Spirituality Studies 10-2 Fall 2024 33 Jeffrey Katzman, Ben Bernstein, Matthew Ponak supernal “feminine spiritual archetype”, which produces an undifferentiated voice. The voice symbolizes the middle realm of the kabbalistic cosmology and is personified as Jacob. Finally, the voice reaches the lips and audible speech is heard. This chain of unfolding manifestation leads to the act of divine speech and the creation of the physical world. The view that speech creates realities, even illusory ones, is understood by Jewish mystics as a path, which can be walked in the opposite direction as well: from surface level speech to ineffable consciousness. Hasidic masters of the 18th and 19th centuries taught to move beyond words to connect with silence. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught that this can allow a seeker to access the most subtle dimensions of existence. In other words, the journey back to the ineffable Ein Sof is facilitated by consciousness but not speech. In the following example, Rebbe Nachman describes what is needed to reach the ḥalal hapanu’i, an esoteric “realm of emptiness” (He. empty void) from which deeply existential dilemmas can arise (Nachman 1808, 64:3): Speech is the boundary of all things since He [note: God] demarcated His wisdom in the [note: Hebrew] letters. Different letters denote different things. But there in the ‘ḥalal hapanu’I’, which surrounds all the worlds [note: is beyond all layers of material and spiritual existence], and which is, so to speak, vacated of everything – there is no speech at all, nor even thought without letters. Therefore, the conundrums that emerge from there are in the category of silence. This teaching from Hasidism points to the experience that words are insufficient for reaching foundational elements of our world and our minds. Only in silence can these realities be understood. Similarly to how Lacan writes of language bridging the unconscious and the conscious, or “real” and “reality,” Jewish mysticism suggests dimensions which emerge from the depths using language. The truth of these matters, however, remains undifferentiated, indefinable, and beyond words. 5 Experience of the Self 5.1 Psychedelics and Subjectivity The yearning for the subjective experience of the Self connected to something larger and for spiritual experiences beyond what is experienced in the transactional world of our everyday lives can be seen vividly through the rise of interest in psychedelics. Within most psychiatry residency training programs, for example, Psychedelic Interest Groups have emerged, all reading the latest descriptions and evidence about these experiences. MDMA, LSD, DMT and psilocybin each in its own way facilitates a connection to something greater – something beyond the experience of a concretized, locked-in Self. The evidence of their impact is emerging as well. Psilocybin has shown efficacy in the treatment of alcohol use disorder, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Lowe et al. 2021, 1; Khan 2022, 319; Gukasyan 2022, 151). This effect has been largely mediated by what would be termed a mystical experience by the subject. MDMA has shown promise in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (Latimer et al. 2021, 125). LSD has promise in the treatment of anxiety disorders, among other clinical entities (Inserra 2023, 733). The interest in these substances represents a desire to connect to something greater – in a sense, a different experience of the Self connected to what might be termed “spiritual”. The I–You or I–Thou of Buber. The subjective experience of those participating in one study during a psilocybin session indicates a newfound experience of oneself. This involves an enhanced experience of belonging, and an improved ability to regulate difficult affective experiences. The authors conclude that psilocybin has an impact on the Self in which shame-based feelings and self-critical thinking are reduced, going hand in hand with a reduction in alcohol cravings (Agin-Liebes et al. 2024, 101). While the focus of the study involves the impact of a psychedelic on symptom reduction, the mediating factor appears to be a shift in one’s experience of the Self. Through an experience of reduced self-attack and shame, the possibility for symptom reduction follows. In his recent work, Letheby goes beyond the psychological, turning to the effect that psychedelic molecules have through an impact on one’s spiritual experience. He describes the change due to psychedelic substances as having qualities of ego dissolution, including an experience of connectivity, new psychological insights, and existential reflections, and deeply felt emotions. Letheby emphasizes that, through a review of research, those individuals who report the greatest psychological benefits from psychedelic experiences are those who report the greatest degree of a spiritual experience, as measured by multiple psychometric assessments of spirituality (Letheby 2022, 2). Lawrence Fischman goes
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