From “Who Am I?” to a Happier World: A PhD Student’s Journey in Self-Inquiry and Non-Duality
Embarking on Inner and Outer Exploration I am at the
As we drove through the golden landscapes of Andalusia, my mother spoke about Stendhal Syndrome. She described it as a condition where people become overwhelmed by beauty—so much so that their bodies react with dizziness, tears, even fainting. It happens most often in places like Florence, where art and history collide in an almost unbearable intensity.
“It’s as if the mind can’t process the sheer magnificence before it,” she said. “The heart races, the world tilts, and for a moment, you are lost in something greater than yourself.”
The idea fascinated me. Why does beauty have this power? What is it about art, nature, or even great ideas that can shake us to our core?
Science offers an explanation. When we experience something truly awe-inspiring, our brain releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward. The mesolimbic pathway, the same system activated when we fall in love or solve a complex problem, lights up in response to the sublime. But awe is more than just pleasure—it is a kind of cognitive reorganization. When confronted with something too vast, too intricate, or too perfect to immediately comprehend, the brain must expand its understanding to fit the new reality.
This is why people faint before Michelangelo’s David or weep under a night sky dense with stars. It is why scientists have been moved to tears when witnessing Earth rise over the moon or encountering Einstein’s field equations for the first time. Awe forces us into a confrontation with the infinite, a brief dissolution of the ego in the face of something greater.
And it’s not just the visual arts. Stendhal Syndrome, or a similar form of cognitive and emotional overwhelm, has been linked to revolutionary ideas. The first time someone saw Earth from space—the fragile blue marble suspended in the void—it rewired humanity’s collective consciousness. The first time physicists saw Hubble’s deep-field images of galaxies upon galaxies stretching into the cosmos, many described it as an existential awakening. These moments challenge the way we see ourselves and our place in the universe.
Interestingly, research shows that individuals high in openness to experience—the trait of being imaginative, curious, and receptive to new ideas—are especially susceptible to awe. They are more likely to embrace the unknown rather than shrink from it. In a sense, openness is the welcome mat for awe; it allows the strange and sublime to enter us. Those who regularly experience awe tend to be more creative, more compassionate, and more connected to something beyond themselves.
But awe is not reserved for Renaissance masterpieces or cosmic revelations. It is woven into the experiences we create at the World Happiness Fest in Granada. There, amidst thinkers, artists, and change-makers, we orchestrate moments of transformation—ideas so profound they shift perspectives, encounters so meaningful they redefine relationships, conversations so deep they alter the course of a life.
In that space, awe emerges not only from the beauty of what we see, but from what we come to understand. A single phrase, a new perspective, a collective moment of shared inspiration—these, too, can create the same neurological and emotional response as the grandest art or the vastest universe.
The true magic of awe is that it does not merely impress upon us; it changes us. Studies show that people who regularly experience awe become more open-minded, more compassionate, and more connected to others. They think beyond themselves, beyond their immediate concerns, and feel a deeper sense of belonging to the world. Awe shifts us from the personal to the universal, reminding us that we are part of something vast, intricate, and interconnected.
The World Happiness Fest is a stage for this alchemy of perception. It invites people into a space where inspiration can strike as unexpectedly as standing before a Botticelli painting or hearing a symphony that makes the soul tremble. It is a place where the boundaries of understanding stretch, where the rigid structures of how we see the world soften, and where we allow ourselves to be moved—not just emotionally, but profoundly, intellectually, and spiritually.
Whether through breathtaking art, groundbreaking science, or a single conversation that changes the way we think, awe has the power to transform us. It is an alchemy of perception—a moment where what we see, feel, or understand becomes more than the sum of its parts. The festival is not just a gathering; it is an invitation to let go of certainty, to stand on the edge of the unknown, and to embrace the beauty of transformation.
As we arrived back from Granada, the city bathed in golden light, I realized that the festival itself was an experience of awe, a chance to be overwhelmed in the best possible way. In a world often focused on control and certainty, there is something deeply necessary about surrendering to the unknown, to the possibility of being transformed. And perhaps, in that surrender, we come closer to understanding the true essence of happiness.
Join us in this bold journey. Let’s champion a new paradigm of leadership together – one where happiness, well-being, and impact are at the heart of every strategy and every action.
Become a part of GWILC and help realize the vision of a world where everyone, everywhere can thrive in freedom, consciousness, and happiness. The next seven years of global leadership evolution start now – and we invite you to lead the way.
#LeadWithWellBeing #GWILC #Happytalism #GlobalLeadership #WorldHappiness
Jaipur Rugs Jaipur Rugs Foundation Upasana Design Studio World Happiness Fest – bēCREATION World Happiness Academy University for Peace (UPEACE) – UN Mandated UPEACE Centre for Executive Education Saamdu Chetri Manas Kumar Mandal
Dr. Rekhi Singh REKHI FOUNDATION FOR HAPPINESS Adamas University Shoolini University Saamdu Chetri Vibha Tara Manas Kumar Mandal Prof. (Dr.) Shauli Mukherjee
Visit www.worldhappinessfest.com and become part of the journey. Together, we regenerate. Together, we create magic.
What’s your perspective?
Join us today and become a conscious catalyst for well-being. Together, we can create a world where happiness leads the way.
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Access the link for English: https://lnkd.in/d8cinrFU
Spanish: https://lnkd.in/dtwuRaTT
Portuguese: https://lnkd.in/dFRNYBQZ
#Psychobiology #Hypnotherapy #MindBodyConnection #Neuroscience #SubconsciousMind #HealingThroughHypnosis #MentalHealthAwareness #Epigenetics #BruceLipton #CandacePert #EllenLanger #MindfulBody #MatthewBrownstein #InterpersonalHypnotherapy #DavidSpiegel #PlaceboEffect #MindOverMatter #Neuroplasticity #HolisticHealing #StressReduction #CognitiveBehavioralTherapy #PsychosomaticHealing #HealingTrauma #EmotionalWellbeing #ChronicPainRelief #AnxietyManagement #MeditationAndHypnosis #SelfTransformation #UnlockingTheHiddenLight #ResilienceAndHealing
….join the Cities of Happiness Initiative: https://www.teohlab.com/city-of-happiness
Unlocking the Hidden Light book: https://a.co/d/gaYuQJ6
Join the pull of Mental Health Professionals ready to help addressing trauma and nurturing collective well-being: https://forms.gle/39bGqU177yWcyhSUA
Join the community of catalysts of positive transformation: https://www.worldhappiness.academy/bundles/certified-chief-well-being-officer-professional-coach
Enjoy a free 30-minute coaching session with me. Book it here: https://www.worldhappiness.academy/courses/coaching-and-hypnotherapy-with-luis-gallardo
Link to Meta Pets Coloring Book
For more information and to join the movement, visit World Happiness Foundation.
#WorldHappinessFest #Happytalism #GlobalHappiness #WellBeing #Sustainability #ConsciousLiving #WorldHappinessFoundation #FreedomAndHappiness #GlobalWellBeing
Go Deeper into Happytalism.
Read the Book Brands & Rousers. The Holistic System to Foster High-Performing Businesses, Brands and Careers.
Explore how to make your Organization an #EnterpriseofHappiness.
Chief Well-Being Officer Program. https://www.worldhappiness.academy/courses/Chief-Mental-and-Physical-Wellbeing-Officer
Certified Professional Coach. Specialized in Happiness & Well-Being: https://www.worldhappiness.academy/courses/Professional-Coaching-Specialization-in-Happiness-and-Well-Being
Explore how to make your schools a #SchoolofHappiness.
https://worldhappinessacademy2.com/Schoolsofhappinesshome
Explore how to make your city a #CityofHappiness. https://www.teohlab.com/city-of-happiness
Gross Global Happiness Summit. https://centre.upeace.org/ggh-2025/
World Happiness Fest. https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/world-happiness-week/
Apply for a Scholarship to the Chief Well-Being Officer Program. https://forms.gle/6PfnFAUQJ39RC4Rv7
#Happytalism #Happytalismo #Happiness #WorldHappiness #WorldHappinessFest #WorldHappinessAcademy #WorldHappinessPress #CWO #ChiefWellBeingOfficer #CoachingforHappiness #GNH #GGH #Leadership #Education #MentalHealth #Health #Hope #Forgiveness #Compassion #Love #Kindness #Consciousness #Freedom #Jaipur #India
UPEACE Centre for Executive Education University for Peace (UPEACE) – UN Mandated Florida International University Florida International University – College of Business Dr. Rekhi Singh REKHI FOUNDATION FOR HAPPINESS Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Saamdu Chetri Dr. Sungu Armagan Dr. Edith Shiro Vibha Tara Ellen Campos Sousa, Ph.D. Jayati Sinha Valerie Freilich Mavis Tsai Mohit Mukherjee Rosalinda Ballesteros Raj Raghunathan Philip Kotler Nichol Bradford Daniel Almagor Raúl Varela Barros World Happiness Fest – bēCREATION Fundación Mundial de la Felicidad (España) Luis Gallardo Aneel Chima Manas Kumar Mandal Jennifer Price Paul Atkins Yogesh Kochhar Loretta Breuning, PhD Tia Kansara Ph.D. Hon FRIBA Deepak Ohri Nancy Richmond Rolando Gadala-Maria Carine Bouery Liliana Nuñez Ugalde LANU Silvia Parra R
#DeepReflection #ConnectionToLife #EmotionalHealing #CompassionateInquiry #GratitudeJourney #TouchVsFeel #TraumaHealing #IntegratingShadows #EmpoweringGifts #SubconsciousHealing #ManifestationPower #Wholeness #HealingTrauma #InnerJourney #EmbracingVulnerability #HumanConnection #PathToFlourishing #NewHumanity #CompassionateLiving #SelfAwareness #SelfEmpowerment #HealingThroughGratitude #TransformingSuffering #ShadowWork #EmotionalIntegration #LightAndShadow #HealingJourney #FeelingAlive #TruthAndHealing #WholenessAndHealing #ConsciousLiving #SpiritualGrowth #MindfulLiving #HealingThroughCompassion #SelfDiscovery #InnerPeace #LivingFully #EmbraceTheJourney #FindingGratitude #HealingThroughHypnotherapy #HumanFlourishing
Embarking on Inner and Outer Exploration I am at the
A Journey Through Darkness, Guided by Meta Pets, to Remember
A New Frontier at the Intersection of Science and Well-Being
