How does the Soul interconnect with the Brain and the Body?

By Johann Strerath – May 9th, 2021

Despite my overall knowledge and studies in Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis, there is a deep part of my inner self, which involves the passion that I have for learning and expanding my Conscience. To me, the expansion of Conscience, involves getting in contact with the deepest and the purest part of me, which I consider it to be my Soul.
Brain and body interact simultaneously through the interchange of biochemical and electrical impulses through what we know as our nervous system. And at the same time, the brain, which is biologically and physically a massive structure of approximately 100 billion neural cells making interconnections at a rate of 1⁄10.000 for every single neuron. But how to explain the perfection by which the brain can control biologically speaking, every single part of the human body. What is it that provides the impulse for the brain to accomplish such enormous and complex task? From the years that I have dedicated myself to explore and understand my own human complexities, I have learned that there are of course, many scientific proven facts that will define this activity as the result of the electrical impulses.

Very recently, I had the opportunity to listen to an audio conference call on Spirituality, and the main topic evolved over the interconnection between Soul, Brain, and Body. I believe that the topic is crucial for those who choose to seek and experience higher consciousness levels in their quest for evolution and a more successful life with a meaningful purpose. Although, the subject might be quite complex, I decided to share some of the key points that I have been blessed to learn, as a means of profound gratitude with the Universe for having delivered such a wonderful gift of wisdom to me.
All of us as human beings are composed of a body that moves and executes many internal biological functions to experience the physical life as we all objectively experience it. One important point to consider is that the body is designed to express in the living world, as well as to be in continuous motion, thanks to the commands of the brain, which sends electrical signals through what are known as the axons, or the extensions of the brain neurons to the entire body structure. Scientifically speaking, such transmission of signals from the human brain is referred as the action potential that occurs when the neuron’s cell creates activity by a depolarizing energy current that travels as an electrical explosion throughout the axons, all the way to each organ, muscle, bone, fingers, and toes, to respond to the signals that the body requires for movement, motion, and proper functioning. Such impulses which contain cell information can travel as slow as 0.5 meters/sec., or as fast as 120 meters/sec., which is the same as travelling at the speed of 432 km/hr, or 275mph. This merely a simple explanation of how the human body correlates with the brain, at least from the proven physical, observational, and visible point of view.

It can be implied that the source of electrical activity that originates in the brain relies on the type of nutrients that contain Sodium, Potassium, and Calcium among others, that are absorbed through a balanced diet. If such ionized elements are capable to produce enough electrical charges for the brain to use approximately up to 25 watts, which would be enough to turn a small light bulb, then the question of how such discharges, along with the interchange of biochemical signals between synapses, or the intercommunication between neurons is possible in such a perfect manner to be able to produce thoughts, store memories, remember past experiences, imagine, and even, acquire repetitive behaviors and produce mental judgements about the same inner thoughts and behaviors, that as a result will give origin to our actions?
Consciously or even unconsciously, we cannot escape from the fact the there is one crucial component that makes our brain and body to function together, our thoughts able to produce actions based on learned experiences, and our expressions through our feelings and emotions to manifest in the living world, all simultaneously and yet, in a unique way, depending on our mood and our so-called estate of consciousness.

When we react to something, or when we respond to an event with a certain attitude, when we experience psychosomatic sensations in our body due to imprinted memories, or when we internally analyze and judge the course of action that we should take in regard to a specific situation, we need to be open to the fact that our brain is simply acting as the control panel that gathers all the information contained in the neurons to organize and create images, ideas, and scenarios that at some point will create an intention and then, a decision to become a vivid action, or not. For example, while I am writing this article, my brain is gathering the memories of a previous learning process, which is stored on my sub-conscious, restored in my conscious mind, and simultaneously generating thoughts and ideas that are also being organized and planned coherently, to produce the action of writing and transmitting a message, based on what I have learned previously, retained, felt and experienced. In addition to all this process, there is an intention to share with you some of the result of something that I have learned, as well as the conscious feeling of a sense of purpose leading to an expectation that will result in the hope to also produce a learning experience to the reader. It is also provoking a positive behavioral attitude of collaboration. All this simultaneous activity is also associated with an amount of energy that is produced not only from the electrical signals in the brain, but also from a much deeper, invisible, yet somehow difficult to describe source, which I understand as the aspects of my soul.

From my learning, and in my humble opinion, I would say that the previous paragraphs have somehow described in a logical matter such aspects of the Soul. The Soul to me is the everything and the invisible, as well as the intangible aspects of all that makes part of expression and composes the existence of energy in a physical world. I am conscious that I have a brain, a body, however, I am energy! I am a source that interacts, expresses, produces outcomes, and shares Energy!
To elucidate the subject of the soul from another perspective, I would like to refer to the concepts of Raja Yoga, that define the union with the Higher Self, the Supreme Power, the Source, the Higher Energy, God, Allah, or whatever name everyone chooses to refer to this Greater Source according to its own principles or believes and personal values.
During meditation, there is a practical principle of concentration with eyes closed in a main point located in the forehead, right in the middle and above the two eyes, in which the person will focus the attention only to that point. With time, practice, and proper breathing (vital energy), the point might form internally a series of mental flashes, or a small point of light, which is the personal way that I experience when I meditate. Raja Yoga identifies the visualization of such point of light on a moment of stillness and silent experience as the Soul, the Origin, the I AM…

My experience with meditation for quite some years now, has guided me to the conclusion that whenever I connect with that magnificent point of Light, visible only by my inner visualization, I am connecting directly with the Source of who I AM, in a moment of extreme inner peace, joy, quietness, yet a feeling of complete peace and harmony. I am connecting with my Higher and Divine Conscience, to me, God. And the more I practice meditation, the more balance I obtain on my thoughts, my emotions, my body, and mainly my spiritual vibration, which makes my day to day to be more harmonious in relation with myself, with others, and with everything that surrounds me. Don´t ask me what happens when I lack to meditate. It gets uncomfortable, the day does not go as planned, and my Ego may get defensive at times, among others.
From the Neuroscience perspective, there are many studies that can be fund on the internet to prove that continuous practice of meditation increases the frequency of the brain waves, as well as it contributes to the formation of new neuronal cells, a process called Neurogenesis. It also contributes to the chemical balance of several neurotransmitters such as Serotonin and Acetylcholine, reduces the formation and flow of Cortisol in the blood system by regulating the suprarenal glands, and many, many other important health benefits.

Bringing back the concept of the Soul, there is a imminent question that every individual will ask at some point of their existence, and that question refers to who I am, really. Not what I have, but who I really am. This question brings other questions, such as where do I come from? why do I exist? Why do I behave or do the things I do? Why do I think? And so on. I personally cannot tell you the answers to those questions, because each one is adult enough to discover its own unique experience as a living form in this world. It is each one’s responsibility to discover the beauty inside his/her own unique significance.
What I can offer you is my theorical learning experience of the concepts of the Soul, which are basically three: The Sub-Conscious, the Conscious Mind, and the Intellect.

The Sub-conscious, also known as the Samskaras in Raja Yoga, are mental impressions and psychological imprints that produce behavioral inclinations, whether they are negative or positive, and which define the personality of an individual through the experiences of life. They influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions in a repetitive manner as they get stored in the form of memories in our sub-conscious. There are many references on the Internet referring to the types of Samskaras that can be explored, and self-evaluated to help you determine which are your own personal ones. I leave that part with each individual reader to discover as a part of his/her own personal development experience. This is the portion of the self in which the EGO and all the mechanisms of defense are originated.

The mind, or conscious mind is part of the soul which manages the thoughts, the emotions, as well as images and the desires. It is the part in which I experience the world, throughout my thinking, and my objects of attention. The mind is also composed of the connections between the thoughts. The mind is considered as the thinking power of the soul, in which ideas and the creative process are formed.

The intellect is the conscience, different from the conscious mind, however, it is subtle and non-physical. It is the intellect that makes judgement of the conscious mind components. It judges the thoughts, emotions, as well as the images and desires, and then it generates the decision-making process. It is on the intellect that the formation of the conscience inner voice comes from, and where our moral values are defined, whether they are indirectly imposed and conditioned, or whether they are freely chosen to be lived by and experienced as part of our existence and expression with the rest of the other living beings and creatures. The psychoanalytical schools would understand this aspect of the soul as the Super EGO, or the judge of our actions and doings.

The way in which the interaction of the components of the soul occurs with the mind, the brain, and consequently with the body, are as follows, in my opinion: All our experiences in life are registered through our five senses, and they all come along with an invisible and sometimes undetected source of emotional energy that gets stored in the brain forming memories, impressions and creating believes as well as habits that result on a specific behavior or samskara. The samskara, as a long-term memory becomes part of the sub-consciousness. Everything on the sub-consciousness that includes such memories, believes, attitudes, impressions and habits will interact with the conscious mind in the form of images, thoughts, emotions, and desires. What will determine if such components of the conscious mind; the thought, image, emotion, or desire, will become or not an expressed action is the intellect that is responsible for judging and making the decision of turning those into action. Actions on the other hand require intent, purpose, and motion in order to be expressed in the outer world. This will be conducted by the mind, and ellaborated in the control panel which is the brain. Ultimately, if the action becomes vivid, it is the body that will phisically express the action along with the behavior, the intention, and the attitude.

While the intention of this article is not driven to explain the expansion or the awakening of the conscience, as a point of conclusion, I would refer to the interconnection of the soul with the brain, and the body as the expression of our most inner and higher source of energy that allows every single living creature to exist and be what ever he/she/it chooses to be.

The key point for personal reflection out of this information remains on each individual mentally asking with all heart and mind, from an honest, true and humble perspective,

Who I AM?

I genuinelly hope from the deepest of my heart that I am able to contribute at least with a little grain of knowledge to whom ever desires to read these lines.

Many blessings.

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