Friends of "Culture: Forum,

I studied this afternoon the book "Neuroscience 1977", about emotions and the hypothalamus. During four hours I read three pages and made a lot of associations. I'll be concise: The hypothalamus and the neighboring area called the 'reticular formation,' are coordinator centers for many vital functions and for the bodily MANIFESTATIONS of the EMOTIONS. The only emotional manifestation remaining in experimentally decerebrated cats is the SURVIVAL posture of preparing for attack (arching a pilo-erected body, gnawing teeth...). Now, I beg of you to read most carefully: Emotions are felt in cortical areas. These areas are associated with the hypothalamus, where the autonomic (sympathetic-parasympathetic) fibers carry the orders for the involuntary manifestations, such as blanching, sweating, fast pulse, and also to the somatic muscles, mostly evidenced by distortions of the visage, of rage, fear, happiness. It has been shown that by assuming a facial expression for a given emotion, the autonomic manifestations will be manifested: a two-way system!

Then I read that it is not possible to separate emotions from their CORPOREAL manifestations. And at this moment, everything clicked together! You see, I tripped several days ago, and fell from a combined height of nearly four meters (my own height included). As I was arching forward and downward, my body pivoting on my feet, I looked at the ground, calculating my chances of survival, and the expected consequences of the fall. I lost consciousness for a short while, and the physical damages were leg bruises and a sprained wrist.
Recalling, I was amazed of not having felt fear as I was falling. As if this EMOTION had been involuntarilysuppressed! Why not then, I asked myself, consider as possible a state where emotions are felt "disembodied," unassociated to corporeal manifestations?
And, what does all this mean? That I had perhaps found the explanation for MYSTIC --'pure,' 'divine,' 'God-like'-- EMOTIONAL experiences! I bet you can visualize such disembodied emotion.
It might be possible to test my hypothesis, even through this "Culture" Forum, by means of a hypnotic trance, according to the following protocol.

1.- The experimental subject is known as able to reach a deep trance, to the point of hallucinations and anesthesia.
2.- He is serious, willing to collaborate. He is aware that everything done is at all times known to him. He knows that he is hallucinating, doesn't perceive his surroundings, yet hears the voice of the expert and follows his instructions.
3.- He is willing to accept lack of conscious knowledge of instructions that require such voluntary ignorance, yet will be able to remember those instructions after the session.
4.- He will be given the capacity to stop the session by just saying: "Stop!" He will be able to become unresponsive to any expert's or dilettante's commands.
5.- The hypnosis will be performed by phone. Only after it is successful, will it enter the application stage. This stage will be presented at "Culture" Forum without any rehearsal, so that the results might be entirely disappointing or surprisingly successful: the subject will describe a 'mystic-like' emotional state.
The expert will post his instructions to the subject for him and all to see. The subject will post his reactions. The expert will ask subject's acceptance of every step. Thus, it will be a very slow experimental process.
One person, at least, will be with the subject, to shout: "Stop!" if worried. Subject will calm down the companion, by saying, "Don't worry," or similar, if he feels fine, and will resume the hypnotic state after saying those words.