PDF Summary:Stealing Fire, by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal

Stealing Fire, co-written by Stephen Kotler and Jamie Wheal, tells the story of a modern revolution in our understanding of peak states of consciousness such as flow, mystical enlightenment, and psychedelic experience. According to the authors, these peak states—collectively, “ecstasis”—can catalyze personal transformation, expand your creativity, and connect you to a palpable sense of meaning and fulfillment.

Kotler and Wheal are best selling authors as well as the co-founders of the Flow Genome Project, where they train top organizations—ranging from Navy SEALS to Olympic Athletes and Fortune 500 CEOS—on the principles of flow and peak states.

In this guide, we’ll break down their argument that accessing peak states has become easier, safer, and more legitimate as various scientific advances have demystified what was once obscure and taboo. In our commentary, we’ll touch on additional research, the legality of psychedelics, and recent updates to some of the authors’ ideas.

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(Shortform note: Today, the Esalen Institute still continues its work on the cliffs above Big Sur in California. They're also open to visitors, holding over 350 programs annually for around 130 visitors at a time. In 2019, they launched a new conference on psychedelics, called the "Psychedelic Integration" conference, after avoiding the topic for years due to the illegality of many psychedelics. As the culture shifts to embrace and legalize them, however, Esalen is moving toward exploring their medical and metaphysical possibilities.)

More recently, researchers have found that peak states can both heal psychological traumas and facilitate positive personal growth:

1. Peak state experiences can heal the effects of trauma—The authors describe studies that found that peak states—such as those reached through flow, near-death experiences, or the substance MDMA—can heal or reduce the effects of trauma (such as flashbacks or deeply-set fears). Specifically, peak states can help us to see our traumas from new perspectives, process deeply buried emotions, and break free from cycles of reliving those traumas. These changes last for months or longer and outperform typical drug-based remediations.

(Shortform note: In How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan writes of the psychedelic research program at NYU, where a handful of doctors and therapists have administered guided psilocybin trips to terminally ill volunteers. The results seem promising, if difficult to square with any conventional medical paradigm: Previously depressed, anxious, and dying patients come back from these trips with a deeper sense of peace and understanding than before. These experiences, Pollan writes, seem to be inescapably spiritual in nature—and medical professionals aren't quite sure what to make of that.)

2. Peak experiences can accelerate personal development—Researchers of adult development found that people who have had more peak experiences than average are often more empathetic, act more ethically, and are more productive. Based on this, the authors argue that regular peak experiences—whether from psychedelics or yoga or elsewise—accelerate your growth.

(Shortform note: The relationship between peak experiences and personal development is complex, and there may not be a simple cause-and-effect relationship between the two. For instance, peak experiences can catalyze personal development by providing insights into what’s possible, thereby inspiring people to grow. Yet it's also possible that individuals who are predisposed to personal growth more actively seek out peak experiences (such as those offered by psychedelics). They may be more open to trying new things, taking risks, and exploring new realms of experience. So it’s likely that peak experiences and an inclination to grow reinforce one another in a continuous cycle of growth and transformation.)

Advancements in Neuroscience

Alongside these advances in psychology, neuroscientists have developed brain scanning technologies that enable them to decode peak states. With these technologies, the authors say, researchers have begun to build evidence-based models of various peak states. Altogether, this gives us a clearer picture of the range of possible subjective experiences.

A concrete example: Neuroscience researchers have studied the brains of people who can reliably access peak states, such as Tibetan monks, and identified the neurophysiological conditions that correlate with those states. Data of this kind allows researchers to distinguish between normal consciousness and peak states by identifying the characteristic markers of each:

• Regular consciousness, the authors say, involves high activity in the prefrontal cortex, beta range brainwaves, and the consistent presence of norepinephrine and cortisol (two stress hormones).
• Peak states involve a shift in activity in the prefrontal cortex—some regions rev up while others shut down—as well as slower alpha and theta brainwaves and a different balance of neurochemicals including dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin.

Altogether, these changes function to dissolve your sense of self, heighten feelings of existential well-being, and expand your perceptual experience. And, the authors argue, we can use our knowledge of how these states work to intentionally reproduce them and improve our lives.

(Shortform note: While neuroscientific explanations of peak states—such as those produced through deep meditation—are helpful, they may not capture the full picture. Namely, neuroscientists often stress that “the brain produces the mind,” whereas many meditation traditions hold that the mind is prior to matter. Neuroscience has made significant advances in understanding the neural correlates of mental states, but it remains an open question how the mind may affect the body, too. Arguments such as the authors’ above, then, serve as our best-yet maps—but objective data can’t fully explain the subjective territory of various peak states.)

Similarly, the authors say that brain scans of advanced spiritual practitioners provide a scientific basis for spiritual and religious experiences. For instance, deep meditation deactivates the right parietal lobe, which mediates your sense of space and boundaries. This offers a neurological explanation for spiritual experiences of “oneness with the divine.” In other words, it suggests that a spiritual, experiential feeling of dissolving into some greater whole is a real, valid experience that correlates with observable changes in the brain.

(Shortform note: As research on meditation advances, it's become important to properly distinguish between the variety of meditation techniques. Different techniques produce different effects on the brain, so some findings—such as those the authors discuss above—may not apply to all forms of meditation. A 2021 study suggests a core set of 50 meditation techniques, distilled from just over 300, that may require study to properly distinguish and differentiate.)

Neuroscientists have also demonstrated that your body influences your mind, whereas we typically think the mind is in control. This is called embodied cognition: What you do with your body influences what's going on in your head. The authors argue that this confirms that you can change your mind and your state by moving your body—for instance, through yoga, power posing, or breathing exercises.

Metaphors and the Mind: How Our Physical Experiences Shape Our Thinking

Embodied cognition first gained traction in Western thought through the work of George Lakoff, a linguist and cognitive scientist who argued that human thought isn't separate from the body but is rooted in it. Before Lakoff, philosophical tradition held that thought and reason transcended our physicality—for instance, Descartes' statement "I think, therefore I am" places the mind as more real than the body.

However, Lakoff showed through his work on metaphors that abstract thought comes from various metaphors related to our bodies and physical experiences. One metaphor he identified is "down means lack of control": When we say things such as "I'm feeling down" and "It's all downhill from here," we express loss of power as crumbling and falling (while to gain power is to climb up a ladder). So not only can we change our minds by changing our bodies—our bodies are always influencing how we think and use our minds.

Advancements in Pharmacology

With neuroscience research revealing how the brain works during peak state experiences, it's now possible to precisely access and reproduce those states. According to the authors, one of the best ways to do so is with intoxicating substances such as LSD, psilocybin, and other psychoactive molecules. Further, they argue that recent advances in chemistry and pharmacology will soon make it possible to produce these substances at home and share their recipes over the internet.

For most of history, however, people only had access to the substances that both grew in their locale and were culturally sanctioned. Crucially, the authors explain, this limited the range of peak experiences people could have. Today, though, we have access to a much wider range of substances. Since the mid-twentieth century, independent chemists and pharmacologists have developed recipes and written books to enable people to create psychoactive substances at home. Further, they fought to open-source this knowledge and resisted government efforts to make psychedelics illegal.

As a result, today anyone can go online and research how to synthesize LSD or grow psilocybin mushrooms right in their living rooms. To make things even easier, advances in 3D printing and synthetic biology have begun to produce molecules from simple household ingredients such as vegetable oil and starch. The authors argue that you’ll soon be able to produce various psychedelic molecules at home with nothing more than a 3D printer and a recipe downloaded from the internet.

Machine Learning Meets Molecular 3D Printing

Just a few years on from Stealing Fire’s publication, the authors’ above predictions seem to be edging closer to reality. Multiple research teams have made recent strides in successfully developing technologies to 3D-print pharmaceuticals.

In 2020, a team of researchers from Germany released a paper on progress they'd made in developing an AI-assisted molecular 3D-printer. Their key challenge was to devise a way to properly bond molecules, and they've used machine learning to develop a computer intelligence that can try, err, and learn how to do so.

Specifically, the researchers have thus far trained the software to target and break specific, nanoscale molecular bonds without affecting adjacent molecules. In time, this may make it possible to 3D print various molecules, including pharmaceutical drugs, at home.

Meanwhile, Canadian biotech company Biomind Labs announced in 2021 that they'd successfully designed a 3D-printable pharmaceutical that incorporated printed psychedelic molecules. This may be the first instance of a successful delivery on the dream the authors describe above.

Additionally, the authors say that research has begun to validate the use of these substances. Researchers have found that hallucinogenic molecules produce similar effects to advanced states of meditation or spiritual practice. Thus, they can yield the same profoundly meaningful experiences found in other types of peak states.

With this validation and the ability to homebrew psychedelic substances, people have come together in online communities of “psychonaut” explorers. Gray net sites such as Erowid gather trip reports, how-to information, and crowd-sourced efforts to make sense of the psychedelic experience.

(Shortform note: Before jumping into your own pharmacological explorations, note that many psychedelic substances still occupy a legal gray area. Cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms remains illegal in most US states, though possession of spores is not strictly illegal. LSD remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the US, which means it is illegal to possess, buy, sell, or create in any way. Beyond the US, many countries around the world adhere to the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which also classifies psilocybin and LSD as illegal.)

Advancements in Technology

Despite easier access, some routes to peak states—namely, psychedelics and extreme sports (such as skiing, freeclimbing, big-wave surfing, and skydiving)—remain risky, and people have lost their minds and their lives pursuing the peak states they create. However, the authors argue, new technologies are making peak states safer and easier to access for larger and larger groups of people.

To reduce the danger of peak states found through, for instance, flying down alpine slopes on racing skis, entrepreneurs have begun to create safer alternatives that simulate the same experience. For example, indoor skydiving tunnels mimic the high of jumping from an airplane. In addition, entrepreneurs, including the authors, have begun to create “gyms” outfitted with biofeedback tech and other apparatuses designed to induce flow in a safe manner. With technologies such as giant swings, sensory deprivation tanks, and heartbeat and brainwave monitors, people can safely and reliably find peak states.

(Shortform note: While the new, safer technologies described by the authors seem effective in theory, not everyone agrees that they’re a good substitute for the real thing. Instead, for instance, skydivers have found that indoor skydiving is a good way to train but can’t measure up to the real experience. Meanwhile, Red Bull has begun experimenting with virtual reality as a way to find the middle ground between overly safe, gym-based experiences and the real thing. With just a VR headset, users can try real-feeling cliff-jumping, skydiving, and helicopter flying.)

These states aren’t only safer—they’re also becoming more accessible to large groups. Leading technicians have designed speaker systems, deployed at festivals such as Burning Man, that catalyze group flow states. Further, the authors explain, visionary artists from the same Burning Man coterie have begun to create massive-scale art productions that overwhelm the senses and create a sense of collective awe that dissolves the self. In both cases, researchers have found that such experiences affect the brain similarly to other routes into peak states.

(Shortform note: As the authors describe, these experiences are in theory safer and more accessible. However, these specialized facilities and awe-inducing art experiences aren’t exactly accessible to all. Consider Burning Man: Regular tickets cost around $400 and sell out quickly, while additional expenses include travel, hauling your own food and water, optional membership in a larger camp, vehicle rental, and so on. Altogether, you could pay upward of a few thousand dollars for the eight-day experience—quite a lot if you simply want to try out group flow and encounter large-scale art productions. Meanwhile, high-end biotech gyms, such as Mindgym, appear to serve mainly large, wealthy corporate teams.)

Obstacles to the Revolution: Profit and Control

While these trends are promising, the authors say there's no guarantee that the revolution will succeed. With the open-source ethos of Burning Man and psychedelic culture, some are trying to democratize knowledge of peak states. On the other hand, private businesses and government agencies seek to control and co-opt consciousness-altering technologies while reducing public access to them.

Specifically, the authors say that we should be wary of how large corporations may use neuroscience to further their private interests—such as improving their bottom lines and retaining customers. For instance, video game companies engineer habit-forming gameplay loops by targeting the brain’s dopamine systems so that people will continue to play their games. The authors also speculate that down the road, we could see a sort of “VR surveillance state” wherein businesses use virtual reality and biotech equipment to gather data about people’s physiological makeups in order to manipulate them into purchasing products.

(Shortform note: The field the authors write of is called neuromarketing or consumer neuroscience—and while we aren't living in a world of pervasive virtual advertising, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have begun to operate neuromarketing teams. These teams and other private firms use mainly brain-scanning technologies to study how consumers’ brains respond to information such as branding and marketing materials. Businesses can then use this information to pinpoint the responses they want from their customer base in order to better refine and target their marketing efforts.)

In addition to corporate interests, the US military has demonstrated interest in using peak states to their advantage. In the mid-twentieth century, Project MK ULTRA explored how LSD and other psychedelics might be used to brainwash and manipulate foes. Today, US government agencies regularly attend and surveil the proceedings of Burning Man. The authors speculate that they’re interested in any techniques or technologies that might be used to create superior soldiers—and already, Navy SEALs use a “mind gym” full of biofeedback technology to learn skills faster and refine their ability to access group flow.

(Shortform note: Psychedelics and advanced training facilities aren’t the only ways in which the US government has tried to create a superior fighting force. During World War II, US soldiers (as well as Brits and Germans) were given amphetamines to stay awake and alert in grueling combat environments. More recently, the US military has explored the use of modafinil, a drug used to treat narcolepsy by producing amphetamine-like effects without the side effects. However, recent research shows that modafinil may in fact have addictive side effects—and the researchers advise against the use of the drug to boost cognitive performance on a regular basis.)

Peak States In Practice: Risks, Rewards, and How-Tos

We’ve surveyed the field and laid out the authors’ arguments for the benefits and advancements in peak states; now, we’ll look at the practical side of things—how you can start exploring peak states in your own life. We’ll discuss the authors’ techniques, starting with the risks and rewards of exploring peak states of consciousness and ending with their methods to evaluate and schedule different peak experiences throughout your life.

The Risks of Peak States

According to the authors, responsible explorers of peak states need to understand the risks, rewards, and ground rules of exploration before diving in. We’ll start with the four main risks: extreme ego inflation, conflating peak insights with practical success, getting addicted to the highs, and completely losing yourself in the experience.

Risk #1: Extreme ego inflation—Peak experiences, the authors say, can dissolve your sense of self and facilitate powerful insights that dangerously inflate the ego—for instance, sometimes people come back thinking they’re the second coming of Christ. To avoid losing yourself in what can seem like divine revelation, remember that your experience isn’t the end-all-be-all and take it with a grain of salt.

(Shortform note: One study found that state-changing substances can cause either ego inflation or ego dissolution. Specifically, the researchers determined that psychedelic drugs correlate strongly with experiences of ego loss, whereas cocaine and alcohol are far more likely to cause ego inflation. As such, you may be at a lower risk of ego inflation when responsibly using psychedelics.)

Risk #2: Time frustration—Peak states distort your sense of time, so it’s easy to forget that, in normal life, it takes time to deliver on the brilliant insights you find. To avoid getting frustrated by this, the authors recommend remembering that you’ll need to work to turn your ideas into realities.

(Shortform note: In addition to the authors’ suggestion above, you can try framing time frustration as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. As Ryan Holiday suggests in The Obstacle is the Way, roadblocks on the path to your goals aren’t inherently good or bad. What matters most is how you choose to see them. So instead of getting frustrated, use the friction of daily effort to grow more resilient, persistent, and adaptable. In doing so, you’ll strengthen your commitment to your goals, learn what you’re truly made of, and develop virtues that will serve you in multiple areas of your life.)

Risk #3: Addiction—Peak states can feel incredible—specifically, the authors caution that sensations of great ease and joy can become addictive. Some people die chasing these states through extreme sports or lose their minds on psychedelics. The authors recommend remembering that there are no highs without lows, and they say to embrace the grit and grind of everyday life.

(Shortform note: Though peak states and some of the paths to reach them pose addictive risks, note that the classical psychedelics (psilocybin and LSD) aren’t chemically addictive. In other words, you won't build a substantial tolerance to a substance such as psilocybin, and you won't experience withdrawal symptoms or cravings after use.)

Risk #4: Over-immersion—According to the authors, the richness and depth of peak experiences lure some people into going too deep, too fast. Some extreme sports athletes die by pushing too far, too fast; some psychedelic explorers lose their minds doing the same. To avoid this fate, remember that the experience means nothing if you come back broken or not at all. So take it slow, and don’t discount the value of sobriety.

(Shortform note: One popular way to ease into psychedelic use is micro-dosing, a practice wherein you take a fraction of a normal dose in order to acclimate to and see whether the experience is right for you. Over time you can introduce larger doses, eventually working toward full-size "trips" if you deem it to be right for you.)

Evaluate and Schedule Your Peak State Experiences

The authors say that you can access peak states with a variety of methods. Some people prefer extreme sports; others use psychedelics; still others find flow in the music, dance, and community of festivals. Given this, the authors recommend that you consider every method that appeals to you and develop a schedule that spreads them throughout your year.

Start with a list of the methods you want to try—such as starting a yoga practice, taking LSD, or experimenting with biofeedback tech—and then weigh the following three factors to evaluate each method:

• Reward: How persistent and lasting are the benefits of the method?
• Risk: How potentially dangerous is the method?
• Time: How long does the method take to produce a peak state?

Additional Factors to Consider on Your Path to Peak Experience

Above, the authors emphasize that each of us will find different routes to peak states and that in doing so, we have to patiently explore and assess various methods. Each of us will have a different balance of personal preferences, risk tolerance, sense of urgency, and so on. However, these aren’t the only factors you can consider, and a few others may be crucial to touch on:

• Legality: Is the route legal in your country or state? What are the legal repercussions if you violate the law?

• Expenses: Do you have the financial means to explore the route? For instance, extreme skiing can produce flow but is by no means a budget-friendly option.

• Sustainability: Is the route something you can rely on regularly? If you do reach a peak state, will you be able to get back there sustainably?

• Underlying conditions: Do you have any underlying conditions, such as physical or mental health challenges, that might be worsened by exploring a route?

Ultimately, it's up to each of us to determine what methods work best for us. In addition to these variables, take the time to consider any further specific-to-you factors that may be relevant to any given method. By more fully considering your personal route to peak experiences, you can reduce overall risks and be sure you find a way that is right and fulfilling for you.

Once you have a sense of the risk/reward/time balance of each method you’re interested in, sketch out a schedule. The authors suggest practicing slower, safer practices (meditation, yoga, contemplation) on a daily basis. On the other hand, space out your sessions with faster, riskier methods (psychedelics, rock climbing, extreme skiing)—try once a month, or a few times a year. In general, stay safe by using the riskier methods less often than you want to.

Last, the authors recommend that you take one month out of each year to step away from peak states. During this time, reflect on what you’ve experienced and evaluate whether to adjust your practices. If you feel off-kilter from your intense methods, slow it down. If you need more grounding from slow, disciplined practices, work more on those.

The Dangers of “Fast and Hard” Routes to Peak Experiences

Two big names of the Western counterculture of the late 20th century—Alan Watts and Terence McKenna—offer a fitting example of the authors' insistence to use caution when trying the "fast and hard" methods to reach peak states.

Watts, an English philosopher and teacher who lectured in the Bay area and at the Esalen Institute during the 1970s, said of psychedelics, "When you get the message, hang up the phone. For psychedelic drugs are simply instruments, like microscopes, telescopes, and telephones..." Watts likely said this to emphasize that psychedelics ought not to be treated as the best or only way to deepen and enrich your experience.

McKenna, in turn, demonstrated that long-term use of psychedelic substances won’t solve all your problems on its own. McKenna was perhaps the most popular lecturer and raconteur of the psychedelic counterculture in the 1980s. He was known to regularly use various psychedelics (mainly psilocybin) and to recommend a 5-gram "heroic dose" of psilocybin mushrooms.

Toward the end of his life, however, McKenna reportedly endured a terrifying psychedelic trip that put him off of magic mushrooms for the last decade of his life. Asked once to comment on the above quotes by Watts, McKenna allegedly said, "Well, I'm still getting good messages!"