Brief sketch of a system dynamics-based Feedback Phenomenological (FP) analysis of core consciousness during a religious experience, know in the West as purgation or the dark night of the soul.

Arlen Wolpert

(Draft of November 15,2006)

Introduction

This web site gives a relatively brief system dynamics (SD) analysis of core consciousness during the purgative period just preceeding mystical union. Also, it gives key insights in sections 4 and 5 about mystical union, itself. It is Phase I of a four phase FP analysis of purgation and mystical union (PMU). The four phase analysis gives a much more comprehensive understanding of PMU.

The SD analysis, below, performs two very important tasks on the road to the comprehension of PMU:

  1. It gives the SD flow diagram or structure of core consciousness during the experience of purgation. The flow diagram is shown in Figure 2. Phenomenologists would call this structure the noema for purgation.
  2. This structure of purgation, together with its associated mathematical model (see section 6 below), is capable of describing the experience of purgation by simulating the 38 variables or simultaneously operating aspects of core consciousness during my experience of purgation. Only 23 of those 38 variables are conscious. Figures 1 and 3 below show simulations of only a few of those 23 conscious variables, but those few variables are enough for the reader to get deep insights into the experience.
(Phase II of the analysis gives some of the neurophysiological, behavioristic, and neural correlates of core consciousness during purgation. Phase III show how the neural correlates can be used to test the analyses in Phases I and II. Phase IV gives the origin and some of the essences and meanings of the experience of PMU. The reader is advised to study Phase I below. Then, if he or she wishes to proceed further, the entire four phase analysis can be accessed at this link.)

Figure 2: The system dynamics model or flow diagram or noema for core consciousness during purgation or dark night of the soul:


  1. The architecture of the model in Figure 2:
    The architecture of the model of core consciousness during purgation has a quickly operating (milleseconds to seconds) parallel processing cognitive mechanism in the upper sector that interacts with a relatively slow system (seconds to hours) in the lower sector. The former originates in the thalamocortical system and is nonconscious; the latter originates in the limbic-brain stem and neurocirculatory system and is mostly conscious. Jackendoff (1987) calls the former the computational mind and the latter the phenomenological mind. Communication between these two sectors of the model is provided by about seven transducers or transition variables, six of which are associated with prayer and attention and one of which is a kind of energy within the mind (PsychicEnergyFactor). These transducers are conscious.

    All of the conscious variables in the lower sector of the model are named in what Husserl called the 'natural attitude.' For example, KnotsInHeart is not a thing. It has no reality as such. There are no knots in the heart, but there may be cramped or paralyzed muscles in the heart. Thus, naming the variables in the natural attitude means the name it feels like to the experiencer as he recalls his core consciousness during the 10 hour experience of purgation. It is not the name of what is actually going on in the experiencer's body. Thus, simulating the variables of purgation in the natural attitude gives a moment by moment description of my experience of purgation.

    Thus, the model's representation for my core consciousness (Damasio 1999) is shown in the lower sector. The intentionality of consciousness during purgation is about a somatosensory mental image. This mental image is about the heart opening against a resistance in the form of knots in the heart. This mental image does not exist. Husserl's Transcendental Phenomenology labels such intentionality, 'intentional inexistence.' The mental image is does not exist, because it is not a material object. Further, hearts are not opened and they don't have knots. However, eventually, in the second phase of the FP analysis, the SD-based FP analysis finds that what exists are antagonistic heart muscles. Even though the mental image does not exist, it can be modeled and simulated because there is a one to one relationship between the movement of the heart muscles and the dynamics of the mental image. The mind uses the imagination to convert the movement of the heart muscles to the dynamics of the mental image. That is why it is called a somatosensory mental image. There is a saying that a picture is worth 1000 words. For a person experiencing the incredibly stressful and fearful dark night of the soul or purgation, a mental image is worth 1000 neurophysiological facts. Hence, in the crisis of purgation the mind uses a somatosensory mental image. An image makes it easier and quicker for the mind to comprehend and to act or respond to the essentials of what is sensed within. Variables of the model associated directly with the somatosensory mental image include HeartOpenness, KnotsInHeart, FearDeathDueToKnot, and the set of feedback loops associated with them. ForgivenessResponse, PsychicStress, and OpeningPressure are also associated with this mental image. A simulation of these conscious variables allows us to get a good description - in the natural attitude - of core consciousness and how it is driven, moment by moment, during the stressful and fearful experience of purgation.

    The 11 variables representing the nonconscious cognitive mechanism are located in the upper part of the model, above a semicircle that goes just above KnotOriginInsight, AttentionalFocus, and PsychicEnergyFactor. I invented this cognitive mechanism sector and use it, because it is able to work well with the lower part of the model. Eventually, this cognitive mechanism sector will be replaced by a model developed by scientists in the field of cognitive science. At present we must use my invented model. It incorporates the concept of redundancy from engineering; Miller's (1956) concepts from information theory concerning channel capacity and recoding; Miller's 'magical number seven' used in cognitive science; and the retrieval accuracy of short term memory concept developed by Schouten and Bekker (1967), Wickelgren (1979), and Luce (1986). The concept of redundancy comes into play during mystical union when the primary information processor shuts down and the background information processor takes over in its place. How the model of consciousness operates when time stops during mystical union will be discussed more fully in sections 4 and 5, below.

    Preliminary definitions of each of these variables are given by the 38 variable (11 in the upper sector, 27 in the lower sector) mathematical model, shown in section 6 below. The constants in the equations and the table functions have been tuned to give an accurate simulation of the 10-hour Dark Night or purgative stage right up to the moment just preceding mystical union. Of the 38 variables, 23 are aspects of core consciousness. All 23 are located in the lower sector. The simulations of these 23 aspects of core consciousness are all simultaneous. For example, simultaneously, the experiencer (myself) was conscious of the dynamics or change of the following aspects of core consciousness during purgation: the rise in the opening pressure on my heart, an opening heart, the presence of a knot in my heart and the removal of a knot, the rise and fall of the intensity of fear of death and psychic stress, the rising intensity and falling intensity of my prayer, the rise and fall of the degree of attentional focus of my mind, etc.

  2. Dynamics:
    In my normal life HeartOpenness was stable at 5% of maximum possible openness and there were a stable set of twelve KnotsInHeart. This is shown at Time=0 in the simulation at Figure 1 at section 3, below. (Keep in mind that these numbers are only my best estimates: the initial value of HeartOpenness could have been anywhere from 2% to 10% or 15%; the initial value of KnotsInHeart could have been anywhere between 8 and 15 knots.) However, just after the beginning of the Dark Night or purgation (Time>0), the phenomenological mind undergoes a change in such a way that OpeningPressure jumps from its NormalOpening Pressure of 5% all the way up to 80%. This is reflected by the fact that I have programmed AdditionalOpeningPressure to go from 0 to 75% at Time = 0. To understand the initial dynamics of the model at this point, keep in mind that the flow diagram for the 10-hour experience of purgation shown in Figure 2 has, at present, only two sectors. Eventually, the flow diagram or noema of core consciousness for the entire religious crisis may have 3 or more sectors. Therefore, the step input from AdditionalOpeningPressure is assumed to come from or originate in either a shift in loop dominance (Forrester 1985) or a bifurcation (Strogatz 1994) associated with a projected, but not yet modeled, adjacent sector or sectors. This step input causes limbic-brain stem variables in Figure 2, such as HeartOpenness, PsychicStress, FearDeathDueToKnot, KnotsInHeart and the like, to change or become dynamic, all coordinated by way of the feedback loops in the structure.

    KnotsInHeart, HeartOpenness, and the three memories in the cognitive mechanism are called state variables by mathematicians. In system dynamics terminology they are called stocks or levels or accumulations. Each stock or state variable has the characteristic of accumulation, analogous to a bathtub accumulating water. Using this bathtub analogy, 'How open is the heart at this moment?' is analogous to 'How full of water is the bathtub now?' ForgivenessResponse, HeartUnfoldmentRate, PrimaryInformationProcessingRate, BackgroundInformationProcessingRate, and InnerSensingRate are examples of rates. They act like either the bathtub's inlet faucets or outlet drains. Whether the faucet is an inlet faucet or outlet drain is indicated by the large arrowhead. (Eliminate the darkened arrowhead and use the open arrowhead to indicate the direction of flow of the thing or entity that is passing through the 'faucet'.) The much smaller arrowheads indicate the direction of causation. For example, the arrows coming from PrayerTrueness and PrayerIntensity and pointing at PrayerQuality indicate that the first two variables determine the value of PrayerQuality at any time. Specifically, the mathematical model gives the following definition of PrayerQuality:

    PrayerQuality = 0.5*(PrayerTrueness + PrayerIntensity) ............equation 1

    When PrayerQuality reaches 100%, which is the 'forgiveness threshold', the ForgivenessResponse is triggered and one KnotInHeart is removed in a ratchet-like fashion. (The knot is removed, rather than added, because the undarkened arrowhead points away from the KnotsInHeart stock.) Action then shifts to a negative feedback loop associated with HeartOpenness and PsychicStress: The removal of this one knot begins to unseal the restricted and rigid or tight heart, causing PsychicStress to decrease rapidly, which then causes the HeartUnfoldmentRate 'faucet' to open. This causes HeartOpenness to fill or open further, causing PsychicStress to rise again as the heart begins to encounter the next knot. As a result FearDeathDueToKnot, and then PrayerIntensity, and WillfulAttention, begin to rise again. The rise in fear and attention leads to a shift in loop dominance: Action shifts to the cognitive mechanism, which is essentially a negative feedback loop concerned with solving the problem of the origin of the knot (Ellis 1995). The fear and attention driven PrimaryInformationProcessingRate in the cognitive mechanism speeds up, leading to an increase in KnotOriginInsight. This increasing insight is concerned with the solution to the following problem: What is the particular sin, guilt, or hatred that is at the origin of this next knot? The gradual solution to this problem and my gradual acceptance of this solution leads to greater PrayerTrueness and then greater PrayerQuality until the latter reaches the 'forgiveness threshold,' triggering the ForgivenessResponse again. Then, the next knot cycle begins.

  3. A closer look at the knot removal mechanism:

    Figure 3: Two-minute simulation of four of the 23 aspects of core consciousness during the Dark Night of the Soul or purgation:

    The four simulations in Figure 3 above focuses in on a two-minute period between the 607 and 609 minute marks. This two minute period occurs during the 60 minute unstable period shown in Figure 1, between the 557 and 617 minute marks. This 60 minute unstable period is the period during which all 12 KnotsInHeart are purged. Once all the 'knots' have been purged, mystical union occurs during the 617th minute. My experience of mystical union has enabled me to estimate that mystical union takes anywhere from 4 to 7 seconds.

    Figure 1: 960 minute simulation of four of the 23 aspects of core consciousness during purgation or dark night of soul: (This simulation is the noesis for purgation.)

    Please note that in Figure 3 and Figure 1 I am showing the simulations of variables such as Time, FearOfDeath, etc. with 5 place accuracy (e.g., 607.84 minutes, 87.2%), but obviously I can not recall consciousness during my experience with such accuracy. What I am actually doing is making these kinds of simulations and then stepping back and evaluating if this simulation compares well with my memory of the actual experience. If it does not compare well, I either change a constant in the mathematical model shown at section 6, below, or, if the situation calls for it, I change the structure of the model shown in Figure 2. Then, I resimulate until all the simulations of variables simultaneously match the experience. Please bear with me on my use of 5 place accuracy. Engineers do things like this; scientists don't like it. The engineer is focused on the first 2 or 3 digits. He is thinking: "Maybe the 4th and 5th digit can be used when converting from hours to minutes to seconds, etc. It wouldn't hurt to use 5 digits." This iterative process took me many, many months, but it was a labor of love. During this iterative process I was recalling the sacred and fascinating experience of purgation and mystical union in finer and finer detail.

    Thus, Figure 3 above shows a simulation of an intense two-minute period of the Dark Night of the Soul or purgation during which the 5th, 4th, and 3rd knots in the heart were purged. For example, the 4th from the last knot is removed at the 607.84 minute mark as shown by curve 1. Then begins the 3rd from last knot removal period, a 47 second period from the 607.84 to the 608.63 minute mark, during which curve 4, FearDeathDueToKnot, rises because of rising PsychicStress caused by the heart opening against the knot restriction variable, MaximumBearableUnboundedness (see Figure 2). This fear and trembling associated with a rising FearDeathDueToKnot leads to a rise in PrayerIntensity. Note: when a rising PrayerIntensity is approaching 100% it is like the prayer intensity of a drowning man, when he is about to go down for the last time. PrayerTrueness is insightful, focused prayer. When PrayerTrueness is approaching 100%, it is like the trueness one feels when a rackety complex machine is carefully adjusted by a skilled mechanic and begins to hummm or run true. (PrayerTrueness's simulation and PrayerIntensity's simulation are not shown in Figure 3.) PrayerQuality, shown as curve 2, is made up of both PrayerIntensity and PrayerTrueness (see equation 1 on the previous page).

    At the end of this 47 second period, just before the removal of the 3rd from last knot at the 608.63 minute mark, is the culminating point of the 3rd knot removal period when, in fear and trembling, the mystic-to-be accepts in the depths of his heart the deep insight into his sin, hatred, or guilt. This high value of PrayerTrueness is what is needed to bring PrayerQuality to 100%, the 'forgiveness threshold,' and trigger the ratchet-like action of the ForgivenessResponse, causing the removal of the 3rd from last knot at the 608.63 minute mark.

    Then FearDeathDueToKnot drops suddenly from 87.2% of maximum all the way down to around 1% of maximum. At that relatively peaceful and blissful state of core consciousness there is extreme thankfulness to the Lord. This extreme thankfulness comes about because the blessed Lord has answered his earnest prayer, granted forgiveness, and thus saved the pilgrim from impending death due to the stress, anxiety, and fear caused by the third from last knot.

    "Forgetful of myself,
    My head reclined on my Beloved,
    The world was gone
    And all my cares at rest,
    Forgotten all my grief among the lilies."
    (from the 'Dark Night' by John of the Cross).
    Then the 2nd or next to last knot period begins, as the cycle repeats itself in this purgation or dark night of the soul. Meanwhile, TruenessOfMind (curve 3) is rising inexorably as the knots are purged, leading eventually to mystical union after the last knot is removed.

  4. Dynamics associated with mystical union:
    The flow diagram or model in Figure 2 incorporates the controversial idea that mystical union cannot occur by WilledAttention alone. To do that, it brings into play what I am calling NaturalAttention. It works like this: At the end of the purgation all twelve knots had been purged from my heart and the heart was opening, paced by the HeartAdjustmentTime. Because there were no longer any KnotsInHeart now, PsychicStress and hence FearOfDeath and hence WilledAttention had all dropped to zero. AttentionalFocus was increasing now only because of a rise in NaturalAttention. The rise in NaturalAttention had resulted from a pure, knot-free heart (KnotsInHeart = 0) that had caused TruenessOfMind to go into an exponential rise. The rise in TruenessOfMind was exponential, rather than sudden, because of the smoothing factor (Forrester 1961) in the equation for TruenessOfMind (see its equation in the mathematical model in section 6, below). The resulting powerful and increasing NaturalAttention and then increasing AttentionalFocus caused a steady decreasing of the RetentionTime in short term or working memory. As the RetentionTime decreased, RetrievalAccuracy associated with short term memory decreased until it eventually reached the 'insufficient accuracy' shutoff point. This triggered the PrimaryInformationProcessor in the cognitive mechanism to shut down. (See the equation for PrimaryInfoProcRate in the mathematical model shown in section 6.) However, because of redundancy built into the cognitive mechanism, cognition immediately switched over to the BackgroundProcessor. The shutdown in the PrimaryInformationProcessor caused the cessation of all inner sense, including the inner sense of time, the ability to think, imagine, will, and make immediate recall. My conjecture here is that these are all associated solely with the PrimaryInformationProcessor. This conjecture is based on my experience during the moment of transition from purgation into mystical union. During the 4 to 7 seconds of shutdown I found myself in the timeless state of mystical union. This is indicated when the value of the artificial output variable, ReadinessForUnion, goes off to infinity.

  5. The background processor:
    The kind of consciousness that is associated with what I am calling the background Processor is a timeless and unchanging state. This state has been known by all people who have experienced mystical union, samadhi, etc. Thus, this state of consciousness has been known of for millenniums: Hindus have called it the purusha or saksin; ancient Greeks have called it nous; Spinoza called it 'that part of the mind that is eternal.' Husserl appears to have called it the pure ego, but I am not sure of that. The cessation of operation of the primary information processor during mystical union left the pilgrim without the sense of inner time and the ability to think, imagine, will, and make immediate recall. However, during this state of mystical union the background processor - working automatically - allows the pilgrim to timelessly and consciously be aware of the unsurpassable greatness for a duration that lasted anywhere from 4 to 7 seconds. Awareness of this unsurpassable greatness is my idea of the knowledge of God. The background processor processes and records that observed information into LongTermMemory2. Later, when the experiencer (who is now what I define as a mystic) descends from the state of mystical union and correspondingly the primary information processor returns to operation, the mystic can use the primary processor to recall the information recorded by the background processor about mystical union. That is because information processed and stored in long term memory by the background processor during mystical union is preconscious. That is, the information is permanently available for conscious recall.

  6. Mathematical model for purgation:

    Use a DT of .005 minutes.

Arlen Wolpert
http://theworld.com/~awolpert/gtr15.html
Draft of November 15,2006

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