A Cartography of the Ecstatic and Meditative States

Author(s): Roland Fischer

Source: Leonardo, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Winter, 1973), pp. 59-66
Published by: The MIT Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1572429
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Leonardo

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Leonardo, Vol. 6, pp. 59-66. Pergamon Press 1973. Printed in Great Britain

DOCUMENTS
The Editors will publish in this section of Leonardo, from time
that may cast a new light on significant aspects of contempo
texts may be in the form of manifestos, 'conversations' betw
of articles long out of print, translations, etc., Readers are in
to the Editors material for possible publication in this secti

A CARTOGRAPHY OF THE ECSTATIC

A CARTOGRAPHY OF THE ECSTATIC
AND MEDITATIVE STATES*

Roland Fischer**

matched by a corresponding increase in the rate of

In this age so concerned with travel in outer as well
as inner space, it is strange that, while we have data processing. While the creative state is conducive
to the evolution of novel relations and new meaning,
detailed charts of the moon, we have no cartography
of the varieties of human experience. In order to the psychotic 'jammed computer' state interferes
draft a map of inner space, I am ready to be your with the individual's creative interpretation of the
travel guide and take you on two voyages: one activity of his central nervous system (CNS). At the
along the perception-hallucination continuum of peak of ecstatic rapture, the outside (physical) world
increasing ergotropic arousal, which includes 'retreats to the fringe of consciousness' and the
creative, psychotic, and ecstatic experiences; andindividual reflects himself in his own 'program'.
another along the perception-meditation continuum One can conceptualize the normal, creative, 'hyper-
of increasing trophotropic arousal, which encom- phrenic' and ecstatic states along the perception-
passes the hypoaroused states of Zazen and Yoga hallucination continuum as the ledges of a homeo-
samadhi. static step function [3]. While the creative person
Along the perception-hallucination continuum may travel freely between 'normal' and creative
of increasing arousal of the sympathetic nervous states, the chronic schizophrenic patient is stranded
system (ergotropic arousal), man-the self-referen- in the 'jammed computer' state. And the talented
tial system-perceptually-behaviorally (cortically) mystic, of course, does not need to go through every
interprets the change (drug-induced or 'natural') in intermediate step to attain ecstasy.
his subcortical activity as creative, psychotic, and The mutually exclusive relationship between the
ecstatic experiences [1]. These states are marked by ergotropic and trophotropic systems justifies a
a gradual turning inward toward a mental dimension separate perception-meditation continuum of in-
at the expense of the physical. The normal state of creasing trophotropic arousal (hypo-arousal) that
daily routine, our point of departure, is followed by is continuous with, and to the right of, the percep-
an aroused, creative state, which can be character- tion-hallucination continuum (Fig. 1). The course
ized by an increase in both data content (a descrip- of our second trip, therefore, will take us in the
tion of space) and rate of data processing ['flood of opposite direction, along the tranquil perception-
inner sensation' or most intense time] [2]. However, meditation continuum, where man may symbolically
in the next aroused state on the continuum, the interpret his gradually increasing trophotropic
acute schizophrenic [or rather, 'hyperphrenic'] arousal at Zazen and, ultimately, samadhi.
state, a further increase in data content may not be That the two continua in Fig. 1 represent two
mutually exclusive states of arousal has been well
documented. The mutual exclusiveness of the
* Abridged version of the article in Science, Washington,
D.C. 174, 897 (1971). Published with permission. Copy-
ergotropic and trophotropic systems can also be
right ? 1971 by American Association for the Advancement illustrated by characteristic changes in the frequency
of Science. (Received 1 February 1972.) of the small, involuntary, micronystagmoid move-
** Assoc. professor of pharmacology, Ohio State University ments of the eye. These rapid scanning movements
College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, 43210; and lecturer,
Dept. of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,
(with a mean frequency of one per second and an
Maryland 21233, U.S.A. Reprint requests to: V. A. Hospital, amplitude of 5-10 min of an arc) are regarded as a
50 Irving Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20422, U.S.A. prerequisite for the fixation of an object in physical

59

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60 Roland Fischer

"I"
normal

'4

Fig. 1. Varieties of conscious states mapped on a perception-hallucination continuum of

increasing ergotropic arousal (left) and a perception-meditation continuum of increasing
trophotropic arousal (right). These levels of hyper- and hypo-arousal are interpreted by man as
normal, creative, psychotic, and ecstatic states (left) and Zazen and samadhi (right). The loop
connecting ecstasy and samadhi represents the reboundfrom ecstasy to samadhi, which is observed
in response to intense ergotropic excitation. The numbers 35 to 7 on the perception-hallucination
continuum are Goldstein's coefficient of variation, specifying the decrease in variability of the
EEG amplitude with increasing ergotropic arousal. The numbers 26 to 4 on the perception-
meditation continuum, on the other hand, refer to those beta, alpha, and theta EEG waves
(measured in hertz) that predominate during, but are not specific to, these states [4].

space-time. The frequency of saccadic movements differentiate between dreams and hallucinations;
is increased five- to eightfold in response to the for example, see the 'Three Wise Men' (Fig. 2). Two
ergotropic arousal induced by moderate doses of of the three wise men dream with eyes closed, while
mescaline, psilocybin, or LSD (D-lysergic acid the third, with eyes open, hallucinates the angel who
diethylamide). This increase is also present without carries all three away from the 'real' world into a
drugs in acute schizophrenics [that is, patients in a mental dimension.
state of ergotropic arousal]. We can describe verifiable perceptions, therefore,
On the other hand, 0-9 gram of alcohol per by assigning to them low sensory-to-motor (S/M)
kilogram of body weight, and even sleepiness and ratios, while nonverifiable hallucinations and dreams
fatigue, decreases saccadic frequency. A progressive can be characterized by increasing S/M ratios as
decrease seems to be a characteristic feature of one moves along the perception-hallucination or
trophotropic arousal along the perception-medita- perception-meditation continuum toward ecstasy
tion continuum. That the alpha rhythm appearing or samadhi, the two most hallucinatory states
on the electroencephalogram (EEG) appears to be (Fig. 1, left and right, respectively). Moderate doses
phase-locked to the onset of saccades may also be
of significance, since states of progressively greater
trophotropic arousal along the perception-
meditation continuum are characterized by EEG
waves of progressively lower frequencies [4].
(Fig. 1, right). Moreover, since a complete arrest
of saccadic frequency results in periodic fading,
disintegration and fragmented reconstruction of
the image, we may postulate that reduced saccadic
frequency may be linked with the Yogi's comment
that, at the peak of a meditative experience, he can
still see 'objects' but they have no predicative
properties [5].

HALLUCINATORY STATES
Fig. 2. Gislebertus' 'Three Wise Men', in the Cathedral
The hallucinatory or waking-dream states along
of Autun in the south of France, dramatizes the intense
the perception-hallucination continuum can best
sensations and concomitant loss of voluntary motor activity
be described as experiences of intense sensations which are the common features of both hallucinations (see
that cannot be verified through voluntary motor the wise man with eyes open) and dreams (see the two
activity. Note that such a definition does not dreaming wise men).

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 A Cartography of the Ecstatic and Meditative States 61

of the hallucinogenic drugs LSD, psilocybin and psilocybin-induced contraction of nearby visual
mescaline can get one 'moving' along the perception- space-can also be observed in acute schizophrenics
hallucination continuum, whereas minor tran- under 'natural' ergotropic arousal (that is, without
quilizers and some muscle relaxants may initiate hallucinogenic drugs). The transformation of con-
travel along the perception-meditation continuum. stancies during acute psychotic episodes apparently
gives rise to a 'vertical displacement of the visual
SPACE AND INCREASING HYPER- AND
angle', which is implicit in a contraction of visual
space and which results in an elevation of the hori-
HYPO-AROUSAL
zon. Rennert [8], who for years has studied the
We call man's symbolic interpretation of his angle of perspective in the drawings of schizophrenic
CNS activity 'perception-behavior' and regard patients, finds the more severe the schizophrenic
creative, 'hyperphrenic' and ecstatic states, as well
episode, the higher the position of the horizon-
as Zazen and samadhi, as perceptual-behavioral ultimately, it may even disappear. At the same time
interpretations of ergotropic and trophotropic (Fig. 3), a map-like perspective, or bird's eye view,
arousal, respectively. We may now consider some of the landscape results, with houses and other
of the perceptual-behavioral changes or trans- significant figures appearing in the foreground.
formations, that gradually develop as the level of The elevation of the horizon forces the animals to
arousal increases and decreases along each con- walk at a steep angle.
tinuum. One of the most conspicuous transforma- I have also observed that the just-noticeable
tions is that of 'constancies' [6], which in the normal difference (JND) in taste becomes smaller with
state of daily routine form a learned structure of increasing ergotropic arousal: subjects need fewer
primary ordering of space and time 'out there'. molecules of a sapid substance (such as sucrose,
Although the newborn infant's only reality is his quinine and so on) to taste a JND in sweetness or
CNS activity, he soon learns, by bumping into things, bitterness. On the other hand, under the influence
to erect a corresponding model 'out there'. Ulti- of tranquilizers of the phenothiazine type, the
mately, his forgetting that his CNS activity has been JND becomes larger [9]. Since the JND is constant
the only reality will be taken by society as proof of at levels of arousal associated with daily routine
his maturity and he will be ready to conduct his life (within the customary middle range of taste sensiti-
'out there' in (container) space and (chronological) vity), I interpret the above as examples of arousal-
time [2]. This gradually learned and projected induced transformations of constancies. Because
model, then, is the re-presentation of a world the number of molecules necessary to elicit the
ordered and stabilized by self-programmed in- sensation of a JND gradually decreases during a
variances. The adult interprets his CNS activity voyage from the physical to the mental dimension
within this structure of similarity criteria or 'con- along the perception-hallucination continuum, it
stancies' and thus experience can be said to consist might be extrapolated that no sapid molecules at
of two processes: the programmed (subcortical) all are needed for the experience of taste during
CNS activity; and the symbolic or perceptual- ecstasy, the most hyper-aroused hallucinatory state.
behavioral (cortical) interpretation, or metapro- It should be emphasized that the projection of our
grams, of the CNS activity. CNS activity as location in the physical dimension
I have studied the transformation of certain con- of space and time 'out there' was learned at, and is
stancies along the perception-hallucination con- hence bound to, the lower levels of arousal char-
tinuum and find, for example, that the ability to acteristic of our daily survival routines.
readapt to optically induced spatial distortions, or to
maintain the constancy of the visual world, gradu-
ally diminishes as a subject turns inward under the
influence of psilocybin. Another finding revealed
that the preferred level of (the constancy of) bright-
ness increases under the influence of hallucinogenic
drugs but only in 'variable' subjects-that is, those
subjects whose large standard deviations on a
variety of perceptual and behavioral tasks indicate a
large and varied interpretive repertoire [7]. How-
ever, in 'stable' subjects, who are characterized by
small standard deviations and, thus, by smaller and
more predictable interpretive repertoires, the level
of preferred brightness decreases when they are
under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. In
addition, nearby visual space was found to gradually
close in as subjects moved along the perception-
hallucination continuum under the influence of
Fig. 3. A drawing of an acute schizophrenic patient
moderate doses of psilocybin. demonstrating the contraction of nearby visual space,
The transformation of constancies under ergo- resulting in a raised horizon [8]. With the kind permission
tropic arousal-specifically, as manifested in the of Leo Navratil (Gugging, Austria).

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62 Roland Fischer

The constancy of corporeal awareness also under-
goes transformations as one moves along the
perception-hallucination continuum. For instance,
phantom sensations [that is, readaptation pheno-
mena compensating for and correcting distortions
of corporeal awareness in physical space-time]
gradually diminish and disappear as one moves into
the mental dimension under the influence of halluci-
nogenic drugs. Depersonalization phenomena, on
the other hand, manifest themselves as changes in
body image and usually accompany the dissolution
of ego boundaries during creative, psychotic,
ecstatic or meditative states-whether 'natural' or
drug-induced-as well as while falling asleep. All
of this is to say that the constancy of the 'I' is
interfered with as one moves along the perception-
hallucination continuum from the 'I' of the physical
world to the 'Self' of the mental dimension. Ana-
logously, the perception-meditation continuum
(Fig. 1, right) also involves a departure from the
'I' to the 'Self'. These two continua can thus be
called 'I-Self' continua. As will become clear later,
the 'Self' of ecstasy and the 'Self' of samadhi are one
and the same 'Self'.
The further we progress on the perception-
hallucination continuum from the normal through
the creative, psychotic and, ultimately, to the
ecstatic state (Fig. 1), the more complete is the
transformation, or 'unlearning', of the constancies
of the physical dimension. Input, or outside
information in general, is gradually reduced along
this continuum. Space, then, which was gradually
established in ever-widening circles during child-
hood, gradually contracts with increasing arousal
and ultimately disappears.
decrease (visual) sensory data content and its rate of
processing at drug peak; and it is underestimated (it
'drags' or expands) by the maximizers, the subjects
with a small standard deviation, who prefer to
increase data content and its rate of processing at
drug peak.
Such contraction of time parallels the already
described contraction of nearby visual space. By
'time-contraction', I mean an increase in data
content within a chronological time span and I
imply that, during such an experience, the subject,
if without a watch, would arrive early for an
appointment. Under the impact of an acute, halluci-
nogenic drug-induced experience, the subject usually
compares the time-contraction or increased data
content of the mental dimension with his past and
present routine performance in physical space-time
and has, therefore, to conclude that 'time' passes
slowly [10]. Thus, there is only apparent contradic-
tion in terms: while experience is shifting from the
physical toward the mental dimension, physical or
chronological time becomes less and less important.
Still, this transitional state can only be described in
Aristotelian [dualistic, or two-valued (true-false)]
terms of chronological time [11] and by comparing
experimental with experiential data. This con-
tradiction resolves itself at the peak of ergotropic
or trophotropic arousal, since these purely mental
states are timeless and spaceless and in no need of
comparative verification.
INCREASING CORTICAL-SUBCORTICAL
INTEGRATION WITH INCREASING
AROUSAL

TIME AND INCREASING HYPER- AND If we assume that man, the self-referential
system, creates experience through the cortical
HYPO-AROUSAL
(that is, perceptual-behavioral) interpretation of his
subcortical activity, we may ask about the extent
A gradual contraction and ultimate disappearance
is also the fate of chronological time in theofphysical
freedom, or relative independence, of the mind
dimension (of the 'I' state) as one progresses
(cortex)
along
from the subcortical substratum. Indeed,
the perception-hallucination or the perception- man is to a large extent free to interpret his sub-
meditation continuum. In particular, we find that cortical activity in a variety of ways at levels of
LSD and psilocybin evoke an overestimation of time, arousal associated with daily routine.
the magnitude of which is related to a subject's We can find no relation between the extent of
variability on a perceptual or behavioral test before
psilocybin-induced perceptual and behavioral (or
ingesting the given drug. The greater a subject's cortical) change and a drug-induced increase in
variability before ingesting a drug, the greater will be pupillary diameter, which is a drug dose dependent
his contraction or overestimation of time at drug parameter of autonomic activity. This lack of a
peak. Moreover, the greater the subject's vari- relation points to a large degree of freedom of
ability, and thus his contraction of time, the greater cortical interpretive activity, even under moderate
will be his 'rebound effect' 24 hours after; that is, his hyperarousal.
underestimation, or expansion of time [2]. It is now common knowledge that the set and
Dividing people, according to the magnitude of setting, as well as the personality, decisively in-
their perceptual variability, into 'maximizers' fluence the cortical interpretation of hallucinogenic
('stable' subjects) and 'minimizers' ('variable' sub- drug-induced changes in subcortical activity. What
jects) assists one in resolving the hotly debated is not fully realized is that set, setting, personality
question of whether time 'flies' or 'drags' during a expectations and past experiences determine the
hallucinogenic drug-induced experience. Actually,cortical 'effects' of most of the psychoactive drugs
as we have found, it does both: it is overestimated when they are used in medically endorsed dosages.
(it 'flies' or contracts) by the minimizers, the sub- In fact, except for the anesthetics and hypnotics,
jects with a large standard deviation, who prefer to there are no drugs that selectively direct human

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 A Cartography of the Ecstatic and Meditative States 63

cognitive (psychological, or, in our terms, cortical) rhythm'; in this state Zen masters show an alpha-
functions. blocking response to auditory clicks but, in contrast
With rising levels of ergotropic and trophotropic to normal controls, do not habituate to these stimuli.
arousal, however, perception-behavior becomes Since the alpha rhythm is not altered or blocked by
increasingly dependent upon (or less free of) the flashing lights, sounding gongs or the touch of a
subcortical substratum that generates it. A cat hot test tube during the deep meditation of Indian
responds to ergotropic hyper-arousal with rage, Yoga masters, the Yoga samadhi apparently
while at the peak of trophotropic arousal the represents a more intense state of trophotropic
animal always yawns, curls up and falls asleep. arousal than Zazen does and must also express a
But man may be compelled to interpret these greater inability to function in physical space-time
two extreme states of hyper- and hypo-arousal as than Zazen does. In fact, a Yoga master denies
ecstasy and samadhi. This increasing stereotypy noticing any outside stimuli during deep meditation,
(loss of freedom) with increasing ergotropic arousalwhereas control subjects show alpha-blocking with
can be observed, for example, as a decrease in theas little stimulus as a flashing light (as do the Yoga
variability of the EEG amplitude [12]. A decrease masters themselves when not meditating).
in variability is expressed as the coefficient of
variation (see the coefficient of variation values for
states ranging from relaxation to catatonia in Fig. 'SELF': THE KNOWER AND IMAGE-MAKER;
1). Increasing steoreotypy also manifests itself as AND 'I': THE KNOWN AND IMAGINED
an increase in the S/M ratio, thus indicating an
intensification of inner sensations, accompanied by We have seen that the departure from the physical
a loss in the ability to verify them through voluntary dimension during a voyage on the perception-
motor activity. Such high S/M ratios are implicit meditation continuum is accompanied by a gradual
in the statements uttered during both drug-induced loss of freedom, which is manifested in the increasing
hallucinations and the hallucinations of schizo- inability to verify the experience through voluntary
phrenics: 'of being hypnotized', 'of being not free',motor activity. At the peak of trophotropic arousal,
'of being overpowered', 'of being paralyzed' andin samadhi, the meditating subject experiences
nothing but his own self-referential nature, void of
so on, and in the mystic's inability to experience the
subject-object dichotomy of daily routine in thecompelling contents. It is not difficult to see a
physical dimension. similarity between the meditative experience of pure
Apparently, then, an increase in ergotropic self-reference and St. Teresa's description of her
arousal is paralleled by a restriction in the indivi- ecstasy: in both timeless and spaceless experiences,
dual's repertoire of available perceptual-behavioral the mundane world is virtually excluded. Of course,
interpretations. This restriction implies that certainthe converse is true of the mundane state of daily
levels can be interpreted only as creative (artistic, routine, in which the oceanic unity with the universe,
scientific, religious) or psychotic experiences [13]. in ecstasy and samadhi, is virtually absent. Thus, the
Although a religious interpretation is a common mutual exclusiveness of the 'normal' and the
feature of catatonia, ecstasy, which is the mystical exalted states, both ecstasy and samadhi, allows us
experience of the Oneness of everything, results from to postulate that man, the self-referential system,
a creative breakthrough out of catatonic hyper- exists on two levels: as 'Self' in the mental dimen-
arousal. During the ecstatic state, there is neither sion of exalted states; and as 'I' in the objective
capacity nor necessity for motor verification of the world, where he is able and willing to change the
intense sensations. In the mental dimension, in physical dimension 'out there'. In fact, the 'I' and
contrast to the physical, the all-pervasive experience the 'Self'can be postulated on purely logical grounds.
of absolute certainty does not require further See, for instance, Brown's reasoning [15] that the
verification and will be structured according to universe is apparently
current mythology or the belief system of a St.
'... constructed in order (and thus in such a way
Francis, Pascal or Ramakrishna. What is one man's
as to be able) to see itself. But in order to do so,
loss of freedom, therefore, may be another's gain in
evidently it must first cut itself up into at least one
creativity.
state which sees, and at least one other state which
An increasing stereotypy can also be observed
is seen. In this severed and mutilated condition,
along the perception-meditation continuum of
whatever it sees is only partially itself. .. but, in
increasing trophotropic arousal (Fig. 1, right); this
any attempt to see itself as an object, it must,
enables one to gradually exclude stimulation from
equally undoubtedly, act so as to make itself
without and turn attention inward. Continuous
distinct from, and, therefore, false to, itself. In
trains of alpha waves accompany these changes and
this condition it will always partially elude
the dominant frequency of the alpha pattern de-itself.'
creases toward the alpha-theta border region, until
some subjects, in a state of reverie, produce longIn our terminology, the 'Self' of exalted states is
that which sees and knows, while the 'I' is the inter-
trains of theta waves (see the beta, alpha and theta
pretation, that which is seen and known in the
waves [14], measured in hertz, in Fig. 1, right).
According to Green et al., the 'alert innerfocused physical space-time of the world 'out-there'. The
state is associated with the production of alpha mutually exclusive relation between the 'seer' and

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64 Roland Fischer

the 'seen', or the elusiveness of the 'Self' and the 'I', this may be a reflection of the greater freedom (that
may have its physiological basis in the mutual is, separateness or independence) of cortical inter-
exclusiveness of the ergotropic and trophotropic pretation from subcortical activity. With increasing
systems. ergotropic and trophotropic arousal, however, this
A discernible communication between the 'Self' separateness gradually disappears, apparently be-
and the 'I' is only possible during the dreaming andcause in the 'Self'-state of ecstasy and samadhi,
hallucinatory states, whether drug-induced or cortical and subcortical activity are indistinguishably
'natural'. These states can be located approximately integrated. This unity is reflected in the experience
between coefficients of variation 10 and 13 on the of Oneness with everything, a Oneness with the
perception-hallucination continuum (Fig. 1, left) universe that is oneself.
and in the 9 to 12 hertz EEG range on the perception-
meditation continuum (Fig. 1, right). Such 'I'-
'Self' communication is the creative source of art, SIGN-SYMBOL-MEANING
science, literature and religion.
TRANSFORMATIONS
In spite of the mutually exclusive relation between
the ergotropic and trophotropic systems, however, The separateness of subject and object during t
there is a phenomenon called 'rebound to super- daily routine levels of arousal (in the 'I' state)
activity', or trophotropic rebound, which occurs in been elaborated in our customary, rational, Aristo
response to intense sympathetic excitation, that is, at lian logic and language-a two-valued (either-o
ecstasy, the peak of ergotropic arousal. A rebound true-false) logic that discounts the interaction
into samadhi at this point can be conceived of as a tween observer (subject) and observed (object) [18
physiological protective mechanism. The rebound This separateness of object and subject, as we hav
of the trophotropic system is not confined to the seen, is a reflection of the relative independence
autonomic branches but also causes significant cortical interpretation from subcortical activity
changes in behavior. Thus, repetitive stimulation of is of survival value in the 'I'-state, where the sub
the reticular formation in the midbrain increases the must make decisions of life and death by mani-
arousal level in awake cats but this phase is followed pulating objects (through voluntary motor activity).
by one in which the animal yawns, lies down and But when we depart along either continuum from
finally falls asleep. This rebound phase is associated the 'I' toward the 'Self', the separateness of object
with the appearance of theta potentials in the hippo- and subject gradually disappears and their inter-
campus, just as the corresponding human tropho- action becomes the principal content of the experi-
tropic rebound-samadhi-is characterized by theta ence. This interaction, again, is a reflection of the
potentials [4] (see Fig. 1, right). These rebound or gradually increasing integration of cortical and sub-
reversal phenomena between ecstasy and samadhi cortical activity. In this state of Unity, the separate-
are illustrated by the loop [16] connecting the two ness of subject and object that is implicit in dualistic,
extreme exalted states in Fig. 1. Aristotelian logic and language become meaning-
The 'Self' of ecstasy and samadhi are one and the less; only a symbolic logic and language can convey
same, as if the reflecting surface of a lake in Fig. 1 the experience of intense meaning. Apparently,
embraced both exalted states. If the level of water then, meaning is 'meaningful' only at that level of
in such a lake were gradually raised, it would inter- arousal at which it is experienced and every experi-
sect successive and corresponding hyper- and hypo- ence has its state-bound meaning. During the
aroused states. The intersected states represent 'Self'-state of highest levels of hyper- or hypo-
levels of gradually diminishing subjectivity (less arousal, this meaning can no longer be expressed in
'Self') and increasing objectivity (more 'I'), until dualistic terms, since the experience of unity is born
eventually the objective 'I-state of the world is from the integration of interpretive (cortical) and
reached. Thus, each level of water would connect a interpreted (subcortical) structures. Since this
hyper- and hypo-aroused state with a specific intense meaning is devoid of specificities, the only
subjectivity/objectivity (or 'Self'-to-'I') ratio, im- way to communicate its intensity is the metaphor;
plying a similarity between those pairs of hyper- and hence, only through the transformation of objective
hypo-aroused states that are connected by gradually sign into subjective symbol in art, literature and
raised levels of water. This similarity might, for religion can the increasing integration of cortical and
example, be used to account for the success of the subcortical activity be communicated.
widely practiced narcoanalytic technique of abreact- The transformation of sign to symbol is also
ing a traumatic, hyper-aroused experience in a hypo- apparent in the visual realm, where the constancies
aroused state of similar 'Self'-to-'I' ratio. The of space and time are replaced by geometric-
similarity between corresponding hyper- and hypo- ornamental-rhythmic structures, the 'hallucinatory
aroused states could also account for the hyper- form constants' of Kliiver [19]. In the light of my
mnesic phenomena of the hypo-aroused elderly, own experience, I would extend Kliiver's observa-
who clearly recall the hyper-aroused experiences of tions to include hyper- and hypo-aroused hallucina-
their youth but do not recall more recent experiences tory experiences in general, whether electrically,
[17]. 'naturally' or drug-induced [20]. The hallucinatory
During the TI'-state of daily routine, the outside constancies are 'magical symbols', visible or audible
world is experienced as separate from oneself and metaphors within a structure of symbolic logic and

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 A Cartography of the Ecstatic and Meditative States 65

language, the language of hyper- and hypo-aroused molecules of a hallucinogenic drug are necessary
hallucinatory states, and are at the base of the general for the induction of a flashback-a symbol evoking
tendency toward geometric-rhythmic ornamentali- a past drug experience may be sufficient to produce
zation. For example, both the rose windows of an LSD flashback.
Gothic cathedrals and the mandalas of Tantric It follows from the state-bound nature of experi-
religious art are ritualized hallucinatory form ence and from the fact that amnesia exists between
constants. The tendency toward ornamentalization, the state of normal daily experience and all other
however, is not reserved to visual imagery but also states of hyper- and hypo-arousal, that what is
governs the order of poetic and musical rhythm, called the 'subconscious' is but another name for
imposing an all-pervasive metrum and harmony on this amnesia. Therefore, instead of postulating one
the hallucinatory creative-religious states. The subconscious, I recognize as many layers of self-
rhythm of music, poetry and language corresponds awareness as there are levels of arousal and corres-
to the geometric-ornamental rhythm of the visual ponding symbolic interpretations in the individual's
realm. Therefore, the manneristic [21] hallucina- interpretive repertoire. The many layers of self-
tory-creative style of art and literature is regarded awareness, each with its characteristic 'Self'-to-'I'
as a projection and elaboration of the geometric- ratio, remind one of the captain with girl friends in
rhythmic-ornamental fabric of hyper- and hypo- many ports, each girl unaware of the existence of
aroused states. the others and each existing only from visit to visit
(that is, from state to state). This is how multiple
STATE-BOUNDNESS
existences become possible: by living from one
waking state to another waking state; from one
Inasmuch as experience arises from the binding dream to the next; from LSD to LSD; from epileptic
or coupling of a particular state or level of arousal
aura to aura; from one creative, artistic, religious or
with a particular symbolic interpretation of that psychotic inspiration or possession to another
arousal, experience is state-bound; thus, it can be creative artistic, religious or psychotic experience;
evoked either by inducing ('naturally', hypnotically from trance to trance and from reverie to reverie [24].
or with the aid of drugs) the particular level of
arousal or by presenting some symbol of its inter-
pretation, such as an image, melody or taste. REFERENCES AND NOTES
'Acquired aversion to tastes following illness are 1. R. Fischer, Art Interpretation and Art Therapy,
common-place in humans. The knowledge that the in Psychiatry and Art, Vol. 2, Ed. I. Jakab (Basel
illness was caused by the stomach flu and not the Karger, 1969) p. 33.
Sauce Bearnaise does not prevent the sauce from 2. R. Fischer, Proceedings of the 4th Internationa
tasting bad in the future' [22]. Congress of Pharmacology, Vol. 3 (Basel: Schwabe
Alcohol induces the state of arousal necessary for 1970) p. 28; Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 138, 440 (1967)
the recall of a state-bound experience in the film 3. W. Ashby, Design for a Brain (New York: Wiley
City Lights. Here, Charlie Chaplin saves a drunken 1960) p. 88.
4. E. Green, A. Green and E. Walters, J. Trans-
millionaire from attempted suicide and so becomes
personal Psychol. 1, 1 (1970).
his good friend. When sober, however, the million-
5. K. Benahan, Yoga, A Scientific Evaluation (New
aire does not remember Charlie. However [23]: York: Dover, 1937) p. 223.
... the millionaire does not stay sober long. 6. 'Constancies' assure the recognition of identity.
For example, wearing prism spectacles results in a
When he is drunk again, he spots Charlie and
variety of visual distortions which gradually dis-
treats him like a long-lost friend. He takes
appear with time. See also Nature, Lond. 207,
Charlie home with him, but in the morning, when 1049 (1965).
he is again sober, he forgets that Charlie is his 7. R. Fischer, in Origin and Mechanisms of Hallucina-
invited guest and has the butler throw him out. tions, Ed. W. Keup (New York: Plenum, 1970)
pp. 303-332.
Evidently, consciousness extends either between
8. H. Rennert, Confin. Psychiatr. 12, 23 (1969).
states of drunkenness or between states of sobriety
9. R. Fischer and R. Kaelbling, in Recent Advances in
but there is complete amnesia between the two dis- Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 9, Ed. J. Wortis (New
continuous states of sobriety and drunkenness, York: Plenum, 1967) p. 183.
states with characteristic and different 'Self'-to-'I 10. A. Hofmann, in Discoveries in Biological Psy-
ratios. chiatry, Eds. F. Ayd and Blackwell (Philadelphia:
While remembering from one state to another is Lippincott, 1970) Chap. 7.
usually called 'state-dependent learning' (implying11. R. Fischer, in The Voices of Time, Ed. J. Fraser
that the individual was confronted with a learning (New York: Braziller, 1966) p. 357.
12. L. Goldstein, H. Murphree, A. Sugerman, C.
task), extended practice, learning or conditioning
Pfeiffer and E. Jenney, Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 4,
is not necessary for producing 'state-boundness'.
10 (1963).
On the contrary, a single experience may be suffi- 13. R. Fischer, in Genetic Factors in 'Schizophrenia',
cient to establish state-boundness.
Ed. A. Kaplan (Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1972).
The so-called 'LSD flashbacks' are, I believe, 14. It is likely that these parietal, low-frequency EEG
special cases of the general phenomenon of state- waves are related to dendritic field-potential
boundness. Note that neither focal lesions nor charges.
5

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66 Roland Fischer

15. G. Brown, Laws of Form (London: Allen, 1969) 19. H. Kliiver, MescalandMechanism ofHallucinations
p. 105. Saint Teresa elegantly expressed this (Chicago, Phoenix: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1966)
partial elusiveness: 'There remains the power of p. 66.
seeing and hearing; but is as if the things heard and 20. W. Keup, Ed., Origin and Mechanisms of Hallucina-
seen were at a great distance far away' (in E. tions (New York: Plenum, 1970) pp. 95-210.
Underhill, Mysticism (London: Methuen, 1912) 21. L. Navratil, Schizophrenie und Kunst (Muinchen:
p. 450). Deutsches Taschenbuch Verlag, 1965) p. 35;
16. The 'loop' in Fig. 1 has also been independently Schizophrenie und Sprache (Mtinchen: Deutsches
suggested to me (on experiental grounds alone) Taschenburg Verlag, 1966) p. 162.
by both Dr. J. H. M. Whiteman, University of Cape 22. M. Seligman, Psychol. Rev. 77, 416 (1970).
Town, South Africa, and Marilyn Delphinium 23. G. McDonald, M. Conway and M. Ricci, Eds.,
Rutgers, Glen-Ellen, California. I am gratefully The Films of Charlie Chaplin (New York: Citadel,
indebted to them, as well as to Primarius Dr. Leo 1965) p. 191.
Navratil, Gugging, Austria, for sharing with me 24. Supported in part by National Institute of Mental
their intuition and scholarship. Health grant 1R03 MH17633-01 and general
17. This example was suggested to me by Primarius research grants. I am indebted to Sandoz Pharma-
Dr. Leo Navratil, Gugging, Austria. ceuticals, Basel, Switzerland, and to Dr. John A.
18. For example, neither quinine molecules nor a Scigliano, former executive secretary, FDA-PHS
subject's taste receptors are bitterper se-bitterness Psychotomimetic Agents Advisory Committee,
results only during interaction of the two. There- Bethesda, Maryland, for generously providing me
fore, no taster, no bitterness (just as there can be with psilocybin (under IND-3530). I am also
no image or sound of a falling tree without a viewer grateful to Dr. Peter Gwynne, James Scheib, and
or listener). The interactional nature of reality is Pamela Furney for their devoted competence and
already implicit in the fact that the brain is the only to my creative artist wife, Trudy, for vital percep-
organ that develops through experiencing itself. tual as well as cognitive illumination.

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