Note: (The research paper on the fourth state of consciousness was first published in the American journal Science,No. 1970,No. 167. The writer is Dr. Robert Keith Wallace of the University of California Medical College. )

Research on the fourth state of consciousness

-The third in a series of articles on mental health research.

Hu Wei

(School of Physical Education, Henan University Kaifeng 47500 1)

There are many kinds of heart-building exercises, which are quite different in methods and concepts, but they also have the essential characteristics of * * * which are different from other sports means, that is, they all emphasize entering the so-called "fourth consciousness state". Research shows that the fourth state of consciousness is the root of mental health fitness effect. A systematic and comprehensive study of the fourth state of consciousness is of great significance for guiding people to better use this fitness method.

Keywords: the fourth state of consciousness; Meditation; Mental health; Yoga; Qigong; ponder

Research on the Fourth Ideology

Hu Wei

(Physical Education College of Henan University 47500 1)

Abstract: There are many methods of conscious fitness, but their technical essentials and concepts are quite different. Different from other fitness methods, they have some basic characteristics in common. They all focus on the so-called "fourth ideology". The research shows that the fourth ideology is the key text of the fitness function of the conscious fitness method. Therefore, a systematic and comprehensive study of the fourth ideology is of far-reaching significance for guiding us to adopt conscious fitness methods.

Keywords: the fourth ideology; Thought; Consciousness fitness art; Yoga; Qigong; Sit still and think carefully.

China Library Classification Number: Document Label Code: [M] Document Number:

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Whether it is Indian yoga, China's Qigong, or the most popular meditation and transcendental meditation in the west today, they all have the same essential attributes. In other words, they all use the self-awareness of the human body to adjust their physical and mental state, so as to achieve the purpose of physical fitness and physical and mental health. Therefore, they got a concept of "mental health". [ 1]

Throughout today's world, there are significant differences in all kinds of exercises that use ideas to keep fit, from the concept of exercise to the form of exercise. For example, China's fitness thought is influenced by Qi, and Indian yoga is deeply influenced by Indian religious asceticism. [3] Even so, previous studies have confirmed that various mental fitness techniques have achieved roughly the same physical and mental health effects. Then, we can't help but ask, what is the role of fitness in mental health? Studying this problem is of great practical significance for us to better use the mental fitness technology for fitness.

1, the origin of "the fourth state of consciousness"

The term "the fourth state of consciousness" comes from the United States and was put forward by American scientists Robert Wallace and Herbert Benson when they led a research group to study, observe and practice TM (supernatural meditation) people.

Robert Wallace and Herbert Benson's team put TM under a scientific microscope. They used various instruments that can continuously record blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, skin resistance and EEG. They also measured human oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Another measurement item is the secretion of lactic acid in the blood, because it is considered to be related to anxiety.

The research team observed 36 subjects and practiced TM for one month to nine years. After a brief adaptation to the laboratory environment, each of them provided 20-30 minutes of data before, during and after the silence. The results showed that with the decrease of oxygen consumption, lactic acid secretion in blood decreased, skin resistance increased, and α brain waves fluctuated violently. These results are very similar to the early research on Zen and yoga.

Through their observation, Robert Wallace and Herbert Benson believe that practicing TM can achieve the "fourth state" of consciousness, which they call "awakening and high metabolism". It is different from the other three main consciousness-waking, sleeping and dreaming, although they have some similarities with each state. Robert Wallace and Herbert Benson believe that the "fourth state of consciousness" can be used to ensure better mental and physical health. [4]

Looking back at various methods of using mental fitness in China, they all emphasize the importance of entering the "fourth state of consciousness", but they are usually called "static" or "fixed" in China. Based on all kinds of concrete analysis and research done by predecessors, it is not difficult for us to draw a conclusion: in today's world, no matter what exercise method is used, it is actually to achieve the purpose of physical and mental health by entering the so-called "fourth state of consciousness". This feature is also the essential feature that distinguishes mental health from other means of exercise.

2. Psychological and physiological state under the "fourth state of consciousness"

The reason why the fourth state of consciousness can play a healthy role in body and mind is closely related to a series of physiological and psychological changes in human body caused by it.

According to previous research data, in the fourth state of consciousness, people's physiology and psychology will mainly have the following changes:

2. 1 psychological state in the fourth state of consciousness

EEG shows that in the fourth conscious state, the frequency of brain waves decreases, the amplitude of brain waves increases many times, the waveforms of brain regions tend to be synchronized, and the electromagnetic activities of brain cells reach a high degree of order. This change is most obvious in the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain, which are in charge of consciousness. The synchronization of brain waves shows that the flexibility and coordination between nerve centers in different parts of the brain are greatly enhanced, and the function of the brain as the physiological regulation system and thinking organ of the whole body is improved. Conducive to promoting physical health and developing intelligence. [5]

In addition, in the fourth state of consciousness, as far as people's emotions are concerned, the sense of anxiety is reduced, and the sense of fullness and pleasure is increased. This is also conducive to promoting health.

2.2 The physiological state in the fourth state of consciousness

The physiological changes under the fourth consciousness are reflected in many aspects.

On the nervous system, in the fourth state of consciousness, the excitability of parasympathetic nerve is enhanced, and the activities of those organs activated by parasympathetic nerve are also enhanced. The most obvious performance that many practitioners feel is the enhancement of gastrointestinal peristalsis. This is also a significant difference between mental fitness and other sports. In other sports, sympathetic nerves are often excited and parasympathetic nerves are often inhibited, which also shows that psychological quality has irreplaceable fitness value. )

In the immune system, the fourth state of consciousness can significantly enhance the immune ability of the body. Various medical experiment at home and abroad have confirmed that after the fourth state of consciousness, the vitality of human immune cells is enhanced, thus improving human disease resistance.

Endocrine, in the fourth conscious state, the contents of adrenaline and norepinephrine in the body are obviously reduced, the heart rate is slowed down, and blood pressure is obviously reduced. Foreign medical research has confirmed that the fourth state of consciousness plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is reported that people with coronary heart disease have already entered the "fourth state of consciousness", and there is almost no possibility of a second attack within five years.

In terms of circulatory system, the fourth conscious state can significantly improve the body's blood circulation function and reduce the blood lactic acid content. Brain imaging technology has been observed, especially to improve cerebral blood circulation.

In the respiratory system, the respiratory frequency decreases, the oxygen consumption of human body decreases 16% compared with that of awake, and the basal metabolic rate decreases. [6]

There are many psychological, physiological and biochemical changes in the fourth state of consciousness, which cannot be listed one by one. However, the study of psychological, physiological and biochemical changes in the fourth consciousness state is still a very frontier topic in the field of mental health.

3. The mechanism of "the fourth state of consciousness" promoting physical and mental health.

What is the function of the brain in life? Why can the fourth state of consciousness be beneficial to health? In human science, people often attach great importance to the thinking function of the brain, but ignore another more important function of the brain, which is its responsibility to human health. Looking at the evolution of animal brains for hundreds of millions of years, it is not difficult to find that the brains of lower animals are mentally retarded and have no thinking ability. Only after the appearance of advanced primates, especially humans, did the intellectual function of the brain develop by leaps and bounds due to the appearance and development of neocortex. And only the human brain has the ability to think. Below the neocortex is the primitive brain region (around the top of the spine), which is shared by humans and lower animals. It is densely covered with various physiological regulating nerve centers that regulate biological physiological activities, so it plays an important role in normal physiological activities and health of life. It is no exaggeration to say that the main function of animal brain (including human brain) is actually to regulate physiological activities. Knowing the main functions of the brain, it is not difficult for us to explain the fitness mechanism of the "fourth conscious state". That's precisely because, under the so-called "fourth state of consciousness", the functions of various regions of the brain (including the physiological regulation center) are coordinated, and the regulation function of their own physiological activities is enhanced (medical research has confirmed this), thus promoting physical and mental health. [7]

4. The scientific significance of "the fourth state of consciousness"

Although the ancients of our country put forward the so-called "static" or "fixed" long ago, this formulation is based on vague and subjective experience, and there is no specific, modern scientific, physiological and psychological quantitative index (or quantitative description) for the so-called "static" or "fixed". Engels once said: Science without quantification is not a mature science. The term "the fourth state of consciousness" put forward by American scientists is based on a series of biochemical and psychological quantitative measurements and combined with modern science. Therefore, it has a series of specific biochemical and psychological measurement indicators or quantitative descriptions, which is obviously more scientific and progressive than the so-called "meditation" and "meditation" based on fuzzy subjective experience. This concept makes psychological fitness more operable and monitorable, which is more conducive to guiding us to engage in psychological fitness.

5. The academic value of putting forward the concept of "the fourth state of consciousness"

At present, the most important academic research on mental health is basic theoretical research. The ancients explored and developed mental health under the condition of underdeveloped science and prosperity, and created various methods and messy theoretical systems (China and India are obviously different in mental health theory). Nowadays, it is an urgent problem for us to re-recognize the ancient mental health phenomenon on the basis of modern science and bring it into the modern scientific system to better guide our exercise. On the issue of bringing ancient things into the modern scientific system, it is undoubtedly a quick solution to replace old concepts and nouns with modern scientific and technological concepts, or to evolve concepts that can be replaced by new ones on the basis of modern scientific and technological concepts. The word "the fourth state of consciousness" well combines the scientific elements of modern psychology and physiology, and can re-evaluate and measure the so-called "meditation" and "quietness" in mental health with specific indicators. It is of great significance to guide people to practice martial arts scientifically. In addition, the term "fourth state of consciousness" is adopted in the theoretical system of modern psychological fitness, which is of great value in integrating many psychological fitness technologies (including popular European and American psychological fitness technologies, China psychological fitness technologies, Indian psychological fitness technologies, Japanese psychological fitness technologies, etc.). ), realize the unification of terminology standards, and reveal the similarities and differences of mental health.

6. Summary

Various evidences prove that "the fourth state of consciousness" plays a leading role in mental health. This is also the essential feature that distinguishes this kind of fitness means from other sports means. At present, the term "the fourth state of mind" is not known to Chinese people, so it is necessary to increase publicity and introduction to better guide the practitioners of psychological fitness to practice scientifically.

Note: Mental Health Research is one of a series of articles on mental health, which was published in the third issue of Journal of Physical Education College of Shanxi Normal University in 2005.

The second in a series of articles on China's mental health research was published in the ninth issue of Wushu Science in 2005.

References:

Chen Haiyan, Gao Fengshan, Hu Wei. Mental Health Research [J] Journal of Physical Education College of Shanxi Normal University, 2005(3)

[2] Hu Wei. On China's Thought of Qi Fitness [J] Shanxi Datong: Wushu Science 2005(9)

[3] li jianxin. A study of Indian classical yoga philosophy [M]. Beijing: Peking University Publishing House, 2000.

[4] phillip rhys < < stress and health > > [M] Beijing: China Light Industry Press, 2000 (269-272)

[5] Yu Xiangui. Transcendental Meditation Technology Popularized in the World [J] Life lies in exercise, 1985(2)

[6] Huang Zhonglin. Qigong-Exploration of Qigong and Life [M] Shandong Science and Technology Press, 1985 (9- 1 1)

[7] Zhang Jingan et al. Man and Nature [M] Hunan Education Press, 1985 (chapters 14 and 15).