Stealing Fire

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Stealing Fire Page 30

by Steven Kotler


  and training for nonordinary states, 205–6

  See also STER

  ego

  death of, 67

  disintegration of, 126

  inflation of, 202–3, 208

  and music, 142

  and neurobiology, 111, 113, 114

  and psychedelics, 124, 126

  repurposing of, 201–2

  Einstein, Albert, 98

  Eipmetheus, 221, 222

  The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (Wolfe), 189

  electronic dance music (EDM), 30, 67, 85

  electronic festivals, 142

  Eleusinian Mysteries, 2–3, 168

  Eleusis, 3, 19, 155

  Eliade, Mircea, 57

  elites: spreading of ecstatic culture by, 165–74

  Ellie (AI), 100–102, 104

  Ellison, Larry, 219–20

  embodied/disembodied cognition, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 111, 152, 175

  “emergent” leadership, 105–6

  emotions

  and neurobiology, 97, 100–102

  See also specific emotion

  empathy, 96, 97, 152, 193, 198

  Empire State Building: Jones art at, 143, 144

  “End of the Line” experience, 131

  end of the world feeling, 204

  endorphins, 20–21, 24, 42, 45, 85, 141, 217

  enlightenment engineering, 146–48

  entertainment

  and Altered States Economy, 30

  See also type of entertainment

  entrepreneurs, 171, 172, 174, 204

  Equinox Gyms, 195

  Erhard, Werner, 79–80, 81

  Erowid. See Teafaerie

  ESADE Business School (Spain), 105–6, 112

  Esalen, 77, 78–79, 81, 82, 93, 168, 190, 192

  Esalen (Kripal), 79

  eschatothesia, 204

  EST (Erhard Seminars Training), 79–80, 81

  everyday lives: dissemination of innovation in, 174–78

  “everything/nothing” dialectic, 217

  evolution, 117–19, 134, 215

  “experience economy,” 195

  Extreme Technology Challenge (XTC), 172–73

  facial expressions: and neurobiology, 96–100

  Fadiman, James, 49–50, 126

  Falling Whistles (Summit project), 171

  fats, 212–14

  FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), 183, 192

  Fermi, Enrico, 131

  Ferriss, Tim, 50, 159

  Fifty Shades of Grey (James), 85

  film: and Altered States Economy, 30–31

  Firechat, 167

  The First Earth Battalion Operations Manual (Channon), 190, 191

  flow

  in advertising, 195

  and Altered States Economy, 29

  benefits of, 43, 74–75

  and Carhart-Harris research, 126

  categories of, 23–24

  and consciousness, 4–5

  Csikszentmihalyi research about, 42, 43

  definition of, 4, 23

  and Google, 27, 28

  Navy SEALs and, 25

  and neurobiology, 108

  and neurotheology, 108

  neurotransmitters in, 42

  and Pale of the Body, 57

  psychology and, 90

  and sex, 85

  and solving wicked problems, 46–50

  and technology, 74–75, 136, 149

  transcranial magnetic stimulation and, 48

  See also Flow Dojo; Flow Genome Project; group flow; specific topic

  Flow (Csikszentmihalyi), 42

  Flow Dojo, 148–53

  Flow Genome Project, 4–6, 46, 135

  Fly Ranch (Burning Man site), 163

  food industry, 212–14

  Ford, Henry, 80

  Fortune magazine: and Task Force Delta, 190

  France

  caves in, 140, 143

  churches in, 141

  Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 192

  French Revolution, 68

  From Bitcoin to Burning Man and Beyond (Hirshberg), 167

  Funktion-One (Andrews company), 139, 140, 142, 143, 157

  future

  Channon’s views about, 190

  predicting the, 96

  and timelessness, 41

  See also precognition

  G Pause (Google mindfulness training), 27–28

  gambling, 30

  gamma waves, 47–48

  Garcia, Jerry, 189

  Gates, Bill, 205

  genetics, 133

  Geneva Convention, 182

  geography: and pharmacology, 118, 119, 123, 134, 153

  Ginsberg, Allen, 77

  God Helmut, 59

  Google

  and altering mental states to enhance performance, 6, 23, 27–28, 32

  and Burning Man, 19–22, 27

  CEO hiring at, 18–22

  communal vocational ecstasy at, 20, 21, 27–28

  and ecstasis, 18–22, 23, 25

  Flow Dojo and, 149–50, 152

  and flow states, 27, 28

  and marketing, 197

  mindfulness training at, 27–28

  See also Brin, Sergey; Page, Larry

  Google Doodle, 19–20

  Googleplex (Mountain View), 6, 23, 27–28

  Gore, Al, 35

  Graham, Martha, 47

  Grateful Dead, 189

  Great Awakening, 179

  Greece

  churches in, 141

  revolution in, 1–2

  Green Berets, U.S., 190–91

  Gregg, Melissa, 64–65

  Griffiths, Roland, 59, 87–88, 120

  Grof, Stanislav, 23, 67, 124

  group flow, 11, 23, 103–4, 105–6, 138, 147, 171

  Group Genius (Sawyer), 11

  gut instinct, 98

  Gutenberg, Johannes, 73–74, 75

  Hagel, John, 43

  hallucinogens, 50, 116. See also specific hallucinogen

  Hamelin (Germany) pipers, 65–66, 67, 69

  Hanfstaeng, Ernst, 69

  Harper’s Magazine: Sandia “super mule” article in, 184

  Harris, Sam, 57–58

  Harvard Business Review: Tolbert comments in, 93

  Harvard Medical School: lifestyle change study at, 42

  Harvard University: happiness course at, 175

  Harvey, Larry, 160

  hashish, 34

  head trauma, 60–61

  heart rate: monitoring of, 104, 147, 151, 197

  Heaven’s Gate suicides, 67

  hedonic calendaring, 213–16

  Heifetz, Ron, 114

  Hell Week, Navy SEALs, 13, 19

  Hells Angels, 189

  Hemingway, Ernest, 216

  heroin, 29, 62

  Hessel, Andrew, 133–34

  Hill, Napoleon, 80

  Hirshberg, Peter, 166–67, 168

  Hitler, Adolf, 69

  hocus-pocus, 73, 74

  Hofmann, Albert, 3

  Holiday, Ryan, 205–6

  Holy Ghost: Mormon belief in, 53, 54

  hope: importance of, 222

  Horgan, John, 58

  horseback riding, 60, 61

  How We Got to Now (Steve Johnson), 141

  Howl (Ginsberg), 77

  Hsieh, Tony, 161–62, 163, 170, 210

  Hua, Vanessa, 159

  human condition, 216–18

  human potential movement, 76, 77–81, 191

  Hunt, Graham, 135, 136

  Hurricane Katrina, 164–65

  Hurricane Sandy, 165

  Huxley, Aldous, 3, 199

  HyaSynth Bio, 133

  hydrocodone, 133

  Hyperloop, 161

  Hyperspace Lexicon, 130–31, 204

  hypnosis, 108

  ibogaine, 116, 122

  iFly (Metni company), 138, 150

  imaging technology, 101, 107–8, 109, 124, 125, 194. See also brain imaging

  IMAX, 30

  immersive experience design and
training, 148–53

  immersive/visionary art, 142–45, 149, 150, 157, 198

  In Over Our Heads (Kegan), 39

  individualism, 68

  information technology, 185–87, 199, 216

  innovation. See creativity

  intellectual community: spreading of ecstatic culture by, 168–70

  intelligence community

  and Burning Man, 191–92

  “spooks” of, 187–93

  See also CIA; FBI

  International Business Times: Downer comments in, 116

  International Foundation for Advanced Study, 49

  intoxication, 115–19

  Intoxication (Siegel), 116

  Iraq War, 89, 191, 193

  Ismail, Salim, 21

  isolation tanks, 26–27, 79

  It’s Not About Now, 203–5, 208

  It’s Not About You, 202–3, 208

  Jacobsen, Annie, 182

  James, E.L., 85

  James, William, 44

  Japan: Fukushima disaster in, 165

  jar analogy, 95

  Jeep: marketing of, 196

  Jerusalem Syndrome, 202–3

  Joan of Arc, 54–55

  Jobs, Steve, 50

  Johnson, Samuel, 137

  Johnson, Steven, 141

  Jones, Android, 142–43, 144, 145, 150, 157, 198

  Jones, Shaun, 103

  Journal of Occupational Therapy: and Rogers PTSD study, 89

  Journal of the American Medical Association: meditation study report in, 112

  Jung, Carl, 168

  Kabbalism, 109

  Kardaras, Nicholas, 196–97

  Kegan, Robert, 38–39, 92, 93, 175

  Kelly, Kevin, 198

  Kerouac, Jack, 77, 189

  Kesey, Ken, 66, 188–89, 192

  ketamine, 26, 207–8

  Kidman, Nicole, 96, 97

  Kill House, Navy SEALs, 14, 15, 25

  kinetic training gear, 150–52

  kitesurfing, 138, 171, 172, 173

  Korean War, 182

  Kornfield, Jack, 203

  Kotler, Steven

  Ellie (AI) and, 100

  The Rise of Superman by, 5, 25, 135, 136, 150

  Kripal, Jeff, 79

  Kurzweil, Ray, 177

  kykeon, 2, 3, 74, 188

  Lafley, A.G., 47

  The Lancet: Nutt studies in, 63

  Landmark, 80

  Lanier, Jaron, 103

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Consumer Electronics Show in, 157, 173

  Downtown Project in, 161, 163, 210

  Lascaux caves: Jones art at, 143

  lateral thinking, 45, 117–18

  Law of the Instrument, 111

  Lawrence, D.H., 168

  leadership, “emergent,” 105–6

  learning

  accelerated, 27

  and revising tactics and conventions, 219–22

  and solving wicked problems, 50

  Leary, Mark, 37, 38

  Leary, Timothy, 33, 68

  Leonard, Adam, 27–28

  Lilly, John, 26, 27, 183–85, 186, 187, 193, 200, 207–8, 217

  Lilly, Toni, 207, 208

  Lincoln, Abraham, 212

  Lindstrom, Martin, 194, 197

  Loftus, Elizabeth, 41

  longitudinal research, 92

  LSD, 3, 26, 49, 62, 63, 66, 121, 122, 125, 176, 187–89

  Ludwig, Hans, 209

  Luhan, Mabel Dodge, 168

  lysergic acid (LSA), 3

  Mad Men (TV show), 77–78

  Magic Leap (company), 145

  magic mushrooms, 62, 116

  Mai, Susi, 171–72

  Main Street: dissemination of innovation on, 174–78

  MaiTai Global, 171–73, 174

  Manchester Guardian newspaper, 63, 125

  Manson, Charles, 67

  Mao Tse Tung, 69

  MAPS (nonprofit research), 123

  Marcinko, Richard, 14–15

  Marcus Aurelius, 206

  marijuana, 29, 62, 116, 119, 133, 176

  Marine Corps, U.S., 22, 191

  marketing: and dangers/misuse of ecstasis, 181, 182, 193–99, 200

  Markoff, John, 18

  Maroon 5 band, 52

  Martin, Jeffery, 148

  Martin, Roger, 47, 92

  Maslow, Abraham, 43, 92–93, 111, 113

  The Master Switch (Wu), 185, 186, 187, 199

  The Matrix (movie), 36

  “May the Force Be With You,” 191

  McKinsey (consultants), 49

  MDMA (drug), 61, 62, 88–89, 121, 124, 176, 211

  media

  and Altered States Economy, 30

  See also specific organization

  meditation

  and altered states to altered traits, 92

  as archaic technique of ecstasy, 57

  brain and, 20

  and Carhart-Harris research, 125, 126

  and categories of ecstasis, 23–24

  and Ecstasis Equation, 212

  as ecstatic technique, 24–25

  enlightenment engineering and, 146–47, 148

  in everyday lives, 175

  and Google, 27–28

  hedonic calendaring and, 214

  human potential movement and, 79

  and military, 5

  neurobiology and, 108, 109, 112

  neurofeedback and, 25

  neurotheology and, 108, 109

  “orgasmic,” 82, 83, 200

  Pale of the Body and, 57, 60

  pharmacology and, 128

  psychology and, 90

  and PTSD, 89

  and sex, 85

  and solving wicked problems, 47–48

  and stealing kykeon, 5

  STER and, 36

  technology and, 136

  and Trojan Warrior Project, 190

  See also mindfulness

  melatonin, 129

  memory, 41, 44

  menticide. See brainwashing

  mescaline, 49, 120, 122, 168

  methamphetamines, 29, 62, 63–64

  Metni, Alan, 137–38, 150

  Mevoli, Nick, 206, 207

  Meyers, Richard, 122

  Michaels, Michael “Danger Ranger,” 158, 162

  MicroDoseVR (Jones project), 145

  Military Review: Alexander article in, 190

  military, U.S.

  and biometrics, 96, 104–5

  and brainwashing, 182–85

  and dangers/misuse of ecstasis, 181, 190, 199, 200

  and meditation, 5

  and neurobiology, 96, 104–5

  and precognition, 104–5

  See also DARPA; Defense Department, U.S.; specific branch

  mind

  drug altering of, 115–34

  and neurobiology, 112

  See also consciousness; mind-body relationship; mindfulness; subconsciousness; unconsciousness

  mind-body relationship, 97–106, 190–91

  Mind Gym, Navy SEALs, 26–27, 190, 192

  mindfulness, 27–28, 50, 175, 191

  Minority Report (movie), 103

  MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  Media Lab at, 46, 103, 104

  synergy Strike Force at, 166

  Mithoefer, Michael, 88–89

  MK-ULTRA (brainwashing project), 187–89, 193

  Molchanova, Natalia, 206–7

  molecules: making of, 132–34, 145

  money

  and Altered States Economy, 28–32

  See also costs

  Monson, Thomas, 52

  Moore, Geoffrey, 174

  Mormons, 53–54, 126–27

  Moses, 127–28, 129, 130, 131

  Moskovitz, Dustin, 170

  Moss, Michael, 212–13

  motion-tracking fitness, 26

  motivation

  and flow-peak performance relationship, 5

  and intoxication with drugs, 116–17

  for use of mind-altering drugs, 176–77

/>   See also effortlessness

  mountain bikes, 138

  movie stars: motion-emotion of, 96

  MRI. See imaging technology

  Mullainathan, Sendhil, 40

  Murphy, Michael, 78–79

  music, 139–42, 145, 149, 204, 214. See also dance; singing

  Musk, Elon, 159, 160, 161, 162, 184

  mysticism, 23–24, 55, 108, 110, 128, 129, 153, 189, 200

  narcotics, 57. See also specific narcotic

  National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 183, 184, 207

  National Institutes of Health (NIH), 26, 176, 213

  National Security Agency (NSA), 183

  Natural-Born Cyborgs (Clark), 56

  Navy, U.S.

  and precognition, 104–5

  protocols of, 14–15

  switch of, 105

  See also SEALs, U.S. Navy

  NBC, 185

  near-death experiences (NDEs), 87–88, 89–90, 108, 208

  Necker Island (Branson hideaway), 173–74

  net neutrality, 186

  neurobiology

  artificial intelligence and, 100–102, 104, 111

  benefits/purpose of, 74, 95, 96, 111, 153, 178, 179

  biometrics and, 96, 104–5, 111

  and cognition, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 111

  consciousness and, 112, 113

  and depression, 96, 97, 100–101, 112

  ego and, 111, 113, 114

  emotions and, 97, 100–102

  in everyday lives, 175–76

  facial expressions and, 96–100

  as force of ecstasis, 74, 95–114

  and imaging techniques, 101, 107–8, 109–10

  and mind-body relationship, 97–106

  mysticism and, 153

  and neurotheology, 106–10, 111

  and OS (operating system), 112–14

  precognition and, 103–6, 111

  relationship between psychology and, 95

  and religion, 99–100, 106–10, 111

  and self, 101, 102, 108, 110

  and subconscious, 111

  and transcendence, 74

  and UI (user interface), 112–14

  neurochemistry

  and Altered States Economy, 29

  and hedonic calendaring, 215

  See also specific chemical

  neurofeedback, 25, 27, 49, 60, 74–75, 112, 147, 157, 190

  neuromarketing, 193–99

  neurotechnology. See technology

  neurotheology, 106–10, 111, 157

  New York magazine: Glaxton comments in, 97

  New York Times, 18, 40, 77, 82, 110, 119, 182

  New Yorker, 59, 82, 148

  The New Yorker: Siegel article in, 148

  Newberg, Andrew, 106–7, 108–9, 110

  Newsweek: “PSYOPS: Cruel and Unusual” article in, 191

  nicotine, 64–65

  Nietzsche, Friedrich, 69

  Nike, 6, 103–4

  1984 (Orwell), 199

  Nisargadatta, 217

  Nixon, Richard, 68

  nonordinary states of consciousness (NOSC)

  benefits/accomplishments of, 158, 162, 171, 174

  Channon’s views about, 190

  characteristics of, 23

  and community, 171

  definition of, 23

  as escape from human condition, 217

  and everyday lives, 181

 

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