In my previous post, I explored why embracing mystery may be the counterintuitive yet necessary path through uncertain times. I suggested that awe—intrinsically connected to mystery—is another reason to value mystery, as it can strengthen our resilience in the face of uncertainty.
Here, I want to turn directly to the experience of awe in uncertain times.
My Radical Encounter with Awe
In the spring of 2007, I was living in Washington, DC, having just returned from fieldwork in several African countries. After more than two decades working in contexts marked by violence and war, I was still dealing with the consequences of a massive burnout. I had been engaged in healing work for as long as I could remember, yet life required me to go deeper still. What followed was a profound mystical crisis.
No word can adequately convey such an experience. I can only say that what occurred felt less like an “awakening” or initiation—though those would come later—than a remembering. A remembering of the mystery that had been familiar to me as a child: the vast, humbling unknown of what it means to be human.
At the center of this transformation was awe.
As I began to travel beyond the perceived boundaries of my body—not as an escape from reality but as a fuller inhabiting of it—I was struck by an overwhelming sense of magnificence. This experience was not merely visual; it was deeply physical. At first, it was difficult to return. The other reality felt more like home in its otherworldly beauty. Quickly, however, I learned to focus less on narrative and more on underlying energies. Regular shamanic journeying and holotropic breathwork helped me navigate these states with greater clarity and integration.
Our Different Ways of Encountering Awe
Many of those who experience a shamanic session with me report a profound sense of wonder—sometimes to the point of bewilderment. Such is the gift of Mystery.
Yet awe is not reserved for extraordinary spiritual states. It is not exceptional. It can, and perhaps must, become part of our daily lives.
Encounters with nature, art, music, or even small, unnoticed details can evoke the same transformative response. A solar eclipse. A sky full of stars. The vast beauty of a mountain range. The intricate magic of a tiny organism. The reflection of the sunset on a building. Clouds dancing in the sky. When we surrender in the presence of what exceeds us, something within us shifts. The mind is compelled to expand, to reorganize, to reimagine itself in order to accommodate the magnitude of what we are participating in.
Awe destabilizes our habitual frames—and that destabilization can be profoundly generative.
The Neurobiology of Awe
Experiences of mystery and awe do not merely feel transformative. They truly are as they contribute to reshape our neural wiring. Research by psychologist Dacher Keltner and others shows that awe reduces self-focus, enhances social connection, stimulates curiosity, and disrupts habitual cognitive frameworks. [i]
Neurologically, awe decreases activity in the default mode network—the system associated with self-focused thinking and repetitive internal narration that can drive us crazy. At the same time, it activates networks involved in attention and executive functioning.
Awe is also associated with measurable physiological changes: increased vagal tone (linked to calm and regulation), elevated oxytocin (bonding), and reduced inflammatory markers. In short, awe mitigates chronic stress responses and strengthens resilience.
All of this is true, of course, as long as we do not cling to specific forms or mediators of awe. Which I see quite often. Mystery requires surrender—to the unknown itself, not to individuals or systems (and even less substances) claiming exclusive access to it.
This is significant. In uncertain times, our nervous systems are often chronically activated. Awe provides a pathway back into regulation—not through control, but through expansion.
The Transformative Power of Awe in Uncertain Times
I see four major contributions of awe and transcendence: they foster prosocial behavior, reveal deeper dimensions of the self, support meaning-making, and enhance creativity.
First, awe diminishes ego-centric perspectives and increases our sense of connection. When self-focus softens, compassion and generosity become more accessible. In a fragmented world, this matters.
Second, awe allows contact with what Carl Jung called the “undiscovered self.” This is not an escape from trauma or reality, but a different way of inhabiting our wounds and uncertainties while remaining connected to what in us is intact. Jung insisted that the “shadow” is not inherently negative; it contains untapped potential for wholeness and meaning—within each individual, each community and each society.[ii]
Third, awe supports meaning-making. Meaning is often felt somatically before it can be articulated cognitively. In complex and destabilizing times, the capacity to sense meaning—even before we can name it—is crucial.
Finally, neuroimaging research suggests that transcendent states enhance neural pathways associated with creative thinking. By loosening rigid self-boundaries, awe opens the brain to new perspectives and possibilities. It restores flexibility where there was contraction.
The Art of Cultivating Awe
Cultivating awe—through diverse and non-dogmatic practices—teaches the brain to pause, widen its perspective, and remember that life is not fixed or inevitable.
This is not always easy work. Much in our contemporary environment pulls us away from wonder and toward fragmentation. Yet repeatedly choosing openness to awe restores something essential: freedom. The freedom to respond differently. The freedom to imagine alternatives. The freedom to shape our lives—individually and collectively—with greater intentionality.
What About You?
Think back to moments in your life when you experienced awe. What shifted in you? What changed afterward?
How might you cultivate that sense of wonder more regularly? Make a simple list of practices you can begin now.
Why Awe Matters Now
Awe does not remove uncertainty. But it transforms how we inhabit it.
Béatrice Pouligny | Shaman, Spiritual Healer and Coach
beatrice.pouligny@shamanicspiritualhealing.com
[i] Keltner, Dacher. Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. New York: Penguin Press, 2023.
[ii] Jung, Carl G. The Undiscovered Self. Translated by R. F. C. Hull. New York: New American Library, 1958.
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