MONDAY 26 JULY 2021 How Bad is Coffee on an Empty Stomach? SEE ON PAGE 4-5 Dementia Risk Factors and Solutions SEE ON PAGE 3 Looking for Meditation Podcasts? The Daily Shine The Daily Shine is short, accessible, and unlike so many of the esoteric new age offerings out there, very practical. Every episode has a short talk about an aspect of life to ponder — like setting boundaries or cultivating gratitude — and a brief meditation that can help you apply it to your own life. Tara Brach Podcast Tara Brach is like the Beyoncé of meditation — pretty much everyone across the world adores her. Brach’s podcast alternates between Buddhist-style dharma talks (otherwise known as spiritual conversations) and guided meditations. Even if you’re not Buddhist, Brach’s talks have some pretty deep real world wisdom, and her guided meditations are basically the gold standard, because they seamlessly integrate modern psychological principles with ancient practices. Why Some People The Mindful Minute A lot of meditation podcasts are geared toward people who already meditate. That’s cool, but most people need a lot of help learning to find stillness and sustaining a practice. The Mindful Minute is a blessedly short meditation podcast that’s focused on Hallucinate helping busy people start, and stay meditating. Each episode is led by experienced instructor Meryl Arnett and features a short and simple guided meditation — perfect for newbie meditators still working on building their concentration Without Drugs time. The Rubin Mindfulness Meditation Podcast When Joey DeRusha was seven, hallucinations, which occur when he saw, “A large disc-shaped flying someone’s in the process of waking The Rubin Mindfulness Meditation saucer with red and blue spinning up. Around 10 to 12 per cent of Podcast is a podcast created by New York’s lights,” outside his bedroom people experience these at some Rubin Museum of Art, which showcases art window. “I stared at it for point, Giordano says. More from the Himalayan region, and each somewhere between 10 and 30 common are hypnagogic episode uses a different piece of art for seconds,” the Los Angeles-based hallucinations, which happen inspiration. It may feel a little suspicious artist and musician recalls. “Then, while someone’s falling asleep, like gimmicky or trite, but it’s actually kind I thought to put on my shoes and occurring in about 30 per cent of of inspiring. Plus, they feature some of the go outside to have a closer look. I people. They’re most often auditory heavy hitters of the meditation world — like got up to put my shoes on and tied — people will report hearing voices author and meditation teacher Sharon them then looked back out the or banging or rustling sounds — Shalzberg — who use the Buddhist art window, and it was gone. I thought, but some may see forms or figures pieces as jumping off points to guide you if only I hadn’t bothered to tie my or hallucinate that something’s through skilfully led meditation practices. shoes, I wouldn’t have missed it.” touching or crawling on them. I Should Be Meditating This anecdote might prompt Hypnagogic hallucinations are questions about what this person effects of the brain mechanisms It’s hard to sit down, keep quiet and focus could be on. Or what they could be involved in shifting from conscious on anything in today’s hustle culture. If going through. But experiences like perception to semi-conscious meditation feels intimidating or challenging DeRusha’s — hallucinations attention to stimuli in your to fit into your life, I Should Be seemingly unprompted by drugs — environment and activity in your Meditating has your back; it’s hosted by are surprisingly common. One Some cultures view experiences images of lines and edges during sensory processing networks Alan Klima, a well-respected teacher with an 2016 study of 7,403 people in like these as spiritual and the ‘pro-dromal’ period — what is during the light stages of sleep, approachable ‘regular guy’ style of teaching. England found that 4.3 per cent prophetic, Amesbury says. known as an ‘aura’ episode — says Giordano. This could explain Klima talks openly about his own struggle to had experienced hallucinations Historically, many experiences before the onset of headache.” why people like Patterson have maintain a consistent practice, which feels without being on any drugs, deemed ‘paranormal’ are eventually Certain kinds of seizures can also hallucinations upon waking. validating when you’re facing your own lack including many without diagnosed chalked up to hallucination. Adam make someone hallucinate figures, Even though hallucinations can of discipline. mental health conditions. Another Patterson, a 34-year-old consultant sounds, and smells. Some report a be benign, don’t dismiss them On Being study from 1991 found that 10 – 15 in Boston, once woke up to see his ‘burnt citrus’ scent right before the entirely. In fact, if you have several per cent of people had experienced grandmother standing above his seizure. of them, talk to a doctor because On Being is more of a storytelling podcast auditory hallucinations. bed. “I was startled, rubbed my In addition, it’s possible that they could be a sign of a physical or than a meditation podcast. The host, Krista Emin Gharibian, a psychologist eyes, and she was gone,” he recalls. people with hallucinations have mental condition. Sometimes Tippet, interviews prominent poets, specialising in neuropsychological Eerily, he later found out she had higher production of the (though very rarely, a la Izzy philosophers, and spiritual and social and forensic evaluations, estimates died just a few hours before the neurotransmitter dopamine — one Stevens’ hallucinations on Grey’s leaders about their passions. Her guests are that between four and 21 per cent sighting. that plays a big role in delivering Anatomy) they could indicate more people with big, world-altering ideas — like of people have waking One of the reasons someone pleasure — in the striatum, a part serious problems like brain Buddhist teacher Rev. angel Kyodo williams, hallucinations (ones that happen might have a hallucination despite of the brain involved in the neural tumours, says Amesbury. a Black queer Buddhist teacher who mostly during your transition from not being on any substance or reward system, says Gharibian. Aside from potential underlying espouses a socially radical approach to wakefulness to sleep) without any having a relevant mental illness is Even if the dopamine levels aren’t conditions, Amesbury only Buddhist practices. other psychotic symptoms. “They lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation can as high as someone with full-blown considers hallucinations an issue if Often, Tippet’s guests talk about their own can range from seeing things in the often alter your perception in such psychosis, they can be treated with the person’s hallucinating that meditation, contemplation, and mindfulness dark or hearing your name called,” a way that may cause antipsychotics if the hallucinations they’re being ordered to do certain practices in ways that make you want to do he says. hallucinations, Gharibian says. are debilitating. things, if they’ve lost touch with the same; so you can be as calm, focused, Hallucinations that aren’t Social isolation and withdrawal Sleep disorders, which often but reality, or if the hallucinations and groundbreaking as they are. If you’re induced by substances or mental may even cause hallucinations, not always include that interfere with their health, work, or looking for existential reasons to get your illness are likely more common particularly auditory aforementioned lack of sleep, can relationships. head right, On Being may be just the spark than they appear because people hallucinations, through the also make someone prone to “The visual events can be you need to get started. tend to hide them due to stigma, reduction of sensory input and the hallucinations. Gary Brooks, a problematic if individuals have (mic) says Florida-based psychotherapist psychological effects of loneliness. 39-year-old consultant in Brussels, difficulty discerning what is real Nicole Amesbury. “The truth is, we Anxiety and the hyper-vigilance it regularly hallucinates due to sleep from what is hallucinatory and, as are all using our biological brains can spark could also lead to paralysis — but often, he’ll see a result, respond or react to their and bodies alongside our memories hallucinations, he says. shadowy figures during the first fictive visual events in problematic and our social and environmental The causes of these mirages few minutes after he wakes up even — if not dangerous — ways,” says experiences to construct and form aren’t always psychological, when he’s not paralysed. “I can Giordano. However, he adds, “for reality and make sense of this though; they can also be physical. move, am awake, and know it’s all most people with this syndrome, world,” she says. “A lot more goes For some people, hallucinations bollocks — and yet, they persist,” there is no complete treatment, into it than the average person are associated with migraines, says he says. “It’s interesting because I and they tend to deal well with thinks about.” And although we James Giordano, professor of know it’s not real, so I can have a these events once they are assured may think of visions when we hear neurology and biochemistry at totally relaxed look at some that these do not represent ‘hallucinations’, they often involve Georgetown University Medical ‘monsters,’” he says. symptoms or signs of mental other senses; hearing voices is a Centre. These may involve, Brooks is describing what’s illness.” common one, says Amesbury. “Sensations of lights, figures, and known as hypnopompic (mic) C2 MONDAY 26 JULY 2021 SNEAK PEEKS LOOK Elle Woods is Back! The 2001 original film made Reese Witherspoon a household name as she took on the role of Elle, everyone’s favourite Gemini vegetarian law school student who didn’t let her ex-boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) — or unfair stereotypes — stop her from becoming a lawyer.