Psychopath vs Sociopath vs Narcissist

Last modified: Aug. 15, 2025.

Oftentimes, we hear the terms psychopath vs sociopath vs narcissist used interchangeably. You may also hear people described as “self-obsessed,” “self-absorbed,” or “self-focused.” But what do all of these terms mean, and are they all different ways to say the same thing?

In fact, all of these terms refer to different conditions that have unique symptoms and effects. Read on to learn more about psychopath vs sociopath vs narcissist, as well as why self-obsession is beginning to take over our culture.

What Is a Sociopath? Traits and Examples

Sociopathy is a mental disorder describing someone who can’t feel empathy for the people around them. Sociopaths have several different antisocial behaviors and attitudes.

These people often interact through manipulation and lying. They can often be aggressive and get ahead in the world by exploiting and manipulating the people in their lives.

Sociopaths can be hard to spot since, despite the fact that they don’t have a conscience, they can be very charming. They’re often smart and have learned how to behave in ways that allow them to control others to get where they want. Only about 3 percent of the population meets the criteria for sociopathy.

What Is a Psychopath? Key Characteristics

Although there are a number of similarities between sociopaths vs. psychopaths, the two are quite different. Whereas sociopaths don’t empathize with the people around them, psychopaths are unable to feel any normal emotions at all.

A sociopath may not be able to feel guilty for hurting another person. A psychopath may not be able to feel joy on Christmas morning or sadness when a relationship ends.

Like sociopaths, psychopaths may be very charming and so hard to identify when you meet them. Often these people are outwardly charming, pathological liars, prone to a grandiose sense of self-worth, callous, impulsive, and manipulative. Only about 1 percent of men and about 0.5 percent of women are psychopaths.

What Is a Narcissist? Signs and Core Patterns

The differences between a sociopath vs. psychopath vs. narcissist can be very subtle. Narcissistic personality disorder can share a lot of symptoms with sociopathy and psychopathy. In many cases, the diagnoses overlap.

But narcissism is one particular facet of antisocial behavior that may show up in sociopaths and psychopaths.

Narcissism is a condition in which someone has an inflated sense of their own importance. They are someone who can’t feel empathy for others, and an obsessive need for admiration and attention. Underneath this bravado is a fragile self-esteem that relies on constant praise from others to stay intact. Only about 1 percent of the population are true narcissists.

How Self-Obsessed, Self-Absorbed, and Self-Focused Behaviors Differ

The terms self-obsessed person, self-absorbed, and self-focused are not official medical diagnoses. Rather, these terms focus on different aspects of some similar negative personality traits. Oftentimes, these may overlap with some of the antisocial behaviors we see in sociopaths and psychopaths.

A self-obsessed person is extremely preoccupied with themselves and their own concerns. They “can’t see past the end of their nose,” and they may not have much empathy for the people around them. For these people, their own problems, concerns, struggles, and cares are much more important than those of anyone else around them.

What Is a Self-Absorbed Person?

Although a self-absorbed person and the self-obsessed are similar, the two personality traits are not identical. In some cases, being self-absorbed may be a temporary state of being, rather than an overall personality flaw. A self-absorbed person may not have the same overinflated ego that the self-obsessed do.

Self-absorbed people are totally wrapped up in their own thoughts, activities, and interests. In some cases, a person may be self-absorbed for a short period of time when they’re lost in thought or preoccupied by something going on in their life. The problem arises when that distraction becomes long-term.

What is a Self-Focused Person?

Like self-absorbed, the term “self-focused” isn’t always a negative thing. Self-focus can help a person to be more aware of their actions and how they impact others, as well as how they can change those behaviors. But, like anything, too much self-focus can turn into a negative thing and may cause problems in your life.

Self-focus is a state of mind in which you’re aware of your thoughts, actions, interactions, and appearance. In moderation, this can help you to better interact with the world around you and change unhealthy behaviors. But if you become too focused on yourself, you could slip into self-absorption or self-obsession.

The Role of Influencer & Celebrity Culture in Growing Self-Obsession

These days, it seems like more and more people are becoming self-absorbed or self-obsessed to the point of bordering on narcissism. Influencer culture and our societal addiction to social media may play a role in this shift. People are becoming obsessed with the dopamine rush they get from getting likes on social media.

It’s important to note that you won’t become a sociopath or psychopath just from looking at Instagram too much. These are complex medical diagnoses that involve aspects of both nature and nurture. However, influencer culture can cause you to become self-obsessed, which can be just as destructive for your life.

The Role of Celebrity Obsession

Our cultural obsession with celebrities may also play a role in the increasing self-obsession we’re seeing around us. Tabloid media is constantly shoving details of these celebrities’ lives down our throats. We start to think of these people as something akin to fictional characters, and we compare our lives to their seemingly perfect ones.

Over time, we may start to become obsessed with the idea that if we can just be good enough, we can live the sort of charmed life these celebrities and influencers do. We may make changes to our bodies, filter out lives in certain ways on social media, or go into debt trying to mimic that lifestyle. Over time, that insecurity about our looks or our lifestyle can morph into a full-on self-obsession as we strive for that perfect life the celebrities and influencers seem to live.

How to Shift Away from Self-Obsession and Recenter Your Life

So how do we break out of this vicious cycle of insecurity, self-obsession, and unhealthy behavior? The key lies in decentering ourselves and refocusing on what is truly important in this life. Once we are pursuing true peace and meaningful joy, we won’t crave hollow affirmation from social media attention.

It’s important to remember that your self-worth is absolute and comes from within. As we remind you at the end of each of our posts, you are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. Breathe deeply into your divine worth, take time to remember that your beauty comes from your soul, and turn your attention outward to the radiant souls traversing this world around you.

Learn More About Sociopaths and Psychopaths

At first glance, sociopaths and psychopaths, as well as narcissists and the self-obsessed, may all seem the same. But each of these conditions describes different levels and types of antisocial behavior. Decentering ourselves and returning focus to the true beauty of life can help us to break out of these toxic cycles of self-obsession.

If you’re concerned about someone in your life and are looking for guidance, I am here to support you. An intuitive reading can help you gain insight into yourself or your situation, and help you improve your life.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Q&A

Q1: What is the main difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?
A psychopath typically lacks all normal emotional responses, while a sociopath may feel some emotions but struggles with empathy and remorse. Psychopaths are often more calculated and less prone to impulsive rage.

Q2: Can someone be both a narcissist and a sociopath?
Yes. These conditions can overlap. A person may display narcissistic traits (like craving admiration) while also manipulating others without empathy, aligning with sociopathy.

Q3: How common are narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths?
Approximately 1% of the population has narcissistic personality disorder, 3% qualify as sociopaths, and 1% or less are psychopaths.

Q4: Does too much social media cause narcissism?
Not exactly — but it can fuel self-obsession and validation-seeking, which mirror narcissistic behaviors even in people without a disorder.

Q5: How can I stop being so self-absorbed?
Practicing gratitude, volunteering, mindful listening, and reducing social comparison can help shift your focus outward and build deeper, healthier connections.

About The Author:

Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

January 17, 2023March 26, 2024

19 Most Beautiful and Transformative Rituals, Ceremonies, and Prayers

Transformative rituals and ceremonies give shape to our lives and mark important moments. We may have a baptism or christening ceremony when we’re born, we go through school graduation ceremonies, we may experience coming-of-age rituals, and we mark birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and even death with ceremonies. Throughout our lives, we send out prayers for healing, forgiveness, hope, clarity, and peace.

But these practices can also be useful in our day-to-day lives to help us find peace and positivity. Read on to discover some of the best prayers, transformative rituals, and ceremonies you can practice to bring more positivity into your life.

The Heart Sutra

According to Karl Brunnhozl, the heart sutra is “the most frequently used and recited text in the entire Mahayana Buddhist tradition.” The heart sutra covers the five aggregates of human existence: rupa (form), vedana (feeling), sankhara (volitions), samjna (perceptions), and vijnana (consciousness). It then explains the Four Noble Truths, which say that human suffering arises from attachments, and that we can let go of these attachments by following magga.

The heart sutra concludes with a mantra which reads “Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.” This translates to “Gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening, svaha.” You can repeat this sutra as you work to release the things that are holding you back in life.

Letter Writing

You might be surprised to learn that writing letters can be a powerful and transformative ritual in your life. When we write things down, we manifest them in more concrete ways in our lives. Writing helps us to release negative attachments, process emotions, and set positive intentions for ourselves and others.

Make it a habit to sit down and write one letter a week, focusing on positivity and light as you do so. This letter could be to a friend, a family member, a role model, a teacher, or even to yourself. Pour your love and positivity into the letter and then, if you choose, send it to the person you wrote to to pass on some of that positivity.

Change the Book of Life

The Change the Book of Life ritual is a powerful way to release people and things that are holding you back in this life. Begin by sitting quietly and making a list of everything you need to release, whether that be a person, a place, an event, an experience, or an idea. Then go out into nature alone and find a peaceful place where you can reconnect and perform the ritual.

Sit quietly and imagine your guides and deities to join you, imagining that you can see them in front of you. Speak the things that you want to release out loud, and tell the universe that you want to return all gifts that were exchanged with the thing you’re releasing. Ask for the help of your deity with this challenge, and tell them that you want the book of life to be changed for all time starting in that moment.

Smudging

Smudging sage is an ancient and powerful ritual that can cleanse your space of negative energy and bring positivity into your life. Burning can be a powerful way to remove negative influences, and you may see it used in a variety of transformative rituals. And the ancients knew that sage has powerful purifying abilities that can transform our spaces.

Begin your smudging ritual with a bundle of sage purchased from your local new age store or online. Light the end of the sage with a match, blowing it out quickly if it takes flame and allowing the leaves to smolder and release thick smoke. Use your free hand to waft the sage smoke around yourself, your home, or the object you want to cleanse.

Yoga Sun Salute

Yoga is one of the most powerful transformative rituals you can engage with day-to-day. It combines the best of meditation and connection with your body, healing you and bringing peace and centering to your life. In particular, saluting the sun each day can ground you, restore your connection to your body and the earth, and allow you to breathe in the pranic energy around you.

There are a number of sun salutations you can perform, but the simplest begins in mountain pose, or tadasana. Move through uttanasana into ardha uttanasana and then to a plank position or to chaturanga dandasana. Inhale as you move into bhudjangasana and then to downward facing dog, and then step forward into uttanasana again before rising once more to tadasana.

Ritual for Release

Letting go of things that are holding you back and of negative spirits can help you to find more peace and fulfillment in your life. For this ritual, you’ll need a candle; some loose, dry sage; a handful of cornmeal; some organic tobacco; and a bottle of water. Go into nature and find a peaceful place where you can meditate and perform your ritual.

Place your candle on a flat stone and light it, and then sit down and sprinkle a circle of the sage, cornmeal, and tobacco around you. Reach out to your ancestors, deities, and helpers and ask them to fill your heart with light. Tell the negativity attached to you that you love it, but it’s time to say goodbye, and then ask your deities and helpers to remove the negative energy from your life forever.

Tea Ceremony

The tea ceremony is a sacred ritual that focuses around the preparation of matcha tea. Matcha is one of the finest green teas in the world and has a number of health benefits. A full chaji can last as long as four hours and involves a full-course meal, as well as two types of tea and confections.

A proper Japanese tea ceremony involves hosting guests, so be sure to send out formal invitations. Once guests arrive, have them remove their shoes and wash their hands before you cleanse each tool. Then prepare the thick matcha tea with three teaspoons of matcha in a cup of water, allowing each guest to sample the tea before making a thinner tea and serving it to your guests.

Morning Prayer

Morning prayers are a great way to start your day off with a focus on what’s really important for your heart, mind, and soul. There are hundreds of morning prayers you can incorporate into your morning routine, depending on your needs and your beliefs. It could even be as simple as “Good morning, fill my day with light and positivity.”

The Jewish have a beautiful morning prayer from the Modeh Ani tradition. This prayer is typically recited before one even gets out of bed in the morning to center you in your day. It reads, “I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”

Gandhi’s Prayer

Mahatma Gandhi was a revolutionary leader who worked for peace and equality. He was a Hindu and lived a life of dedication and focus on the truly important things in and out of this world. He wrote a prayer that we can use when we need to center our intentions in life.

Gandhi’s prayer reads, “I will be truthful. I will suffer no injustice. I will be free from fear. I will not use force. I will be of good will to all men.”

Rumi’s Prayer

Jalaluddin Rumi was a Sufi mystic who lived in the 13^th century. His writings became a central part of this branch of Islam, and even today, you can find his words of inspiration all over the world. You can even find posts on Pinterest repeating the timeless words of this man who lived more than 800 years ago.

Rumi wrote many prayers, but one of his most powerful reads, “O love, O pure deep love, be here, be now – be all; Worlds dissolve into your stainless endless radiance, Frail living leaves burn with you brighter than cold stars. Make me your servant, your breath, your core.”

Buddha’s Prayer

Of course, the Buddha is still one of the most revered religious figures to ever walk this earth. He lived sometime in the 6^th or 5^th century BCE in India, and his teachings launched the Buddhist religion. Like Rumi, the Buddha wrote many prayers, but one of his most enduring is also one of the simplest.

One of the Buddha’s best healing prayers reads, “There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now.” You can repeat this to yourself as a mantra when you need centering or when you feel yourself getting lost in the hustle and bustle of our demanding modern life.

Hail Mary

For many of us in the West, the word “prayer” is often associated with Christianity. Although most Christian prayers for safety and protection are directed to God, some prayers from the Catholic denomination are directed towards saints. In particular, the Hail Mary is an ancient prayer to the mother of Jesus that Catholics use as a sort of meditation or mantra.

The Hail Mary reads, “Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

Meditation

It may seem strange to refer to meditation as a ritual or ceremony, but it is one of the most ancient and powerful traditions in our world. Meditation is a practice of being present in the current moment, connected to the body and the breath. You allow all thoughts of the past or future to drift away and focus on being fully in this moment, connecting to your body and taking in the energy of the universe around you.

Your meditation practice can look like whatever you need it to day to day. Beginners may want to start with short guided meditations that center them in their day and help them learn to release distractions. More experienced meditators may want to delve into longer sessions that allow them to dig into their innermost awareness, connect with the soul of the universe, and engage deeply with their body and breath.

Fear Healing Ceremony

Fear can be a powerful force in our lives, holding us back and chaining us to negativity. It can even begin to have a physical impact, stealing our sleep and causing problems with our digestion. Going through a fear healing ceremony can be an important first step towards wholeness and healing.

For this fear healing ceremony, get two small area rugs and place them a foot or so apart. Stand at the edge of one rug facing the second rug, and imagine you’re standing at the top of a tall cliff, feeling the fear of how terrifying it would be to fall into the gorge between the two rugs. Then steel your courage and take the step across the chasm, feeling the relief of arriving safely on the other side and the pride of having the courage to take that step.

Cleansing Self-Massage

Self-massage can be a fabulous act of self-care, as well as a wonderful cleansing ritual. Massage connects you to the body and allows you to tap into pressure points that can release negative energy. When you use essential oils in your self-massage, you can bring even more healing and power to the ritual.

Begin your self-massage by focusing in on any specific areas that are causing you pain. Mix some lavender, eucalyptus, or bergamot oil with a carrier oil and gently begin to massage this mixture into the area of tension and pain. Use long, slow movements, applying gentle pressure and keeping your breathing slow and intentional.

Cleansing Bath

A bath can be another self-care ritual that can also cleanse your energy. The warm water of a bath is great for relaxing the muscles, and there’s a natural meditative state that automatically comes with bath time. As with the self-massage, essential oils play an important role in a cleansing bath.

As you run your bath water, take time to meditate and reconnect with your body and your breath. Once the bath is full, sprinkle a few drops of essential oil over the surface of the water; lavender, bergamot, and eucalyptus are all excellent options. As you sink into the bath, focus on letting all negativity flow out of you and into the purifying water of the bath.

Crystal Ritual

Crystals can be powerful forces for positivity and good in our lives. Certain crystalline structures resonate with specific energies in the universe and can bring those energies into your home and body. Using crystals to cleanse your energy can dispel negativity from your life and bring more light into your spirit.

Visit your local new age store and get some high-vibrational crystals. Quartz, selenite, and black tourmaline are all excellent options, as they are powerful cleansers and can absorb or dispel negative energy. When you feel negativity weighing down on you, pass these crystals across your body, allowing that dark energy to flow out of you and into the crystal.

Hope Altar

Sometimes, having a physical reminder of your positive intentions for your life can be a powerful source of good energy in your life. Creating a hope altar can help to dispel sadness and despair from your life and bring your energies back into balance. You can use this altar as a meditation focus or simply touch back in with it throughout the day.

Pick an item that represents a hope for your life, whether that be physical, emotional, spiritual, or practical. This item could be a plant, a feather, a crystal, a book, a talisman, or simply a token from a beloved place or friend. As you set each item on your altar, focus on the joy and positivity it brings you, and say out loud, “I have hope.”

Regret Cleansing Ceremony

We all carry regrets, but the weight of them can drag down our lives and make us miserable. You need to free yourself from regret, and one great way to do that is with a cleansing ceremony. All you’ll need for this ceremony is a pencil, paper, a fire-safe metal dish, and matches.

Write down all the regrets that are weighing on you; include any guilt you’re carrying, unkind words you wish you hadn’t said, or harmful thoughts you’ve allowed to impact you. Once you’ve written it all out, set your list in the dish and carefully light it on fire. As you watch the paper burn and the smoke rise, feel the regrets burning away from your heart and your spirit lifting with the smoke.

Discover More of the Best Prayers, Transformative Rituals, and Ceremonies

Transformative rituals, prayers, and ceremonies are wonderful ways to invite positive energy into our lives and manifest our intentions. Finding the best prayers for you is a personal journey, and you may find that some transformative rituals or ceremonies work better for you than others. You can also create your own rituals and prayers based on your personal beliefs and needs.

If you’d like help creating transformative rituals that work for you, check out the rest of my site at PaulWagner.com. I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

About The Author:

January 10, 2023March 30, 2025

How to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve with Meditation, Deep Breathing, and More

Computerized image of a woman's silhouette and a brain - Paul Wagner

Have you ever noticed the immediate sense of relief you get after taking one deep breath? Do you wonder why you feel so amazing after a good, long laugh with a friend? Does rubbing the skin around your ears relax you, but you aren’t sure why? All of these actions stimulate your vagus nerve, one of the major cranial nerves that controls many of the major systems in your body. Read on to learn more about how to stimulate the vagus nerve through deep breathing, meditation, and even laughing.

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

Your vagus nerve is one of twelve cranial nerves in your body, each of which come in pairs. Although we’ll talk about the nerve as a singular entity, it’s actually made up of two nerves that come out of each side of your brain stem at the lowest point. If you place your fingers at the very base of your skull, on either side of the small notch at the top center of your neck, you’ll be pretty close to where your nerves emerge.

Vagus nerves handle a number of bodily functions, including regulating our bodies’ heart rates and breathing, managing digestion, and controlling your reflexes. Our vagal nerves control when you swallow, cough, sneeze, and even gag. It also controls cardiovascular activity other than your heart rate and can play a big role in heart health.

What Are the Symptoms of a Bad Vagus Nerve?

When your vagus nerve function isn’t working the way it should, it can lead to a variety of issues that affect your digestion, heart rate, and even your voice. Some common symptoms of a bad vagus nerve include

Abdominal pain and bloating
Acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD)
Changes to your heart rate, blood pressure, or struggles with blood sugar
Difficulty swallowing, losing control of a gag reflex
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
Hoarseness, wheezing or losing your voice
Feeling depressed and anxious

You can restore your balance and well-being by paying more attention to your vagus nerve and giving it some love and support through exercises and lifestyle changes.

Somatic vs. Visceral Components

Some of your other cranial nerves control sensory information, such as sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations. Others handle muscle function and operation of different glands in your body. This nerve is one of those pairs that handles both functions, which is why stimulation can be so powerful.

Vagus nerves can also have somatic components, which impact sensations you feel on your skin or in your muscles. They can also have a visceral component, which impacts sensations you feel in your organs. Either of these components can play a role in either sensory functions or motor functions throughout your body.

Vagus Nerve Function

This nerve performs several sensory functions, meaning it provides you with sensation in different areas of the body. It provides somatic sensory information for parts of your ear and throat. If you run your finger along the skin behind your ear, the sensation you feel is running along your nerve.

The vagus nerve function also provides visceral sensory information that comes from deeper in your body. This nerve controls sensation in your esophagus, trachea, larynx, lungs, heart, and digestive tract. Any time you have a stomach ache or a sore throat, you can thank your nerve for carrying those signals to your brain.

Motor Functions

Your vagus nerve also controls several motor functions throughout your body. Your nerves carry the signals from your brain out to the muscle or organ that’s doing the work and then back to your brain. This nerve controls motor function in your larynx, throat, and soft palate, which is why it plays a role in your gag reflex.

The nerve stimulates muscles in your heart in order to regulate your resting heart rate, or your heart rate when you’re not doing anything strenuous. It also controls the contractions that happen in your gut as a normal part of your digestive process. These contractions happen along your esophagus, stomach, and most of your intestines to move food along this tract.

What Is Vagus Nerve Stimulation?

Now that we know a little more about the vagus nerve, let’s talk some about nerve stimulation. As you might guess from the name, nerve stimulation involves causing activity along your nerve. Although this can be as simple as running your finger over the skin behind your ear, it can also involve more complicated procedures.

Often, when people refer to vagus nerve stimulation, they’re referencing a procedure that uses electrical impulses to stimulate your vagus nerve. Doctors sometimes use this type of nerve stimulation to treat epilepsy or depression. Some experts also believe this procedure could help with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cluster headaches, and more.

Vagal Toning Exercises

Adding more vagal toning exercises into your daily routine can help improve its nerve function and promote relaxation, better digestion, and foster your well-being.

1) Vagus Nerve Stimulation Devices

The medical procedure known as vagus nerve stimulation uses a device to deliver carefully controlled electrical impulses. This device gets implanted under the skin of your chest and is about the size of a military ID tag. It has a wire that runs up to the vagus nerve on the left side of your brain stem and sends electrical signals through the nerve and into your brain.

Most of the time, neurologists program stimulation devices to send signals at appropriate intervals. However, sometimes, patients may be given a magnet that can control the device, too. This can be helpful in the case of depression or cluster headaches, when the patient can tell that their symptoms are getting worse.

2) Vagus Nerve Deep Breathing

Although vagus nerve stimulation devices are the most well-researched method of vagus nerve stimulation, they’re not the only way to do it. Because it is connected to so many parts of your body, you can perform vagus nerve exercises in a number of ways yourself. Working on vagus nerve deep breathing can help to bring you back into balance and may ease some of your symptoms.

Deep breathing and vagus nerve meditation are two of the most effective ways to stimulate your nerve. Remember, this nerve controls movement in your lungs, your heart, and your mouth and throat. Practicing breathing exercises and meditating can send positive signals up that nerve and work on vagus nerve toning to strengthen the pathway there.

Does Humming Stimulate the Vagus Nerve?

Given how connected your vagus nerve is to your throat, it also makes sense that humming and chanting would stimulate the vagus nerve. For one thing, the vibrations caused by singing, humming, or chanting will resonate up the vagus nerve. But chanting a mantra that naturally resonates with the positive energy of the universe can bring even more positivity and light into your being.

Chanting the sacred “om” is always a good bet when you’re trying to stimulate your vagus nerve and you don’t know where to start. You can also say one of the sutras or a favorite prayer from your religion. You may also want to chant a personal mantra that empowers you and promotes healing for your body, mind, and spirit.

Laughter to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve

Another fabulous way to stimulate your vagus nerve is through laughter. Studies have shown that laughter is good for your health for a number of different reasons. It stimulates your heart, improves your intake of oxygen, stimulates your lungs and muscles, and amps up your endorphin production.

If you’re feeling like you need some vagus nerve stimulation, try to make plans with friends or loved ones who always make you laugh, even if those plans happen over virtual platforms. Watch a favorite movie or listen to a comedian you like. You could even play with your pets or your kids, read a book that makes you giggle, or scroll through comedy accounts on social media.

Learn More About Vagal Toning

The nerve touches many of the vital areas of your body, including your heart, lungs, digestive tract, and more. Vagus nerve stimulation can help to ease symptoms of depression, epilepsy, indigestion, and more. You can practice vagus nerve stimulation at home through deep breathing, chanting, and laughter, among other methods.

If you’d like to learn more about methods of self-healing beyond toning the vagus nerve, check out the rest of my site at PaulWagner.com. I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

About The Author:

January 3, 2023March 31, 2025

Techniques to Improve Emotional Intelligence

Illustrated image of hands juggling faces - Paul Wagner

You might have heard the term increasingly used in the corporate world, but emotional intelligence can be applied to any situation and environment. To keep a healthy state of mind for both you and the people around you, achieving a certain level of emotional intelligence is extremely helpful. But what exactly does it mean to be emotionally intelligent, and how can you improve your skills in this area?

Learning more about being emotionally intelligent is a great way to improve your personal and professional life. I broke down the basics below!

Am I Emotionally Intelligent?

By asking the question, “Am I emotionally intelligent? you’re already on your way to improving your emotional intelligence. To improve yourself in any capacity, always first obtain self-awareness. It doesn’t necessarily matter so much where you are on your journey or the emotional intelligence spectrum–it matters more that you’re willing to assess yourself honestly and work on making those necessary changes.

Emotional intelligence, also frequently referred to as “EQ,” means that a person has the capacity and will to healthily explore and manage emotions in themselves and apply that skill to others. For example, a manager with lower emotional intelligence skills might be allowing the troubles in their personal life to alter the way they treat their employees without realizing that the source of this anger stems from their home life, not the “incompetence” of their team.

In contrast, an emotionally intelligent manager would be self-aware and work to moderate their emotions with therapeutic and reflective techniques so that they stay conscious and respectful of their employees’ experience at work.

Personality and past experiences play a role in how emotionally intelligent a person is naturally, and no one is perfect. Some people are naturally empathetic and in tune with their emotions, such as highly sensitive people, while others have a habit of repressing emotions and allowing unresolved issues to affect other aspects of their lives. No matter where you land on the emotional intelligence spectrum, there is always an opportunity to improve.

Emotional Intelligence Questions

Wondering how emotionally intelligent you are? Ask yourself these questions:

Do I recognize when and which emotion I feel when I feel it?
Do I lose my temper quickly or give up easily when I’m frustrated, sad, or angry, or can I effectively calm myself down and react healthily?
Do people often come to me to talk about their feelings or get advice about complex situations because I’m a good listener who understands?
Am I aware of which situations cause me to feel certain emotions?
Do I pay attention to and understand the emotions of those around me?

Don’t be afraid to be honest with yourself. Understanding where you are at in your emotional intelligence journey will help you take the right steps to move forward.

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

It’s no surprise that emotional baggage can deeply affect our growth in other aspects of our lives. If we have unresolved feelings in our personal life or in our professional life, those feelings can leak into the other and affect our performance and enjoyment.

Our own emotions can also get in the way of our relationships with others or cause undue stress and tension. To free ourselves from these obstacles and improve our lives, we will have to do some hard work, including addressing those emotions at the source and learning to moderate them or resolve them.

Many people find that becoming more emotionally intelligent has helped them to:

Create a more positive environment for themselves and others
Reduce stress, frustration, and anxiety
Better handle constructive criticism, adversity, or change
Learn more about themselves and pursue a life that fits them better
Improve their social life and make deeper connections

How can all this be possible? Think about how deeply and strongly emotions drive your daily decisions and actions. Many people think of themselves as fairly rational and reasonable people, but human beings are emotional and social animals as well. Repressing emotions, no matter how small they are, plays a huge role in the trajectory of our lives and our relationships with others.

Encourage Positivity

Learning to moderate your own emotions helps to build a more positive environment. Instead of dealing with an underlying atmosphere of tension, stress, and frustration, an emotionally intelligent person can acknowledge these negative feelings, pinpoint the source, and implement an active resolution or coping techniques to straighten them out and encourage positivity.

Diminish Stress and Anxiety

By learning more about your emotional tendencies, you can recognize when stress, frustration, or anxiety is taking control. Then, you can address the source of those negative feelings and learn that anxiety and stress are normal, but you can react to unfavorable situations more positively. Instead of worrying about the future or possibilities and fueling your emotional baggage, you can take charge of a situation or become more present in the moment, accepting that anything could happen and anxiety has no benefits— only negatively affects you.

See Life as a Journey

Every day, we are met with several opportunities to either grow and embrace change or reject growth and change. Everyone is met with adversity, and while each situation is unique, emotional intelligence can always help when dealing with those situations. If you’re responsible for a negative event, you can more readily accept responsibility and work to right the wrong.

If you’re not accountable, you can still react positively to help fix the situation instead of getting defensive or angry. When you get constructive criticism, you take it as a rare opportunity to see yourself through the eyes of others and not as an insult. When there’s a fork in the road of your life, you can celebrate a new opportunity for change and adventure rather than allowing fear and stress to engulf you.

Dig Deep into Your True Self

Emotional intelligence allows us to assess our emotions and how they impact our lives successfully. By being reflective and self-aware, we can truly get to know ourselves. Applying this knowledge of ourselves moving forward, we can choose to engulf ourselves in environments, opportunities, and social circles that will help us improve and move forward towards our goals rather than staying stagnant or regressing.

You’ll be able to sit down and decide if your career is the right one, if your relationships are benefitting your life, and if you’re taking the necessary steps to do what you’ve always dreamed of doing.

Improve Your Social Life

Finally, improving your emotional intelligence skills doesn’t just affect how you deal with your own feelings— also helps you to listen better and empathize with others. Of course, learning to moderate your own feelings and be honest about your emotions will help others to connect with you and feel closer to you. At the same time, you’ll be able to understand your friends and family better and learn how to improve their lives.

Suppose you have a social circle or family that experiences a lot of tension. In that case, you’ll also learn how to better predict unfavorable situations that could harm those people and work to resolve them to avoid conflict or stress. Overall, you’ll build your ability to communicate and problem-solve.

What Are the Disadvantages of Emotional Intelligence?

For the most part, having emotional intelligence skills is highly recommended for everyone looking to improve themselves and their lives. At the same time, it’s also important to remember that all skills can be used for wrong reasons and could lead to emotional manipulation. People who have high emotional intelligence have an excellent understanding of how emotions affect and drive people, so they can use this knowledge to manipulate others. They’re also very good at self-control, so they might be masterful at hiding their own emotions.

In conclusion, always be wary of others who seem to be incredibly in tune with others’ emotions and make sure they do not have ulterior motives. You might be able to spot a trend of emotional manipulation, and you should steer clear. They could be energy vampires!

REMEMBER!

Emotional intelligence is a journey, and you are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

About The Author:

December 27, 2022March 30, 2025

The Sedona Method: How To Release Emotions & Heal Your Life for Spiritual Transformation

Image of hands reaching out to a bird at sunset - Paul Wagner

We have all used this command as a way to help others and ourselves: “Just let it go!”

In The Sedona Method, the journey to releasing every pervasive emotion and negative experience—and improving your life—is propelled by just that: “letting go” go”—through the process of allowing and releasing. We allow the emotions, encourage ourselves to feel them more and more, and then ask ourselves if we can release them. This creates vast space within us so that we can continuously and more deeply enjoy our true nature.

You might be thinking that it’s not that simple. True, we often overcomplicate things, and we entrench ourselves in the worst way. We hold grudges, we imagine vengeance, we play the victim, and we cling to stress as human beings trying to coordinate this chaotic three-dimensional reality.

It’s not fun to admit it, but some people thrive on chaos and drama. If you’re one of those people, don’t feel ashamed. We all do it. Acknowledging your tendencies and pinpointing the source of your emotions and complex feelings are the first steps toward emotional healing and transformation. Going forward, if you can learn to breathe deeply, allow your emotions, release them, and finally let it all go, you’ll find an enduring process in your journey of transcendence and spiritual illumination.

In this article, I’ll explore this “letting go,” the allowing and releasing process at the core of The Sedona Method, a scientifically proven technique that helps people release emotions and all the feelings blocking up their lives so that they can heal and find peace.

What is The Sedona Method?

The Sedona Method was originally created by Lester Levenson, a kind and loving entrepreneur and physicist who enjoyed outward success yet suffered silently from physical and mental health conditions. Despite achieving all he had dreamed of in his career and personal life, Lester never felt that he had achieved true happiness. As a man who embraced every challenge, Lester stepped up to the challenge to devise a solution to this inner discontent.

The beginnings of The Sedona Method stemmed from Lester’s realization that we are unlimited Beings. We limit ourselves with concepts, labels, and categories that are not true, yet we find comfort in their limitations. We embrace being limited so that we might temporarily feel better.

By creating labels and setting boundaries, we create structure for our lives, but these limiting paradigms can easily oppress us. Luckily, they can also be released—because they have no foundation in truth.

Since Lester was an innovator in this line of thought, he did not have any available vocabulary that could help him spread his ideas to others. He wanted to help others release and heal like he had done for himself, so he sought other philosophical leaders’ advice. He began partnering with evangelical leaders and reading books from both the eastern and western schools of thought.

Lester was opposed to becoming a guru because The Sedona Method fundamentally teaches that the journey is within the Self, not dependent on external sources. Still, his leadership caused many people to follow him as students. Soon, he realized that his ideas needed to be formalized.

Ultimately, The Sedona Method teaches that you are more than you ever realized. You don’t need to be limited by the limiting concepts of our society, and you can heal by releasing those limitations that aren’t founded in truth.

How Does The Sedona Method Work?

Just like life, you receive from The Sedona Method what you put into it. The guides are just that—guides—and the true instrument and driving force of your emotional healing is YOU. No external forces can help you or hurt you. The process happens entirely within yourself and depends on you to fully manifest and serve you.

Lester Levenson’s Sedona Method is as effective—if not more effective than—other types of treatments without the downsides of treatment. Many people fear that they will become emotionally spent, become dependent, or experience forms of trauma from the treatment of emotional issues.

The Sedona Method does not involve any substances, so there is no fear of addiction or dependency. The technique also focuses on the good and is a restorative practice, not exhaustive, so you will never get to the point of feeling emotionally spent or traumatized. Overall, The Sedona Method is about finding freedom and release.

Is The Sedona Method a Religion or Belief System?

Practicing The Sedona Method is easy and unproblematic because it simply teaches you an effective method to release emotions and unwanted feelings and thoughts that hold you back from fully living and being yourself. It is not a system or religion, as the founder himself did not believe that external forces were responsible for your path to self-healing.

Rather than weekly meetings with other people, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, talk therapy, or church services, The Sedona Method empowers you to heal yourself whenever you want, as much as you want, without needing to depend on any external structures or other people. Because of this empowerment, you can achieve release and freedom quickly rather than the weeks, months, or even years that other forms of “therapy” require.

What Results Can I Expect from The Sedona Method?

The results you’ll get throughout your time practicing The Sedona Method can evolve as you get better at the practice, but you can feel immediate results in each release you allow.

Over time, you’ll feel lighter, more optimistic, and positive. You’ll also have this spiritual sense of future similar conditions, helping you to navigate them and continue the allowing releasing process.

In turn, your relationships will improve, you’ll make significant decisions, and take the wheel of your life rather than taking the punches. Exactly which results you’ll experience depend on your own personal issues and what you’d like to accomplish.

For many people, the emotions and thoughts they’ve been holding onto for so long begin to swiftly exit their minds and hearts. Those who practice The Sedona Method report feeling such great relief that it sometimes leads to laughter and phenomenal life changes. You’ll be able to access your core Self, your spiritual core, where you can experience life without feeling oppressed or limited by external events. By continually practicing allowing and releasing, you begin to prefer NOT holding onto thoughts and feelings in the first place. Your prior traumas eventually evaporate, and all emerging hurts will slowly move past you, never truly infecting your heart and well-Being.

Sounds Good! How Do I Get Started?

There are five main ways to use The Sedona Method, and it’s important to try them until you find one that fits you. Everyone has a unique personality and has experienced different things, so the method is not a one-size-fits-all solution. In a way, that makes the technique so much more effective.

1) Acknowledge an Unwanted or Pervasive Feeling

First, you can attempt The Sedona Method by acknowledging an unwanted or pervasive feeling and simply choosing to let it go. This method can be difficult for many who have gotten into the habit of holding grudges and feeling pain. In a way, letting go of pain can be a painful experience in itself. Only people who have achieved full Self-control and have accessed their core Self can fully succeed in this first technique. If you pursue this method, it might help to attempt it on only minor feelings first until you get the hang of it.

2) Allow the Emotion or Thought to Exist

Second, you can choose to allow that emotion or thought to exist as it is and not interact with it extensively. Welcome it into yourself, acknowledge that the feeling has the right to exist, and then leave it be.

3) Confront the Unwanted Emotion

Third, you can aggressively confront the emotion. When you feel that emotion, you can dive in and fully feel that emotion so that you have satisfied its existence before you let it go.

4) Rethink How to Define Emotions

The fourth way is to acknowledge that the way we define emotions in opposite polarities is actually hurtful to us. In society, we say that we are either happy or sad, stressed or calm. Impressing upon ourselves these limiting categories stops us from addressing our emotions and thoughts as they really are and validating their sources.

5) Achieve Effortless Awareness

Finally, the most advanced way is the fifth way, which is to stare that emotion in the face and see through it to the “effortless Awareness” that exists.

The journey to Self-healing is different for everyone, but the power ultimately lies within you!

The Sedona Method Questions

Here are the questions you can ask yourself to help you emerge free and clear of debilitating emotions, thoughts, attitudes, and conditions.

How do you feel now?
Where might you feel this in your body?
Can you allow this feeling some more?
Can you allow it even more?
There might be more; can you allow yourself to feel this emotion more?
Can you let it go? If not, can you sense what it’s about? Is it about Approval, Control, Security, Oneness, or Opportunity? Whatever it is, can you let it go?
If you say yes to being able to let it go, ask: Would you let it go?
And then simply, WHEN?

This process most often produces an inner-allowing where the ego, mind, and emotions acquiesce to the spirit—your core Being within you. With each release, you become more free. If you can allow for micro-releases over time, you’ll find quite a sense of liberation amid even the most challenging circumstances.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust and myriad miracles. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for you!

Love this kind of powerful transformative experience? Schedule a session with me.

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an Intuitive Mystic, Author, Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

For years, Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

About The Author:

December 20, 2022March 26, 2024

Mindfulness, Meditation, & Other Inward Practices

The world stops for no one. Sometimes, though, we wish we could just hit the pause button and take a breath. We wish we had time to take stock of our lives and check in with our wellness physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. At the same time, we often get in our way by procrastinating and doubting ourselves.

Are you hoping to improve yourself inwardly for 2022 and beyond? Looking for inspiration for inward practices you can add to your daily life to slow the world down and help you cope with stress? Look no further–I’ve dedicated my life to helping people build healthy spiritual and psychological habits that improve their lives from the inside out.

Practicing Mindfulness

There’s no better building block to all other spiritual and mental habits than practicing mindfulness every day. Practicing mindfulness helps you to be more aware of yourself and your environment. You’ll be able to live in the present rather than in the past or the future. Ultimately, you can begin to appreciate life for what it is at that moment rather than stressing over the past or wishing for a better future.

For example, mindfulness helps you to stay in tune with your body. Practicing mindfulness can improve your fitness efforts, as you are constantly checking in to make sure you’re not in pain, hurting yourself, or pushing yourself further than is healthy. It also helps with tracking your progress by seeing and feeling the benefits of your efforts physically. At the same time, mindfulness can help you detect when you might be falling ill as you’re very aware of the way your body usually feels, and even slight changes can alert you long before others who are always rushing through their days.

Similarly, mindfulness can help you be one with your mind. Those who live in the past or rush towards the future are often running away from how they are feeling in the moment. Maybe there are responsibilities they want to avoid or overwhelming thoughts and feelings. Being mindful of how you feel in the present forces you to confront your feelings and any emotional problems you might be experiencing. Then, you can get to understand yourself better and apply solutions to enjoy your life better.

Finally, mindfulness can put you in touch with your spirit. Those who are mindful are comfortable checking in on their soul and faith experience. They are highly aware of their daily practices and how they affect their spirituality. These people are also very aware of internal and external factors that might be getting in the way of fully delving into their spiritual life, helping to more quickly and effectively clear any spiritual blockages.

How Can I Start Practicing Mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be as simple as frequently remembering to stop and breathe for beginners. Try forcing yourself to stop throughout the day to turn inward regularly. Start asking yourself questions such as:

1. 1. What am I feeling right now?
  2. How is the current action I’m doing affecting the way I feel?
  3. What is surrounding me in my environment?
  4. Is there anything in my environment that is affecting the way I feel?
  5. Am I alright to continue what I’m doing, or should I stop?

You can apply these questions to your physical, mental, and spiritual life by asking yourself these questions as they relate to your physical wellness, emotions and thoughts, and finally, your spiritual health.

Some practices for mindfulness that you can apply to your daily life are to focus on one task at a time, eat slowly, schedule brain breaks, limit time using devices, and spend more time in nature. Question your habits and automatic reactions throughout your day. The ultimate goal is to live intentionally, understanding the reason behind every action, thought, and emotion and paying attention to how these affect you.

As you become a mindfulness master, you’ll start noticing patterns in your behavior and be able to pinpoint the good and bad energy working in your life. Then, you can seek to address those. Mindfulness, meditation, and other inward practices put together can skyrocket your spiritual journey.

Add Meditation to Your Daily Routine

Mindfulness and meditation go hand-in-hand. You can start one or the other first, but ultimately, one will improve your practice of the other. For example, if you are meditating regularly, you’ll naturally become better at slowing down, breathing, and turning inward. If you start with mindfulness first, you’ll have built up your self-awareness skills and break up the monotony of your daily routine with breaks to reflect. Consequently, practicing both simultaneously is key to self-awareness and improving your life.

Meditation comes in many forms, some instituted by religions, others recommended by health professionals, and others still invented by those just looking for ways to slow down and turn inward. Meditation can be as simple as deep breathing and as complex as focusing the mind on spiritual energies within the body. Regardless of your skill level or exposure to meditation practices, you can start right away with nothing but yourself and the will to learn. Combine mindfulness, meditation, and other inward practices for the best benefits.

How to Begin Meditating

The most common and popular way to meditate is to get into a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Taking deeper, slower breaths can help the body and mind relax. Meditation can stop right there, or it can go deeper. You can choose to find a happy place, imagine your favorite place to go, focus on your most happy memories, and try your hardest to stay in that place for as long as you practice. Or, you can begin focusing on the physical world, listening to the sounds and textures around you, how the floor supports your weight, and how each limb and appendage feels in this position.

Those with a deep spiritual practice go even further by focusing on their chakras or spiritual energy centers within the body. If certain things are ailing you, such as back pain or emotional stress, focusing on the chakra in charge of those things can help you unblock that energy center and restore you to complete wellness. Many choose to combine mindfulness, meditation, and more with yoga, mantra, and other forms of outward meditation.

Fasting and Prayer

There are many other forms of meditation and practices you can combine with mindfulness meditation, including fasting and prayer. Once you have slowed down your body and mind, prayer can be that much more potent for tapping into your spiritual life and connecting with the Universe and the Divine. During your meditation practice, you can choose to add prayers, whether they are candid or rehearsed, as a way to delve deeper into your practice.

A great way to focus on prayer is to pick a focus on the Divine. Is there a deity or divine master that inspires you? Is there a spiritual practice or trait that you’re seeking to improve within yourself? Set your intentions for your day and inward practices so that you always have the motivation and the reasons to guide you.

Fasting is another way to enhance your mindfulness as well. Intentionally choosing to skip meals or reduce the amount of food you consume is both physically and spiritually good for your wellness. It helps your body slow down and reset the digestive system for your health. For your mind, it enables you to be more mindful of the way you eat and how often. For the spirit, you’ll be able to focus on your sacrifice and how it has made you feel.

Take Your Inward Practices to the Next Level

If you love rituals, check out my Free Resources pages. You’ll find ancient ceremonies, lovely prayers, and encouragement that you might find helpful during times of change and transition. You might also consider using my Personality Cards – they’re wonderful for all sorts of rituals.

REMEMBER!

What is good for you and your body is entirely up to you. Experiment with these practices, do what you feel is comfortable, and only continue with things you feel benefit your life. Please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help ease some stress and improve your inner life. You are far more powerful than you realize.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

YOU ARE LOVE!

About The Author:

December 13, 2022September 15, 2025

NeuroTheology: How Spiritual Practices Affect Your Mind, Body, & Spirit

Graphic illustration of man climbing ladder into head - Paul Wagner

Have you ever wished that there was some scientific evidence you could point to that would prove how profound an effect our faith has on our physical bodies and mental health? Or maybe you’re hoping to prove that a divine presence doesn’t exist, so you’re looking for studies that assess the mind’s ability to create illusions and imagine spirituality.

If the new field of neurotheology has taught us anything so far, it’s that you won’t find the dismissal of a divine presence here. In fact, scientists seriously following these studies are calling for open-mindedness about how impactful religion and faith practices can be for our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Neurotheology evidence is being compiled using brain scans and vital monitors to show the differences in anatomy and brain activity between religious and non-religious people and how increased religious practice can improve our brain function over time! That’s not to dismiss other effects, either, regarding how faithful devotion to a God and rituals can change our hearts and spirits.

Table of Contents

What is Neurotheology? A New Science Linking Spirituality and the Brain

In simple terms, neurotheology is a subsection of neurology that focuses on the impact of religious practices on people. Scientists in this field wish to understand the relation between religion and the brain.

Neurotheology is a new field, and there is friction for many reasons. To begin, scientific and religious leaders have never been at greater odds with each other–the political divide, sweeping generalizations, and the creeping hatred taking over many hearts have set those with religious views against those who glorify science. While there’s no reason at all that science and religion should clash, it can be challenging to move past differences and assumptions born out of these challenges.

At the same time, there is a divide even within science itself. A common misunderstanding of neurotheology has caused miscommunications and incorrect attributions to the term. At first glance, many might think the field is a religious take on neurology. Leading neurotheologists are working to define and refine the word so it is only applied to truly neurotheological studies.

While the field of neurotheology is still young, the studies have shown amazing and promising results so far. Evidence for religious practice changing our brain function, for instance, spans across religions and demographics, even in some cases to help those who suffer from brain disorders!

Groundbreaking Studies: How Prayer and Meditation Change the Brain

Dr. Andrew Newberg is one of the leading scientists who has paved the way for neurotheology. He has even authored a book called Principles of Neurotheology in which he has sought to set the story straight about the field and its potential. His work has mainly focused on brain scans to show brain function differences across religious and non-religious practices and their effects over time.

Neurotheology Findings on Mental Health, Memory & Emotional Healing

In one of his most fascinating studies, Dr. Newberg started with a group of older adults experiencing memory difficulties and taught them a meditation mantra. Over 8 weeks using meditation for only a few minutes per day, that group of elders was able to reshape their brains and improve their memory! The most compelling finding from this neurotheology study is that we no longer have to rely on subjective reports from the study participants but can confirm with scientific evidence that the memory areas of their brains improved function.

Dr. Newberg explained that this improved function at about 10 to 15% was achieved only after two months. You can only imagine the effects this same study would have over years to mimic those who are religious for their entire lives.

Beyond basic brain function, many neurotheology studies have linked religious practices and spirituality to improved mental health. Lower rates of suicide, depression, and anxiety have been found in people who use their faith practices as a form of coping with stress and understanding the world around them. Scientists delving into these studies have linked these mental health improvements with the physical practices that most religions promote, such as participating in the community, avoiding bad habits, and even better dietary choices like meat avoidance.

But that’s not the end of it! While many would seek to explain away the effects of spirituality on the brain by using the excuses above, neurotheology experts like Dr. Newberg emphasize that spirituality itself changes the way the brain functions beyond just improved memory. In fact, meditation and prayer can increase the effectiveness of the brain’s ability to modulate emotional responses and the release of hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

Finally, religious therapies have even been proven to improve symptoms for those who suffer from ADHD, Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy.

Philosophical Angles of Neurotheology: Are We Wired for God?

Aside from trials and experiments, several sects of neurotheology are approaching the field from a philosophical angle. Some scientists are claiming that there must be a spiritual predisposition of the brain or human genetic makeup if religious practices change the function of the brain so drastically. Taking it further, some are working to apply quantifiable measures to a person’s spirituality.

Opposers question whether the two fields–neurology and spirituality–could ever be empirically linked beyond how some rituals train our brains to work differently. Some have posed a striking question of whether atheists and agnostics are defective if they do not possess a predisposition to spirituality.

Again, the field of neurotheology is still young. When push comes to shove, it is questionable if science and religion will ever entirely disprove the other. Thankfully, some scientists are willing to stay open-minded and operate assuming that both science and religion can exist in harmony!

What Does the Evidence Mean for Worship?

Faith-filled spiritual people can look to neurotheology studies as even more reason to delve deeper into our practices! If it’s proven that spiritual practices, including deep prayer and meditation, can shape our brains and improve their function, then that lends even more support to practicing our rituals and daily practices.

The results are also a huge breakthrough during our mental health crisis across all groups. Spirituality reminds us we’re not separate from each other or the Divine and feel a sense of oneness and purpose. We can find solace in others and the divine presence. Those with mental health issues can find strength to turn away from bad habits and toxic cycles that worsen their situation. Instead, they can turn to spirituality tools, such as prayer and meditation to find balance, peace, and harmony with the Universe.

REMEMBER!

While scientists are working to find more evidence for the effect spiritual practices have on the brain, please realize that these are only suggestions to help. You are far more powerful than you realize. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

YOU ARE LOVE!

Last updated: Sept. 15, 2025

About The Author:

December 6, 2022March 26, 2024

25 Things To Improve Your Physical Health

The 25 Things You Can Do To Immediately Improve Your Physical Health

Every month, it seems there’s a new trend for getting back in shape and improving your physical health, especially around the New Year’s celebrations. Most of the time, these trends are based too loosely on scientific facts and have not been tested or proven to work. Doesn’t it seem like people would rather try fast trends and quick fixes because they aren’t motivated enough to try the things that take longer, aren’t as popular, but actually work?

If you’re truly looking to improve your health right now, there are so many traditional, tried-and-true practices you can instill in your life overnight. With dedication, you can completely change your life–no need to burn through your savings on fancy new gadgets or methods. To help you get started, here’s a diverse list of 25 things you can do to improve your physical health right now. They range from practical and basic to spiritual and less common, so you’re sure to find something that fits your needs.

1. Forgive

Have you ever felt really great after resolving a conflict? Forgiveness is of course great for your mental and emotional wellbeing, but many people do not appreciate how much of an effect our mental health has on worsening or improving your physical health. Stress and negative emotions can wear away at our body’s immune system and throw our hormones off balance. Take time to forgive so that your body can find harmony again!

One amazing ritual of forgiveness is the Ho’oponopono forgiveness ritual, in which you repeat the mantra, “I’m sorry. I love you, please forgive me. Thank you.” No matter if the ritual is directed at another or yourself, the benefits will change your life.

2. Meditate

Meditation is becoming mainstream in the psychology world because of how amazing the benefits are for physical and mental health. Like I said before, negative emotions and thoughts can seriously take a toll on our physical health, especially when we always keep ourselves busy, distracted, and burned out. To help relieve burnout and become more present in the moment, meditation forces you to stop and breathe. You can reduce stress and anxiety as well as improve the quality of sleep you get by starting a regular meditation practice! Try out some of these mantras to get started.

3. Yoga

Originating from India, yoga is both a spiritual and physical practice. It combines stretching, stillness within poses, breathing, and meditation to help align body, mind, and spirit. With yoga, you can help yourself find harmony, breathe, and sleep better. Certain routines can also improve digestion, heart health, symptoms of arthritis, and more. In addition, practicing yoga regularly will help you improve your flexibility, core strength, and balance, which are all great for your muscles and posture. The best part is that yoga comes in all different forms and levels of experience. If you’re not very active, there are plenty of poses and routines that will help you ease into the practice without pushing your limits too far.

4. Qi Gong

Qi Gong is a popular practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine that combines extremely precise movements, breathing, and meditation. The goal is to practice specific movements and poses to absolute perfection, focusing your mind and muscles. Qi Gong is known for healing, as it also focuses on the energy flow within the body including the channels and gateways of our energy flows. Much like yoga, Qi Gong can improve flexibility, strength, and balance because of its physical precision. At the same time, the precise repetitive movements are perfect for lulling the mind into a meditative trance that lowers anxiety, stress, and might even help support a body’s defense against chronic illness.

5. Acupuncture

Acupuncture is another popular healing practice of Eastern medicine that focuses on triggering very specific points in the body. It is believed to target the body’s central nervous system by releasing chemicals that affect the brain, spinal cord, and muscles. Acupuncture focuses on specific areas of the body in order to relieve symptoms of certain ailments, such as those who suffer from nausea, chronic back pain, stress, and headaches. An acupuncturist is well-learned about which points on the body need to be triggered to release the right chemicals according to their client’s needs.

6. Tai Chi

Tai Chi used to be an ancient form of Chinese combat, but now it is celebrated around the world as a gentle form of exercise. People of all experience levels can benefit from Tai Chi, which essentially combines gentle flowing movements with meditation. Each pose and movement is meant to flow seamlessly into the next one without hesitation or stillness, much like dancing. If you are not used to exercise, Tai Chi is a great place to start as it is very low impact. It can also help to reduce anxiety, stress, and even the risk of other health conditions.

7. Set a Routine

Going back to the basics, setting a routine is one of the best things you can do for your overall help. Sitting down to set a routine will help you assess your priorities and make sure you have time for everything you need and want to do during the day. Having a routine also helps you make sure you don’t forget anything and that you to get into the right mindset to be both productive and happy. You can set really great healthy habits into your routine, such as always making sure to implement a strong skincare routine and always taking your vitamins with your breakfast. Make sure to also make time for your mental health with a routine in meditation, prayer, or rituals.

8. Stretch and Stand More

Bloodflow is so important to our survival and happiness. Good circulation is necessary for healing, while bad circulation can cause us to lose feeling and use of our bodies. Bloodflow is also extremely necessary for our brains because we need oxygen to move freely throughout our bodies. People who are extremely sedentary, whether it is by choice or because of the demands of our lives, often suffer from poor circulation, which can lead to blood clots and strokes. Those who don’t get up and move are at higher risk of chronic pain, heart disease, and diabetes. Even if you work at your desk all day, make sure you make a routine out of stretching, standing, and moving around. Your muscles need a break from all the rest they have!

9. Improve Nutrition

Improving what you eat each day will look different for everyone, so I won’t recommend a diet here. A great piece of advice is to just make better little choices every day! So many people fail to keep their commitments to new diets because these diets are so extreme. Going from eating a full, average diet to completely cutting out gluten and dairy, for example, won’t have a very high success rate! Instead, be mindful about what you eat. Every time you make a meal, think about one little change you can make to create a meal that’s just a tiny bit healthy. That can mean that you add a serving of vegetables or you cook without butter this time. Small changes over a long time will actually have a huge impact on your health.

10. Massage

I bet I don’t have to convince you too much, here. Massages are not just guilty pleasures–they’re a great way to improve your physical health. Massage therapists can help you improve your joint flexibility, loosen up muscles that are stuck too tight, improve circulation, and so much more. In addition, the soothing atmosphere and great feeling of the massage can reduce stress and anxiety.

11. Cupping

Cupping is as old as the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and throughout the Middle East. It is done by placing cups along muscles and creating suction as a form of deep tissue massage that can help relieve pain, improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and more. Sometimes, the cupping therapist might make small incisions in the skin and put the cups back on to pull a small amount of blood, called wet cupping.

12. Fighting

It might seem counterintuitive that fighting could be beneficial for your physical health, but the Chinese believe that ritual fighting is one of the key aspects of wellbeing. There are many ancient forms of fighting, including Tai Chi as mentioned before, which allows one to work the body and mind while also working through emotions and relieving aggression. If you’re going to try fighting, of course, find an art form you can commit to and safely practice it under supervision of professionals.

13. Fall in Love with the Arts

Many feel that the arts are a strictly mental and emotional thing. Sure, when you’re looking at a piece of art or practicing a form of art yourself, you’re not necessarily thinking about how it affects your physical body. Researchers have found, though, that appreciation of the arts can actually improve your brain and physical wellbeing. Appreciating music and art has shown to help victims of health conditions and serious health events like strokes heal faster than those who don’t!

14. Avoid Energy Vampires

There’s nothing quite as disturbing to our mental and physical health as constantly being plagued by energy vampires or people who thrive on draining energy from others. These people might be narcissists or so needy for attention that no one else around them can properly take care of themselves. Of course, this is terrible for mental health, which can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression that can cause serious physical health ailments.

15. HIIT Exercise

Never feel like you have enough time to improve your physical health? HIIT might be the answer! This short yet intense workout routine will have you sweating in minutes, but then ready to move on with your day. The practice emphasizes high-intensity cardio bursts of exercise with periods of rest for your body to recover so that you can build your strength and endurance quickly without losing hours at the gym.

16. Embrace Your True Self

When we aren’t comfortable with ourselves, we’re less likely to take care of ourselves. It is so important to discover ourselves for who we truly are so that we can address everything that is holding us back and plunge into our fullest lives. Once you understand what makes you happy and what is missing from your life, you can take action to improve your lifestyle and start doing what will help you be healthier, both mentally and physically.

17. Moxibustion

Moxibustion is not acupuncture, but it’s very similar. Sometimes, the two are even used in conjunction with each other to help a person. Acupuncture and moxibustion use different trigger points on the body. Moxibustion is used to increase blood flow and help relieve symptoms of chronic illness and pain. Moxi is also burned to create a slow heat that can help release muscles and reduce aches.

18. Start Gardening

There’s something unexplainable about what gardening can do for the body and mind. Becoming one with nature and using your skills and knowledge to help cultivate the growth of new life is unlike any other experience. Getting your hands in the dirt, smelling the earth, and getting fresh air are amazing for your physical health. In addition, you can choose to grow edible plants for your kitchen, stocking your shelves with fresh ingredients that encourage trying new recipes and home cooking!

19. Introduce Plants Into Your Home

While you’re growing plants outside, try bringing some inside as well! Being shut indoors can create stuffy, recycled air that lacks life. Plants inside your home can turn your carbon dioxide into oxygen, refreshing the air. People who have indoor plants experience a relief of fatigue and pain and improved moods.

20. Get an Animal Companion

No matter which animal you choose, having an animal companion greatly improves your physical health. Regardless of the type of animal, having a sense of responsibility for a living being other than yourself helps you to establish a routine, especially one of hygiene. You begin cleaning more, especially in the areas they use, which can help your health and the environment within your home. Animals that go outside also bring in germs and viruses from the outside world and expose you in a way that helps your immune system to build up immunity. If your animal needs exercise, you’ll also be encouraged to stay more active with them!

21. Reflexology

Reflexology is applying pressure to specific pressure points on your body that connect to your nervous system and energy flow, much like acupuncture, moxibustion, and other forms of TCM. Reflexologists specifically focus on the feet because they are known for thousands of nerve endings. They use special movements of their fingers to trigger specific points on the foot to ailments of all kinds for all different parts of the body and can help you relax, boost your metabolism, and relieve pain.

22. Go Into Nature

The poets know it: nature heals the mind, body, and soul. Those who are fed up with their busy lives, deprived of fresh air and wide-open spaces, take to an escape to the wilderness for healing. Retreating into the loving embrace of Mother Earth will certainly help you heal, no matter your ailments. Breathe in the fresh air, stretch your muscles with a hike, and soak in the benefits of unadulterated sunlight.

23. Declutter

For some people, clutter is normal. Busy schedules keep people from putting things back where they belong, and things can really pile up. Being overwhelmed by physical possessions, trash, and unnecessary items can harm your ability to function. It could even impede your ability to do necessary things around the house like clean. Start decluttering and soon you’ll get lost in the process. You’ll be up doing something productive, and you’ll burn calories while you’re at it.

24. Feng Shui

Feng Shui is a powerful Chinese system that explains that everything around us affects and has its own energy. The way you place your things around you has a huge effect on how energy flows through you, and sometimes this negatively blocks up your energy flow. You can increase the flow of positive energy and improve your physical health by following some basic guidelines and adding some objects to your space. You can improve your mood and energy levels and bring prosperity into your life!

25. Celebrate Water

We truly do take water for granted. Water is essential to life, and it has so many amazing spiritual and physical property that are necessary to the planet and our survival. Using water throughout the day should be sacred: it is healing, reviving, and even fun! Taking a warm bath can ease our aches and pains. Swimming in water can support our bodies while we stretch and strengthen our muscles. Drinking water hydrates our brains and bodies so that we can function. Change your mindset on water and you’ll completely turn your life around!

REMEMBER!

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

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November 29, 2022April 4, 2025

Psychedelics & Substances That Improve Mental & Spiritual Health

Psychedelic Mushrooms & Other Awesome Substances That Inspire Psychological Health & Spiritual Transformation

The war between those who want it to be legal to get “high” and those who want to ban all substances that get you “high” has been raging on for years, but the history of using mushrooms and other hallucinogenics has gone on for much longer across the globe. Almost every culture has had widespread use of substances to achieve an altered state of mind, including mushrooms, plants, oils, beans, and more. During this historical use of substances, many cultures revered these altered states of mind as ways to reach a higher power, speak to other worlds, and further the journey of their higher selves. Now, we know there are substances that improve mental health and spiritual health.

As modern governments have begun restricting the use of these substances more and more, groups who still wish to use them are fighting back. Marijuana, for example, has been illegal for so long and is finally being slowly legalized because studies reveal that claims of its dangers were unfounded. The benefits far outweigh the risks–and marijuana is not the only substance now being investigated. A new movement to legalize psychedelics claims that these substances have huge benefits for those with mental health struggles.

Interested in how these substances might help you tackle your own struggles, whether they’re psychological or spiritual? Here’s a list of some awesome substances that improve mental and spiritual health that you can discover.

Psilocybin or Magic Mushrooms

One of the most significant innovations in recent mental health advancements regarding the use of substances is psilocybin or the main active ingredient of “magic mushrooms.” The movement is so massive that major outlets are now calling it the “psychedelic gold rush.” This gold rush is a pushback from the government’s use (and some would claim misuse) of their categorizations of substances. Psychedelics like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin are classed as Schedule I substances, which means they have a high risk for abuse without the counteractive benefit of medical value. Many scientists and innovators are exclaiming that the categorization is just plain false. Further, that banning these substances that improve mental health will negatively affect us for generations to come.

Many innovators are experimenting with combining psychedelic-based drugs with conventional therapy, and they’re coming up with promising results. Those who suffer from PTSD and depression, for example, are currently undergoing clinical trials with psilocybin and reporting relief from their symptoms. As a result, many U.S. cities have begun decriminalizing the drug so that its benefits can be explored and enjoyed as of the recent Presidential election.

Psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, have a long history of spiritual benefits as well. The indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica used these substances for healing and divine inspiration. Art created in reverence of these substances date back well before Columbus’s time, even dating back to 6,000 years ago. In 1955, European Americans took part in an indigenous psychedelic mushroom ceremony and published an article in Life magazine, inspiring Harvard academics to attempt the ceremony as well and to eventually start the Harvard Psilocybin Project, which covered religious and psychological effects of the substance.

An altered state of mind is exactly what many believe is the key to accessing the higher self or divine powers. As humans trapped in our flat reality, our minds have a hard time escaping the view of what’s around us. Turning inward and breaking down the mind’s boundaries can help us explore new mindsets, think thoughts that were otherwise impossible, and tap into previously unreachable dimensions.

Peyote Cactus

Speaking of the American indigenous peoples, Peyote was a widely popular substance used for accessing a new level of spirituality as well as for medicinal purposes. Peyote is a cactus found in the Southwest and in Mexico which you can pull buttons off and chew on them to experience a “trip.” Like magic mushrooms, Peyote was also outlawed by the U.S. government, but its use is still prevalent. As an exception, Native Americans who are a part of the Native American Church are allowed to continue using Peyote for their religious ceremonies.

Research on psychedelics has been mostly shut down by the U.S. government, as the general claim is that the use of these substances can lead to brain damage and altered personalities. Scientists agree that long-term heavy use of psychedelics can be damaging but argue that use in small, controlled doses can actually offer many benefits. John H. Halpbern, a psychiatrist from the Harvard School of Medicine, has been studying the use of Peyote by Native Americans for years. Specifically, Halpbern believes Peyote and other Native American substances can help to fight addiction and alcoholism. He claims that tribes that use Peyote for religious ceremonies have much lower rates of alcoholism, which is a rampant issue among the Native American population.

During these religious ceremonies, only three teaspoons on average of Peyote is ingested by participants, which Halpbern explains is only enough to experience a buzz of stimulant, not hallucinate. He explains that it most likely only serves to deepen the emotions felt during the ceremony and helps the participants to open up their minds and hearts to the spirituality of the ritual.

Peyote, therefore, is another powerful substance that, when used properly, can help open up our minds to access our higher selves and even to dimensions beyond our own. Combined with rituals and meditation, Peyote helps the Native Americans to come together in spiritual enlightenment and speak to the divine. It’s truly a powerful substance that improves mental and spiritual health.

Ibogaine or Iboga Bark

In Africa, the Tabernanth iboga plant has been at the center of religious experiences. The Babongo people worship this plant and the drug that derives from it because of its strong hallucinogenic effects. It is used as a part of their religious ceremonies, as the Babongo people feel it is a way to tap into spiritual knowledge. When the bark is pulverized and ingested, those who take it can experience a wide range of emotions and visions, including anxiety, euphoria, and a blending of their senses to create other-worldly experiences.

Ibogaine is so powerful that it’s influence has stretched far outside of Africa. In fact, it’s been used in Western medicine since the 1800s to lower blood pressure, treat fevers, and even help with toothaches. However, the United States has since banned the use of Ibogaine, claiming it has no medical value yet has a high potential for abuse. Researchers are still investigating the drug and suspect that it may play a valuable role in mitigating the opioid crisis as well as provide medical value in other ways if controlled.

Kava

Kava is a popular plant extract used mostly in beverages in the South Pacific. It’s been used in spiritual ceremonies to relax participants and relieve symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and even drug withdrawal. Kava was made illegal to sell in the Canadian and European markets due to its history of causing liver damage and death, but after reviews of the lack of evidence, it was reinstated on the market in most countries. In any case, Kava affects the brain and central nervous system and can be taken for up to 6 months straight safely for anxiety. Now, it’s even a popular substance sold as drinks and used socially similarly to beer.

Pacific Islanders highly revere kava for its ability to bring people together and channel communications with the spirits. Kava is regularly consumed during religious ceremonies in efforts to strengthen kinship and speak with divine powers from other dimensions. Kava drinking was also used as a way to reaffirm the status and hierarchy within societies.

When diluted properly, Kava can cause a state of aloofness, where one is happy and unconcerned. They might feel more free of their mind and body, and they’ll never experience unpleasant feelings like alcohol can cause. While feeling free, the Kava user never loses control of their reason. On the other hand, excessive use of Kava can cause a lack of control over muscles, making it more difficult to move quickly. Eventually, heavy Kava users can lose sense of objects around them and drift off to sleep.

When it comes to accessing deeper spirituality with Kava, therefore, you can quiet your mind, pull your senses out of the physical world, and get in better touch with the higher self and the divine. Further, it’s definitely one of the powerful substances that improves mental health.

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