Renu Arora, an actor, singer, and writer, shares her transformative experience after surviving a bus accident, where she found profound joy amidst trauma. Alongside David Wright, a former soldier, they discuss the surprising capacity of the brain to find bliss through suffering. The fascinating conversation explores how extreme experiences reshape identities and can lead to spiritual awakenings. Insights into meditation as a healing tool are also shared, revealing how these journeys enhance connections with others and shift perspectives on pain.
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Bliss in War
David Wright, at 18, had a blissful experience during the Gulf War while watching missiles explode.
This feeling of peace and connection to the universe contrasted sharply with the war's horrors.
insights INSIGHT
Brain's Bliss Switch
The human brain can create feelings of bliss even during trauma, according to Dr. Andrew Newberg.
This involves the parietal lobe, which blurs the lines between self and the world, and the thalamus, which processes sensory information.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Bus Accident Bliss
Renu Arora experienced peace and joy while being crushed by a bus, feeling detached from her body.
She felt bathed in light and love, a sensation unlike any human love she had ever known.
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In 'The Problem of Pain', C.S. Lewis addresses the age-old question of how a good and all-powerful God can permit pain and suffering. Lewis argues that human suffering is a consequence of the existence of evil and free will, and that God uses suffering as a tool to draw us nearer to Him. He categorizes pain as both physical and emotional, serving as a warning signal that alerts us to potential harm and compels us to make necessary changes. Lewis also discusses the Fall of Man and how it led to chaos and disaster, emphasizing that God's goodness is not negated by suffering but rather evidenced through His merciful intervention. The book concludes by reassuring that God's wisdom is infinitely superior to ours and that pain eventually leads us back to a loving relationship with our Creator[2][3][4].
When David Wright went to Iraq as an 18-year-old soldier - he had no idea the battlefield would become a place where he’d enter deep states of bliss. For decades, David remained silent about the intense joy he experienced alongside the horrors of war.
Matthew Syed ponders the extraordinary possibility of experiencing joy while suffering and hears more about the remarkable potential of the brain to respond to trauma in unexpected ways. He discovers how others too, like actor Renu Arora, experienced something similar when she was hit by a bus - and considers how such stories might help us shift our perspective on pain.
With ex-soldier David Wright, actor/singer/writer Renu Arora, neuroscientist Dr Andrew Newberg, Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital in Philadelphia and Dr Steve Taylor, lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in transpersonal psychology and author of the book Extraordinary Awakenings.
Featuring an excerpt sung by Renu Arora from the RSC Enterprise performance recording of Anything Could Happen from The Magician’s Elephant. Music by Marc Teitler and lyrics by Nancy Harris.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Vishva Samani
Series Editors: Georgia Moodie and Max O'Brien
Sound Design and Mix: Daniel Kempson
Theme Music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
Sideways 