Understanding The Delta Brainwaves

May 24, 2013 at 5:46pm

I was writing, after the 9 days Silent Retreat with Rune Heivang, in 19.09.2012:
Rune Heivang and Delta Brainwaves

"It is very interesting. I have reached Rune's teachings by chance.

Last year (May 2011), after 43 years of life, I have founded, for the first time, answers about
myself.
And I understood for the first time in my life, WHO AM I!

And since then, my stress disappeared.

Then in workshops and in retreats, I've deepened my understanding. And I found that everything
I heard from Rune, was already known. Nevertheless, never understood. So, after so many days
Ive spent close to Rune, Arne , Karina,Tone, Morten, Marte, Hege I succeeded to cut off all my
stress.
I was talking with many coaches, therapists, theta-healers, reiki healers (which attended Runes
classes, too) about the fact that in many meditations I have reached the awaken delta
brainwaves mood. And their answers were: oh, no Cristian, you are confusing the delta
mood with the theta mood. Since then I was thinking all the time to their remarks, even
somewhere deep in my soul I knew that I am right.
This summer, after a very deep meditation, in one of the Runes workshops, I realized that I am
in a delta mood. And I am very happy that I have had the privilege to understand this state, too.
I am sure that, after reading my words, Rune will smile and will say: this guys still in the mind;
he wants to name the state, instead to enjoy, (without judging me, of course)
But, thats me, I love to share to the others the fact that Rune gave me the opportunity to
understand in a few days what the Tibetan monks or other spiritual masters have understood after
many years of hard and long meditations.
What is funny is that at the end of the articles posted below, the author is saying that you can
reach the delta mood buying his products.
It is funny because I bought some electronic products in 2010. Ive used them for only 2-3
weeks, half hour per day. I gave up in using electronic tools for meditation.
I was lucky that life led me to Rune.
And when you think that I was a guy who I always said that I will never meditate because I have
ADHD.
One of the best music to be listen in order to reach "Delta State" is in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-B6v46auw&list=PLf850uqjQiW3YpgJlRgrY0NYoJHO7xzn&index=1
P.S. Sorry for my English."

Understanding The Delta Brainwaves

Article taken from http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/04/07/understanding-the-delta-brainwave/
What are delta brainwaves?

Delta brainwaves are considered the most relaxing brainwave frequency range. Delta-brainwaves
are commonly associated with the deepest sleep [stages 3 & 4] and a state of unconscious
awareness. Delta brainwaves are the lowest in brainwave frequency: ranging from 0 4 Hz, but
are the highest in amplitude. Delta brainwaves, like other slower brainwave patterns, are
generated in the right hemisphere, though they may be observed in widespread patterns

throughout various parts of the brain. The delta brainwave range is associated with empathy, the
unconscious mind, and a decreased sense of awareness.

Benefits of increasing delta-brainwaves:

Release of Anti-Aging hormones One of the associated benefits of increasing your

delta brainwaves is the release of anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwave pattern
stimulates the release of melatonin and DHEA, 2 powerful anti-aging hormones. The
delta brainwaves are also associated with decreased levels of cortisol a hormone linked
to stress that has been scientifically proven to speed up the aging process.

State of empathy Delta brainwaves can provide you with the ability to read other
peoples emotions and determine their feelings at unconscious levels. In healthy amounts,
delta brainwaves cause a person to have an advanced state of empathy, understanding,
and compassion for others. If you are always able to relate to others and can read other
peoples minds, you probably have more delta than the average person. If you find
yourself getting into trouble for not being considerate enough or for stepping on other
peoples toes, you may have less overall delta brainwave activity.

Extreme bliss Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the
delta brainwave frequency range with a feeling of all-encompassing bliss. Since most
people arent able to consciously experience the delta brainwave state, it may be tough to
feel extreme bliss from the delta waves like the yogis, monks, or advanced meditators.
With that said, there have been people that have testified to feeling the bliss associated
with the delta brainwave while performing extremely deep meditation.

Advanced healing of body and mind The delta brainwave rhythm is known to
completely rejuvenate, replenish, and heal the entire body and brain. The delta brainwave
revives the body after a hard day by regenerating necessary chemicals while a person is
asleep. Due to the deepest levels of relaxation that the delta brainwave provides, the body
and mind are easily able to restore themselves after minor stress, a rigorous workout, or
after boosting your brain power.

Human Growth Hormone (H.G.H.) Release The delta brainwave is associated with
the stimulation of the pituitary gland, which in-turn, is able to release human-growthhormone commonly referred to as H.G.H. It doesnt release enough for you to
skyrocket in height and weight. The delta brainwave will not provide adults with a second
version of puberty. With that said, there is evidence that it does release slight amounts of
H.G.H. in certain individuals. If you are looking to increase your H.G.H., you should
definitely consider using delta brainwave entrainment and evaluate how it works out for
you!

Connection with unconscious mind Though the alpha and theta brainwaves are
capable of bridging the gap between conscious thoughts and the subconscious mind, the

delta brainwave allows us to connect deeper: it allows us to connect with the deepest
possible level of our consciousness. The goal of many meditation practices is to
experience and consciously control the unconscious mind. The subconscious mind, or our
brains right-hemisphere, becomes activated when slower brainwaves like alpha, theta,
and delta waves kick in. If you spend too much time in beta, it may feel incredible to
finally relax and give yourself a chance to connect with your deepest sense of awareness.

Deepest possible level of mind / body relaxation Delta brainwaves while a person is
conscious or awake, are extremely rare. However, advanced meditators and infants, are 2
groups of people that are able to enjoy the deeply relaxing benefits of the delta
brainwave. Remember what you felt like when you were an infant? Probably not the
delta brainwave is associated with extreme relaxation, yet completely unconscious mental
processes.

Perfect intuition - Ever have a powerful gut-instinct that helped you make a good
decision? Or a gut-instinct that you shouldve followed? If we get ourselves too caught
up in the upper brainwave patterns of beta, our intuitiveness becomes severely damaged.
As you increase your theta brainwaves and your delta brainwaves, your intuition will
increase and so will your ability to recognize the feelings in your gut. There are some
disagreements as to whether or not the theta brainwave patterns are better for intuition vs.
the delta brainwave patterns, but most research suggests that if you can become
consciously aware in the delta brainwave state, you will have a nearly perfect sense of
intuition.

Connecting with the spiritual body Many consider the delta brainwave to bridge the
conscious mind with higher planes of reality, the subconscious mind, and / or the
unconscious mind. Advanced spiritual gurus have considered the lowest brainwave
pattern, delta, one that connects their spirit and their body to a universal life energy.
Becoming consciously aware of experiencing the delta brainwave frequencies has been
associated with the deepest sense of spirituality, highest sense of internal awareness, and
feeling directly connected to a Higher Power.

Paranormal Experiences People are especially open to O.O.B.E.s (Out Of Body

Experiences), astral travel, connecting with spiritual beings (i.e. spirit guides, angels,
etc.), E.S.P., and other phenomenon in the delta brainwave range. Though most
paranormal and psychic experiences can be argued to be real or fake, there is evidence
that most people tend to have them when their brain is producing higher than average
amounts of delta, and /or theta brainwaves. Though spiritual experiences and phenomena
are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state, the delta brainwave state has
been associated with many too!

Boosted immune system - Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted
immune system due to the fact that delta brainwaves are associated with age-reversal or
slowing, the production of healthy hormones, and significantly decreased amounts of
stress. Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the
fact that delta brainwaves are associated with healing and rejuvenation of the body. Stress

and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals
such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with
the adrenaline release. The delta brainwave releases pleasant chemicals and
neurotransmitters to help keep your immune system at arguably its highest rate of
performance.
Who has high amounts of delta-brainwaves?

Advanced Meditators The goal of many meditation practices is to increase the amount
of slower brainwave patterns. Usually, after practice, meditators are able to become
consciously aware in the alpha, and possibly the theta brainwave ranges. It takes a
rigorous amount of meditation and dedication to become consciously aware during the
delta brainwave state. After you gain a lot of meditation experience, you can eventually
learn how to shift your brainwaves from the beta range, through the pleasant calmness of
alpha, into the extraordinary theta range. If you get lucky, youll eventually cultivate
awareness in the delta range. Experienced meditators are able to recognize and control
their state of awareness and brainwaves. Like any practice, the more you do it, the better
your chances of passing through the alpha brainwave range, into theta, and from theta
into the delta brainwave rhythm.

Infants The delta brainwave is the dominant rhythm in infants up to 1 year of age. It
would be extremely rare for an infant to display any of the upper range brainwave
frequencies like beta. The delta brainwave really promotes great neural development and
molding of the brain formation.

Young Children Younger children tend to have extremely high levels of theta and delta
brainwaves compared to adults. Most young kids display very low amounts of higher
brainwave frequencies like beta brainwaves, yet display a lot of lower frequency
brainwaves in the alpha, theta, and delta ranges. Though most children with A.D.D. have
abnormally high amounts of theta brainwave activity, some have large amounts of delta
making it nearly impossible for them to concentrate.

Individuals With A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. - The majority of individuals with ADD or

ADHD tend to have brains that produce too much theta brainwave activity. With that
said, it is not uncommon to find an individual with ADD or ADHD that cannot
concentrate because they have too much delta brainwave activity and not nearly enough
beta brainwave activity. Individuals with ADD can exhibit a number of different
brainwave combinations. Some people have: high amounts of delta brainwave activity or
a combination of theta and delta brainwaves with virtually zero beta activity. Having too
much of the delta brainwave activity explains why ADD people arent able to concentrate
well and find it impossible to stay on task. (On a personal note, I have been able to cure
my ADD by staying disciplined to a set of 5 daily steps).

People with brain damage People with head trauma, concussions, and other forms of
brain damage, tend to have much higher amounts of delta brainwaves than other people.
People in a coma, with brain tumors, or any other problem that can cause brain injury or

damage usually produces many of the slower delta brainwaves or theta range brainwaves.
When people say they got knocked out, they really were knocked out due to the
increased production of delta brainwaves as a consequence of their injury. Allowing
things to kill your brain cells will not help promote a healthy delta brainwave.

People whove had N.D.E.s (Near-Death Experiences) People who have had a NearDeath Experience, tapped into their delta brainwave activity during their experience.
Many times people often report a disconnection from their body, getting a glimpse of the
afterlife, and / or floating sensations. Though this topic is highly controversial, most
agree that the person with the N.D.E. was in the delta brainwave range.

Just like any of the other brainwave patterns, too much of a dominant rhythm can cause
problems. By nomeans would it be recommended to increase a brainwave that you already
have high levels of. In fact, you may experience some negative affects from too many delta
brainwaves.
Problems associated with too many delta brainwaves:

Packing on excess emotional baggage If youve ever been told that you worry too
much about the emotions of others or literally feel what others are feeling, chances are
good that you have too much delta. While some people may enjoy increased empathy,
others may feel like they are too caught up in other peoples emotional lives. The delta
brainwave can definitely make you pack on too many extra emotions if you arent
prepared.

Extremely unfocused mind - Not everyone may particularly enjoy an increased amount
of delta brainwaves in their waking E.E.G. The delta brainwave range has been linked to
extremely unfocused, unconscious thinking, and ADD. The delta brainwave range can
increase mental fogginess, dreaming, and forgetfulness. If you are already extremely
unfocused, increasing your delta brainwaves isnt recommended.

Extreme sleepiness - Since the delta brainwave pattern has been linked to the deepest
stages of dreamless sleep, increasing this brainwave may make you feel more sleepy than
you normally do. The delta brainwave is found in individuals that are sound asleep.
Drowsiness and extreme sleepiness will occur if the delta brainwave is displayed while a
person is awake. When increasing your delta brainwaves, it is extremely common to fall
asleep as your brain is being trained. You will wake up feeling refreshed though. It is very
difficult to stay aware in the delta state of consciousness unless you are advanced in the
practice of meditation.

Hyperactivity Because the brain is functioning at the slowest possible brainwave

pattern, the central nervous system uses up virtually zero energy. All of the energy that
youve accumulated throughout the day from eating food needs to be put to use
somehow. Having too much delta brainwave activity allows your brain and CNS to get by
with very little energy. Since the brain and CNS use less overall energy, the excess energy
is expressed in some people through hyperactivity.

Healthy ways to increase delta-brainwaves:

Brainwave entrainment - As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine

tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally
experience delta brainwaves, I recommend trying any of the programs in my
recommended products section. Brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves
simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves will automatically, naturally
shift in order to match the desired frequency associated with the acoustic tone. While
delta brainwave states usually occur in deep sleep, it is possible to train yourself to
remain awake while experiencing the delta brainwave.

Getting a good nights sleep Delta activity is present in stages 3 and 4 of sleep.
Getting a good nights sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful
brain. Though delta brainwaves will not increase when you wake up the next day, they
are highly prevalent in your brain while you are deeply asleep. Most non-dream, deep
sleep is linked to an increase in delta brainwave activity, whereas dream-sleep is mostly
linked to theta brainwave activity.

Meditation The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the
alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to attempt to increase your delta
brainwaves is to make the act of meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine.
If you are already meditating, great youll naturally increase your flexibility to travel
through the alpha brainwave range, possibly through the theta brainwave range, and into
the depths of the delta brainwave range.

Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to

target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. If you
practice frequent enough, and long enough, you may find that you are able to tap into
your inner delta brainwave awareness.

Yoga Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and
wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha, theta, and
sometimes delta. The yogic phenomenon of suspended animation has been claimed to
only take place in the delta brainwave range. Though there are many different types of
yoga, if they are practiced correctly, they can be utilized to slow brainwaves to tap the
delta awareness and insight from within.

Unhealthy ways to increase delta brainwaves:

Skipping sleep Depriving yourself of a good nights sleep or completely skipping sleep
will increase the amount of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and aging) and will
flood your brain with a combination of unfocused brainwaves: mostly theta, some delta
and in some cases high-beta. If you have ever pulled an all nighter, youll know that
skipping sleep makes you feel extremely unfocused, dizzy, and confused. This is due to to
a combination of unbalanced chemicals, hormones, and brainwaves. Not a wise idea to
skip sleep to increase your delta brainwaves.

Final evaluation of delta brainwaves:

I personally think that delta brainwaves are very unique to experience and everyone has different
reaction. The deep spaced-out connection associated with delta activity can feel great. You
should be the judge as to whether or not increasing delta is the brainwave you want to
experiment with. If you are already experiencing many of the listed benefits, your delta
brainwave could be within its healthiest range.
Are you already a mentally fogged person? If so, chances are good that your brain could be
naturally producing some delta brainwave activity. However, most people do not have large
amounts of the delta brainwave unless they are in the deepest sleep stages. If you are
experiencing too many of the listed negative effects,you may want to consider speeding up your
brainwaves into the beta range.
I personally recommend entraining the delta brainwave to see how you react. Most people dont
produce large amounts of delta naturally.

Delta Brain Waves: Slowest,Most Confusing Brainwaves

Article taken from: http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/08/05/delta-brain-waves-slowest-mostconfusing-brainwaves/

Delta brainwaves are the slowest of all your brainwaves.

They usually fall within the frequency range of 0 4 Hz. When your brain waves reach levels
below 0.1 Hz,you will literally be brain dead. Unlike theta brainwaves,which are commonly
associated with the subconscious mind delta brain waves are associated with the
unconscious mind. Due to delta brainwaves being the least understood amongst brain waves
[besides gamma] Ive decided to provide you with some quality information and hopefully
clear up any misunderstandings.
Delta brainwaves have long been linked to stages 3 and 4 of sleep. The delta brainwave range is
considered the lowest brainwave frequency. A decreased sense of awareness, increased
empathy, and access to the unconscious mind are common. It is extremely rare to have
conscious awareness of delta brainwaves. Only certain highly spiritual individuals, gurus, yogis,
monks, and avid meditators usually are able to consciously access this brainwave range.

Being in delta is like being in the most deeply relaxing trance or non-physical awareness.
Usually, when individuals are asleep in the delta range, their other brainwave patterns shut down
and delta takes over. If youve ever woken up and felt irritable, unconscious,confused, or
disorientated, you likely woke up during your delta stage of sleep.

Boosted intuition and psychic skills

The slower,delta brain wave frequencies have long been linked to boosted intuition and even the
cultivation of psychic skills in certain individuals. Whats interesting is the fact that in some
individuals, delta brain waves are present [show up in the E.E.G.] of people while they are awake
along with the other basic brainwave patterns [beta, alpha, theta]. They will never be found as
the only brainwave pattern while someone is awake! There usually needs to be some beta, alpha,
and theta if delta is displayed while awake.

Anyways, researchers have found that individuals who usually have an uncanny intuition and
possibly psychic abilities, usually have delta brainwaves appearing in their waking E.E.G.s.
Think of delta brain waves as a radar system that help sour intuition sense when any form of
danger is lurking. Though we dont always need to sense danger via gut instinct or intuition,
delta brain waves can be a great form of help. Delta brain waves are a very indigenous,
anamalistic, primal-type brainwave rhythm that give us a deeper sense of instinct. Basically,
the delta brainwaves allow us to be more aware of information that isnt available to our
conscious, beta-brainwavefueled, brains.

Healing the mind and body

Frequencies in the delta range have been linked to healing the mind and body of a wide-variety
of aliments and illnesses. Researchers have even discovered that within the delta brainwave
range, some frequencies are even able to produce healthy substances such as: DHEA, melatonin,
and H.G.H. (Human Growth Hormone). When the delta rhythms run through our brain, it
naturally produces a different set of neurotransmitters and substances.
(...)

The melatonin, H.G.H. (human growth hormone), and DHEA that delta brain waves are able to
slow and or reverse the effects of aging. Another benefit of increasing the amount of delta
brainwaves is the reduced production of the stress hormone called cortisol. Reducing
cortisol is great for the body and brain! Why? Because increased levels of cortisol can and will
actually kill brain cells,plus speed up the process of physical and mental aging.

In the bookThe High-Performance Mind[written by Anna Wise], Anna Wise writes that
individuals who are therapists, guides, teachers and those into professions which involve
helping otherst end to have delta brain waves while awake. She also notes that spiritually
advanced individuals and healers tend to display plenty of delta brainwaves. It has been said that
these unconscious brain waves give them more understanding and access to other individuals
mental and emotional state.

Delta brain waves to master the brain?

The rhythms of delta brain waves allow us to tap into universal knowledge, or the mind
beyond our own. This universal knowledge has been referred to as the collective
unconscious which is comparable to one large pool of the collective knowledge and
understanding all of humanity. The delta brain waves give our minds the opportunity to enter the
gateway which connects our intuition with the collective unconscious.

How are delta waves compared to theta brain waves?

Theta brain waves give us insights from our subconscious mind our deepest being and
deepest internal spirituality. Theta brain waves look internally and are much more personally
meaningful to each individual.

Delta waves provide us with access to external unconscious material.

From theta and delta, we will never be consciously aware of the information we have access to
unless it gets transferred through our subconscious via the alpha brain waves.

Alpha brainwaves are able to pass insights and messages from the deeper, theta and delta
brainwaves. Usually, they add specific pictures and imagery around the messages in order for our
conscious beta-brainwave geared mind is able to understand the messages. After the messages
from the theta brain waves and delta brain waves get transferred through the alpha range to the
beta range, they can be understood and acted upon.

It is important to realize that there is no single brainwave pattern that is optimal to have at all
times. Each of the four main types of brain waves come with benefits and drawbacks.

Beta brain waves are great for communication and thinking logically, while delta brain waves are
great for intuition and accessing universal knowledge.

After reading this article, I hope that you understand that in order to take full control of your
mind and maximize your brain power,you must learn to take control of each of the four brain
waves!

Brain,
Mind,
and
Altered
States of
Consciou

sness
By Norman D.
Livergood
The conspiracy to reduce
consciousness to intellectual awareness
of the physical world has been in
evidence for at least five thousand
years. Over the centuries the mental and
psychic powers that only mystics and
seers now possess have been filtered
out of most people. So we now assume
that our narrow, tightly-bound
consciousness is normal and natural.
"Ordinary consciousness" is "normal"
only in the strict sense of "statistically
most frequent," not inherently "good" or
"natural" as the term is sometimes
misconstrued to mean.
When contrasted with
supernormal consciousness
experienced by certain people
in specific instances, our current rigid,

intellect-based awareness is highly

abnormal and unnatural.
Reports of Supernormal Consciousness
"The boundary between my physical self and
my surroundings seemed to dissolve and my
feeling of separation vanished. . . . I felt as if
I had suddenly come alive for the first time-as if I were awakening from a long deep sleep
into the real world." (Wendy Rose-Neill)
"I saw that the universe is not composed of
dead matter, but is, on the contrary, a living
Presence; I became conscious in myself of
eternal life. It was not a conviction that I
would have eternal life, but a consciousness
that I possessed eternal life then; I saw that
all men are immortal." (Richard Maurice
Bucke)
"I seemed to comprehend the
nature of things. I understood
that the scheme of the universe
was good, not evil as our
Western society had taught me
as a child; all people were
intrinsically good. Neither time nor space
existed on this plane." (Claire Myers Owen)
Reported in Colin Wilson. Beyond the Occult

Human beings possess a whole range

of dormant powers of which they are

usually unaware. Experience of these
latent powers occurs accidentally or to
those who learn the necessary
procedures. These powers include
inspiration, clairaudience, clairvoyance,
psychometry, precognition, and
telepathy. In his book Beyond the
Occult, Colin Wilson conjectures that we
have gradually lost these powers ". . .
because we no longer need them." On
the contrary, we have needed and
continue to need such powers--for the
completion of our human potential and
for participating in human evolution.
The Conspiracy to Debase Human
Consciousness
Our psychic powers have become
forgotten and atrophied from neglect
because the vast conspiracy of the
ideologies of Materialism (there is
nothing but matter in space) and
Mammon (material wealth as the highest
value) have conditioned untold
generations to believe that mind-bound
consciousness of the physical world is all

there is and all that is needed for

humankind's wellbeing. Non-ordinary
states were said to be psychotic, evil,
abnormal or merely debilitating. Persons
who even spoke of spiritual or psychic
powers were classed as weird, insane, or
perverse.
We have very little understanding of
"consciousness," since it is by definition
a nonmaterial quality or state of being
aware. Scientists study only the physical
correlates of consciousness, such as
brain waves, not consciousness itself.
The Human Brain and Mind
Neurologists and psychologists for
decades agreed that there were specific
facts about the brain and intelligence
that were unchanging:

 Intelligence is
genetically
determined
People with
high
intelligence
are born
that way
Experience
can't
increase or decrease innate
intelligence; experience can't
change the structure of the brain

Growth in the total number of brain

cells we have is completed by age
two; neurons cannot reproduce
themselves
However, psychologists at the
University of California, Berkeley,
conducted studies 1 which were to turn
the world of brain and intelligence
research upside down. They discovered
that:

 Rats
showed
higher
levels of
AChE (the
brain
enzyme
related to
learning and memory) when placed
in "enriched environments" (well-lit,
multilevel cages filled with swings,
slides, ladders, bridges, an
assortment of frequently changing
stimuli, and a variety of challenges)
This meant that intelligence could be
increased.
The brains of rats placed in
"enriched environments" increased
in weight
Stimulating experiences had caused
the rats' brains to grow.
Neuroanatomist Marian Diamond
proved that rats raised in "enriched
environments" showed:

Increased thickness of the cerebral cortex

or "gray matter"

A 15 percent increase in the actual size of

individual neurons in the cortex
Increases in protein in the brain
paralleling the increases in cortical
weight, proving that the growth effect
was on tissue and not just on fluid
content of the brain
An increase in the amount of dendritic
branching (dendrites are the hairy
branching fibers which project in large
numbers from the body of each neuron
and which receive inputs from other
neurons and conduct them to the cell
body, thus, an increase in branching
means a greater amount of potential
information available to each neuron)
An increased number of dendritic spines
per unit length of dendrite (spines are the
small projections that cover the surface
of dendrites)
Increases in the number of synapses and
in the size of synaptic contact areas
(synapses are the spots where different
neurons are connected and by means of
which communication among neurons
takes place)
An increase in the ratio between the
weight of the cortex and the weight of
the rest of the brain (thus the enriched

environment does not simply stimulate

and trigger generalized growth
throughout the entire brain, but is
specifically beneficial to that area of the
brain devoted to thinking, learning, and
memory)
A 15 percent increase in the number of
glial cells, the "glue" cells that are the
most numerous cells in the brain and
which hold together, support, and nourish
the brain neurons, act as guides for
neural growth, assist in learning, and
seem to form some mysterious
communicating network of their own

Later studies 2 showed that

significant structural changes in the
brains of rats in "enriched
environments" can take place almost
instantaneously.

The human brain is about five times

as large as that of a chimpanzee, yet
contains only about 30 to 50 percent

more neurons. The difference between

humans and chimps comes from the
development of the cerebral cortex and
the larger number of glial cells. 3 The
cerebral cortex is a layer of nerve cells
forming a convoluted outer shell over
the brain, the "thinking cap" or "gray
matter" atop the brain, in which much of
the thinking or higher intellectual
activity of the brain takes place.
All these studies focused on one
conclusion: increased brain stimulation
in an enriched environment produces
not only a growth in size and weight of
the cortex but completely alters and
enriches the quality of the entire
cerebral cortex.
Brain Stimulation and Neurofeedback
Human performance in all areas can
be deliberately improved through
environmental, biochemical, and
psychophysiological manipulation of the
brain and mind. One way this takes
place is through the use of machines
designed by researchers to stimulate
the human neocortex through exposure

to experiences which are novel,

changing, and challenging, and which
provide the brain and mind an
opportunity to exercise themselves by
means of self-observation and self-

transformation.
The brain is an electrically powered
and electricity-generating organ.
Composed of an estimated one hundred
billion neurons, each neuron produces
and transmits electrical impulses which
travel from the cell body down long
fibers called axons until they reach a
junction, or synapse, with another
neuron. At the junction point the
electrical impulses fire chemical
messengers, called neurotransmitters,
across the synaptic gap to receptors on
the next cell. Having received the

message, that neuron then generates its

own electrical impulse and sends it to
other neurons to which it is connected.
Each neuron can be connected to
thousands of other neurons, each
simultaneously sending and receiving
impulses to and from thousands of other
neurons--so one neuron can electrically
alter millions of
other neurons.
To get an idea
of how complex
this electrical
system is, the
National
Academy of
Sciences
estimates that "a
single human
brain has a
greater number of possible connections
among its nerve cells than the total
number of atomic particles in the
universe."
The brain is part of the overall human
nervous system, composed of the
central nervous system and the

peripheral nervous system. The central

nervous system is comprised of the
brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral
nervous system includes the sensory
neurons that link the brain and spinal
cord to sensory receptors and efferent
neurons
connected to
the muscles,
glands, and
organs.
The brain
is the most
complex
organ in the
human body.
It is
surrounded
by three
protective
layers of tissue called the meninges, and
bathed in liquid called the cerebrospinal
fluid. This fluid also protects the brain
from injury and provides nourishment to
its surrounding tissues.

Let's take a look at various parts of

the brain:
The brainstem
The cerebellum
The cerebrum
o Brainstem: the
oldest part of the
brain

The brainstem
regulates
things like
heartrate, breathing, swallowing,
blinking, digesting, and more. It
controls the basic functions of the
brain.

o Cerebellum:
Your cerebellum is a busy switching
station. It receives messages from most
of the muscles in your body. It
communicates with the other parts of

the brain, and then sends messages

about movement and balance back to
your body.
o Cerebrum:
Thinking
and
learning
Creativity
Five senses
Memory and emotion
Problem-solving
Decisions

The cerebrum is composed of four

lobes:

Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Occipital lobe
Temporal lobe

The cerebrum represents 85% of the

total weight of the human brain. It has a
highly convoluted surface. Neurologists
have mapped the various areas of the
cerebral cortex that control specific
sensory and motor activities of the
human body. Like the cerebellum, the

cerebrum is divided into symmetrical

hemispheres. Each hemisphere is
divided into four "lobes," the frontal,
parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
These lobes have special functions. The
frontal lobe is involved with planning
and movement; the parietal lobe with
sensation; the occipital lobe with vision;
and the temporal lobe with learning,
memory, and
emotion.
The cerebral
hemispheres
surround an area
called the
diencephalon,
which consists of
the thalamus and
the hypothalamus. The thalamus is a key
structure of the cerebrum. It acts as a
gateway for sensory information coming
from the major systems -- vision,
hearing and balance, taste and smell -to the corresponding sensory area of the
cerebral cortex. The hypothalamus
regulates the autonomic nervous

system, reproduction and homeostasis.

Homeostasis is the process by which our
bodies maintain a stable internal
environment in the face of changing
conditions.

Hippocampus:

Stores and processes memories

Helps find memories
Affects emotions

The hippocampus helps to encode

memories, and then helps to find
them when you want to remember
something.

Around 1908 an Austrian Psychiatrist

named Hans Berger announced that it
was possible to record the feeble
electric currents (brain waves)
generated on the brain, without opening
the skull, and to depict them graphically
onto a strip of paper. Berger named this
new form of recording the
electroencephalogram (EEG, for short):
electro = electrical; encephalon = head;
graph = drawing/picture. Berger
determined that this activity of the brain
waves changed according to the
functional status of the brain, such as in
sleep, anesthesia, hypoxia (lack of
oxygen) and in certain nervous diseases,
such as in epilepsy. The first brain waves
Berger discovered he called "Alpha."
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek
alphabet, like our "a."

Quantit
ative EEG
(QEEG) is
digital
recording
of the
EEG. For
decades it
was only
possible
to record
the
various
brain
waves on
paper with
the
traditional
polygraph.
The EEG
rhythms
were
amplified
and used
to drive
pens, one
for each
recording

electrode.
As the
pens
fluctuated
from the
EEG
rhythms, a
long piece
of graph
paper was
dragged
under the
pens by a
motor,
creating
the graph
of the
electrical
activity on
the outer
surface of
the brain.
Over the last several decades,
advances in signal processing have
made is possible to sample the EEG
waves many times per second (usually
128 or 256 samples per second) and to

analyze and depict them in a variety of

ways. Using quantitative EEG we can
now precisely measure the amplitude
and frequency of waves of interest,
determining the distribution of the
waves on various areas of the scalp, and
even compare a subject's QEEG to a
normative reference database.
In our ordinary waking state, we
primarily experience beta brain waves
(which vibrate at a frequency ranging
from about 13 to 30 hertz or cycles per
second). During deep relaxation, we
move to alpha waves (8-13 Hz) and we
ordinarily only experience theta waves
(4-7 Hz) in those brief moments between
waking and sleeping. The ultra slow
delta waves (0.5-4 Hz) occur during
sleep.
Scien
tists
have
found
that
when

meditators reach a state of deep

awareness and internal mental serenity
the two hemispheres of their brain-which ordinarily generate brain waves of
different frequencies and amplitudes-become synchronized, both hemispheres
generating the same brain waves.
The left and right hemispheres of our
brains appear to produce different brain
functions. The left hemisphere is active
in linear, logical, practical, and time
orientated activities while the right
hemisphere seems to be much more
non-linear, abstract,
creative, wholistic,
and non-logical.

Logic:
Drawing conclu
sions based on l
ogic: one thing
following
another in
logical order.

Intuitive:
Making leaps of
insight, often b
ased on
incomplete
patterns,
hunches,
feelings and

visual images.
Linear:
Thinking in terms of linked
ideas, one thought directly
following another, often
leading to a convergent
conclusion.

Holistic:
Seeing whole things at
once, perceiving
the overall patterns and
structures, often
leading to divergent
conclusions.

Verbal:
Using words to name,
describe, define.

Nonverbal:
Awareness of things, but
minimal
connection with words.

Temporal:
Keeping track of time,
sequencing one thing after
another.

Nontemporal:
Without sense of time.

Rational:
Drawing conclusions based
on reason and facts.

Nonrational:
Not requiring a basis of
reason or facts;
willingness to suspend
judgment.

Analytic:
Figuring things out step-bystep and part-by-part.

Synthetic:
Putting things together to
form wholes.

Abstract:
Taking out a small bit of
information and using it to

Analogic:
Seeing relationship
between things,

represent the whole thing.

understanding metaphoric
relationships.

Symbolic:
Using a symbol to stand for
something.

Concrete:
Relating to things as they
are at the
present moment

Digital:
Using numbers as in
counting.

Spatial:
Seeing where things are in
relation to other things,
and how parts go together
to form a whole

We tend to focus on particular

hemispheres depending on what we're
doing. If we're solving a math problem,
our left hemisphere is probably most
active. Composing a piece of music
would involve right hemispheric activity.
Both hemispheres are constantly
interacting and both can be in use at the
same time.
The two hemispheres are connected
by the corpus callosum, which serves as
a conduit between the two sides. This
bridging activity can be strengthened so
that increased transmission of data,

thoughts and feedback between

hemispheres occurs. We can also
develop an increased merging of the
hemispheres, allowing them to work
together so we can increase our mental
creativity.
Because of the complexity of our
brains there are often several brainwave
types interacting at the same time. The
particular brainwave frequency which
dominates at any given time determines
our state of mind. As an example, while
in a beta state, there might be trace
levels of alpha and theta, but they would
be minimal compared to the dominating
amount of
beta present.
In 1956,
James Olds
reported on
research in
which he had
electrically
stimulated the
brains of rats. Implanting electrodes in
rats' pleasure center of the brain, he
attached a device that allowed the rats

to activate the electrical impulse. He

found that the rats would become so
obsessed with self-stimulation that they
would literally starve themselves to
death.
The human body has its own chemical
self-stimulants. Naturally produced in
our bodies and brains, this group of
molecules called endorphins reduces
pain, alleviates stress, gives pleasure,
enhances or suppresses memories, and
determines what information we allow
into our brains.
Dr. Robert Heath, head of the
neurology/psychiatry department at
Tulane University School of Medicine
was the first to implant electrodes in the
human brain. He found that each brain
stimulus--pleasure or pain--is capable of
overwhelming or inhibiting other stimuli.
Thus, pleasure can overcome depression
or pain and vice versa.
Biofeedback

Biof
eed
bac
k is
the
use
of

mechanical means to amplify certain

internal cues, make us aware of them,
and make it possible to control mental
and brain states. Extensive research has
shown that what were thought to be
"involuntary" psychophysiological
states, such as blood pressure, body
temperature, etc., are in fact
controllable through the use of
biofeedback.

"Biofeedback means getting immediate

ongoing information about one's own
biological processes or conditions, such as
heart behavior, temperature, brain-wave

activity, blood pressure, or muscle tension.

Information is usually fed back by a meter, by
a light or sound, or subjects simply watch the
physiological record as it emerges from the
monitoring equipment. Biofeedback training
means using the information to change and
control voluntarily the specific process or
response being monitored."
Elmer Green, Beyond Biofeedback

In 1958, Joe Kamiya, a psychologist

teaching at the University of Chicago,
began experiments on brain wave
frequencies. Kamiya attached a sensing
electrode to the left side of the back of
the subjects's head--the left occiput,
where alpha brain waves are more
evident. When a tone sounded, the
subject was to guess whether he was in
alpha. Kamiya was able to tell if the
subject's guess was correct from the
EEG (electroencephalograph) readings
and answered "correct" or "wrong." The
first subject Kamiya worked with,
Richard Bach, reported correctly 65% on
the second day of testing, and on the
fourth day was able to report correctly
100% of the time. In a second

experiment, the subject was able to

enter the alpha state or not enter the
state on a specific cue. It was thus
established that people could control
brain waves which had been thought to
be involuntary states. This was the
beginning of brain wave biofeedback.
Psychology Today did an article on
Kamiya in 1968 and the field exploded.
"The introduction of feedback to any system
will elevate that system to a higher level of
functioning."
Biocybernaut Institute

The first meeting of biofeedback

professionals occurred as part of the
1968 International Brain and Behavior
Conference in Colorado. The following
year the first specific meeting of
biofeedback researchers was held in
Santa Monica, California, with 142
persons attending. It was at this
meeting that the group decided to name
their group the Biofeedback Research
Society, later changed to Biofeedback
Society of America and then to the

Association for Applied

Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
One of the early researchers, Elmer
Green of the Menninger Clinic in Kansas,
used biofeedback instruments to study
Eastern yogis. He discovered that
certain yogis could control their internal
states
merely

through meditation and thought.

Maurice "Barry" Sterman, a professor
emeritus in the departments of
Neurobiology and Psychiatry at UCLA,
began an experiment in 1965 on brain
wave states in cats. He accidentally
discovered a specific EEG rhythm state
during which the cat, waiting for a

reward of food, became absolutely still,

though extremely alert. Sterman named
this frequency "sensorimotor rhythm"
(SMR). He isolated the 12 to 15 hertz
frequencies (SMR) in the EEG of the
experimental cats and operantly
conditioned them to create this state.
Sterman then worked with a human
subject, a woman who suffered from
epileptic seizures two or more times per
month.
Epilepsy is accompanied by an
invasion of unwanted theta wave
frequency in the brain. The subject was
connected to the EEG equipment and
was tasked with keeping a green light on
(presence of SMR) and a red light off
(presence of theta waves). The subject
was able to create SMR for long periods
and her seizures reduced in number and
intensity. She remained seizure-free
after the experiment for a number of
months.
Other researchers replicated
Sterman's results with epilepsy and in
1982 Sterman received a research grant
from the National Institute of Health

(NIH). However, the disparity between

biofeedback and ordinary medical
procedures was becoming a major issue
in the health care field and NIH pulled
Sterman's funding. Ordinary medical
procedures involve something being
done to the "patient," the application of
a drug, the use of surgery, etc.
Biofeedback involves persons taking
responsibility for their own conditions
and actively participating in their
therapy. Plus, biofeedback had arisen
within psychology, not medicine.
"Occassionally I had heard half-joking
remarks about researchers in biofeedback
sounding like snake-oil salesmen. It didn't
bother me until one of our own doctors
cautioned against the concept of biofeedback as
a panacea. Then I gave it serious thought. Why
did biofeedback prove helpful in the treatment
of so many and varied disorders? Suddenly I
realized that it isn't biofeedback that is the
'panacea'--it is the power within the human
being to self-regulate, self-heal, re-balance.
Biofeedback does nothing to the person; it is a
tool for releasing that potential."
Alyce Green, Beyond Biofeedback

The medical establishment began

deriding biofeedback as an unproven,
unscientific fad. The research of
Sterman and others followed the most
rigorous experimental requirements, but
the medical mafia was intent on
destroying this upstart phenomenon.
In the 1970s and 1980s, biofeedback
research languished, though a few brave
persons pushed forward and today there
is a resurgence in the field. Margaret
Ayers, whose graduate training was in
clinical neuropsychology, uses
biofeedback therapy with different kinds
of medical problems: drug addiction,
alcoholism, head injury, stroke, cerebral
palsy, and coma. Coma is the condition
of a brain which is accompanied by
dominant theta wave activity. The
biofeedback equipment used with coma
patients trains them to inhibit theta
wave frequencies. A number of Ayer's
coma clients have regained a great deal
of their normal functioning. Siegfried
and Sue Othmer, Ross Quackenbush,
Eugene Peniston, Roger Werholtz, Lester
Fehmi, Bob DeBoer, and others are using

similar biofeedback procedures on

clients with a diversity of medical or
psychological problems.
Altering States of Consciousness
From their early experiments with
LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline at
Harvard, Timothy Leary and Richard
Alpert
discovered the
importance of
set and
setting:
o "Set is a
person's
expectations
of what a drug
will do to him, considered in the context
of his whole life." 4
o "Setting is the environment, both

physical and social, in which a drug is

taken." 5
Without the concepts of "set" and
"setting" we're unable to explain why
drugs vary so unpredictably in their

physiological and psychological effects

on various users.
"...the combined effects of set and setting can
easily overshadow the pharmacological
effects of a drug as stated in a pharmacology
text. One can arrange set and setting so that
a dose of an amphetamine will produce
sedation or a dose of a barbiturate
stimulation." 6
Thus it's absurd to speak of "the effect of
marijuana," "the effect of meditation," and so
on. The "effect" depends on what users
expect and on the expectations of the social
setting in which they take the psychedelic
drug or carry out specific procedures. But
federal and state governments have
continued to oppose any use of psychedelic
drugs, claiming that they're all bad under all
circumstances. Our nation's leaders continue
to push the mind-and body-destroying
"official" drugs of alcohol, nicotine, and
caffeine, among many others created by a
pharmaceutical industry which buys
politicians in large economy quantities.
What positive elements

assist us to

break through to a positive

non-ordinary

consciousness?
1) Meditation

2) Dreams

3)

4) Sex

Hypnosis
5) Contemplatio 6) Contempl 7) Psyche
n of art
ation of
delic
(music, painting, nature
drugs
prose,
poetry, drama)

8) Brain
stimula
tion
and
biofeedbac
k

Meditation
Meditation has been used for
centuries by spiritual practitioners to
achieve non-ordinary states of
consciousness. Dreaming, especially
lucid dreaming in which the dreamer
controls the dream activity, is a
particularly powerful means of entering
an altered state of consciousness.
Hypnosis induced by an informed
hypnotist or by oneself can enable us to
enter into non-ordinary states of
consciousness wherein we are able to
gain enhanced control of our mental and
physiological activities. Sex, within the
proper context, enables us to achieve
altered states.

Contemplation
Contemplation of art or nature can
lead to epiphanies. The meaning of
"epiphany" has expanded beyond its
Greek origins--the manifestation of a
god--to include special and sudden
raptures. In this article I'm using the
term epiphany to refer to an episodic
mystical experience. These raptures
occur to men and women from virtually
every nation and culture. Throughout
the ages, humans have undergone
harrowing experiences, braved drug
intoxication and risked madness to
experience
intense
altered
states of

consciousness.

The Mystical Light

One of Nasrudin's students told him one day

that he had learned that the human brain

creates about as much electrical current as a
flashlight battery. Wishing to convince Nasrudin
of his erudition, the student announced that he
now conceived of the brain as a flashlight. He
asked Nasrudin how he might use this brainflashlight to produce the experience of mystical
light.
"From my vast experience with flashlights, I can
produce in you an immediate experience of a
mystical flare of light," Nasrudin told the
student. He performed the operation and the
student was overjoyed when he experienced a
sudden gleam of light.
The student was later bragging to his fellowstudents about this experience of illumination
from the Higher Reality.
"But how did Nasrudin produce this mystical
flash of light in you?" they asked eagerly.
"He said he used his esoteric knowledge of
flashlights and gave me a sound whack on the
head."

Until recently, only mystics have

described these encounters with another
order of reality. If they talk about their
experiences at all, mystics use words

like ecstasy, illumination, and

exaltation--after confessing that words
fail them. Protesting all the while that
their sensations cannot be explained,
mystics, psychedelic explorers,
meditators, and contemplatives of all
stripes describe experiences of
inspiration, peace, serenity, and allrightness with the universe; of moving
into another order or dimension of
consciousness; of fusing in oneness with
God, the universe, others, everything,
eternity; of transcending time, space,
and ego; of being infused with
knowledge, recognition, awareness,
insight, certainty, illumination; of having
a sense of endowment, of gaining more
from the experience than they can
intellectually understand.
Mind-Altering Substances
With the proper set and setting,
psychedelic drugs can produce an
altered sense of reality. Such
experiences of altered consciousness
usually last from one hour to several
days. Though alcohol is often used in a
negative "setting" such as at a bar or a

party, where the expectation is

aggressive behavior, with the proper set
and setting alcohol can promote a
heightened state of awareness.
One of the great mysteries of human
life, as Michael Pollan explains, is that
"there are plants in the garden that
manufacture molecules with the power
to change the subjective experience of
reality we call consciousness." 9
"In
ancient
times,
people
all over
the world
grew or
gathered sacred plants (and fungi) with the
power to inspire visions or conduct them on
journeys to other worlds; some of these
people, who are sometimes called shamans,
returned with the kind of spiritual knowledge
that underwrites whole religions."

At the beginning of most of the

world's religions we find some kind of
psychoactive plant or fungus: the peyote

cactus, the Amanita muscaria and

psilocybin mushrooms, the ergot fungus,
the fermented grape, ayahuasca, and
cannabis. Ancient people experimented
with these psychotropic (mind-altering)
substances to achieve a heightened
state of consciousness.
Some of the most important Greek
thinkers--Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Aeschylus, Euripides, and others-participated in the Mysteries of Eleusis.
The Mysteries consisted of initiation
rituals in which the participants
ingested a powerful mind-altering
potion--probably hashish or psilocybin
mushrooms--or, less likely, an alkaloid
produced by a fungus (ergot) that
closely resembles LSD in its chemical
makeup and effects. The ecstatic ritual
was so powerful that those who
participated kept their vow never to
reveal its nature.
Under the influence of psychotropic
substances, humankind has invented or
evolved new ideas and paradigms--new
ways of viewing the world. The human
mind, we have now discovered, has a

built-in receptivity to a particular plant:

marijuana. The evolution of this
discovery is fascinating.
In the 1960s an Israeli
neuroscientist named
Raphael Mechoulam
identified the chemical
compound responsible for the mindaltering effects of marijuana. He named
it delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC,
a module with a structure unlike any
found in nature before or since.
Then in 1988 Allyn Howlett, a
researcher at the St. Louis University
Medical School, discovered a specific
receptor for THC in the human brain--a
kind of nerve cell that THC binds to as if
it were a molecular key fitting into a
lock. When this binding takes place, the
nerve cell is activated.
The brain has a number of neuronal
networks involving compounds such as
dopamine, serotonin, and the
endorphins, among others. Howlett
discovered a new cannabinoid receptor
network in the human brain which

triggers mind-altering effects when THC

is present.
Thirty years after his discovery of
THC, Raphael Mechoulam--working with
collaborator William Devane--found that
the brain produces its own THC-like
substance which he named anandimide,
from the Sanskrit word for "inner bliss."
We have to wonder why a plant such
as marijuana evolved in exactly the way
it has so that it produces an altered
state of consciousness in humans.
Among many other reasons is surely
that this has resulted in humans having
an intense and abiding interest in it, to
make sure that it evolves in the
direction of enhanced power to alter
human mind states.
The U.S.
government's
hysterical, criminal
warfare against
marijuana involves
taking away civil
liberties through
property

confiscation, incarceration resulting

from suspicion only, and using military
personnel in contravention of the posse
commitatus act. Along with its struggle
to keep marijuana an illegal drug--so the
power elite can reap huge profits from
its sale on the black market--there may
also be a subliminal realization of the
strange and powerful connection the
human brain has to THC. As the number
of people using marijuana continues to
grow, the old, violence-prone ways of
thinking may be challenged and
replaced by more positive ways of
viewing the world.
The important factor in all of these
approaches is whether or not the
techniques or substances assist us in
achieving a positive altered state of
consciousness which provides an insight
into deeper spiritual dimensions within
us. The insights William James gained
from his experiments with psychedelics
provide an illustrative case.
"Some years ago I myself made some
observations on this aspect of nitrous oxide
intoxication, and reported them in print. One

conclusion was forced upon my mind at that

time, and my impression of its truth has ever
since remained unshaken. It is that our
normal waking consciousness, rational
consciousness as we call it, is but one special
type of consciousness, whilst all about it,
parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there
lie potential forms of consciousness entirely
different. We may go through life without
suspecting their existence; but apply the
requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are
there in all their completeness, definite types
of mentality which probably somewhere have
their field of application and adaptation. No
account of the universe in its totality can be
final which leaves these other forms of
consciousness quite disregarded. How to
regard them is the question,--for they are so
discontinuous with ordinary consciousness.
Yet they may determine attitudes though they
fail to give a map. At any rate, they forbid a
premature closing of our accounts with
reality. Looking back on my own experiences,
they all converge towards a kind of insight to
which I cannot help ascribing some
metaphysical significance. The keynote of it is
invariably a reconciliation. It is as if the
opposites of the world whose
contradictoriness and conflict make all our
difficulties and troubles, were melted into
unity. Not only do they, as contrasted species,
belong to one and the same genus, but one of

the species, the nobler and better one, is

itself the genus, and so soaks up and absorbs
its opposite into itself."

William James. The Varieties

of Religious Experience

Higher States
Dr. Gerald Oster, a biophysicist at
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New
York City discovered that pulsations
called binaural beats occurred in the
brain when tones of different frequency
were presented separately to each ear.
Robert Monroe claimed to have
developed tapes which send signals
separately to each ear--signals of 400
and 404 hertz, for example--resulting in
the sounds blending inside the brain and
setting up a binaural beat frequency of 4
Hz (theta waves), producing a state of
brain hemisphere equilibrium and
altered states. At his Institute of Applied
Sciences in the foothills of the Blue
Ridge Mountains of central Virginia,

institute employees claim to train

people in achieving altered states using
Hemi-Sync tapes. Some of the trainees
feel they achieve out-of-body
experiences, but this may very well be
fantasy. At present, a week's training
session costs $1695 at the Institute,
plus, of course, transportation to the
Institute and back.
Some brain state
researchers are critical
of Monroe's methods.
Dr. Lester Fehmi,
director of the Princeton
Behavioral Medicine and
Biofeedback Clinic, says that Monroe's
effect is real, "but it doesn't teach you
how to get there." Dr. Elmer Green of the
Menninger Foundation agrees. "It's only
when the volition is involved, and you
want to do something, either to escape
or to accomplish something, that you
really learn something." The hypnogogic
image states which Green discovered in
his research sometime involve extrasensory perception (ESP) and
precognition. It may be that these states

are the same as those which Monroe

clients experience, which Monroe
trainers interpret as out-of-body states
but Green interprets as hypnogogic
imagery.
The Monroe Institute demands (yes,
demands, not merely recommends) that
a person purchase its seven different
training CDs in sequence. This allows
them to force a person interested in
their training material to buy each of the
CDs for a total of over $800--an
exorbitant amount. I personally know
two persons who were hired as trainers
in the Monroe techniques--and it's clear
that neither of them received any lasting
beneficial effect from their training and
their work with clients. Because of these
factors, it's an open question if serious
seekers would waste their money if they
purchased Monroe Institute training
sessions or products.
There is a thriving biofeedback
industry, with pricey training programs
and pricey machines. Some of the
machines run as high as $10,000 and
one wonders why someone doesn't

produce a reasonably-priced
biofeedback machine for the average
consumer who is also a serious student
of altered states of consciousness.
States of Consciousness

Reality
Dimension

State of
Consciousness

Activities
Leading
to the State

Higher
Higher State
Dimension of
of
Spiritual contact
Reality
Consciousness
Med

itation
Drea

ming

NonNon-ordinary
Ordinary
State of
Dimension of
Consciousness
Reality

Psych
edelic Drugs

Sex

Hypn
osis

Conte
mplation of Art

Conte
mplation of
Nature

Consensus
Reality

Ordinary
State of

Physical activity,
mental activity

Consciousness

The state of ordinary consciousness,

wherein we assume the physical world is
the only reality and have no interest in
deeper aspects of reality, is the norm in
the United States and the world. In the
early days of our history, American
citizens were interested in
understanding what was happening in
the world. As a nation of informed
citizens, we were able to maintain a
form of government which followed the
ideal of democracy. That situation
continued through the middle part of the
twentieth century. Beginning even as
early as the 1910s, the rulers of the
United States began to change our
educational systems so that citizens
were no longer capable of or interested
in understanding what was happening
about them.

Ordinary State of Consciousness:

American Citizen

Time
Perio
d

1750
to
1950

1950
to
1990
1990
to
2003

Major
Paradigms

Major
Activities

Political
Structure

Attempting to
understand the
real nature of
the physical
world and the
spiritual world

Informed
reading and
listening
Appreciation of
higher values
(art and nature)

Some features of
republican
democracy
within the
general
structure of
plutocracy (rule
by the wealthy)

No genuine
attempt to
understand the
real nature of
the physical
world or the
spiritual world

Non-education
leading to
incapacity to
read or listen

Plutocracy: rule
by
the wealthy
buying
politicians

No interest in
understanding
the real nature
of the physical
world or the
spiritual world

Conditioning
leading to
incapacity to
read, write,
listen,
understand,
appreciate
higher values

Globalism:
imperialistic
plutocracy

Splatter "reality"
Incoherence

Splattering of
images and sounds
Creating incoherent
pastiches: e.g. TV
commercials with
incoherent image
flashes
Movies with
superimposing
dialogue, music, and

Two distinct
economic classes: the
rich and the poor
Anti-nationalism:
fostered by the
highest
rate of immigration
in
U.S. history,
resulting in ethnic
and religious
"balkanization"
(splintering of the
population into
divisive, competing

images: e.g.
Magnolia

units)

The majority of U.S. citizens are

currently devolving to lower states of
consciousness. The best way to "hear"
this devolution is to listen carefully to
the atavistic tone of the laughter of
American audiences as they watch
movies and TV sitcoms involving
characters who are murderers but are
made to appear sympathetic, persons
who delight in mindlessness and brute
savagery. Even so, it is possible for
interested persons to learn to use
advanced procedures which can lead to
higher states of consciousness as
described in this article.
Counterfeit States of "Religious
Consciousness"
There have always been persons who
pretended to be participants in the
mystic tradition who were decidedly not.
The same is true in regard to Higher
States of consciousness: there are
people who experience counterfeit

states and try to fool themselves and

others that these are genuine.
Occurring within all religions, the
phenomenon called "conversion" is
actually nothing more than mindcontrol, programming, or brainwashing-frightening a repentant, submissive
person or group into a state of terror
and subsequent release. Counterfeit
"conversion" experiences were, for
example, widely experienced in
nineteenth century America, especially
in what were called "revivals." Even
today, "revivals" of one form or another
are used by all so-called Christian faiths
in

manipulating obedient followers.

"Conversion" is an artificial,
deleterious state induced in a
submissive person by a self-serving
religious leader. As the basis of his 1914
book entitled The Psychology of
Religion, Dr. Edwin D. Starbuck
examined a significant number of
persons who had undergone the
"conversion" experience. He found that
"conversion does not occur with the
same frequency at all periods in life. It
belongs almost exclusively to the years
between 10 and 25. The number of
instances outside that range appear few
and scattered. That is, conversion is a
distinctively adolescent phenomenon."
Starbuck also discovered that
imagination and social pressure were
the two dominant factors in
"conversion," and he was able to
determine what "a small part rational
considerations play in conversion as
compared with instinctive." Surrender to
the religious authority figure (minister
or priest) is necessary for "conversion"
to occur and results in the subject's ego
being "lifted up into new significance."

The essence of "conversion" is the

induction of a state of mere feeling
which, when it has passed, leaves no
spiritual improvement and often results
in the subject feeling like a victim.
Frequently the experience is so
humiliating after the fact that the
subject rejects not only the
"conversion," but anything having to do
with
religion.
Star
buck

discovered that the forces working in

revivals are identical to suggestion and
hypnosis--what we today would call

brainwashing. The negative aspects of

"conversion" are primarily caused by the
self-serving religious leaders.
"An unwise and unfortunate use of
revivals is that they take certain social
standards and attempt to force them
indiscriminately on all persons alike. The
notion is formed, and, doubtless, rightly,
that the only means of escape for one
whose evil habits are deeply ingrained is
through repentance, a definite
regeneration and conversion. There
seems to be practical ignorance of the
other type of conversion, i.e., sudden
awakening following the sense of
imperfection, and still greater disregard
of the fact that it is not natural for
certain temperaments to develop
spasmodically, or even to exhibit marked
stadia in their growth. Consequently, the
normal means of regeneration for the
wayward and for hardened sinners
becomes a dogma, and is held up as the
only means of escape for children, for
natures spiritually immature, for the
virtuous, and for those temperamentally
unfit. A certain competition for

supremacy among churches, and for

success among individual workers,
exaggerates the evil. Each new convert
is sometimes vulgarly called by
revivalists another star in the crowns
which they will wear in the future life. If
there were only power of discrimination,
they would see that their success in
dragging many so-called converts into
the whirl of excitement, hypnotising
them, and leaving them empty
afterward, is more fitly likened to the

triumph of a man of prowess who wears

scalps of victims as trophies."
The psychological manipulation of
Christian believers has a long history.
Leaving aside the peculiar mind
manipulation practiced by Roman

Catholicism, we can see that the basic

tenets of Protestantism, from the time
of Luther, were particularly well-suited
to inducing terror in a submissive
penitent.
"God," says Luther "is the God of the humble,
the miserable, the oppressed, and the
desperate, and of those that are brought even
to nothing; and his nature is to give sight to
the blind, to comfort the broken-hearted, to
justify sinners, to save the very desperate
and damned. Now that pernicious and
pestilent opinion of man's own righteousness,
which will not be a sinner, unclean, miserable,
and damnable, but righteous and holy,
suffereth not God to come to his own natural
and proper work. Therefore God must take
this maul to hand (the law, I mean) to beat in
pieces and bring to nothing this beast with
her vain confidence, that she may so learn at
length by her own misery that she is utterly
forlorn and damned. But here lieth the
difficulty, that when a man is terrified and
cast down, he is so little able to raise himself
up again and say, 'Now I am bruised and
afflicted enough; now is the time of grace;
now is the time to hear Christ.' The
foolishness of man's heart is so great that
then he rather seeketh to himself more laws
to justify his conscience. 'If I live,' saith he, 'I
will amend my life: I will do this, I will do

that.' But here, except thou do the quite

contrary, except thou send Moses away with
his law, and in these terrors and this anguish
lay hold upon Christ who died for thy sins,
look for no salvation. Thy cowl, thy shaven
crown, thy chastity, thy obedience, thy
poverty, thy works, thy merits? what shall all
these do? what shall the law of Moses avail? If
I, wretched and damnable sinner, through
works of merits could have loved the Son of
God, and so come to him, what needed he to
deliver himself for me? If I, being a wretch
and damned sinner, could be redeemed by any
other price, what needed the Son of God to be
given? But because there was no other price,
therefore he delivered neither sheep, ox,
gold, nor silver, but even God himself, entirely
and wholly 'for me,' even 'for me,' I say a
miserable, wretched sinner. Now therefore, I
take comfort and apply this to myself. And
this manner of applying is the very true force
and power of faith. For he died not to justify
the righteous, but the un-righteous, and to
make them the children of God.'"

Commentary on Galatians
In the nineteenth century this
Protestant dogma so suitable to
psychological manipulation was
refashioned by revivalists such as
Jonathan Edwards. His tormented

parishioners
left their nail
marks as
they gripped
the church
pews in
paroxysms of
terror while
listing to
Edwards rail
about
"Sinners In
the Hands of
an
Angry
God."
In the genuine mystical
tradition, regeneration is the
genuine state of higher
consciousness achieved by the
sincere seeker, of which "conversion" is
the counterfeit.
"Hermetism. . . was in its primary intention
and office the philosophic and exact science of
the regeneration of the human soul from its
present sense-immersed state into the

perfection and nobility of that divine condition in

which it was originally created."
M. A. Atwood, Hermetic Philosophy and Alchemy,
1850

Starbuck, Coe, and other researchers

into the phenomenon of "conversion"
discovered that it was essentially an
experience of compliant adolescents,
men and women who had not yet
developed the ability to think and act for
themselves. In the mystical tradition,
candidates for "regeneration" must be
mature philosophers--lovers of wisdom-in the sense that Pythagoras and Plato
would have understood the term.
"Candidates for the regenerate life, moreover,
were such as were prepared, as how few of
to-day are?, to renounce and transvalue all
the world's values, to step entirely out of the
world-stream by the current of which the
majority are content to be borne along, to
negate the affirmations of the senses and
natural reason which for the multitude
provide the criterion of the desirable and the
true, and generally to adopt towards
phenomenal existence an attitude

incomprehensible to the average man to

whom that existence is of paramount
moment. They were animated by no motives
of merely personal salvation or of spiritual
superiority over their fellows; on the contrary
they will be found to have been the humblest,
as they were the wisest, of men. They had
advanced far beyond that complacent stage
where religion consists in fidelity to certain
credal propositions and in 'being good' or as
good as one can, and where sufficiency and
robustness of faith are represented by the
facile optimism of 'God's in His heaven; all's
right with the world.' Their philosophic basis
was rather that 'the world is out of joint' and
all men with it, and in a condition sorely
needing saviours and co-operators with God
to reduce and adjust the dislocation."

M. A. Atwood, Hermetic Philosophy and

Alchemy, 1850

We must

understand that "regeneration" is an

actual fact within the mystical tradition,
no mere allegory or metaphor. As we
have been "generated" in the physical
world, so we can--through the proper
preparation and knowledge--experience
"regeneration" into a Higher
Consciousness.
Even though we have become
entranced by the physical world, there
still abides in us, though in a state of
atrophy, a residual germ of the divine

principle which can be stimulated into

activity to raise the personal
consciousness to the point of unity and
identity with the Universal Mind.

The Evolutionary Function of NonOrdinary States of Consciousness

A number of modern mystical
teachers have pointed out that the next
phase of human evolution will involve
higher states of consciousness involving
superseding of the old structures of
time, space, and false consciousness.
If this vision of human evolution
is true--and other authentic spiritual
leaders posit similar views--then the
achievement of non-ordinary, higher
states of consciousness becomes a
necessity, not merely a pleasant option.
Though ordinary humans are rapidly
losing the ability to understand reality, a
small contemporary group is developing

supernormal powers through revitalizing

the Perennial Tradition.
There is now present an entirely new
factor in human evolution which began
about ten thousand years ago. Whereas
up to that time, human evolution had
been primarily powered by unconscious
physical and social stimuli, it is now
possible for human evolution to be
advanced through conscious effort.
Perennialists are a race of
adventurers, dwelling invisibly among

mankind, who have evolved to the point

of being able to deliberately and actively
return to the divine Fount of Reality.
They have attained Being, union with
the One, and teach these mysteries to
authentic seekers. Because of this, they
have a unique importance for the human
race in revealing humankind's full
potential and how this potential can be
realized.

Notes:
1

Rosenzweig, Mark R. "Experience,

Memory, and the Brain." American
Psychologist, April 1984
2

Ferchmin, P.A., and V.A. Eterovic. "Four

Hours of Enriched Experience Are
Sufficient to Increase Cortical Weight of
Rats." Society for Neuroscience
Abstracts, Vol. 6, p. 857

Diamond's study of the brain of Albert

Einstein showed that his brain contained
more glial cells per neuron in all four of
the brain areas compared with samples
from brains of eleven normal males
ranging from age forty-seven to eighty.
Marian Diamond. "A Love Affair With the
Brain." Discover, May, 1984
4

Weil, Andrew. (1972). The Natural

Mind, p. 29
5

Ibid., p. 29

Ibid., p. 29

Non-positive elements such as

physiological injury or fasting
sometimes produce positive nonordinary consciousness: e.g. near-death
experiences, hallucinations
8

Alcohol, nicotine, and "hard drugs"

(drugs shown by authentic research to
produce physiological harm or addiction)
produce negative non-ordinary
consciousness: aggression, motor
disfunction, mental illness, etc.

Pollan, Michael. (2001). The Botany of

Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World