DOCSLIB.ORG

October 28, 2019 At-Meeting Public Handouts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
October 28, 2019 At-Meeting Public Handouts 0ity of Sequim ûeT 2s 2019 !-ìe cclilecl ADOPTED CORE VALUES The City's most important role in economic development is to accomplish our mission, which is "We provide quality, cost-effective services, facilities, and infrastructure to build an exceptional community and a great place to live." The following are the core values and guiding principles, adopted by the City Council on October 13,2014, which should be followed and used to help make decisions related to economic development: 1. Maintain strategic, operational, and financial plans to support the anticipated increase in businesses providing employment and residential growth while maintaining Sequim's small town atmosphere. 2. Continue to encourage tourism as an economic driver and promote the City's and the surrounding Sequim-Dungeness Valley's features and assets, including the natural environment, recreational opportunities, agricultural industry/heútage, cultural attractions and culinary experiences._ 3. Maintain, advocate and work in partnership with regional and community alliances that improve the quality of life and economic vitality within the City of Sequim. 4. Provide the development community with a review process that delivers accurate and concise information as it relates to development standards and the costs of development to ensure that Sequim remains an attractive municipality in which to invest capital. 5. Support development and redevelopment within downtown Sequim which will preserve the district's small town charm, support pedestrian-oriented circulation, and retain the downtown core as the culture heart of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. 6. Encourage the retention of the unique and small businesses that lend character to our City and are an attraction while supporting new development and infill development of regional retail shopping centers, light industrial, and research and development businesses that help create a diverse economy in Sequim. 7. Evaluate the economic development impact on proposed City regulations which will help maintain economic stability and health. 8. Continue to nurture its role as a desirable location for business, family, and retirement populations and to provide encouragement to the industries that support and serve these populations. Washington State Medication Assisted (;iiy riÍ Sequim Treatment - Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Project tlT ti ?)i]19 Preliminary Outcomes through Year Two ,. i .':li Elizabeth Speaker, ñ1S .Jim lz1d.vfìelcl o Sawir \ãkup, M5 ¡ Ba¡i¡¡m Felver, MES' MPA i ìn coilèborålion [;th W¿sl-'ìngton Stare s Deprr'tnìerlt o{ Scc'êl ancl He¡hh Set'¡ices Dìvisiotr oi Behar.ioral He¡l¡ñ 3nC Reco,.e¡tt H¡rbory;erv l,ledical Centef ônd ËverglÊen TieåliÌerit 5€tu'ices !-HE MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT * PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND OPIOID ADDICTION (MAT- I pOOnl PROGRAlvl expanded access to buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder I (OUO¡ in Washington State. The expansion of this treatment option was to address the growing opioìd epidemic. ln 2015,2.5 million Americans had an OUD.1 Further, fatal drug overdoses have been on the rìse due to an increase ìn opioid deaths, and now overdose is the number one cause of accidental death, outpacìng car crashes and gun Tatalkies.2 ln August 2015, Washington State's Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) received a three-year MAT-PDOA grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administratron (SAMHSA). The Washington Stâte MAT- PDOA project implemented an evidence-based office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphìne (O8OT-B) model in three locatìons. One location is a large. urban hospital-based safety-net primary care cìinic in Seattle. The other two are opioid treatment programs (OTP) in Olympia and Hoquiam that serve predomìnately rurâl populations via telehealth. MAT-PDOA clinics treated 532 patients in t\¡/o years of operation and successfully achieved the lour goals established by the project: ìncrease MAT capacity, enhanCe ¡ntegrated care and retention, reduce substance use, and reduce adverse outcomes of opioid abuse. MAT-PDOA Project Goals ln the Year One report, lve described the progress of MAT-PDOA during the first year of implementation.ì This report describes the continued progress through the second year of the project (ending July 31, ¿O17). Accomplishments through year tv/o are: MAT-PDOA clinic sites enrolled 532 patients in MAT rvith No 1. 49% buprenorphine. 2. Fifty-one percent of enrolled patients rovere retained in treâtment for a Retained year or longer. ¡n treatmênt 3. Alcohol and drug use rates decreased six months after enrollment ìn one year or treatment. longer? 4. Adverse outcomes related to opioid use disorder, such as hospitalization and unemployment. were reduced six months after enrollment in treåtment. àt DqBrtmcrl of Sxi¡l & llr¿lth S{r!i(6 DSHS Rese¡rcir dnC Dè:a rn¡i] sis Divrs ot Cìympra, Washingloo ' RDå REPORI 4 i02 çÐ^U,S .2 )r-\ I [vr s{s lп,*^ Wrl', tt S+*d GOAL 1 City of Sec¡uinr Increase MAT capacity and number of patients served objectives were estâblished for FIGURE 1, Four specific 2û19 Goal 1: MAT-PDOA Grant Site Locations 0cî 2S 1. lncrease the number of service providers Ëvergreen Treatment sewices, Grays Harbor Clinic iil'ii:,,'¡ii offering MAT. Hoquiam. Grays Hâtb-r Coun¡j il sites use 2. Train staff at designated to I '!. practices implement MAT , evidence-based to 'Ì' 'r with buprenorphine. r:- + ìl 3. lncrease the number of patients receiving MAT for opioid use disorder {OUD). 4. Develop b¡lliñg protocols for MAT. 'l lncrease the number of MAT providers. ln year one. three clinic sites were selected in Gr¿nt lite -Harborview Med¡cal Cenler counties with a high need for OUD treatment Locàtions seatle K¡ng County services based on local opioid treatment Catch,¡enr Aæa i lor Evergreen r Evergreen Treatment serv¡ces, South admissions, OUD related deaths and crime lab Treatment Sound cl¡nìc cases related to opioids. Seruice¡ clinics ì ol)mPia. Thurston county The selected sites were the Harborvierv Medical €enter's Adult Medicine €linic (HMC) (an urban, hospital-based, safety net primary care clinic in Seattle) and two Êvergreen lreatment Services (ETS) opioid treatment progrâms (OTP) (South Sound Clinic (SSC) in Olympìa and Grays Harbor Clinic (GHC) in Hoquiamd) (Figure 1). No addit¡onal clinics were added in year tvvo. Training Staff in Evidence-Based MAT. Project sites hired and trained staff using grant funds in year one. All hired staff were trained on the evidence-based MAT models selected in year one.5 Nurse care managers (NCM) and progrâm managers were hired to assist healthcare providers wiih MAT service delivery. All but one project staff were retained through year two. One NCM at the GHC site resigned and was temporarily replaced by existing clinic staff due to difficulties recruiting qualified staff ¡n that rural community. During year two, all clinics hired one to two medical assistants to assist with MAT service delivery and increase patient capacity. The HMC Adult Medicine Clinic had seven waivered6 physicians who could prescribe buprenorphine in year one. During year two, HMC facilitated two Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) 2000 trainings which were mandated for all medical residents. ln total, the HMC system has 38 rvaivered physicians and trained 18 residents lvho can obtâ¡n the waiver upon medical licensure. ln year one, ETS recruited one addiction psychiatr;st and one pa¡t-time physician-both with waivers- to serve pat¡ents ât both EfS sltes via telehealth. During year two. ÊTS recruited three additional waivered medical providers, including a medical doctor, an advanced registered nurse Practitloner, and a physician ass¡stant. rTo learn more ebout the clini.al site5 sel€cìed. see Speaket E. et ô1. (see page I faotnote 3). 5 ¡bic, É To prerribe or dispense buprenorphine e liceosed physician must apply for a Drug Add¡ctian ¡reatment Å.t 2000 s"iver $ith the Drug Enforcemerìt AgencJ'¿nd complete eight hour: c{ training speciffc to dìspensing conîrolled substa¡cer. See https,/r*".nv.deadirersion.usdoj.gov,/pubs/docs/dvip-buprenorphine.htm. c\¡ ì.4¡êshingron Assi5ted Ìreatment Fre:.ription Drug and Cpioid Add¡ct¡on Prcjecti '1 State Medication - Prelìminðry OL¡lcomes thrcu3h Yeðr TNo lncrease the Number of Patients receiving MAT. The goal for MAT-PDOA is to provide OBOT to 776 patients-over the three-year project. ln year one, 21 1 unique patients began treatment in MAT- Ci!r'nl Seouim PDOA. By thè close of year two, the project had enrolled 532 unìque patients: 198 at HMC, 169 at SSC, and 165 at GHC. Patients enrolled in the program were predominately white, non-Hispanic (76 percent), more likely to be male (54 percent) and aged 26 to 35 {41 Percent) (Figure 2). Of the enrolled patients, 83 percent were receiving publicly funded healthcare (Medicaid). t: :: :::! FIGURE 2. WA MAT-PDOA Demographics of Enrolled Patient Total Participants = 532 GENÞER, AGE DISTRIBUTION RACE,/ETHNICITY M¡NORITY DETAIL Fem¿le Male 767o White, Hìspanic/Lalirro 4696 41o/o Non-Hispani< Bl¡cVAfrìca¡ Ame¡ican Àme¡ican ln.lian/ 20o/o M;nority Alaska Narive 14o/o 24o/o Asian/Pt Õther' 7Vo 6Yo 5o/o 4yo 5Vo 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56+ ' lß¡¡C6 mubÈ ræ4 CdegqÈs æ rpt mrtÉlt trlurÀe NOTE: Ge¡der is unrepoded fo. one Palient. The majorìty (70 percent) of patients enrolled in the MAT-PDoA project were beginning a new MAT ep¡sode. Other patients transferred into the progrâm either from ânother MAT provider (18 percent) or after being released from a detoxification program (12 Percent) (Figure 3). FIGURE 3- Treatment Engagement Prior to MAT-PDOA Screening Total Part¡cipants 532 Receiving Methadone = n=2<11" Not ¡n Treâlment 7O0'6 . ztz " a=64 Billing Protocols for MAT.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • God Helmet” Replication Study
    Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| April 2014 | Volume 5 | Issue 3 | pp. 234-257 234 Tinoco, C. A. & Ortiz, J. P. L., Magnetic Stimulation of the Temporal Cortex: A Partial “God Helmet” Replication Study Article Magnetic Stimulation of the Temporal Cortex: A Partial “God Helmet” Replication Study * Carlos A. Tinoco & João P. L. Ortiz Integrated Center for Experimental Research, Curitiba-Pr, Brazil Abstract The effects of magnetic stimulation of the brain in comparison with suggestibility and expectation are studied. Eight magnetic coils were embedded in a helmet, placing four over the temporal lobes on each side of the head. These produced 0.0001 Tesla (10 mG) magnetic fields (MF). “Spiritual experiences” were reported by some of the 20 volunteers who received magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobes. These “spiritual experiences” included sensing the presence of “spiritual beings.” Stimulation durations and field strengths were within the limits used by Dr. M. A. Persinger in similar (“God Helmet”) experiments (20 minutes, 10 mG). Questionnaires were applied before, during, and after the experimental sessions. Analysis of the subjects’ verbal reports, using Whissel’s Dictionary of Affect in Language, revealed significant differences between subjects and controls, as well as less robust effects for suggestion and expectation. Keywords: God Helmet, magnetic stimulation, temporal cortex, Michael Persinger, spiritual experience. Introduction Neurotheology or spiritual neuroscience is the study of the neural bases for spirituality and religion. The goal of neurotheology is to discover the cognitive processes that produce spiritual and religious experiences and their accompanying affect and relate them to patterns of brain activity, how they evolved, and the effect of these experiences on personality.
    [Show full text]
  • Professor, Author and Clinical Psychologist. Michael A. Persinger Was Born on 26 June 1945 in Jacksonville Florida
    Please respect our copyright! We encourage you to view and print this document FOR PERSONAL USE, also to link to it directly from your website. Copying for any reason other than personal use requires the express written consent of the copyright holder: Survival Research Institute of Canada, PO Box 8697, Victoria, BC V8W 3S3 Canada Email: [email protected] Website: www.survivalresearch.ca First prepared in October 2006 by the Survival Research Institute of Canada (Debra Barr and Walter Meyer zu Erpen). Capitalization of any name or subject in the text below indicates that you will find an entry on that topic in the forthcoming third edition of Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (October 2007). Persinger, Michael A. (1945- ) Professor, author and clinical psychologist. Michael A. Persinger was born on 26 June 1945 in Jacksonville Florida. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin (1967), a Master of Arts from the University of Tennessee (1969), and a PhD from the University of Manitoba (1971). He has been a professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, since 1971, and is a registered psychologist with a focus on clinical neuropsychology. He has published over two hundred academic articles and written, co-authored or edited seven books: ELF and VLF Electromagnetic Field Effects (1974); The Paranormal: Part I, Patterns (1974); The Paranormal: Part II, Mechanisms and Models (1974); Space-time Transients and Unusual Events (1977); TM and Cult-Mania (1980); The Weather Matrix and Human Behaviour (1980), and Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs (1987).
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Natural Magnetic Fields on Biological Systems: Evidence from Planaria
    The effects of natural magnetic fields on biological systems: Evidence from planaria, sunflower seeds and breast cancer cells by Victoria Hossack A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Biology The Faculty of Graduate Studies Laurentian University Sudbury, Ontario, Canada © Victoria Hossack, 2019 THESIS DEFENCE COMMITTEE/COMITÉ DE SOUTENANCE DE THÈSE Laurentian Université/Université Laurentienne Faculty of Graduate Studies/Faculté des études supérieures Title of Thesis Titre de la these The effects of natural magnetic fields on biological systems: Evidence from planaria, sunflower seeds and breast cancer cells Name of Candidate Nom du candidat Hossack, Victoria Degree Diplôme Master of Science Department/Program Date of Defence Département/Programme Biology Date de la soutenance January 16, 2019 APPROVED/APPROUVÉ Thesis Examiners/Examinateurs de thèse: Dr. Blake Dotta (Co-Supervisor/Co-directeur de thèse) Dr. Rob Lafrenie (Co-Supervisor/Co-directeur de thèse) Dr. Michael Persinger (†) (Supervisor/Directeur de thèse) Dr. Peter Ryser (Committee member/Membre du comité) Approved for the Faculty of Graduate Studies Approuvé pour la Faculté des études supérieures Dr. David Lesbarrères Monsieur David Lesbarrères Dr. Bryce Mulligan Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies (External Examiner/Examinateur externe) Doyen, Faculté des études supérieures ACCESSIBILITY CLAUSE AND PERMISSION TO USE I, Victoria Hossack, hereby grant to Laurentian University and/or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or for the duration of my copyright ownership. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report.
    [Show full text]
  • Insufficiency of Neuroscientific Data to Determine a Theory of Religious Experience
    Letter to the Editor Published: 25 Sep, 2020 Journal of Neurology Forecast Insufficiency of Neuroscientific Data to Determine a Theory of Religious Experience Darvish Aghajani J1* and Gharibzade S2 1Department of Philosophy of Science at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran 2Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Letter to the Editor In the new interdisciplinary research program named neurotheology, researchers are trying to explain religious experiences by employing neuroscience. They believe that neural processes within the brain are the cause of religious experiences. Two competing approaches are presented in this program. The first approach, with an empathetic view on the reality of religious experience, focuses on the brain images during praying to explain religious experiences by neural changing. The second approach, seeks to show that religious experiences are the result of dysfunction of the neural system, therefore one can count them as illusions. In the following, we first shed light on each of these approaches and then argue that the scientific data is insufficient to reach the goal of these two approaches. In other words, it is the interpretation of the experimenter or test subjects that determines whether the religious experiences are illusions or imply an external truth. Andrew Newberg has provided brain scans of Franciscan nuns, Buddhist practitioners and Pentecostal practitioners while they worship and meditate [1]. Based on the results of his researches, he believes that, first each part of the brain constructs a different perception of God. Second, every human brain uniquely reconstructs its perception of God [1]. One of the significant properties that he emphasizes to justify the formation of spiritual concepts in the brain is the property of "neuroplasticity", which is related to flexibility and the capability of extensive changes in the path of synapses.
    [Show full text]
  • The Therapeutic Effects of Spiritual Practice for Individuals with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Amanda Michelle Gvozden Dickinson College
    Dickinson College Dickinson Scholar Student Honors Theses By Year Student Honors Theses 5-17-2015 A Spiritually Trained Brain : The Therapeutic Effects of Spiritual Practice for Individuals with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Amanda Michelle Gvozden Dickinson College Follow this and additional works at: http://scholar.dickinson.edu/student_honors Part of the Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Gvozden, Amanda Michelle, "A Spiritually Trained Brain : The Therapeutic Effects of Spiritual Practice for Individuals with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy" (2015). Dickinson College Honors Theses. Paper 219. This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Dickinson Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Spiritually Trained Brain The Therapeutic Effects of Spiritual Practice for Individuals with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy By Amanda M. Gvozden Submitted in fulfillment of Honors Requirements For the Religion Department Dickinson College, 2014-2015 Professor Daniel Cozort, Supervisor Professor Teresa Barber, Supervisor Professor Theodore Pulcini, Reader Professor Nitsa Kann, Reader Professor Mara Donaldson, Reader Professor Andrea Lieber, Reader Professor Jeffrey-Joeseph Englehardt, Reader May 17, 2015 Table of Contents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..pg. 1 2. Chapter 1: Negative Psychological Effects of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy………………………pg. 7 3. Chapter 2: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Mystical Experience……………………………….…pg. 15 4. Chapter 3: The Emergence of a Neurological Investigation of Mystical Experience…pg. 23 5. Chapter 4: The Nature of Mystical Experience and Patterns among their Reports….pg. 35 6. Chapter 5: Benefits of Spiritual Practice and Mystical Experience.….………………………pg. 54 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Persinger Ed Insegna Neuroscienze Del Comportamento Al Dipartimento Di Psicologia Della Laurentian University Di Sudbury, Nella Regione Canadese Dell’Ontario
    LE BASI NEUROFISIOLOGICHE DELLE ESPERIENZE MISTICHE E VISIONARIE Franco Landriscina Psicologo, Roma ([email protected]) 1. Un professore fuori del comune I film di fantascienza degli anni ’50 e ’60 erano pieni di strani professori in camice bianco intenti ad armeggiare con provette ed elettrodi in laboratori di campus universitari e a sperimentare strani congegni elettronici sui loro malcapitati studenti. Spesso i loro esperimenti avevano come obiettivo quello di leggere il pensiero o di risvegliare misteriosi poteri della mente. Quasi sempre il risultato finale era tutt’altro da quello aspettato. Come si sa, la realtà talvolta supera la fantasia, ed infatti un professore di questo tipo esiste davvero, con tanto di laboratorio in una sperduta università nelle montagne del Canada. Il professore in questione si chiama Michael Persinger ed insegna neuroscienze del comportamento al Dipartimento di Psicologia della Laurentian University di Sudbury, nella regione canadese dell’Ontario. Non è però un illustre sconosciuto ma un ricercatore membro di svariate organizzazioni scientifiche internazionali che ha pubblicato più di 200 articoli scientifici e numerosi libri sul rapporto fra cervello e comportamento, attirando anche, in Canada e negli Stati Uniti, l’attenzione di giornali e televisioni. Leggendo la lunghissima lista delle sue pubblicazioni è difficile non rimanere stupiti dalla vastità e dalla particolarità degli argomenti di cui Persinger si occupa dal 1971, tutti uniti dal filo rosso dell’interazione fra sistema nervoso e campi elettromagnetici e sugli effetti di tale interazione sul comportamento. Non solo i campi elettromagnetici generati dalle moderne apparecchiature elettriche ed elettroniche (come il cellulare che forse in questo momento tenete acceso vicino a voi) ma anche, e qui arrivano le conseguenze più inaspettate, quelli di origine geofisica, generati cioè da terremoti, spostamenti del terreno, fenomeni metereologici ed atmosferici.
    [Show full text]
  • Neurotheology: Challenges and Opportunities
    Review article Neurotheology: challenges and opportunities Pierre-Yves Brandta,Fabrice Clémentb,Russell Re Manningc a University of Lausanne, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Lausanne, Switzerland b University of Neuchâtel, Faculty of Humanities, Neuchâtel, Switzerland c University of Cambridge, Faculty of Divinity,Cambridge, UK Funding /conflict of interest: No funding. No conflict of interest. Summary are. In order of emergence, these synthetic or subdisciplines include neuropsychology, neurophysiology and neurophi- During the last decades of the twentieth century scholars have proposed losophy, to which list has recently been added “neurotheol- “neurotheology” as a new subdiscipline of the neurosciences. This article ogy”. The present article will concern itself with this emer- presents a review and discussion of different interpretations placed on neu- gent discipline, presenting first a review of the different in- rotheology, and attempts to estimate the extent to which neuroscience is a terpretations placed on it, followed by a discussion of these challenge and/or an opportunity for theology and (for the study of) religion. interpretations from the viewpoints of philosophy and the- On the neuroscientific side, neurotheology can be split into a reductionist ology, cognitive science and the psychology of religion and and a religionist neuroscience of religion. On the theological side, it can be religious studies. split into apologetic and integrative approaches. The appraisal of these differ- ent interpretations and of the relevance of neuroscience for the study of re- ligion is conducted from three points of view: philosophy and theology, cog- Neuroscience: achallenge and/or opportunity nitive science, psychology of religion and sciences of religions. for religion and theology Key words: neurotheology; neurosciences; scientific study of religion; philosophy of religion; cognitive sciences; psychology of religion The rise of neuroscience is both a significant challenge and an exciting opportunity for religion and theology.
    [Show full text]
  • – the Neuroscience of Religious & Spiritual
    FEATURE “NEUROTHEOLOGY” – THE NEUROSCIENCE OF RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES Ian Westmore This article is based on a presentation given by Dr Westmore at the Sanofi In- Focus academic weekend in Somerset West on 8th March 2019. ost psychiatrists would have been trained which people live,” incorporating to work with their patients according to personal growth or transformation, the biopsychosocial model that was first usually in a context separate proposed by George Engel in 1977. This from organized religious Mmodel was an important step in acknowledging the institutions, such as a belief in a fact that in any illness there are in addition to the supernatural (beyond the known biological, also psychosocial determinants. and observable) realm, personal growth, a quest for an ultimate As psychiatrists however, we have come to appreciate or sacred meaning, religious that there is probably another dimension that should experience, or an encounter with Ian Westmore be added to this model – the spiritual. So for many one’s own “inner dimension”.2 nowadays, the model has changed to a “bio-psycho- social-spiritual” model. NEUROTHEOLOGY FEW OF US NOWADAYS WOULD DISPUTE THIS COULD BE SIMPLY DEFINED AS THE FACT THAT THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE “THE NEUROSCIENCE OF THEOLOGICAL A SPIRITUAL DIMENSION AND PRACTICE BELIEF”3, BUT OVER THE YEARS THE RELIGION IS A BRAIN FUNCTION. THESE UNDERSTANDING OF NEUROTHEOLOGY ALSO SEEM TO BE EXPERIENCES THAT HAS EVOLVED AND ONE COULD ARE UNIQUELY HUMAN. SO, WE MIGHT NOW SAY THAT, “NEUROTHEOLOGY IS ASK, WHAT IS IT IN, OR ABOUT OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY IN NATURE AND BRAINS THAT ENABLES US TO EXPERIENCE INCLUDES THE FIELDS OF THEOLOGY, SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE RELIGION? RELIGIOUS STUDIES, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE, PHILOSOPHY, [It needs mentioning that whilst the terms “religion” and “spirituality” are often used interchangeably, COGNITIVE SCIENCE, NEUROSCIENCE, they are not the same.
    [Show full text]
  • Neurotheology: Neuroscience of the Soul
    Journal of Young Investigators RESEARCH REVIEW Neurotheology: Neuroscience of the Soul Paul Cooke *1 and Mirari Elcoro1 Neurotheology encompasses areas of research that investigate the neurological factors involved in religious conviction and sensations (religiosity). Since the 1970s case studies of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have offered insights into religiosity and have sparked interest in the pursuit of neurological correlates for religiosity. Following the theory that the temporal lobes play important roles in religiosity, attempts were made to induce religious sensations by stimulating these areas of the brain, however the results proved unreliable. More recent research has focused on the usage of neuroimaging equipment to identify areas of the brain that presumably mediate feelings of religiosity. Brain scans of religious devotees engaging in verbal prayer and meditation have led researchers to conclude that religiosity is not as localized in the brain as was previously understood with research. Inzlich, McGregor, Hirsh and Nash (2009) offer an evolutionary approach to the subject by analyzing the possible purpose of religiosity as a defense mechanism against stress. The results from these data indicate that religiosity can be attributed to specific areas of the brain and that religiosity as a whole appears to be far more complex and less compartmentalized than previously believed. By critically reviewing the current literature the argument is made for the necessity of neurotheology as a separate discipline with the goal
    [Show full text]
  • The Haunted Brain Reports of Alleged Ghostly Activity Tell Us a Great Deal About the Innermost Workings of Our Brains
    SI_SI new design masters 7/21/11 12:57 PM Page 46 The Haunted Brain Reports of alleged ghostly activity tell us a great deal about the innermost workings of our brains. RICHARD WISEMAN here is an old joke about a university lecturer who asks The palace is famous for many things: It houses invaluable works of art from his class, “Has anyone here ever seen a ghost?” Fifteen the Royal Collection, contains the best- Tstudents put their hands in the air. Next, the lecturer preserved medieval hall in Britain, and says, “Well, who here has touched a ghost?” This time only boasts a giant Tudor kitchen. It is also considered one of the most haunted five hands go up. Curious, the lecturer adds, “OK, has any- buildings in Britain. Various spirits al- one actually kissed a ghost?” A young man sitting in the legedly haunt the palace. There is a “lady middle of the lecture theater slowly raises his hand, looks in gray” whose walks through the cob- bled courtyards are as regular as clock- around nervously, and then asks, “I’m sorry, did you say work, a “woman in blue” who continu- ‘ghost’ or ‘goat?’” ously searches for her lost child, and a Thankfully, the results from national of a bed as people are either waking up phantom dog that lives in Wolsey’s surveys have yielded more clear-cut or drifting off to sleep. Around a third closet. However, despite stiff competi- findings. Opinion polls have consis- of Houran’s reports involve rather fleet- tion, Hampton Court’s most famous tently shown that around 30 percent of ing visual phenomena, such as quick spirit is that of Catherine Howard.
    [Show full text]
  • 1.1 Introduction to Paranormal Awareness
    1.1 INTRODUCTION TO PARANORMAL AWARENESS Paranormal is a common term that was coined somewhere in between 1915 to 1020. It was designated for all the experiences that cannot be included in the range of normal experiences of people easily explained by science. It means that paranormal are the experiences of people that are unexplained by science. Paranormal is the phenomenon that are unable to understand by science’s present ability to define it, as paranormal is not experienced by physical senses. “Paranormal phenomena are different from dark matter and dark energy and only insofar as paranormal phenomena are inconsistent with the world as already understood through empirical observation coupled with scientific methodology.’’ The definition ‘paranormal’ implies that, what we experience in the world around us has some scientific explanation and is considered as normal part of the word. On the other hand the ‘para’ implies to the experiences above or beyond our perspective world. Most of the researchers have agreed that paranormal phenomenon is so far not explained by the present science. “On the classification of paranormal subjects, Terence Hines in his book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2003) wrote: The paranormal can best be thought of as a subset of pseudoscience. What sets the paranormal apart from other pseudo sciences is a reliance on explanations for alleged phenomena that are well outside the bounds of established science. ” Now let me explain what these experiences that are considered as paranormal are. We all have heard of or experiences like having thought of someone and the same person visit us, or getting right news of distant friend, or making a right guess for any options.
    [Show full text]
  • National Library of Medicine (NLM) Professor Dr. Michael Persinger Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario Canada 1: Percept
    National Library of Medicine (NLM) Professor Dr. Michael Persinger Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario Canada 1: Percept Mot Skills 2001 Jun;92 (3 Pt 1):673-4 Geophysical variables and behavior: CIV. Power-frequency magnetic field transients (5 microtesla) and reports of haunt experiences within an electronically dense house. Persinger MA, Koren SA, O'Connor RP. Department of Psychology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Magnetic field measurements for power frequencies were measured continuously over two 24-hr. periods for a small house in which two adults who exhibited above normal occurrences of complex partial epileptic-like experiences had reported “waves of fear”, tactile sensations, nightmares, apparitions, and a sensed presence. The experiences occurred within an area in which irregular amplitude modulations between 1 microT and 5 microT (50 mG) from 60-Hz sources, with durations of a few seconds to several tens of seconds, were measured. This case suggests that transient, complex temporal patterns of power- frequency magnetic fields generated by less than optimal grounding in dwellings and telluric currents may be sufficient to evoke experiences in the brains of sensitive individuals. Cultural labels, applied by the experients, then affect the explanations and expectancies for these experiences. PMID: 11453191 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 1: Percept Mot Skills 2001 Jun;92(3 Pt 1):653-4 Geophysical variables and behavior: CIII. Days with sudden infant deaths and cardiac arrhythmias in adults share a factor with PC1 geomagnetic pulsations: implications for pursuing mechanism. Persinger MA, O'Connor RP. Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. If geomagnetic-mediated stimuli trigger many sudden infant deaths, then the days in which they and hospital admissions for cardiac arrhythmias for adults occur should share a similar source of variance.
    [Show full text]