A great deal of my early life was characterized by the kinds of suffering to which only a powerless child can be condemned. The details of that suffering are irrelevant for three reasons: There are as many forms of suffering as there are humans to endure it. Suffering is relative - we live in an >>>>

It's not often that a scientist becomes a subject for his own research; even less common when said scientist describes his brain as 'breaking' during the experiment. But that's precisely how Dr. Nico Dosenbach, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, recounted his experience under the influence of >>>>

Sensory deprivation via natural or manmade caves has now become, if not routine, certainly more commonplace. In recent months Outside and National Geographic have run stories on the practice, which usually involves a stay lasting days or even weeks in the pitch-black confines of a cave retreat. The goal is to eliminate the sensory stimuli >>>>

Using fMRI technology, scientists for the first time have revealed significant - albeit temporary - changes in the brain function of individuals using psilocybin, a hallucinogen known more casually as 'magic mushrooms.' "I've never seen an effect this strong," said Shan Siddiqi, a neuroscientist at the Harvard School of Medicine. He said some of the >>>>

Read enough stories on the topic of spiritual awakening and you'll discover a common vein running through all of them: the eradication of the one doing the seeking. Spiritual awakening, writes David Carse, is letting go of "this constant propping up of the belief in yourself as a separate individual self, and in so doing >>>>

The material world is not what we perceive it to be. This is the age-old message of the mystics, sages, and seers. But it's also become a central discovery of modern science. Assuming we're open-minded and humble enough to accept this bizarre idea, our lives can be improved for the better. Albert Einstein, who spent >>>>

For as long as self-aware humans have occupied this planet, they've been busy attempting to understand and improve themselves. In this post, we'll look at vision quests, which actually lends itself to other aspects of personal development, including meditation, mindfulness, silence, and self-inquiry. Although there is evidence vision quests have been practiced for thousands of >>>>

The French polymath, Blaise Pascal, said all of humankind's problems were tied to one behavioral deficit: our inability to sit quietly in a room doing nothing . What about you? How often on a given day or week do you sit in silence? If you're like most, your answer is rarely if ever. And that, >>>>

"Frankly, I had never thought of listening as an important subject by itself . But now that I am aware of it, I think that perhaps 80% of my work depends on my listening to someone, or on someone else listening to me." Those were the words of a Chicago area manufacturing executive published in >>>>

It's one of the world's oldest pieces of advice, if you can call it that: know thyself. Yet despite its longevity and embrace by virtually every philosophical and spiritual heavyweight of the past 2,500 years, few of us across time and place have made it a focus in our efforts to improve our lives, reduce >>>>

Self-inquiry is a mainstay of many Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions that places an emphasis on the student's persistent investigation into who, exactly, he or she is. In a sense, it is the ultimate self-inventory. As with meditation, the practice of self-inquiry is considered an important and effective approach to quieting the mind and allowing >>>>

Over the course of a given day, you likely will experience tens of thousands of thoughts. It should go without saying that it is these thoughts that make up your sense of reality and your role in it. But here's the thing: the vast majority of your thoughts are not only repetitious, they're negative. We're >>>>