Fasting and meditating seem to cause some interesting effects. Namely, euphoric-hypoxia and submissive/suggestive states of mind. Meditating depletes the brain faster of resources, and when coupled with low or zero intake of glucose... Easier to brainwash?

I found this:

http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(06)00577-9/abstract


Given that mild euphoria are often noted with fasting or low-carbohydrate diets, it may be due to shared actions of BHB and GHB on the brain, which may induce mild euphoria by being a weak partial agonist for GABAB receptors.

GABA can act as an antagonist to increases opiate euphoria in other studies. Deplete the brain of glucose (fasting and thinking hard--meditating), and ketones (GHB/GABA are products in the chain) are produced which can act at receptors in analogus ways to opiates. That is, this is right in the pathway of the brain that responds to opiate reactions and euphoria. Fasting can get you mildly and temporarily high (and put you into a submissive/weakened/suggestive state of mind).

This is similar also to the hypoxia that one experiences with severe blood loss. Not enough oxygen reaching the brain will cause a euphoria (think of sexual choking & the "fainting game" played by teens and others to get a high from depriving themselves of oxygen). Fasting hypoxia exists, at least in rats.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9587648


In any event, it seems that fasting and praying are really good tools for the brainwasher.

Setting children up for addiction. Did your parents enforce fasting, and then reward compliant behavior and punish resistance?

They tried to enforce it. I usually ignored them and ate in secret anyway.

I was never very good at it...plus there was a confectionary about 2 block from the church...we used to run over there for snacks after priesthood meeting...took the edge off for sure...

I usually sit in the backyard, have a beer and meditate in the quiet. Good time to think things through, ponder, relax.

drilldoc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I usually sit in the backyard, have a beer and
> meditate in the quiet. Good time to think things
> through, ponder, relax.


Having a beer is the opposite of brainwashing. It sure ain't fasting.

Jesus Smith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> drilldoc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I usually sit in the backyard, have a beer and
> > meditate in the quiet. Good time to think
> things
> > through, ponder, relax.
>
>
> Having a beer is the opposite of brainwashing. It
> sure ain't fasting.

No. I think you're allowed to drink.

Thanks for the links.

Whenever it was time to fast, my subconscious makes it a point to raid the fridge 15 seconds before heading out the door to church, and do so in a fashion as to achieve occupation of the maximum capacity of the stomach as possible with food.

I then sit through church fully satisfied and smirk at the other poor schmucks as they squirm in an attempt to silence their complaining stomachs. My wife follows my example all the time too.

I studied the "Mindfulness Meditation" system as taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and practiced for up to 45 minutes a day. In less than a month, this had lowered my blood pressure so much that (with my doctor's knowledge and approval) I gradually backed off from having to use three different kinds of pills to control high blood pressure, down to none.

If I slack off and get lazy about daily practice, after a few days, my BP will start to edge up again.

So for me, anyway, this type of meditation (without any religion mixed in) has measurable positive effects. We're not just talking about brainwashing here.

catnip Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I studied the "Mindfulness Meditation" system as
> taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and practiced for up to
> 45 minutes a day. In less than a month, this had
> lowered my blood pressure so much that (with my
> doctor's knowledge and approval) I gradually
> backed off from having to use three different
> kinds of pills to control high blood pressure,
> down to none.
>
> If I slack off and get lazy about daily practice,
> after a few days, my BP will start to edge up
> again.
>
> So for me, anyway, this type of meditation
> (without any religion mixed in) has measurable
> positive effects. We're not just talking about
> brainwashing here.


I have no doubt that eastern style meditation can have positive effects, and can help us westerners get away from exclusive dualistic thinking.

What I was thinking about in context of this thread is how the effects of fasting and meditation coupled with dogmatic teaching about spiritual witness of the LDS truth is a great technique to brainwash.

It can be done without religion completely. It's just watching your mind... clear, quiet, awake.

Fasting never had that effect on me. It just made me hungry, which at best distracted me from whatever was being said at church, and at worst made me have negative feelings towards the church and my TBM parents for enforcing it. As soon as I was old enough to rebbel, I did. I haven't fasted for 15+ years.

I get to fast every couple years in preparation for an endoscopy...and it ain't fun and there not one fuckin' thing about it that's spiritual!!!

I have only fasted on a serious level one time.

The outcome was a loss of rational thinking.

I will never do that again.

Loss of rational thinking would help explain Fast & Testimoany meetings.

The church doesn't use the word meditating. I never heard it growing up. I love to meditate now. The church has you pray but then they don't focus on the listening and just clearing your mind and concentrating on your breath. In high school I was always asked to give family prayer when my boyfriend was over. I would be completely embarrassed because I felt it was a very private thing from my heart and I wasn't on that level with my boyfriend. Mormons use prayer for display. The answers are given to the 12 and the Mormons eagerly await their "revelations" twice a year. They don't want us to meditate and ask questions of the universe....They can't handle the truth.