{"id":95438,"date":"2023-03-13T06:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T10:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=95438"},"modified":"2023-03-14T15:09:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T19:09:55","slug":"higher-level-of-consciousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/higher-level-of-consciousness\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Access a Higher Level of Consciousness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you access higher levels of consciousness? What states of consciousness are the human brain capable of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our day-to-day waking lives, we experience a very limited spectrum of consciousness<\/a> in the context of what is possible. The human brain is capable of accessing states of consciousness that you wouldn\u2019t even imagine are possible unless you experience them first-hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at the methods for breaking free of the bounds of ordinary, everyday awareness and traversing into the higher planes of consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Continuum of Consciousness <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have only just begun to understand the most basic elements of the human mind. While scientists have started to develop the ability to directly manipulate the brain, no one really knows how vast the continuum of consciousness is. The continuum of consciousness consists of every mental state a being can experience, and humanity likely only exists within a small portion of it. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare the continuum of consciousness to the electromagnetic spectrum. Human beings can only see and experience a sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum through visible color and light, but scientists have discovered parts of the spectrum that can\u2019t be interacted with without technology such as radio waves, x-rays, and microwaves. Mental states may exist on a similar spectrum, with the organic human brain only experiencing a small fraction of the full spectrum of consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the use of psychedelic drugs and the experiences of \u201cvisions\u201d were once seen as a way to connect to the divine, modern society discourages people from exploring higher levels of consciousness, labeling<\/a> those who do as addicts, liars, or mental patients. <\/strong>However, even with substance use or abnormal brains, humans are still limited by the organic limitations of the human mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: Homo Deus
\nAUTHOR: Yuval Noah Harari
\nTIME: 63
\nREADS: 114.8
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/homo-deus-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: homo-deus-summary-yuval-noah-harari
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methods for Accessing Higher Planes of Consciousness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While we will likely never know all possible states of consciousness, the spectrum of consciousness that we can<\/em> access is still vast, extending well beyond our ordinary, everyday awareness. Here are some ways humans can access different levels of consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychedelics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Brian Muraresku, the author of The Immortality Key<\/em><\/a>, humans have yearned to experience higher levels of consciousness since ancient times. One way to do that was through the ingestion of psychedelic substances, which provided a gateway to a one-of-a-kind experience of spiritual transformation and union with something bigger than ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2022 study, the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research reported that 75% of respondents rate a single psychedelic session as one of the top five\u2014or the single most\u2014meaningful experiences of their life. One of the most common experiences people report after having a psychedelic session is ego death: a sense of oneness with everything. They also often report feeling a union with the divine, and a sense that they\u2019re transformed in some meaningful way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2016 study of cancer patients who underwent a psilocybin treatment session, in which 87% of participants reported increased life satisfaction and well-being that lasted for months. One of those participants was a woman whose diagnosis had sent her into an existential crisis. Although she had identified as an atheist, she said during her session she had experienced the feeling of \u201cbeing bathed in God\u2019s love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond acting as a gateway to higher levels of consciousness, researchers on the psychedelic frontier believe psychedelics have great potential for easing end-of-life suffering, fear of death<\/a>, and healing psychological trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Psychedelics<\/a> and How Are They Used?<\/strong>

The term \u201cpsychedelics\u201d is typically used to refer to chemicals or plants that have psychoactive<\/em> (mind-altering) properties when ingested by humans<\/a>. These substances can create profound changes in perception, thought patterns<\/a>, and mood. Examples include psilocybin (found in \u201cmagic mushrooms\u201d), LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, mescaline, and many others\u2014some of which are synthetic and others that occur naturally. 

Many cultures around the world and throughout history have used psychedelics, most often for spiritual and healing purposes, and consider them \u201cplant medicines.\u201d Anthropologists often use the word entheogen <\/em>when referring to psychedelics used for these purposes. In Greek, the word \u201centheogen\u201d means \u201cgenerating the god within\u201d and Muraresku argues that this is exactly the context in which psychedelics were used in ancient Greece.

People in the modern world also use psychedelics recreationally, outside of ritual cultural context. Sometimes people use them just for \u201cfun\u201d or out of curiosity, but many recreational users also report a desire for a spiritual or mind-expanding experience, or to attempt to relieve anxiety<\/a>. Although psychedelics are safer than most other types of recreational drugs<\/a>, they necessarily come with risks<\/a>, since they alter your perception. Users can have extremely negative \u201ctrips\u201d that can have long-lasting effects on their mental health. This is why experts stress the crucial importance of context<\/a> for psychedelic experiences.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Breathwork<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Breath is another tool for accessing alternate states of consciousness. According to Wim Hof (a.k.a. the Iceman), the author of The Wim Hof Method<\/em><\/a>, breathwork can help you gain power of your unconscious physical processes (e.g. heartbeat) and reach enlightenment<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hof failed to achieve greater spiritual understanding by reading ancient Indian scriptures. It was only when he stopped thinking and focused instead on merely feeling the cold and his breath that Hof found what he calls the \u201cinner voice\u201d\u2014an innate understanding of what you truly need in any particular moment. Similarly, Hof argues that by continually practicing his method and focusing on the feelings in your body instead of stimuli in the outside world, you can find your own inner voice\u2014which will lead you to a higher truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Hof\u2019s Techniques Compare to Other Paths to Enlightenment<\/strong>

Although Hof may be unique in connecting cold exposure to spiritual enlightenment, several traditions have connected breathwork and meditation<\/a> to a higher sense of spirituality. Buddhists believe that meditating in several different ways can lead to enlightenment<\/a>. Hof\u2019s techniques appear most similar to the Buddhist meditation practice<\/a> of shamatha, which involves paying attention<\/a> to your body, as well as metta, which involves sending loving thoughts out into the world. In contrast, holotropic breathwork practitioners believe that breathwork can improve your sense of spirituality<\/a> by helping you access higher levels of consciousness.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lucid Dreaming<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While whether lucid dreaming can be considered a higher state of consciousness (in a spiritual sense) is up to debate, it\u2019s definitely a higher cognitive state than a regular dream because it requires metacognition of one\u2019s state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a lucid dream, you become aware that you\u2019re dreaming as opposed to being fully immersed. Some lucid dreamers are able to voluntarily control their actions within their dreams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers can verify when someone is lucid dreaming by pre-arranging eye movements and hand signals while the subject is awake, then detecting the subject making those same eye movements and hand signals while sleeping (the hand signals are detected by fMRI\u2014remember, you can\u2019t move during REM sleep because of muscle atonia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Matthew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep<\/em><\/a>, less than 20% of people are capable of lucid dreaming, suggesting it might not be a hugely advantageous capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Start Lucid Dreaming<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One study found that you can increase your chances of having lucid dreams<\/a> in just one week by combining these three techniques:<\/p>\n\n\n\n