Evolution, Compassion and The New Spiritualities

Paul Gilbert PhD FBPsSMental Health Research Unit

Derby Universityand Mental Health Trust

Kingsway HospitalDerby

compassionatemind.co.uk

New Spiritual Focus Alistair Hardy explored lived experiences

“Have you ever been aware of, or influenced by a power, whether you call it God or not, which is different from your

everyday self”

Expansiveness - beyond the self or current reality

Connectedness - peacefulness

Environment and sensory cues

Reorganises self-values

Religion and Spiritualities

The word religion comes from the Latin religiere meaning to reconnect

Religious schools and beliefs focus on forms of connectedness and meaning

Forms of connectedness are shaped via innate mechanisms for understanding social roles

God images shaped by socio-economic processes –e.g., help in warfare or nurture harvests.

What Shapes the forms for Religion and Spiritualities?

Heath, Bell and Sternberg (2001) point out that to adopt a belief system, like a belief in witchcraft, God, or the power of compassion, the focus must be on something that is relevant to a person and have certain qualities and functions

Public engagement

Personal endorsement

Nature of threat (physical, isolation, meaning, control)

Religion and spiritualities

* Usually contains messages about types of threat and how to deal with them (e.g., have to develop a relationship with them to win them over)

* Is transpersonal (affects others)

* Must fit with the ecological needs of the group (e.g., developing beliefs in Gods of the sea are relevant to sea farers but not land locked peoples)

* Guides social behaviours and informs rituals; it is emotionally textured, and it provides a sense of group coherence and belonging (believing in the same things)

Place in Historical and Cultural Contexts Soul Concepts –Relational (Single or Multiple Gods)

Vadic tradition – Life as a journey - soul progresses/evolves via learning via trails -- re-incarnationArabic tradition - World is where one is tested: Good go to heaven and bad are punishedGreek/Roman - We are play things of the Gods: can aspire to join the elite – nice and unpleasant places after deathChristianity - Introduces family and attachment psychology

Pantheism God Consciousness pervades all - Material world (including humans) are patterns of its form

God AS…..

God as beyond human reason and human understanding - the unknown (as in Aristotle) versus God as human-like with feelings, passions and desires - issue of projection vs empathy

God as awakening via the consciousness of humans (as in Jung) versus God as already fully formed and conscious and in the process of revealing himself to us

God as accessible only via deep mediation, intuition and mystical knowledge versus God who relies on science, reason and philosophy to reveal himself

God as a personal and available deity with whom we can personally relate versus God as an impersonal, pantheistic force (as in Star Wars movies; or Buddha consciousness)

God as a Performer of Functions

Social Regulator (social function)

Law giver/judge

Leader/protector

Ultimate authority/power to reward/punish

The more threatened groups feel the more submissive behaviour and obedience dominates the forms

Personal Self/Object (personal function)

Father

Soother

SaviourBlade Runner – kill the creator

Jung “save us from what”

Forms of Spirituality

Relational Spiritualities

Solutions to external threat – meaning and safeness

Social mentalities/relational mind, dialogical

Held in mind of a ‘powerful’ other - protection

Attachment, gratitude, submissive, appeasement devotion, group loyalty

Forgiveness (de-shame), atonement, acceptance, love meaning, re-union, coming home

Internal Spiritualities

Solution to internal threats (unruly mind, attachment to desires)

Mind training (mediation) meta-cognitive mind, non-dialogical

Compassion - common humanity

Enlightenment into the true nature of consciousness and free from the wheel of reincarnation

Evolution, Religion

and Spiritualities

DarwinDarwin’s theories emerge in industrial age – influenced by both Malthus and economic thought -Species are transformed via the struggle for survival – not economic - but natural selection

“Whatever the cause may be of each slight difference in the offspring from their parents - and a cause for each must exist – it is the steady accumulation, through natural selection, of such differences, when beneficial to the individual, that gives rise to all the more important modifications of structure, by which the innumerable beings on the face of the earth are enabled to struggle with each other, and the best adapted to survive” (1859/1979, p. 203-4)

Innate and Acquired(v) Genotype (v) Environment = (v) Phenotype  Genotypes are potential competencies for - Examples: Language, attachment, defensive behaviours

Phenotypes are the expressed or manifest traits/outputs that are observable or measurable

Examples: Styles of language, attachment.

Evolution, religion and spiritualities

Evolution theory cannot be used to prove the existence or non-existence of Gods or supernatural realms e.g., God as designer can set whole system up (e.g. the material universe) with laws that facilitates the emergence of forms

We can use evolution theory and ‘knowledge of our minds’ to study the emergence of forms and minds that try to understand the emergence of forms

Our minds have evolved to cope with threats, acquire resources and reproduce – We have become ‘meaning-making’ ‘curious and seeking’ -- and we alone know that we will die and maybe cease to exist -

Self-Protection

In species without attachment only 1-2% make it to adulthood to reproduce. Threats come from ecologies, food shortage, predation, injury, disease. At birth individuals must be able to “go it alone” be mobile and disperse

Mind evolved with a range of special systems for self-defense that fuel raid onset emotions (fear, anger disgust) and behaviour [fight flight, submit expel].

Self-vs-others protectionIn species without attachment only 1-2% make it to adulthood to reproduce. Threats come from ecologies, food shortage, predation, injury, disease. At birth individuals must be able to “go it alone” be mobile and disperse

Attachment as “looking after.” Individuals obtain protection, food and care when ill. Seeking closeness rather than dispersion. Few offspring but high survival rate.

Co-operative and mutual support when ‘your’ prosperity impacts on mine

Overview of an EvolutionaryJourney

Attachment

Threat Safeness Compassion

Mutual support

Self -Regulation

Types of Affect Regulator Systems

Incentive/resource focused

Seeking and behaviour activating

Dopamine (?)

Affiliative focused

Soothing/safeness

Opiates (?)

Threat-focused safety seeking

Activating/inhibitingSerotonin (?)

Anger, anxiety disgust

Drive, excite, vitality Content, safe, connect

Evolution, Brain and Social Roles

Evolution and Social Roles

Human Symbolic thought and self-identity, theory of mind, metacognition

Mammalian Caring, group, alliance-

building, play, status

Reptilian Territory, aggression, sex, hunting

Four Evolved Processing DomainsThreat vs safe: All animals must decide this in their domain of existence. Links to evolved, basic emotions of threat (anger, anxiety, disgust) and basic emotions of safeness and reward

Role forming: mammals have specialised motivational and processing systems that are role-focused (e.g. for attachment, friendship, and sex, similarity)

Human cognitive systems: language, use symbols, use meta-cognition, imagine/fantasise and inwardly model –access to…

Self-regulating systems: Self-evaluation, self-identities and self-to-self relating

Biosocial Goal and Social Mentality Theory

Animals must engage in various ‘social tasks’ to secure their genes being represented in subsequent generations

Evolution enables animals to communicate with each other and co-construct social roles for these tasks

Evolution provides mechanisms (motives, emotions cognitive and behavior systems) for role creation and it is the organization of these elements that are key for competent social enactments

The (human) organisation of social mentalities is choreographed via self-identity forming systems

Social Mentalities

Goals require attention directing and processing systems that provide feedback for goal corrections

Social mentalities are thus the psychological steering mechanisms for BioSocial Goals

Social Mentalities choreograph and pattern emotions behaviours and cognitions according to how goal seeking has been successful, failed or punished

In constant process of blending and internal co-regulating and give rise to ‘States of Mind’

Biosocial Goals and Social Mentalities

Biosocial goals motivate movement towards co-creations

Care seeking Goal to obtain inputs from others that enhance prosperity

Care giving Goal is to engage with others that foster prosperity in ‘the other ‘

Cooperation Goal is to share, building reciprocal alliances, make a contribution and have a sense of belonging and connectedness with others

Competing Obtain and defend resources and control conducive to prosperity

Sexual Attract and be attracted to others for sexual engagement

Social mentalitiesAre role focused and thus always include self-to-other and other-to-self -- we use each other for goal securing

Seek to co-construct roles via interactional ‘dances’

Pattern and choreograph social motives, emotions and fantasies

Mature with the unfolding of developmental abilities

Pattern and choreograph physiological activity

Blend together or conflict as self-identities emerge

Self-Other Role Co-Creations

Care-seeking

Care-giving

Co-operating

Competing

Sexual

Self As

Needing seeking

Providing alleviating

Sharing belonging

Power comparing

Attracting attracted

Other ASProviding alleviating

Needing seeking

Sharing belonging

Power comparing

Attracting attracted

Innate motivational (seeking) systems with range of emotional and cognitive processing systems that link to a ‘sense of self’’ A Self As……

Monitoring Threat/safenessAvailability access

Distress in other empathy

Similarity cheating

Relative power talents abilities

Attractiveness

Self-vs-others protectionIn species without attachment only 1-2% make it to adulthood to reproduce. Threats come from ecologies, food shortage, predation, injury, disease. At birth individuals must be able to “go it alone” be mobile and disperse

Caring and Attachment as “looking after.” Individuals obtain protection, food and care when ill. Seeking closeness rather than dispersion. Few offspring but high survival rate.

Co-operative and mutual support when ‘your’ prosperity impacts on mine

Care eliciting

This aspect of our nature is activated when we see ourselves in a state of need; a need that cannot (in the first instance) be satisfied by recourse to our own selves or human social relationships. When care eliciting motivates the religious relationship to God, God is constructed as a superior other, sometimes in the form of a parent (Father or Mother figure) to whom we turn for love, help and understanding. Our ideal is for unconditional love. There is a yearning for closeness, union, protection and rescue, and a fear of abandonment. We are rescued from the oblivion of death by the fact of God. The upside is that we may indeed find a way to create these feelings and satisfy our need for care and love; we open ourselves up to ‘receive’. In prayer we ask for things (love, knowledge, wisdom, strength etc.) The down side is that we can remain dependent on the external deity.

Care-giving

One cannot elicit love and investment from another unless the other is prepared to give it. So God is created as a limitless source of love, care and wisdom. The caring mentality also invites us to be caring to others; to develop our basic compassion for others and to utilise our altruistic strategies in relationships.

We believe that God has our best interests at heart (is not indifferent) and wants to see us mature, grow and prosper, to come into a closer relationship with him/her.

Co-operationHere the relationship is seen more as a transaction; God gives us something in exchange for something, and we are aware of this trade. It is not unconditional love but love that is conditional - if you behave ‘this way’ you are accepted, if you don't, you are not.

Cooperation also tends towards the desire for conformity; that is religion is used to subdue intra-group conflicts and to harmonies values and beliefs. We are invited to think we are all the same, of one tribe and group, with one leader

Jung, in his book Answer to Job, came up with the idea that God needs us as much as we need God

Competitive and rank-focusedBeliefs and experiences of the spiritual are textured by complex hierarchical, leader-follower relationships. Then arises all the questions of the powers of the leader to ordain and order, to punish disobedience, to make special and offer prestige. The themes of inferior-superior, dominate-subordinate, shame and pride, weave their plots. Today the strife that arises as religions `compete' for the minds of people is enormous and some fear that religion will be used as a focus for yet more major wars. Sometimes people within such social structures are into crusades, to win converts to the armies of God. Often certain individuals will give themselves status and prestige, and there is a ladder or highly ranked structure to God, with the priests and popes etc. at the top.

God as experienced vai our social mentalities or archetypes

We cannot experience the mind of the other directly but only through their emitted behaviours and our interpretation of those behaviours

We will use archetypal forms to impose meaning and co-create roles

Role enactments create powerful emotional experiences that can be interpreted in spiritual ways

Dark SideOften linked to feelings of threat and injustice – easily manipulated by leaders

Revert to basic threat system solutions

Strong in-group ties

Needs for specialness (not common humanity) submission obedience – rigidity creates safeness (Cults)

Spiritualities must therefore consider issues of social justice and the creation of safeness

Therapy We are all seekers, confronting fears and challenges of ‘finding ourselves here’

So spirituality is often fundamental to mental health and not a decontextualised process

We have yearnings for social connectedness, to be valued by others and for life to be meaningful

These yearnings can lead us into practice and insights, compassion and healing – but also into dangers and destructiveness

Spirituality can be explored in regard to basic human psychology and the nature of our short, and for many, harsh existence

To feel safe and valued and loved changes our journey into the spiritual

Compassion

Long history to the idea that compassion relates to the integration of various of our qualities of mind

It is a way of seeing an experience the world

It requires training

It organise the brain into new patterns that give rise to certain types of experience

Definitions of CompassionBuddhist As loving kindness; open heartedness‘deep feeling and understanding of the suffering of others associated with a deep commitment and responsibility to try to alleviate it’

Develop the Perfections (Paramitas - to carry across –oceans of suffering to enlightenment)

Generosity

Ethical Behaviour Patience

Concentration

EffortWisdom

Compassion

Other Views of Compassion

Definitions stretch back to Buddhism and Aristotle: suffering as non- trivial; non-deserved. and one can have empathy

McKay & Fanning (1992) understanding, acceptance and forgiveness

Neff (2003)Kindness-warmthCommon humanityMindfulness-Non-judgemental

Gilbert (1989, 2000, 2005)A mental orientation that combines various, care focused qualities of mind and is dependent on those qualities

Components of compassionfrom the care giving mentality

Compassion

Sympathy

EmpathyNon-judgement

Care for well being

Distress sensitive

Distress tolerant

Create opportunities for growth and change With Warmth

Compassion Practice

Mindful compassion involves learning to direct one’s attention in a nonjudgmental fashion in order train one’s mind to organize itself via compassion and activate soothing system as a key affect regulator.

It involves mindful practice of compassion focusing via attention, thinking, behaviour and feeling that involves:

Process

Imagery

Goals

Compassion Practice

Insight, Practice and DevelopmentProcess

Therapeutic relationship, formulation, basic view of evolution and personhood

Imagery

From memory and fantasy

Tasks/exercises

Motivation, attention, thinking, behaviour and feelings

Compassionate dialogues

Compassionate letters/paintings/pictures/poetry

Compassion FocusEmpathy and sympathy for one’s own distress

Awareness with out-judgement or blame

De-shame and focus on common humanity

Key focus is “finding what is experienced as

helpful, kind and supportive in this moment”

“Having compassion for myself means I feel so much more at peace with myself. Knowing that it is a normal way of life to have compassion for myself and it’s not an abnormal way of thinking, but a very healthy way of thinking. It felt like I was training my mind to switch to this mode when I start to feel bad about myself or life situations were starting to get on top of me”

ConclusionCompassion is a potential mind/brain organising system

We can train our minds to develop it’s qualities

It has healing properties – via soothing system

It is a focus for a link between old-new spiritualities, psychotherapy and a way for organising social values

Biosocial Goals Social Mentalities and Interpersonal Schema

Motivated role enactments (BSGs) Social Mentalities Emitted behaviours

Responses of others Threatening or safe Role matching

Interpersonal schemas Self As Other as

e.,g. Attachment IWMs; Trust, Power, Agency, Identity

Self-to-other-to-selfEvolution of cognitive systems for

interpersonal behaviour

Inter-subjectivityTheory of mind

Self as object/subjectPretend, imagine fantasise

RuminationMeta-cognition

Type of role

Co-constructedRole (mis)match

Self

Signal sensitive

Other

Multiple processing systems