go through the way, go through the path and achieve that this, this awakening, which really the Daoist priests and monks and  leaders. They can't define it, but there is the way, and meditation is a big part of  that. Okay, now that we understand Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and how they  use meditation in their context, using that, that, that just way of of putting, you  know, focusing on the term OM or another word, another, another way of  focusing on something else to achieve nothingness. Essentially what they're  saying is the body is bad and this world is bad, and we need to escape this  world. We need to get rise out of this world. But now let's contrast that to  Christian meditation, biblical meditation. That's where we focus on Jesus Christ,  and where we do have our mind changed. Romans 12:2 says, Be transformed  by the renewing of your mind. Now, what is meditation in the context of  Christianity? Well, it begins with prayer. We talk to the Lord. We focus on him.  We focus on the words in God's word, and help us to meditate and focus on how the Holy Spirit is now inside us. And that is where we where we assert that the  body is good, that this world is good, because in Genesis 1 God created all  things, and he called it good. That term doesn't give justice to it. It is complete. It is awesome. It is of God who is personal. And so we focus on meditation as a  way of connecting with the Lord God of the Bible, and dismiss Hinduism,  Buddhism and Taoism, they're looking for the answer, but we as believers have  found the answer. And so meditation then becomes not necessarily mind  altering, based on this definition, however, the technique of prayer, which, of  course, Jesus taught Matthew 5 and with the Lord's Prayer, but also in Romans,  where Paul talks about moans and groans and just turning to God into speaking  to him, hands lifted high, as well as the Holy Spirit been working in our hearts.  That's meditation. Meditation is connection, whether you like it or not. Some  people feel that meditation can be can in the Hindu way, in the Buddhist way,  can be applied in the Christian manner, when really it cannot, because in the  Hindu context, in the Buddhist context, you are connecting with spiritual forces  that you do have no idea what you're dealing with. It's either God or Satan. And  when you consider yoga, yoga is also a form of meditation. Yoga means to yoke  oneself with the gods, to connect with the gods. Interesting that when it comes  to yoking ourselves, Jesus said, My yoke is light. It is not heavy. It is not  burdensome. We yoke ourselves with Christ, and he then renews our minds  daily, whereas when it comes to the Hindu way and the Buddhist way and the  Tao way, Tao Taoist way. They're focusing on the wrong god. We focus on the 

true God of the universe, who then reveals all of our fears, all of our doubts, all  of our questions that are in our subconscious. Thank you, Dr Freud, but also  thank you, Lord, that you show us the creation of the mind, the psychology of  the mind and of relationships to have come right from scripture, right from the  Lord God. Into our being as we walk with God one day at a time, and that  everyone has to do with the altering the state of consciousness without drugs.  And of course, more importantly, our consciousness is altered in that we are  connected more and more and become more like Jesus Christ. So keep moving  forward with Jesus. Walk with him. Talk with him, then you will know more and  more of his will in your mind and your walk.