Consciousness and Neurobiology

The Development of Brain’s Defenses against

Psychological & Physiological Stress

DR. SANDEEP RAI

Associate Professor & Unit Head
Post Graduate Dept. of Internal Medicine
Mahatma Gandhi Mission Medical College & Hospitals
Incharge : Division of DM; Endo ; Metabolism
Hon. Director Research and Development
Int. S Y Research and Health Centre, Mumbai, India
A Working Definition Of Stress
The natural response of the body to any
demand placed upon it.”
--Hans Selye, M.D., 1946
“Mental, emotional, or physical strain,
tension or distress.”
-- Webster’s New Riverside Dictionary
 DID YOU KNOW ?

* 13 billion doses of tranquilizers are prescribed yearly

for stress related psychological problems.

* Chronic stress is 6 times more predictive of heart

disease and cancer than smoking, high cholesterol,
high BP.

* In U.K. over half a million people suffer from stress,

more than 59% elderly people complain of stress
related disorders more than once a month.

* There are estimated 50 thousand stress related suicide

cases each year.
 STRESS – DID YOU KNOW?

* Stress is recognized as the number one killer today

* According to the AMA, stress is the cause of 80 to 85 %

of all human illness and disease

* Each week, 9.5 million Americans suffer from some

stress related symptoms for which they take
medication

* American businesses lose an estimated $200-$300

billion per year to stress related productivity loss
 Anatomy of Stress

Stress

Eustress Distress
Good stress, could be a motivator. Too much to bear becomes distress.
The Good
Get married Sources of Stress
Have children
Buy a new home The Bad
Go on vacation Break a leg
New Job Spouse loses The Ugly
job
Promotion Nasty car accident
Kid let in
trouble Bankruptcy
Lose wallet Divorce
In-laws coming Loved one dying
 Stressful Life Events
Catastrophes
– unpredictable, large-scale events
– e.g., war, earthquake
– can have significant health consequences
Life Changes
– e.g., death, marriage, divorce, loss of job
– make person more vulnerable to disease
Daily Hassles
– annoying events in everyday life
– e.g., rush hour traffic, roommates
– cumulative effect on health
The Stress Response is the
Body’s 911 System
General Adaptation Syndrome

Three stages:
1. Alarm stage
- Emergency reaction (fight-or-flight)
2. Resistance stage
- Coping and fighting
3. Exhaustion stage
- Termination of stress response
and onset of stress pathology
(more accurate is prolonged
activation of stress response)
 BIOLOGY OF STRESS RESPONSE
Hypothalamus activates sympathetic nervous
system
 The HPA axis releases stress
hormones

Activation of the HPA axis initiates

cascade of hormone release that
ultimately increases the amount of
cortisol & epinephrine in blood
  
 


Dept. of Physiology:Lady Hardinge Medical College &

Associated Hospitals New Delhi, India



• Gr. I: 10 Subjects trained to achieve ‘Thoughtless Awareness

(Sahaja State)’ for 12 Weeks
• Gr. II: 10 Subjects already trained in achieving ‘Thoughtless
Awareness (Sahaja State)’ ( 2 to 6 years )

* Each Individual acted as his own control.

Readings were taken at 4, 8 & 12 weeks.
* Parameters Studies, HR, RR, BP, GSR Urinary
VMA,Blood Lactic Acid
 Results &
Discussions
Gr. I: HR at 0 weeks
before & after ‘Sahaja
State’

77.5 --------------76.3

HR after 12weeks
before & after ‘Sahaja
State’

73.2---------------66.3

Statistically significant
 Heart rate of group II subjects
Results & 74

Discussions
72

Those subjects already 70

practicing ‘Sahaja State’

Heart rate / min

68
Mean Heart Rate/min
before & after Sahaja
66
State

72.9-------------------65.4 64

Statistically significant 62

=
0
0 5 10 15 20 25

5 Mins after 20 Mins during 5 Mins before

Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State Sahaja State Sahaja State
 Systolic blood
Systolic Bloodpressure
pressure iningroup
groupI I
Systolic Blood 124
subjects after
Subjects afterSahaja yogatraining
Sahaja State Training

Pressure 122

120

Systolic Blood Pressure in mm of Hg

Gr. I: Systolic BP at 0
118
weeks before and after
‘Sahaja State’ 116

114
121.7----------------119
112
Systolic BP at 12 weeks
before and after ‘Sahaja 110

State’ 108
control

4 weeks

115-------------------104 106
=
8 weeks
12 weeks
104
0 5 10 15 20 25

0 5 Mins before 20 Mins during 5 Mins after

Statistically significant Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State
Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State
Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State
 Diastolic
Diastolicblood
bloodpressure
pressure iningroup
groupI I
Diastolic Blood 84
subjects
Subjectsafter
afterSahaja yogatraining
Sahaja State Training

Pressure
82

Gr. I: Diastolic BP at 0 80

Diastolic Blood Pressure in mm of Hg

weeks before and after
78
‘Sahaja State’
83.7----------------83 76

Diastolic BP at 12 weeks 74

before and after ‘Sahaja

72
State’ control

4 weeks

76-------------------72 70 8 weeks
= 12 weeks
0
0 5 10 15 20 25

5 Mins before 20 Mins during 5 Mins after

Statistically not significant Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State Sahaja State Sahaja State
 Respiratoryrate
Respiratory rate in group
in group I subjects
I Subjects Sahaja
in Sahaja State
Respiratory 21

Rate/min 20

19

Gr. I: Respiratory rate at 0

18
weeks before and after

Breaths / min
‘Sahaja State’ 17

20.75----------------19.12
16

Respiratory rate at 12 weeks

15
before and after ‘Sahaja
State’ 14

17.5-------------------12.25 control
13
4 weeks
Statistically significant
12 8 weeks
Gr. II: Mean RR ↓ =
12 weeks
0
13.8--------------------10.3 0 5 10 15 20 25

5 Mins before 20 Mins during 5 Mins after

Statistically significant Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja State SahajaState
Sahaja Yoga SahajaState
Sahaja Yoga
Gr I – Control of 43
Kohm increased to 104
Kohm and further
Increased to 121.7
Kohm during 20
minutes of ‘Sahaja
State’
GSR in subjects
Already practicing
‘Sahaja State’

Gr. II – 130 Kohm

Starting which
increased to 181.85
Kohm
During 20 minutes.
 GALVANIC SKIN RESISTANCE

• Changes in Skin Resistance are measure of Sweat

gland activity.

• Inactive sweat glands offer increased resistance.

• It is well known that Sweat gland activity is controlled by

Sympathetic Nervous System.

• Decrease in sympathetic activity causes decrease in

sweating in palms and leads to increased GSR.

In short, ‘Sahaja State’ knocks off the over active

Sympathetic Nervous System, which is often seen as
a Cardinal manifestation of Stress.
This Cooling sensation is objectively also
recorded during ‘Sahaja State’

• Gr I – There was
0.4 degree C drop in
Group II palmar skin temp.
after 12 weeks

• Gr II – There was
approx 0.75 degree
Group I
C drop in palmar
Skin Temp.

Statistically significant
 STRESS: BAD MOLECULES !!
Blood Lactic Acid Concentrations

5
1 .
8

%
4
1

%
g
.6
8

m
la
d
g
cti
3
1 *p
<
.5
0

ctim
la
d
o
.4
8

B
lo
2
1 *p
<

B
lo
.2
80
1 *p
<
.
0 1
0

1 .0
8

0 trl
n
o
C 8
ks1
e
w 2 0
ks
e fo
e
BrS
jY
h
ag fte
A ra
j
h
S a
g
o
Y

• Blood Lactic acid levels drop in both groups significantly

• Blood lactate levels have been shown to increase in anxiety neurosis patients
and indeed Pitts (1967) has shown that infusion of lactate ions can produce
anxiety symptoms in predisposed individuals
 STRESS : BAD MOLECULES !!
URINARY VMA

Subjects already
practicing
‘Sahaja State’

• Gr I – Initial Value 5.72/24 hrs dropped to 4.15 mg/24 hrs.

• Gr II – Value dropped from 3.74 mg/24 hrs to 3.17/24 hrs.
• Both results statistically significant.
 Physiological changes during ‘Sahaja State’

1. These physiological parameters studied are the

parameters influenced during stress.

2. Various studies have shown that in stress there is

increase in HR,RR,BP, U.VMA & blood lactate
levels.

Hence Sahaja State a Unique state of

Consciousness (Thoughtless Awareness or Mental
Silence State) causes a de-stressing effect on the
body and helps the Development of Brain’s
defenses against Psychological and Physiological
Stress.
EEG and ‘Thoughtless Awareness’

Aftanas LI, et al. 2001

STRESS and IMMUNE Function


 
Links Between the Neuroendocrine
and Immune Systems
* Role of Sahaja Meditation in prevention and treatment of cancer. S Rai - IJCP 1995
 STUDY : Effect of Alteration of Consciousness
“Thoughtless Awareness” on Psychological Health
Conducted At:
INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA REASEARCH & HEALTH CENTER, MUMBAI,
INDIA

Conducted By:
MEDICINE & PSYCHIATRY DEPT. OF MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION
MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITALS, MUMBAI, INDIA

Investigators :
* Dr.Sandeep Rai Dr.Shaunak Ajinkya Dr.Madhur Rai
Dr.Shilpa Tatpare
 STUDY : Effect of Alteration of Consciousness
“Thoughtless Awareness” on Psychological Health
Participants:
* Total of 178 subjects were recruited in the study.
* 80 male & 98 female.
* Age ranging from 18 to 66 years.
* Study population represented
a cross section of people all over
the world.
* Study period : One year

Methods:
Central theme – ‘Thoughtless Awareness’ or ‘Sahaja State’ by Sahaja
Meditation
 STUDY : Effect of Alteration of Consciousness
“Thoughtless Awareness” on Psychological Health
Methods:
* Self reporting questionnaire GHQ was given to all before and after
the study period
* Based on the scores two groups were made
* First group – ‘Apparently normal mental health’
* Second group – Psychological problems
* CAS and BDI were additionally given to second group

Results:
GROUP 1 : ‘Apparently normal mental health’
* Mean GHQ scores decreased from 52 to 40 (p < 0.001) Significant change
GROUP 2 :
* Mean GHQ scores decreased from 72 to 46 (p<0.001)
* Mean CAS scores decreased from 11 to 4.5 (p<0.001) Significant change
* Mean BDI scores decreased from 9 to 3 (p<0.001)
No significant difference with regard to Sex, Marital status, Education
 STUDY : Effect of Alteration of Consciousness
“Thoughtless Awareness” on Psychological Health
Analysis :
* Psychological health significantly improved in both groups(p<0.001)
* First group – ‘Apparently normal mental health’ significant
improvement (p<0.001)
* Second group – Psychological problems
* CAS and BDI were significantly improved (p<0.001)
* No difference sex, marital status, education
* IMPROVES PSYCOLOGICAL HEALTH IN SUBJECTS WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL
PROBLEMS
* IMPROVES PSYCOLOGICAL HEALTH IN ‘APPARENTLY NORMAL MENTAL
HEALTH’
* TECHNIQUE UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY,
AGE, SEX, MARITAL STATUS, EDUCATION

Psychological Stress :
Risk Factor for many diseases makes this result seen in present study
significant factor in primary prevention of stress related disorders.
No problem can be solved from the same level
of consciousness that created it
Albert Einstein
