Globalisation and the New Spirituality' Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come Victor

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Globalisation and the New Spirituality.
Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has
come (Victor Hugo)

• International Conference on Spirituality, Sept.
  2007, Prague
• Dr. Anke Bisschops
• Tilburg University
• The Netherlands

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Globalisation and the New Spirituality.(Content
of the lecture)

• Western dissatisfaction in an area of
  globalisation.
• Reactions of Christianity.
• The reaction of contemporary new spiritual
  leaders.
• An example of the New Spirituality Eckhart
  Tolle.
• The problem of changing old habits.
• Past Reality Integration (PRI) how to stop the
  survival mechanisms of our childhood hurting us
  in adulthood.
• The importance of the new spirituality and PRI in
  our times

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1. Western dissatisfaction in an era of
globalisation.

• Development towards a global culture
• Development towards a world community
• The collapse of major geopolitical divisions
• Immense political, economical, cultural, social,
  environmental and technological changes..
• The values of Western culture are spreading over
  the globe.

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The subtle emptiness of modern secular Western
lifeMany people feel confused and question what
it means to be human in our times. The
traditional churches in the West, seem unable to
answer to these needs. An abundance of new
forms of spirituality are emerging everywhere.

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2. Reactions of Christianity

• received doctrine and compliance to rules
  ---versus individual freedom of choice
• preparation for the afterlife
  --------versus fulfillment now
• emphasis on morality --------
• instead of on inner spirituality (Augustine God
  inside me)

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3. Reactions of contemporary Western spiritual
leaders

• Some popular spiritual authors
• Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now)
• Byron Katie (The Work and its Four Questions)
• Marianne Williamson (A Course in Miracles)
• Neal Donald Walsh (Conversations with God)
• Almaas (numerous books spiritual schools in
  Europe and the US).

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The new spiritual leaders basically teach the
same ideas and practices

• The goal of spiritual work is to become our true
  self
• Our thoughts, our mind, our resistance to what
  is, are the origin of all pain and confusion.
• In accepting what is, yielding to the flow of
  life, instead of resisting and fighting what is,
  the body is central.

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4. A closer look at an example of the new
spirituality Eckhart Tolle.

• The fearful and suffering self is nothing more
  then a figment of our mind
• Spiritual values like beauty, love, creativity,
  joy, inner peace, originate from someplace that
  is beyond the mind
• Pain comes from non-acceptance
• Witness the incessant thinking in our head and
  realize that the witnessing part is who we really
  are
• We need deep body awareness
• The main obstruction to being in the Now is the
  pain body the accumulated pain from the past
• By being present with the pain and staying with
  it, we can become free of the pain body

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5. Tackling the pain body the problem of
changing old habits

• (The road to hell is paved with good intentions)
• Advancements in neuroscience show how these
  changes can be brought about.
• Past Reality Integration therapy (PRI) a
  promising new psychotherapeutic method that
  integrates the findings of neuroscience.
• PRI has the same three characteristics as the new
  spirituality the existence of a true self
• the illusions created by our mind
• the importance of body awareness.

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Modern brain research two different brains the
rational brain (the neo-cortex) and the emotional
brain (the limbic system)

• all life-threatening experiences are stored in
  the amygdala.
• amygdala constantly scans for signs of danger
• amygdala sounds alarm when discovering
  resemblances with dangerous past experience
• emotional brain may overrule the rational brain
• amygdala is a bit stupid what was dangerous for
  a child is not dangerous for an adult

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How to break the habits that originate in this
indiscriminate alarm system of the amygdala?

• Or How to reprogram the amygdala?
• The answer of PRI

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6. Past Reality Integration how to stop the
survival mechanisms of our childhood hurting us
in adulthood.

• Wall of defenses psychological immune system
  against devastating experiences
• The five defenses
• Fear (if only such and such does not happen)
• Primary Defense (I am no good, I am bad, guilty,
  inferior)
• False Hope (if I try hard and do my best, things
  may be fine)
• False Power (the other person is no good, bad,
  guilty, inferior, etc.)
• Denial of Needs (I do not need anything
  addictions)

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How does PRI therapy work?

• A threefold way to free ourselves from these
  illusions that stem from our past cognition, as
  well as behavior and emotion are addressed. We
  need to overrule our survival mechanisms
• Awareness whether we are reacting from a defense
  the cognitive component.
• Reversing the specific defense reaction the
  behavioral component.
• Not giving in to the urge of reacting from
  defenses makes possible the contact with the old
  pain that the defense reaction was
  (unnecessarily) trying to protect us from.
• The amygdala can be reprogrammed by feeling the
  old pain, while at the same time realizing who we
  are here and now disidentified feeling.

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The value of PRI for (the new) spirituality

• PRI presents a conceptual framework that fits
  amazingly well with the new spirituality.
• It offers a lucid, simple, easy to understand way
  to get rid of the main obstacle for actually
  living this spirituality the old issues and
  traumas from the past that cause us to attack
  ourselves and others.

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7. The importance of the new spirituality and PRI
in our time

• The new spirituality fits educated Westerners,
  who value individual freedom, personal growth and
  autonomy.
• It is likely to foster peaceful and compassionate
  behavior, certainly if combined with PRI, with
  its integration of recent insights of
  neuroscience.
• It is not contradictory to the beliefs of
  Christianity. If traditional religions integrate
  some of these insights and ideas, the great
  treasures and potential of traditional religious
  systems may have a better chance of meeting the
  challenges of our time.