Altered State of Consciousness-any of various states of awareness (as dreaming sleep, a drug-induced hallucinogenic state, or a trance) that deviate from and are usually clearly demarcated from ordinary waking consciousness.
A friend of mine uses Photoshop to make Mandala, he makes one or two a day. They have a fractal type quality to them, and if you stare at them they are supposed to clear your mind and help you achieve an altered state of consciousness. The ancient Greeks had the Temple of Delphi, where it is believed there was a large brass pot of water, which those wishing to speak to the Dead would stare into. At least, this is how Dr Moody achieves an altered state of consciousness in Reunions. Carlos Casteneda was fond of a more direct approach to altered states that involved things like Jimsonweed and Peyote. Most people today use one of three drugs to physically alter their state of consciousness-caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol. They all do a good job of achieving an altered state, but they are not really all that good for you.
We live in a nice modern world now, we understand a lot more than the Greeks, or even Carlos, about how the brain works and what an altered state really is. The Silva Method of Mind Control was the first book that really made me want to spend some time in deep meditation. Another book that was filled with profound methods of meditation was called Bret Lyon’s Personal Power Program and used many interesting meditation methods to achieve his results. I still use many of the techniques discussed in this book today. Mainly things about breathing and relaxing your jaw-which is surprisingly a good way to reach an altered state of consciousness.
But we live in a brave new world! We understand about Beta Waves and Alpha Waves and Delta Waves and we can get there, even if we don’t lock ourselves on top of a mountain for twenty years. The technology to reach altered states of consciousness has been around for a while now. Subliminal messages can reach into the subconscious and suggest that we do things we might not otherwise do. Optical illusions trick us and make us wonder what we are looking at. Magicians can pull coins out of thin air, or at least appear to. These are all slight alterations of our reality. Anytime we experience something new, we are changing our brains on a physical level. That is a bit scary. But it can be a bit fun as well.
Top Ten Ways to an Altered State of Consciousness Without Drugs.
I-Doser -This bit of software uses a technology I am very fond of called Binaural Brainwaves. The idea is that your right ear hears the world a little bit different from your left ear. This is what makes Dolby Stereo so cool. At first I-Doser just sounds like noise, like the static from an radio not tuned to a station. But then you start to feel a little different. The ‘doses’ have names like Peyote and A-Bomb and the idea is to get a high similar to various drugs without the side effects of real drugs. There are CDs available and a software program that allows you to use a vast array of I-Doser doses.
Brainwave Generator -Another software program that allows you to create altered states with binaural technology. Where I-Doser wants to get you stoned, Brainwave Generator wants to help you with your bad habits-quit smoking, quit drinking, lose weight-that sort of thing. There are presets designed to help you sleep, become more alert, meditate, have out of body experiences, and many others that have no set purpose, but seem to be fun to use anyway. As with I-Doser, there are a lot of claims here about Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection that I have not had any luck with, but I do like the way most of the presets make me feel.
Silva Method -The Silva Method works on the idea that Beta Waves and Alpha Waves control our lives. His method involves creative visualizations and the use of sounds designed to lower the brainwave frequencies to a resting state, even while you are wide awake and aware of your surroundings. I have used many of the techniques in the original Silva Method of Mind Control book and still use a few of them today. I have not had any luck in controlling the future, long distance healing, or telepathy-but maybe I just didn’t try hard enough.
Light and Sound Systems -I have never actually tried one of these gadgets, though I have often thought that I would like to use one. The idea here is to not only put binaural sounds in your ears, but to flash a series of lights around your eyes to put you into a deep trance. I have seen products that combine these flashing lights and sounds with subliminal self help tapes.
Kelly Howell -Theater of The Mind offers a number of guided meditations and self help products. My favorite of these are the BrainSync series, which use sound to effect brainwave frequencies. The Secret Universal Mind Meditation was a recent title that I like, inspired by the Oprah infused success of The Secret. Kelly Howell’s voice is soft and soothing and it is easy to relax and listen to what she has to say.
Paraliminals -Paul Scheele has taken the notion of subliminals and turned them around. Instead of having voices speak under the level of hearing, he has two or more voices speaking at a normal level, but at slightly different times with slightly different messages. Genius Mind is a good one, and really, any of his shorter programs are really great. Self Esteem Supercharger helps you feel better about yourself, I like that one too.
Dane Spotts -Another pioneer in the field of binaural brainwave tweaking, Dane Spotts has a wide range to titles to choose from. These have more music and natural sounds and less of the feeling that you are listening to a broken TV. The Ultra Meditation 5-Level Transcendence System is Dane Spotts best work. Some of the soundtracks can be a bit annoying, like the one that has whales singing for thirty minutes, but it is still works. This is very interesting stuff and one of my first experiences with meditation CDs.
HoloSync -One more great place to find brainwave altering CDs. The Awakened Mind System is a good place to start. For those of us that are big fans of DHEA, the Holosync website claims that it’s sound technology helps promote DHEA in the body. The idea here is that using Holosync will keep you young longer as well as make you smarter. This is just one more benefit of whole brain thinking. I like Holosync, though that whole never ending rain shower does take a bit of getting used to.
Hemi-Sync -The Monroe Institute has a pretty website and talks about brainwaves and expanded awareness and altered states of consciousness. The Gateway Experience in the big product on the Hemi-Sync front. I never got the past the first section of the Gateway Experience, there was a lot of talking and then some more talking. There are brain wave sync technologies here, but there is also a lot of good old fashioned visualization and hypnosis going on. This was the only system that I tried that felt like work while I was using it. But if you can get into it and actually the use some of the countless techniques described, I think it might be worth the effort.
Inner Talk -A good place to find all kinds of subliminal and binaural products. One of my favorite self help tapes was by a company called Omniphonics, which does not seem to be around anymore-though the tapes are still available at Amazon and Inner Talk. There are a lot of CDs and Tapes of one sort or another on Inner Talk, and I have used many of their products. I’d go with the nature soundtrack when they give you an option, the music gets old pretty quick. They have programs designed to help with just about any problem you could possibly have.
I have read warnings that binaural technology should not be overused- I have experienced headaches and slight dizziness myself from time to time. But the benefits, at least as far as I can tell, outweigh the risks. The Law of Attraction blog talks about how to easily enter the Alpha State. Today is That Day has 5 paperless ways to improve your life.
