Time and again the refrain is heard that belief and science are mutually exclusive, that belief somehow corrupts good science, that belief is not empirical. I'd like to throw another slant on that, if I may.
Belief is an inherent part of the human psyche. The desire to know more about our environment and how it all works is also an inherent part of our psyche. Consistent results stemming from our thoughts and actions is similarly one of our chief desires. Since man has walked this planet there is evidence that he has attempted to bring some order into the chaos that is life. The earliest cave paintings show a record of how he dealt with issues of survival and ritual.
The "mystics" of a variety of cultures attempted to bring some order to the "gaps" in their environment. Records show that they had an acute awareness of the power of their subconscious minds and how it operated. To that end a plethora of rituals evolved in an attempt to provide a consistent result from their experiments. I would suggest that those experiments are no less valid or scientific for dealing with "intangibles".
It should also be noted that the body works in cycles, and this was also experimented with and recorded. The edge of consciousness and sleep, both before and after deep sleep, is a particularly auspicious time for experimenting. Further, all manner of attempts have been made in inducing such a "trance" state, with greater or lesser success.
One method is worth offering, as an example. If a particular thought or desire is impressed in the mind then "released", with practise this can produce a greater likelihood of success. The subconscious mind works on the "problem" presented and the desired result becomes likely. I'll not digress into the arena of the power of the mind to effect change at distance from the body, but for the moment concentrate on the physiological effects to the individual performing this experiment. Even accounting for the pattern-seeking nature of the human mind, the results may improve to the point of a causal link being established. This is synchronicity at its finest.
But there's a catch. The mind isn't easily fooled by self. It's a little like attempting to tickle yourself, which if you've never tried should be attempted forthwith, to experience the difficulty of the task.
Here is where the nature of belief steps up to the plate. Externalising the source of the change is one (and only one) method of improving success. It allows the conscious mind to "release" the problem, after articulation, allowing the subconscious mind to operate. There are often tangible physiological reactions, too, in that the experimenter relaxes.
For a more extreme example of the benefits of this physical relaxation, think about the evidence of the effects of relaxation when falling. A young child can successfully fall down a flight of stairs resulting in little damage, due to relaxation. As it grows just a little bit older and on into adulthood, it stiffens in reaction to the sensation of fear and it sustains more damage. A drunk will likewise tend to suffer less damage from a fall, due to inebriation of the senses and a more relaxed musculature.
One time-worn method of "releasing" the problem, in the Western mystical tradition, is prayer. Here the "catch" is magnified in that the process really does require belief, not just credulity or the begrudging experiments of an objectively focussed mind. By handing over the problem to "someone" whom we trust, we are enabled to engage with the process at the subconscious level necessary. Building that level of trust is another story, however, as it takes dedication to the task.
Religion in all its forms has attempted to create rituals to aid the process. Some are more effective than others for the individual, just as some people react better or worse to a variety of forms of antibiotics. The purpose underlying it was originally to enable the practitioner to "connect with the Divine", though plenty of extraneous rituals and belief systems have arisen with negligable effect. There are also those that seem almost purely to be about abusing the masses, with precious little effective ritual, especially those of more recent origin.
In the West, for some centuries, it used to be the case that Christianity was most effective. Zen Buddhism has made irregular inroads into that, and counterwise, Christianity has made inroads into the East. I choose just those two examples out of many, for the simplicity of discourse.
As someone with an occupation and a keen interest in Mental Health and Wellbeing, I see examples every day of how the mind affects the health of the body. While I applaud medical science for bringing me the opportunity to have my hips replaced, should I need that service in the future, and producing drugs that may offset the effects of altzeimers, I just hope that my mind will remain intact and not sustained merely by a cocktail of chemicals that cause my neurons to dance to the whim of a doctor attempting to reconcile a normative pattern of mood.
Great strides are being made in exploring the "outer" world, and there's no doubt about the tangible benefits this has produced. Unfortunately our understanding of the "inner" world is atrophying through materialist neglect. I guess it's understandable, as few are willing to take the abuse that it heaped upon them for daring to study such a "worthless" science.
Further to that, maybe there really is a "God" tying it all together in the background, as well.
Discuss...