The Monroe Experience - The Monroe Institute and Gateway Voyage (Martin Taylor)

[0.0-9.5] Hi, my name's Martin. I'm a filmmaker and I'm from the UK, but I currently live here in Sydney, Australia. [9.5-15.6] Almost sounds like a dating realism. The fact is that I'm here to... [15.6-63.9] ...town most people find pleasing and relaxing. It is a sound of natural energy. A natural energy always present... [63.9-69.2] ...and the ocean meets the shore. The sound of waves of energy in action. [69.2-80.9] It is a symbol at the beginning of each training exercise because waves of your own natural energy. [80.9-89.9] You will learn to focus these and direct these energy waves that even now are a natural part of you. Waves of vibrational energy. [89.9-102.9] It's been about ten years since I was in film school and that's how long it's been since I had this idea to make a film... [102.9-110.5] ...about this special sound that can alter your awareness and shift to your perception. [110.5-118.5] So what follows is an attempt to illustrate the experiences of my first subject, me. [118.5-124.7] I figure if I can document my own journey with any kind of clarity to make any kind of sense... [124.7-133.8] ...then I can do it for other people. But for me, this story all began with one man. [133.8-144.6] We got into the use of sound because we were looking for the borderland sleep state. [144.6-153.4] Certain types of waves or sound patterns did indeed affect human consciousness. [153.4-159.8] Ergo changed the waveform and you changed the response. In order to do this... [159.8-165.8] ...both the left and right hemispheres of the brain must synchronize. [165.8-170.8] They must act in unison to produce that third signal to hear it. [170.8-178.3] So why am I doing this? Well, I want to make a film about this place, a documentary... [178.3-188.2] ...and it's one of those subjects that is potentially unbelievable. [188.2-196.2] The Monroe Institute offers the opportunity to discover a new relationship with this world and with ourselves. [196.2-201.2] Through the Hemising process of patented auditory guidance technology... [201.2-204.2] ...based on the natural functioning of the brain... [204.2-208.2] ...consciousness is stimulated to transcend the limitations of the known. [208.2-212.5] Our truth is remembered. Our life realigned. [212.5-218.9] You know, I speak to a lot of people, friends and family and things like that... [218.9-226.3] ...about the Monroe Institute and the work they do and I always get that look. [226.3-234.6] Is it a cult? Is it real? Is it just completely made up? [234.6-240.8] Do you actually go there and go to different realms of experience and things like that? [240.8-245.0] Or is it just a kind of hypnosis type of dream? [245.0-249.0] And really that is the whole point of what I'm going to go and do. [249.0-256.4] I'm going to go and see for myself primarily if it is a real experience. [257.4-263.5] The Gateway Voyage is a six day intensive program... [263.5-270.5] ...designed to provide tools that can enable development and exploration of human consciousness... [270.5-278.7] ...deeper levels of self-discovery, expansion of one's awareness, willful control of that awareness... [278.7-285.6] ...and communication with and visits to other energy systems and realities. [285.6-290.8] It's that last one that is the intriguing line for me. [290.8-295.8] Communication with and visits to other energy systems and realities. [295.8-299.3] What is that going to be like? [299.3-313.3] This mind consciousness that we have, if you are daydreaming or you're quote absent-minded... [313.3-318.4] ...a part of your consciousness is not here, a very significant part of it. [318.4-328.2] And so if you think of those being phases that there's a flicker and a part of you is phased out of this. [328.2-333.2] And if you take it deeper, it means that you're becoming more and more out of phase... [333.2-339.2] ...that a greater percentile of you is active in some other state. [339.2-356.2] Is it going to be a subtle experience or will it feel very solid? [356.2-359.9] What will it be like? What will it be like? [359.9-365.5] You can speculate all you like, but time will tell. [365.5-388.5] So here we are in America, in Virginia. [388.5-398.1] Apologies for the sunglasses, but it's a beautiful kind of spring day and the sun is pretty bright. [398.1-403.1] But yeah, anyway, woke up this morning, had a great breakfast and walked down to the institute... [403.1-409.1] ...and met Paul Rademacher. [409.1-417.7] And he took me down to the original isolation test chamber, which was a real eye opener. [417.7-423.7] But you could just tell that loads of stuff had gone on in there. It was pretty incredible. [423.7-428.7] This is a super-duper, extra-deluxe, controlled, holistic environmental chamber. [428.7-433.7] And if you look at it, and as I open the door you'll see that it's almost built like a vault. [433.7-443.0] It's designed to really insulate from outside world sounds and vibrations. [443.0-453.1] It's even been lined with copper and screened against electromagnetic kinds of interferences. [453.1-461.3] Again, the idea was to see how isolated a person could become from the exterior world... [461.3-465.3] ...and again, to enhance that exploration of the interior world. [465.3-474.8] So the process is you pop the headphones on, lay down in the bed, turn the light out, and then go on a journey. [474.8-479.8] Here in the Monroe Institute Laboratory we work with people in an isolation booth... [479.8-483.8] ...to teach them how to move into different states of consciousness. [483.8-486.8] We think that we are part of something going on here. [486.8-493.8] And our ability to allow others to experience for themselves... [493.8-499.8] ...our motto is that we in fact are more than our physical bodies. [499.8-504.8] And yet we don't go so far as to say what you are beyond that... [504.8-511.8] ...because we think that that is best discovered through your own personal experience. [511.8-531.5] I'll ask Chance to do the documentary elements before I do the program. [531.5-537.4] So I'm going to be spending a lot of time up at Roberts Mountain... [537.4-541.5] ...retreat the space where Robert and I live. [541.5-552.5] You know, I find myself exploring two sides still as the filmmaking side... [552.5-559.2] ...and shaping this mini film. [559.2-564.2] Then there is the side of me which is about to do the Gateway program. [564.2-571.0] It seems to be a we can get you there, you walk through the door kind of thing. [571.0-581.6] One thing I wasn't really expecting is to get a sense of Bob Monroe being around... [581.6-589.3] ...the details that you tend to try and get for illustrative shots... [589.3-594.7] ...that portray a bit of information about the person that lived there. [594.7-597.7] But to be honest, this place is pretty overwhelming. [597.7-602.7] Everywhere you look all points to one massive direction... [602.7-611.2] ...and there is a lifelong search for answers in this field of consciousness. [611.2-625.8] At the moment I feel very grounded, tired, very practical. [625.8-637.0] Will there be a different me? Will I appear different when I'm doing these video diary elements during the experience? [637.0-641.0] I'm crying, I've had the most life-changing experience ever. [641.0-647.0] Will there be any of that? Will I want to do that? Will I want to do that in front of the camera? [647.0-655.4] Whatever it takes, whatever it is. [655.4-678.1] This is really fulfilling a dream of mine. I've had for 18 years. [678.1-688.3] Since 1990 I heard about Hennessy. And here I am. [688.3-696.1] And I'm very excited to see what happens. [696.1-702.1] Just forget being a filmmaker, just go and be a participant. [702.1-710.1] So what you're here to do, I might add, is to find ways and means of totally knowing yourself. [710.1-715.1] That's really what you came for. You may have thought of many, many other reasons... [715.1-722.5] ...but after how many thousands of Gateway participants were pretty sure of that thing? [722.5-734.6] And certainly the tools that you will be learning will help you do that. [734.6-738.6] Well, welcome to the Nancy Penn Center at the Monroe Institute. [738.6-745.6] This is our main hall and we have Nancy Penn Monroe, who was Bob Monroe's wife. [745.6-750.6] And of course the building's named for. And of course Robert Monroe as well. [750.6-754.6] Now the room is where we have our check units. [754.6-762.6] Check units are CHEC, which stands for Controlled Holistic Environmental Chamber. [762.6-770.6] Robert Monroe loved acronyms. And the check units have a black-out curtain that are used for two reasons. [770.6-780.1] One is for privacy and the other is to allow you to be in total darkness while you listen to himmy sync. [780.1-784.1] So here we go, we're about to do the first exercise. [784.1-797.8] And I've got my earphones here. What I've got to do is put them on. [797.8-801.8] I've got to get them the right way round apparently, left and right. [801.8-804.0] I'm kind of playing music at the moment. [804.0-810.2] So I put these on and press my little button to let the control room know I'm ready. [810.2-835.5] And off we go. See what happens. [835.5-843.3] It starts simple enough. It's dark and Bob Monroe's voice. [843.3-847.3] Now as you listen to the sound of ocean surf, move your body. [847.3-851.3] It's giving us the introduction about waves and waves of energy. [851.3-859.0] To help you develop your own coherent mind and brain, there are specific sounds you appear. [859.0-868.5] That sound, that wavering, that is the key to the entire experience. [868.5-873.4] That's the technology right there that Robert Monroe developed. [873.4-880.3] And that is what unlocks every door to every experience in this place. [880.3-886.2] I feel myself slowing down and relaxing. [886.2-893.5] And then all of a sudden I find myself somewhere completely different. [893.5-899.6] You drift it off somewhere else and then you'll kind of get snapped back out of it again.