Calling for more study on all aspects of consciousness

Open letter in a mainstream journal calling for more study on all aspects of consciousness

Some 90 scientists and academics, including IONS researchers, have co-signed a letter that calls for more mainstream support of open and honest investigation of parapsychological topics and related mysteries of human consciousness. The letter—a demonstration of interest in psi among many mainstream academics—is written by Etzel Cardeña of Lund University and published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Read the full article » To learn more about the science of consciousness, purchase IONS Chief Scientist, Dean Radin's new book, Supernormal.

Video of Dean Radin talking about his book, Supernormal

Video of Dean Radin talking about his book, Supernormal, at the Science and Nonduality conference 

"An informative and thought-provoking scientific presentation on the nature of mind; and so funny and entertaining too!" ~ Viewer comment Did Buddha's teachings survive and thrive because he was more attractive or charismatic than most, or was it more than that? Did he have profound insights into the nature of Reality? We might ask the same of Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Milarepa, and a host of other historically prominent figures associated with special illumination, wisdom, or grace. What does science tell us? Watch Dr. Radin's presentation » To order Supernormal, go HERE.

Metaphysics of the Tea Ceremony study now published

NEW RESEARCH STUDY PUBLISHED
Metaphysics of the Tea Ceremony 

Besides the use of fresher and perhaps more nutritious ingredients, homemade soup offers a component that is absent from commercial soups—mother's nurturing intentions. Do such intentions matter? This study investigated the roles of intention and belief on mood while drinking oolong tea under double-blind, randomized conditions. Results suggest that if you believe/expect that you are consuming a specially treated substance, that belief alone will strongly influence your mood. But if the substance is also intentionally "treated," then it will influence you even more. The study's outcome supports the intention-enhancement hypothesis. Read abstract and download full PDF »

Video of Dr. Peter Bancel on the Global Consciousness Project

IONS members were recently invited to participate in a live webinar on the Global Consciousness Project with Dr. Peter Bancel, co-hosted by the Dutch Society for Psychical Research and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. The hypothesis of the Global Consciousness Project is that there is a collective or global mind that is detectable with physical devices called random number generators. Dr. Bancel gave a high-level description of the project and the primary results, and then dove into the many subtleties involved in interpreting the data. For members who missed the live event, and for others who are interested, the recording is now available in our online library. Watch the webinar video recording »

Spiritual Competencies for Psychotherapists and Mental Health Workers

A vital aspect of our work at IONS is helping key institutions integrate research findings on ways that consciousness matters in people's lives. We are currently working on an initiative to introduce spiritual and religious competencies into the training of psychotherapists. Religion and spirituality have been empirically linked to a number of psychological health and well-being outcomes, and there is evidence that when dealing with a serious problem, two thirds of Americans prefer a psychotherapist with spiritual values. Most psychotherapists currently receive little or no training in working with religious and spiritual issues, in part because no specific training guidelines exist. To address this issue, IONS President Cassandra Vieten, PhD, has been working with colleagues to develop a proposed set of spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists. A paper on this project was just published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, a journal of the American Psychological Association. Last week the American Psychological Association held its annual conference of over 10,000 psychologists in Honolulu, Hawaii. One of the researchers on this project, Shelley Scammell, PsyD, of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, attended the conference to gather additional information from licensed psychologists through a survey. We have created a mirror copy of this survey that we are offering for you to take online if you are a psychologist or mental health professional. Find the survey here. We're also thrilled to announce that a new book on spiritual competencies for psychologists and mental health professionals, authored by Cassandra Vieten, PhD, and Shelley Scammell, PsyD, is currently in development.

THE SOUL OF CUBA – An IONS Travel Journey

THE SOUL OF CUBA – An IONS Travel Journey
November 9th – 17th, 2013
Register now and get a discount!

IONS is planning an amazing travel journey to Cuba, November 9th – 17th, 2013. This is an opportunity to travel legally to Cuba while incorporating the ideas and approaches of the Worldview Explorations™ program of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. This trip includes tools and practices that deepen awareness of our own worldviews and encourage understanding and appreciation of the worldviews of the Cuban people. The thrill of encountering a new culture becomes an opportunity for a deep and lasting transformative experience. This extraordinary travel journey is based on a similar sold-out trip to Cuba with IONS major donors in January 2012. It is now being opened up to the general membership and friends, so please come and share in this life changing experience. The trip will be led by Dr. Katia Petersen, IONS Executive Director of Education and core member of the team that created the research-based IONS Worldview Explorations™ program. It is offered in partnership with Cross Cultural Journeys. Registration is limited to the first twenty-five people who sign up. Cost: $3,895. To secure your place, and receive a $200 discount, a deposit of $500 must be received by August 9th, 2013. This is your last chance to register! Phone 1-800-353-2276 or415-332-0682. More information » View or download the itinerary »

New Realms of Meditation Research

At the beginning of June, IONS and The Esalen Institute co-hosted an invitational scholarly meeting on the future of meditation research. The meeting was held at the Center for Theory and Research at Esalen, in Big Sur, California, and was co-sponsored by The Fetzer Memorial Trust, The Mental Insight Foundation, and The David Lynch Foundation. 

The past decade has seen a tremendous increase in meditation research. While the field has broadened into numerous domains, many aspects of meditation still remain relatively unexplored. Things like experiences of oneness and interconnectedness, synchronicities, precognition, and visions are embedded in the fabric of most contemplative traditions, but generally remain off-limits for scientists who don't want to risk their careers by straying too far from mainstream norms. And yet, these are some of the aspects that make the study of meditation so important for better understanding human potential and the nature of reality.

The purpose of the meeting was to gather experienced meditation researchers, scholars, philosophers, and meditation teachers together to review the state of the art of modern meditation science, explore less well-studied aspects of meditation, and consider ways to conduct a science of meditation that remains rigorous and also includes a broader perspective on meditation and its potential for advancing human development.

Twenty-five participants attended the meeting, from research institutes across the country, including Santa Clara University, New York University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Brown University, Maharishi University, and the University of California at Berkeley, Irvine, and San Diego, to name just a few. In addition, another dozen scientists and meditation experts who could not attend the meeting are part of an advisory council for this ongoing project.

Cassandra Vieten, IONS President and CEO, was one of the organizers of the meeting. "Part of our work at the Institute of Noetic Sciences is to push the boundaries of scientific research, to encourage the scientific community to include consciousness and subjective experience as legitimate subjects of inquiry," she said. "This conference was an amazing opportunity to encourage some wonderful scientists already investigating meditation to expand what they're paying attention to in their research. I look forward to what we can learn from opening up this field."

The intention of this meeting was to produce concrete results, so attention was paid to creating a collaborative working group, setting specific recommendations regarding future directions, and developing innovative measures and methods that can be used across meditation traditions and studies. Participants plan to publish a paper based on the meeting, conduct collaborative research, and report back at a follow-up meeting next year.