Science is trying to figure out what happens when people enter a state of higher consciousness. For example, some time ago I read about a scientific study on the behavior of the brain when using psychedelic drugs, such as lsd and a few others. The research was done at the University of Sussex in England and its report - if you're interested in it - can be found at Scientific Reports.
It's a very complicated story that I don't understand at all.
Fortunately, someone has distilled a story understandable to laymen, which we use[1].
The brain behaves very differently!
What Happens in the Brain When You Take Mind-Altering Drugs
- is really different from being in a normal state of wakefulness, of sleeping, under anesthesia, or in vegetative state
- there is more complex and diverse brain activity and the brain behaves very differently. The electrical activity is less predictable and less 'integrated' than normal.
“This study helps us understand what happens in people's brains when they have a mind-expanding experience,” said Dr Robin Cahart-Harris of Imperial College London.
So in this state of 'higher consciousness' there is much more going on in the head, which is really different than normal. It is more complex, but also less cohesive and therefore more chaotic. Science will continue to look for what this means and where it comes from.
The subjective experiences
When I was flipping through the English report, all I could understand was a summary of the subjects' experiences. Below is the summary in the report:
- 'It looked strange'
- "I saw geometric patterns."
- "My imagination was extremely vivid"
- "My perception of time was distorted"
- "My sense of size and space is distorted"
- "I 'experienced' a disintegration of my 'self' or 'ego'"
- “My thinking was disturbed”
- "I experienced fusion with my environment"
- "I was afraid of losing control of my thoughts."
- "The experience had a spiritual or mystical quality"
- "I felt a profound inner peace"
- "I felt like I was floating."
- "I saw events from my past"
- "Sound affected things I saw"
It is noteworthy that these are the same experiences found in contemplation and charismatic practices. Ann Voskamp has described hers in her book "A Thousand Thanks" (see here) and Daniel van Deutekom is right when he says that 'speaking in tongues feels like drugs' (see here).
Addicted
What happens in the head (the brain) and the inner subjective experiences naturally belong together. Science is probably not yet ready to answer the question of what could be the cause of this. They will find something in chemical processes and certain substances and such. That may well be the case, but they will not discover the real reality behind it with all their knowledge and research.
But when we believe the Bible we know that this is what Paul calls 'have intercourse with demons' (1 Corinthians 10:20). It is the influence and action of demons from the unseen world to which man opens himself. They are special experiences, which deeply affect your emotional and thought life and change you inside. If he has then also broken your will you can hardly escape. 'Addicted' is what we call it.
Read also here again, as also what we about'gall and wormwood' have written in a other blog from some time back.
The heart of man
It is incredible how clever God's adversary is. Drugs, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, Christian meditation, Lectio Divina, soaking and much more. Satan has a way "that suits him" for everyone to keep people from 'the way of the mind' (Proverbs 21:16) and under the direct influence of his demons. It is the battle for the heart of man. The deception is that the beginning feels good, but the end is terrible. As the Proverbs put it:
“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But they do not know that the dead lie there, her guests lie in the depths of the grave” (Proverbs 9:17,18).
That is why he gives us the following wise advice:
“Let your heart hold my words, keep my commandments and live.
(…) Protect your heart above all that can be guarded, for from it come the manifestations of life” (Proverbs 4:4,23).
[1] See https://www.ninefornews.nl/hogere-staat-bewustzijn-bestaat/, which they seemed to like us made a short summary.
English 
Nederlands 
Deutsch