Caption: Person looking at the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) (Getty Images/Marco Bottigelli)

Every morning on his way out to work, Danny Brown would set up a time-lapse camera in his window and let it record what went on outside while he was in the office. When he came back, he could watch all he had missed while concentrating on his computer all through the workday.

Brown explained to a Salon representative over the phone, "The outlook has changed so drastically – I had to change the way I think. I went from doing the day-to-day activities to getting something similar to an overview effect – as nature went on today, while I was busy doing the expense report…or a cold front came through without my knowledge.”

Finally, Brown decided to quit his office job. He would go back to school and explore that feeling – its origins and its potential to heal both the body and the mind.

"I came to understand that the emotion I was experiencing from the time-lapse was a sense of wonder," said Brown.

An awe may come over you when you watch a sunset, or when you stand next to a towering redwood. It may be as simple as watching your child take those first steps or holding the hand of a loved one as they pass. Awe is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder,” and it’s this complex emotion that’s not strictly positive or negative and attached to experiences everyone encounters from time to time in their life.

The experience of awe is brought about by exposure to something enormous; this may be represented in sensory form, as in the case of taking a walk through the Grand Canyon or through abstractions, as in understanding an important concept with far-reaching implications, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins who does research on altered states of consciousness, said. In the end, experiencing vastness has to do with perception: recognizing one’s own smallness compared to the rest of the world or, perhaps, observing oneself in somebody else.

Yaden stated to Salon in a telephonic interview, “You’ve got to understand or integrate that experience into your current psychological framework. In simple terms, you have to pay attention to the experience; it has to matter to you.”

Research has suggested that awe may have neurological effects. A 2019 study found that awe correlated with reduced activity in the brain’s default mode network—an aspect of the brain related to self-reflective thinking and reflective consciousness, as well as boundary distinguishing between the body and world.
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Yaden writes, “Awe often leads to a feeling of connectedness…” and though it is somewhat speculative, it could be argued that alteration to one’s physical boundaries may further contribute to a sense of connection.

This is probably why awe can be so effective at boosting mental wellness. As has been found, many mental health problems like anxiety and depression come mostly from a focus on the self and rumination. Awe can help free the mind from these Dr. Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center, and author of a book on awe said intrusive thoughts.

Dr. Alice Chirico, director of the Experience Lab at the Catholic University of Milan and a researcher on awe, said that when people experience awe, they may reduce loneliness feelings because they feel connected with others.

Chirico explained in an email to Salon that “‘ awe allows us to feel a sense of ‘small self,’ connecting us to something larger, which in turn diminishes self-focused thoughts, and overthinking—both of which are significant contributors to depression.”

Self-transcendence is the very heart of psychedelic research. This is supported by the many people undergoing psychedelic therapy who claim to have had mystical experiences often restricted to feelings of awe. Whether these mystical experiences are bound to bring to mind a certain religious or spiritual connotation that apparently stands at loggerheads with scientific views, they are objective phenomena that have been documented and do have lasting effects on the state of psychological well-being, whether induced by psychedelics or meditation.

Recently, a few researchers in the psychedelics field have suggested that therapeutic effects from these substances can still happen even without the ‘trip’ or experience that many believe to be therapeutic. However, this is very much up for discussion, as many experts argue whether the self-transcendent experience is necessary for the benefits offered by psychedelics and if their efficacy would be increased by adding an experiential component to the medicine.

"It is my belief that the phenomenon of awe is critical to achieving lasting therapeutic benefits,” Yaden said. “Emotional and psychological transformation is necessary to bring about meaning, and lasting change in oneself, and one’s place in the world.”

Keltner states that the experience of awe can be one of vagal stimulation with a consequent anti-inflammatory effect and oxcytocin release; therefore, it helps in building and development of relationships. Research by Keltner shows that awe can reduce stress, decrease sorrow after bereavement, and lessen depressive feelings. Furthermore, the experience of awe stimulates one’s vagus nerve thereby lowering inflammation in one’s body and the other danger being the release of oxytocin in one’s blood which is associated with relationships by Keltner.

Keltner told Salon in a phone interview: “Awe has this interesting effect of really making you more of a cognitive miser, in the sense of really thinking [more] efficiently. Experiencing awe enhances your creative thinking, encourages thoroughness in your reasoning, and relaxes your body, making it open to the world.” He added: “Awe alleviates stress, fosters a sense of connection, and diminishes feelings of loneliness.

Millions of adults in the U.S. experience depression, anxiety, and loneliness, which can result in chronic disease. Yet, less than half of them receive the care they need to address these mental health issues. Hence, Keltner stressed the need for more research into things like awe, available to all.

As Keltner put it, “This is what it’s all about; it aids in grasping the significance of your life. We are currently facing numerous crises, and a reorientation is necessary."

Brown will explore if awe can provoke some of the mental health benefits associated with psychedelics under their commonalities. The aim is to determine if the same neurological biomarkers are present during awe experiences as when individuals are on psychedelics.

Brown explained: “A big part of what you get when going through the psychedelic experience is this deep sense of unity with the universe and connectivity with others. I think that’s a big deal when talking about being human, especially with how common depression and anxiety are; there’s definitely a public health case to be made for this research.”