Markdown lines 92–152 · Part 2 of 4
referred to the appropriate pleasure centers located in the lower cerebral portion of the cortex of the right hemisphere, thereby inducing the suggested feeling of euphoria. Finally, suggestions such as one that informs the hypnotic subject that he enjoys enhanced concentration or powers of memory would be reported would be responded, rather, to the right hemisphere by accessing unused information storage capacity normally held in reserve as a result of
the left hemisphere selection and control processes. This aspect will become significant in the context of Gateway process when the attention is given to examining the way that hypnosis may be used to accelerate the progress in the early stages of the Gateway experience.
So, this is something I definitely, you know, thought about on my retreat and I've thought about since is how does the Gateway process or the Gateway method relate to hypnosis? Like there's no actual outright suggestion going on as far as I can tell. I truly don't think that there's anything embedded in the Hemi-Sync tapes or CDs or MP3s or whatever form you have them in subliminally. I don't think that's how it works. I do think
that there is some other form of suggestion, and I realize that by saying that, that sounds nefarious or underhanded, but I don't think it necessarily is. But we'll we'll get more into this as we go.
And now, still under the effort of framing, we'll get into transcendental meditation and I guess comparing and contrasting that with Gateway. On the other hand, transcendental meditation works in a distinctly different fashion.
In this technique, intense and protracted single-minded concentration on the process of drawing energy up the spinal cord ultimately results in what appears to be creation of acoustical standing waves in the cerebral ventricles, which are then conducted into the gray matter in the cerebral cortex on the right side of the brain.
As a result, according to Bentov, these waves will stimulate and eventually polarize the cortex in such a way that it will tend to conduct a signal along the homunculus starting from the toes and on up.
The Bentov biomedical model, as described in a book by Lee Sannella, MD, entitled Kundalini, Psychosis, or Transcendence, not a book I've read, but has my wonder whiskers perked up, states that the standing acausal waves are a result of the altered rhythm of heart sounds, which are occasioned by prolonged practice of meditation, and which set up sympathetic vibrations in the walls of the fluid-filled cavities, which comprise the third and lateral
ventricles of the brain. In addition, according to Bentov, the states of bliss described by those whose Kundalini symptoms have completed the full loop along the hemispheres may be explained as a self-stimulation of the pleasure centers in the brain caused by the circulation of a quote current along the sensory cortex. Bentov also notes that quote that most of the described symptoms start on the left side of the body, maybe a typo here,
means that it is mostly a development occurring in the right hemisphere, end quote. Although normally a period of meditation involving intense concentration and practice for 5 years or some is required to quote bring up the Kundalini, Bentov states that exposure to mechanical or acoustical vibrations in the range of 4 to 7 hertz, cycles per second, for protracted periods may achieve the same effect.
Bentov cites as an example quote repeated riding in a car whose suspension and seat combination produce that range of vibrations or being exposed for long periods of time to these frequencies caused, for instance, by an air conditioning duct. He also notes that quote the cumulative effect of these vibrations may be able to trigger a spontaneous physio-kundalini sequence in susceptible people who have particularly sensitive nervous systems.
So, maybe this is a good moment to pause and reflect on this guy, Itzhak Bentov. I talked about him in the other Gateway video. This guy is like this multi-disciplinary polymath who is an absolute genius, for sure, but he's not a doctor. In fact, he's really I I think a like I said, an autodidactic philosopher and engineer. He ends up really contributing, for my understanding, to the science of biomedical implants, in particular, like
catheter technology. So, this is a very smart man with a wide variety of interests, and he really tries to collapse all of those interests down into an overarching theory of reality. And that theory of reality includes everything from very cosmic things, like black holes and white holes and quantum theory, to very localized biological things, to completely psychophysical and spiritual things. I mean, in his book, if you want to get an overview of his
whole theory, he has a book called Stalking the Wild Pendulum. We actually read it recently for the Third Eye Drops Book Club. You're going to find all of the above in there. And it has to do with some pretty familiar topics. I mean, you know, topics like um resonance and sound and frequency, but he doesn't just talk about these things in a hand-waving way. He talks about them in a pretty technical way.
Um and this is what a lot of this is hinting at is that the body responds to different frequencies, and you can achieve different states of consciousness, including expanded states of consciousness, by altering the signals that you're putting into the brain, that you're putting into the whole, you know, biophysical psycho matrix that is the human being. And on that note, we move on to point four, biofeedback and how it relates to Gateway. The third
consciousness-altering methodology, which will be briefly described as biofeedback. Biofeedback is somewhat unique in that it actually employs the self-cognitive powers of the left hemisphere to gain access to such areas of the right brain as the lower cerebral, motor, and sensory cortices, and and assorted pain or pleasure centers. Whoo, this this this next sentence is a doozy. Let's Let's Let's give it a rip. Instead of suppressing
the left hemisphere, as is done in hypnosis or largely bypassing and ignoring it, as is done in transcendental meditation, biofeedback teaches the left hemisphere first to visualize the desired result, then to recognize the feelings associated with the experience of successful right hemisphere access to the specific lower cerebral cortex, pain or pleasure, or other areas in the manner needed to produce the desired result. Special
self-monitoring devices, such as as digital thermometer, are used to inform the left brain when it succeeds in keying the right hemisphere into accessing the appropriate area. Once this is done, the left hemisphere can then repeatedly instruct the right brain to reestablish the pathways involved so as to produce the same external objective measures of success.
In this way, the pathways are strengthened and emphasized to such an extent that the left brain consciousness is enabled to access appropriate areas in the right brain using a conscious a conscious demand mode. For example, if the subject wishes to increase the circulation of the left leg in order to speed up healing, he may concentrate with his left brain on achieving that result while carefully monitoring a digital thermometer connected to the
left leg. When the concentrated effort begins to achieve success, the digital thermometer will register an increase in the temperature of the left leg. At that point, the subject can mentally, left brain, associate the sensations experienced with the result achieved and can begin to emphasize by memory recall the same process to cause its strengthening by affirmation and repetition. In this way, pain can be blocked, healing can be enhanced,
malignant tumors can apparently be suppressed and ultimately destroyed. The body's pleasure centers can be stimulated, and a variety of specific physiological results may be achieved. In addition, biofeedback may be used to greatly accelerate achievement of deep meditative states, particularly for beginners with no experience in meditative techniques and whose pros and whose progress in that methodology is enhanced through effective visualization
and external objective affirmation. Display of the subject's brainwave patterns on a cathode ray tube has proven to be a laboratory validated means by which subjects may quickly learn to place themselves in profoundly relaxed states characterized by a sort of quietude and singularity of mental focus associated with advanced meditation.
All right, so now we're getting into some territory that I think has a lot to do with what's happening using Gateway, using Hemi-Sync, this biofeedback sort of angle. Clearly, you are creating relationships between states of consciousness and achieving certain things. Of course, when you're doing Gateway, it's not expressly to achieve any physiological effect necessarily, but it is associated with achieving different states of
consciousness. You know, these focus levels, focus 10, focus 12. We'll get specifically into those as this goes on, but I think that there is a lot of similarity between um what's happening with Gateway, with Hemi-Sync and the same reason biofeedback works, you know, creating this psychophysical relationship between a stimulus and response. All right, here we go. Gateway and Hemi-Sync point five.
And by the way, we've got a long way to go, my friends. We're only on page four. So, this is definitely going to have to be in maybe three part I I didn't want to go more than three parts, but we'll we'll see. Now that we've briefly profiled the basic mechanics of the principal techniques for altering or expanding consciousness, which share which share some objectives and or methods employed by the Gateway experience, we may proceed to focus on
what that technique actually involves. Fundamentally, the Gateway experience is a training system designed to bring enhanced strength, focus, and coherence to the amplitude and frequency of brainwave output between the left and right hemispheres so as to alter consciousness moving it outside of the physical sphere so as to ultimately escape even the restrictions of time and space.
I'm going to say that again because that's an insane statement right there. Fundamentally, the Gateway experience is a training system designed to bring enhanced strength, focus, and coherence to the amplitude and frequency of brainwave output between the left and right hemispheres so as to alter consciousness moving it outside the physical sphere so as to ultimately escape even the restrictions of space and time.
Crazy. And these run-on sentences are absolutely bonkers, Mr. McDonald. Don't get me wrong. I love I've loved what you've done, sir. If you're still around, reach out. The participant then gains access to the various levels of intuitive knowledge which the universe offers. What differentiates the Gateway experience from forms of meditation is its use of the Hemi-Sync technique, which is defined in a monograph by Monroe
Institute trainer Melissa Yeager as a {quote} state of consciousness defined when the EEG patterns of both hemispheres are simultaneously equal in amplitude and frequency, {end quote}. Although Hemi-Sync seems to be rather rare and only for a and of only short duration in ordinary human consciousness, Melissa Yeager states that {quote} audio techniques developed by Bob Monroe can induce and sustain Hemi-Sync with the Institute's basic
focus three focus three tapes. She also notes that studies concluded by Elmer and Alice Green at the Menninger Foundation have shown that a subject with 20 years of training in Zen meditation could consistently establish Hemi-Sync at will, sustaining it for over 15 minutes, {end quote}. Dr. Stuart Twemlow, a psychiatrist and research associate of the Monroe Institute reports that {quote} in our studies of the effect of the Monroe tape system on