Your Most Powerful MindSET

Jun 26

By Amanda Da Silva, B.Hkin, B.Ed, and M.Ed

5-minute read

In her book, The Awakened Brain, Lisa Miller, a clinical psychology professor and the founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute examines the compelling relationship between spirituality and mental health.

Her landmark study on the correlation between spirituality and depression shows that “the high-spiritual brain was healthier and more robust than the low-spiritual brain. And the high-spiritual brain was thicker and stronger in exactly the same regions that weaken and wither in depressed brains.”

This region, the right cortex, is responsible for our perception of ourselves and the world around us. People struggling with mental illnesses like depression tend to have a distorted view of their relationship to the world. In other words, they fail to see the bigger picture.

Depression and spirituality are two sides of the same coin
Bottom-up attention vs top-down attention
The awakened brain allows us to see the world reaching out to us
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Depression and spirituality are two sides of the same coin

Her findings confirm that spirituality protects against depression and promotes better mental health. She also discovered that we all have an innate capacity for spiritual development, one that can alleviate the pain we feel when we go through stressful events.

This is regardless of whether **religious devotion** is present or not. Spirituality in this sense is a deep connection with nature or with another being or entity. A transcendence of sorts, a feeling of astonishment and trepidation.

Bottom-up attention vs top-down attention

When we are in touch with our spiritual side, our surroundings, and ourselves, we are operating on what Miller calls “bottom-up attention”.

This type of attention allows us to be more open and less selective about the knowledge and information we receive both from the world and others. We are more prime to make interesting findings or realizations, even if we weren’t necessarily looking for that particular knowledge.

The other type is known as “top-down attention” and is our way of scanning from information that either suits our goals or confirms our beliefs and biases. The awakened brain, activated by spirituality, enables us to see beyond what is within our conscious control. Miller explains that “achieving brains, chasing down sensible goals—of advancement, protection—that would not fulfill us, that would cultivate stress and fear and disconnection because outward goals are no substitute for larger meaning and purpose.”

The awakened brain allows us to see the world reaching out to us

Unlike the achieving mind -which is prevalent when spirituality is deficient, the awakened brain helps us be more receptive to the synchronicities in our lives.

This is further supported by the use of meditative practices like spending time in nature or being more mindful of our inner wisdom, our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even our surrounding environment.

Miller criticizes popular psychological treatments that push us to relive traumas and, as a result, get stuck in an endless loop of self-scrutiny and rumination.

When we make more space for inner listening, we can begin to see the relationship between events and the patterns that govern them. This also makes us feel more connected to everything around us. We feel a greater sense of purpose, unity, and meaning.

Miller states that “mindfulness and exposure to nature, as examples of “quieting” practice, prep our brains for spiritual awareness. In other words, quieting the racket makes it more possible, it brings us to the front door.

Now at the threshold, we have the option to take another step. We can choose to practice awakened attention.”

Awakening our minds starts with us accepting just how powerful they are. We are in control, and we can boost our perception of the synchronicities in our lives. That being said, activating the right kind of attention takes continual, consistent practice. Becoming more spiritually aware entails exercising our brain muscles to SET our own minds, be clear about our intentions, and ACT on cultivating and enhancing our connection with the world and with ourselves.

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