Type: Concept
ConceptConcept: herbs said to raise resistance to stress, a term from Soviet research
Adaptogens is a term for herbs said to raise the body's nonspecific resistance to stress, coined in Soviet research.
Complementary
Entry details
- Aliases
- Adaptogenic herbs
- Tradition
- Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Russian/Soviet pharmacology
- Related concepts
- Stress resilience
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: bliss as the nature of ultimate reality and as a contemplative state in Indian traditions
Ānanda is a Sanskrit word for bliss, used in Indian philosophy for the nature of ultimate reality and for contemplative joy.
HolisticMetaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Ananda, Bliss (Ānanda), Sat-chit-ananda, Saccidananda
- Tradition
- Vedanta (Upanishadic and Advaita texts), Classical yoga (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras), Tantric Yoga (Ananda Marga tradition)
- Related concepts
- Sat-chit-ananda, Brahman, Panchakosha (five sheaths of the self), Samprajnata samadhi, Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that behavior, trauma or illness patterns are carried across generations of a family
The idea that behavior, trauma or illness patterns are carried from one generation of a family to the next.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Generational Healing, Generational patterns, Intergenerational patterns, Transgenerational patterns, Family-line patterns
- Tradition
- Bowen family systems theory, Psychogenealogy (French-language tradition), Holocaust-survivor family research, Indigenous historical trauma frameworks, Attachment research, Family and systemic constellation work
- Related concepts
- Multigenerational transmission process, Differentiation of self, Intergenerational trauma, Transgenerational trauma, Historical trauma, Historical unresolved grief, Secondary traumatization, Epigenetic inheritance, Developmental programming, Genogram, Family secrets, Attachment transmission
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: esoteric belief in a personal or planetary spiritual transformation called ascension
Ascension is a New Age and esoteric belief in a spiritual transformation of individuals or of the Earth.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Ascension Techniques, Spiritual ascension, Planetary ascension, Personal ascension, 5D ascension, Earth ascension
- Tradition
- Theosophy, I AM Activity, Church Universal and Triumphant (The Summit Lighthouse), New Age spirituality, Starseed and lightworker communities, Western esotericism
- Related concepts
- Ascended Masters, Great White Brotherhood, Decrees, Karma, Age of Aquarius, 2012 phenomenon, 5D (fifth dimension), Lightworker, Starseed, Ascension symptoms, Higher Self, Millennialism
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: the mind's selection and sustained focus on some information over other input
Attention is the mind's selection and sustained focus on some information while other input is set aside.
Complementary
Entry details
- Aliases
- Attentional control
- Tradition
- Experimental psychology (William James, 1890), Contemporary cognitive neuroscience, Contemplative and mindfulness-based traditions, Education research on attention training, Information economics (Herbert Simon, 1971)
- Related concepts
- Selective attention, Sustained attention, Vigilance, Focused attention, Open monitoring, Covert attention, Mind wandering, Attention training, Attention economy, Cognitive rehabilitation
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: initiation rite in spiritual traditions and a relational term in psychology
Attunement is a term for spiritual initiation rites and for emotional matching between people in psychology.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Reiki attunement, Reiki initiation, Reiju, Shaktipat initiation, Affect attunement, Affective attunement, Interpersonal attunement, Therapist attunement
- Tradition
- Reiki, Usui Reiki Ryoho, Western Reiki, Siddha Yoga, Developmental psychology, Psychotherapy research, Interpersonal neurobiology
- Related concepts
- Initiation rite, Reiju, Shaktipat, Affect attunement, Interpersonal attunement, Misattunement, Therapeutic alliance, Responsiveness, Expectation effects
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: the capacity to know one's experience, across contemplative and psychological settings
Awareness is the capacity to know one's experience, a term used differently in philosophy, psychology and contemplation.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Nondual awareness, Witnessing consciousness
- Tradition
- Indian Buddhist philosophy of mind (Abhidharma and Yogacara), Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma Dzogchen), Hinduism, Western philosophy of mind, Cognitive neuroscience of consciousness, Social and personality psychology, Mindfulness-based programs
- Related concepts
- Consciousness, Attention, Self-awareness, Objective self-awareness, Private self-consciousness, Rumination and reflection, Reflexive awareness (svasamvedana, rang rig), Rigpa (rig pa), Witnessing consciousness (sakshin), Nondual awareness, Higher-order theories of consciousness, Neural correlates of consciousness, Mindful attention awareness, Meditation-related adverse effects, Self-loss and ego dissolution
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: removal of harmful substances from the body, in wellness marketing and in medicine
Detoxification is the idea of clearing harmful substances from the body, used differently in wellness and medicine.
Alternative
Entry details
- Aliases
- Detox, Cleanse
- Tradition
- Not assigned
- Related concepts
- Autointoxication, Toxin, Cleanse, Withdrawal management, Chelation, Body burden
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief in a feminine aspect of the divine or of human nature
The Divine Feminine is a spiritual idea of a feminine aspect of the sacred or of the self, used in many traditions.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Sacred Feminine, Feminine Divine, Feminine spirituality
- Tradition
- Shaktism and Devi traditions (Hindu), Chinese yin-yang thought, Jungian analytical psychology, Gnostic Christianity (Sophia), Jewish mysticism and feminist theology (Shekhinah), Goddess movement and feminist spirituality, Women's circles and wellness spirituality
- Related concepts
- Shakti, Devi, Yin, Anima, Archetype, Sophia, Shekhinah, Goddess, Gender essentialism, Contrasexuality
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: archetypal masculine principle in spiritual, Jungian and wellness teachings
The divine masculine is a spiritual concept of an archetypal masculine principle that adherents say is present in any gender.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Sacred Masculine, Sacred Masculinity, Divine Masculine Energy
- Tradition
- Hindu Sankhya and Shaiva thought, Chinese yin-yang cosmology, Jungian analytical psychology, Mythopoetic men's movement, Sacred masculine wellness teachings
- Related concepts
- Purusha, Shiva, Yang, Animus, Archetype, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, Wild Man, Masculinity ideology, Gender essentialism, Divine Feminine, Green Man
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: DNA methylation and DNA repair as biology and as wellness marketing terms
DNA methylation and DNA repair are cellular processes studied in biology, and wellness marketing often uses both terms loosely.
Complementary
Entry details
- Aliases
- None recorded
- Tradition
- Not assigned
- Related concepts
- DNA methylation and gene regulation, DNA repair pathways, Repair capacity assays, Epigenetic clocks, Folate as a methyl donor, Wellness claims about methylation and DNA repair
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: ability to recognize, name, understand and express emotions
Emotional literacy is the ability to recognize, name, understand and express emotions in oneself and in others.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Emotional intelligence
- Tradition
- Not assigned
- Related concepts
- Emotional intelligence, Emotional granularity, Alexithymia, Emotion regulation, Affect labeling, Social and emotional learning, RULER approach, Transactional analysis
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: study of stable changes in gene activity that do not alter DNA sequence
Epigenetics is the study of stable changes in gene activity that do not alter the DNA sequence itself.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- DNA methylation, Epigenetic regulation
- Tradition
- Not assigned
- Related concepts
- DNA methylation, Histone modification, Non-coding RNA, Epigenome, Epigenetic clock, Biological age, Transgenerational inheritance, Gene expression, Imprinting
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: scholarly category and popular label for hidden-knowledge currents in Western culture
Esotericism is a scholarly category and popular label for Western currents such as Hermeticism, astrology and alchemy.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Western esotericism, Esoteric practices, Occultism
- Tradition
- Western esotericism, Theosophy, Spiritualism, New Age spirituality, Kabbalah
- Related concepts
- Correspondences, Living nature, Imagination and mediations, Transmutation, Rejected knowledge, Esoteric and exoteric, Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Alchemy, Magical thinking, Spiritual emergency
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: state of calm and composure described across traditions
Inner peace is a state of calm and composure that religious, philosophical and psychological traditions describe differently.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Peace of mind
- Tradition
- Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism
- Related concepts
- Equanimity, Upekkha, Shanti, Apatheia, Ataraxia, Hesychia, Wu wei, Peace of mind, Low-arousal positive affect, Ideal affect
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: judgment or knowing reached without deliberate step-by-step reasoning
Intuition is a judgment or sense of knowing that arrives without deliberate, step-by-step reasoning.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Intuitive judgment, Gut feeling
- Tradition
- Decision research and cognitive psychology, Clinical practice (nursing and family medicine), Anthroposophy, Philosophy (Henri Bergson), Contemporary psychic and New Age teaching
- Related concepts
- Dual-process theory, Heuristics, Naturalistic decision making, Tacit knowledge, Gut feelings, Precognition, Presentiment, Clairsentience, Inner guidance
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that intentional actions have moral consequences, often across lifetimes
Karma is the idea in Indian religions that intentional actions carry moral consequences, in this life or later ones.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Kamma, Karman, Law of karma, Law of cause and effect, Karmic law, Karmic causality
- Tradition
- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Theosophy, New Age spirituality
- Related concepts
- Rebirth, Merit (punya), Intention (cetana), Just-world belief, Liberation (moksha), Samsara, Transfer of merit, Karma yoga
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: stable sense of aim and direction that gives a person's life and actions meaning
Life purpose is a sense of aim and direction in life, studied in psychology and framed differently across traditions.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Purpose in life, Ikigai
- Tradition
- Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity
- Related concepts
- Purpose in life, Meaning in life, Logotherapy, Psychological well-being, Ikigai, Dharma, Purusharthas, Calling, Vocation, Life crafting, Demoralization
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that thoughts, intentions or visualization bring about matching outcomes
Manifestation is the belief that thoughts, intentions or visualization can bring about matching outcomes in a person's life.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Law of attraction, Manifesting
- Tradition
- New Thought, Mind-cure movement, Prosperity theology, Popular self-help
- Related concepts
- Law of attraction, Positive thinking, Visualization, Mental contrasting, Positive fantasies versus expectations, Positive self-statements, Expectation and placebo, Self-blame
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: idea that mental and bodily states influence one another
The idea that mental and bodily states influence one another, studied in philosophy, medicine and psychology.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Mind-body relationship, Mind-body interaction, Mind and body connection, Mind-body link
- Tradition
- Seventeenth-century European philosophy, Psychosomatic medicine, Psychoneuroimmunology, Behavioral medicine
- Related concepts
- Mind-body dualism, Problem of mind-body interaction, Biopsychosocial model, Psychoneuroimmunology, Stress response, Allostatic load, Conditioned immune response, Placebo effect, Open-label placebo, Embodied cognition, Persistent somatic symptoms, Mind and body practices
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: idea that the autonomic nervous system shifts between states that can be steered
A popular term for how the autonomic nervous system shifts between states of arousal and calm.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Dysregulation, Vagal tone
- Tradition
- Not assigned
- Related concepts
- Autonomic nervous system, Polyvagal theory, Window of tolerance, Heart rate variability, Vagal tone, Homeostasis, Allostasis, Neuroception, Fight-or-flight response
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: popular self-help idea that a hopeful mental attitude shapes health and success
Positive thinking is a popular self-help idea that a hopeful mental attitude shapes health, success and well-being.
Holistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Power of positive thinking
- Tradition
- New Thought
- Related concepts
- Affirmations, Optimism, Positive psychology, Cognitive restructuring, Toxic positivity, Mental contrasting, Mind over matter
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: vital force or energy in Chinese philosophy and medicine
Qi is a Chinese term for a vital force or energy, used in philosophy, traditional medicine and qigong.
ComplementaryMetaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Ch'i, Chi, Life-Breath (Philosophy), Vital Energy (Philosophy)
- Tradition
- Pre-Qin Chinese philosophy (Mencius, Zhuangzi, Xunzi), Han-dynasty thought (Lu Jia), Classical Chinese medical texts (Huangdi Neijing), Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong and tai chi practice, WHO Western Pacific standard medical terminology
- Related concepts
- Vital force or life-breath, Meridians, Yin and yang, Five phases, Essence, spirit, blood and fluids, Qi as physical energy (interpretive reading), Nonspecific effects in acupuncture research
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: online ASMR trend of simulated energy removal, not a Reiki technique
Reiki plucking is an online ASMR video trend of quick pulling hand motions, not a form of Reiki.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Energy plucking, Plucking negative energy
- Tradition
- Online ASMR community
- Related concepts
- Energy healing, Aura, ASMR, Reiki energy
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that a person is born again into a new life after death
Reincarnation is the belief that a person is born again after death into a new life, in forms that vary by tradition.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Rebirth, Metempsychosis, Transmigration of the soul, Past lives
- Tradition
- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Druze, Indigenous North American traditions, Pythagoreanism
- Related concepts
- Samsara, Karma, Rebirth, Metempsychosis, Transmigration, Moksha, Notq, Cases of the reincarnation type, Past-life memories, Source monitoring
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that certain shapes and ratios carry symbolic or spiritual meaning
Sacred geometry is the idea that certain shapes and ratios carry symbolic or spiritual meaning.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Sacred Geometry Healing
- Tradition
- Pythagorean and Platonic philosophy, Islamic geometric art, Gothic architecture, Contemporary esoteric spirituality
- Related concepts
- Golden ratio, Platonic solids, Girih patterns, Mandala, Flower of Life, Metatron's Cube, Yantra
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: modern Western movement treating sexual experience as a spiritual and wellness path
Sacred sexuality is a modern Western spiritual and wellness movement that frames sex as a path to meaning and connection.
MetaphysicalHolistic
Entry details
- Aliases
- Neo-tantra, Tantric sex, Western tantra, Modern tantra
- Tradition
- Tantra, Hinduism, Buddhism
- Related concepts
- Sacred sexuality, Sexual energy, Consent and boundaries, Mindfulness-based sex therapy, Sensate focus
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief in a non-physical, animating or enduring self
The soul is the idea of a non-physical or enduring self, understood in different ways across religions and philosophies.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- None recorded
- Tradition
- Ancient Greek philosophy, Platonism, Aristotelianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islamic philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religion, Indigenous traditions, Transpersonal psychology
- Related concepts
- Psyche, Nefesh, Neshamah, Atman, Anatman, Hun and po, Mind-body dualism, Higher self, Immortality
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that souls agree before birth on life lessons or relationships
Soul contracts is the belief that souls agree before birth on lessons, relationships or hardships for a lifetime.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Soul contract, Soul Contract Healing, Soul agreement, Pre-birth plan, Pre-birth planning, Soul plan
- Tradition
- Platonic myth of Er, Rabbinic and Lurianic Jewish writings on the soul before birth, Theosophy, Twentieth-century hypnotic regression, New Age spirituality
- Related concepts
- Pre-birth planning, Life between lives, Intermission memories, Reincarnation, Karma, Fate and fatalism, Theodicy, Hypnotic suggestion, False memory, Self-blame
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief in a destined or spiritually matched romantic partner
Soul mates is the idea that one person is destined or spiritually matched to another as a partner.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Soulmate, Soul mate, Soul-mate, Soulmates, Soul mate belief, Destined partner, Other half, Bashert
- Tradition
- Platonic philosophy, Jewish thought (bashert), Romanticism, New Age spirituality
- Related concepts
- Destiny belief, Growth belief, Implicit theories of relationships, Romantic love myths, Aristophanes' myth of divided humans, Soulmate theory
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that obstacles to growth or energy flow can be sensed and cleared
Spiritual blocks are obstacles to growth or energy flow that New Age and energy-healing teachings describe.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Energy blocks, Energetic blockages
- Tradition
- New Age spirituality, Traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Reichian body psychotherapy, Theosophy
- Related concepts
- Energy blockage, Qi stagnation, Ama, Character armour, Chakra blockage, Karmic block, Ancestral block, Spiritual struggle, Experiential avoidance
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that a person, object or place can be ritually purified of spiritual impurity
Spiritual cleansing is the idea that a person, object or place can be ritually purified, held across many faiths and in wellness.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Ritual purification, Smudging, Spiritual purification, Ritual cleansing
- Tradition
- Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Shinto
- Related concepts
- Ritual purity, Ritual impurity, Purification, Immersion, Smudging, Smoke ceremony, Space clearing, Banishing, Macbeth effect, Scrupulosity
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: crisis framing in which intense spiritual experiences are seen as growth-related
Spiritual emergency is a concept for a crisis in which intense spiritual experiences overwhelm a person's functioning.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Spiritual crisis, Psychospiritual crisis
- Tradition
- Transpersonal psychology, Grof framework of non-ordinary states
- Related concepts
- Spiritual emergence, Non-ordinary states of consciousness, Religious or spiritual problem (DSM Z code), Differential diagnosis from psychosis, Kundalini awakening, Spiritually transformative experiences, Integration after intense experiences
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: change over time in a person's relationship to the sacred, to meaning or to transcendence
Spiritual growth is a term for change over time in a person's sense of the sacred, meaning or transcendence.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Spiritual development
- Tradition
- Christian mysticism, Psychology of religion, Humanistic psychology, Transpersonal psychology, Faith development theory, New Age spirituality
- Related concepts
- Mystic way, Stages of faith, Self-transcendence, Peak and plateau experiences, Spiritual transcendence, Daily spiritual experiences, Posttraumatic growth, Spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency, Spiritual bypassing, Religious or spiritual problem
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: contested idea of seeking meaning, connection or the sacred, with or without religion
Spirituality is a contested term for how people seek meaning, connection and the sacred, with or without religion.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Spiritual life
- Tradition
- Christian spirituality (history of the term), Pauline and medieval Latin usage, Holistic mind-body-spirit milieu, Spiritual care in palliative and health care settings, Spiritual but not religious self-identification
- Related concepts
- Religion versus spirituality, Spiritual but not religious, Spiritual care, Spiritual well-being, Meaning and purpose, Connectedness, The sacred or transcendent, Subjective turn, Holistic milieu, Religious and spiritual struggle, Negative religious coping, Spiritual harm
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that some people's souls originate on other stars or planets
Starseed is a New Age belief that a person's soul originated on another star system or planet before birth on Earth.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Starseeds, Star seed, Star people, Star children, Star-born souls, Wayshowers
- Tradition
- New Age spirituality, Theosophy, Spiritualism, UFO religions and contactee culture, Indigo child literature
- Related concepts
- Extraterrestrial soul origin, Ascension, Indigo children, Crystal children, Lightworkers, Life mission, Channeling, Dimensional shift
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: modern sexual practice labeled with the term tantra
Tantric sex is a modern label for sexual practices often linked to South Asian tantra, a family of ritual traditions.
Alternative
Entry details
- Aliases
- None recorded
- Tradition
- Hindu tantra: Kaula and Shakta-Shaiva lineages (South Asia), Buddhist tantra: Vajrayana Highest Yoga Tantra (South Asia and Tibet), Tantric Yoga meditation movements (modern), Neotantra: Western movement of the late 20th century
- Related concepts
- yogini cult in Kaula ritual, ritual use of sexual union in tantric texts, yoni worship in medieval tantric sects, modern sexual tantra and mindfulness framing, spiritual abuse and coercive control in teacher-student relationships
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: belief that one soul is divided between two people who are destined to meet
A modern spiritual belief that one soul is divided between two people who are destined to meet.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- Twin Flame, Twin Flame Healing, Twin Soul, Divine counterpart
- Tradition
- New Age spirituality, Platonic myth of divided humans (cited as a precedent)
- Related concepts
- Soulmate, Karmic partner, Runner and chaser, Divine counterpart, Destiny beliefs, Growth beliefs, Spiritual awakening
Reference record available.
ConceptConcept: living processes depend on a vital force or principle
Vitalism is a historical belief that living things depend on a vital force or principle beyond physics and chemistry.
Metaphysical
Entry details
- Aliases
- vital force, vital principle, vitalist theory
- Tradition
- Greek natural philosophy, Galenic physiology, Montpellier medical school, French physiology after Bichat, German chemistry after Wöhler
- Related concepts
- pneuma, vital force, vital principle, organic and inorganic compounds, urea synthesis (1828), animism (Stahl), energy field (Reiki)
Reference record available.