benefits of, 74–75
and categories of ecstasis, 23–24
cognition and, 152
consciousness-hacking, 146–48, 149
distrust of, 59
and enlightenment engineering, 146–48
in everyday lives, 177
and flow, 136, 149
and Flow Dojo, 148–53
as force of ecstasis, 74–75, 135–53
and immersive experience design and training, 148–53
importance of, 153, 178, 179, 222
music and, 139–42, 149
and Pale of the Body, 56–60
patents for neuro-, 177
risk and, 136–38, 152, 153
and solving wicked problems, 50
and sports, 135–39, 149
and training, 150–52
and visual arts, 142–45, 149, 150, 151, 152
wearable, 23–24
See also type of technology
television, 30–31
temporary autonomous zone, 161
terminal patients, 76, 88
Tesla, 161, 184. See also Musk, Elon
testing/experimenting, self, 120, 121, 123, 184, 207
testosterone, 98, 112
THC (drug), 133
therapeutic programs, 29–30.
See also specific program
Thiel, Peter, 163
Think and Grow Rich (Hill), 80
thinking
lateral, 45, 117–18
See also cognition; precognition
Thompson, Hunter S., 189, 209
3D experiences
and Jones art, 145
and Siegel-Page technology, 152
3D printing, 132, 133, 222
TiHKAL (Shulgin), 122, 128
Tillotson, John, 73
time
and altered states to altered traits, 91–93
and brain, 40
and flow, 4–5
importance of, 39–40
lack of, 39–41
See also Ecstasis Equation; timelessness
Time magazine, 33, 82
The Time Paradox (Zimbardo), 40
timelessness
benefits of, 42
“known issues”/downsides of, 203–5
and learning, 220
and misuse/dangers of ecstasis, 193
and open-sourcing ecstasis, 200
as STER category, 39–41, 45
and Tolle, 76
and training for nonordinary states, 203–5
See also STER
tobacco, 29, 62. See also nicotine
Toffler, Alvin, 195
Tolle, Eckhart, 75–76, 78, 80–81, 93
TOMS shoe company, 171
Torbert, Bill, 93
Torvalds, Linus, 184
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (Begley), 90
training
immersive experience design and, 148–53
and kinetic training gear, 150–52
for nonordinary states, 201–18
of SEALs, 12, 13–14, 17, 22, 152
as state of mind, 46
and technology, 150–52
transcendence, 74, 177
Transcendent Sex (Wade), 83
transcranial stimulation, 48, 147–48, 176
“transformation economy,” 195–96, 197
transformational festivals, 5
See also specific festival
transformations, and religion, 73–74
Transformative Technology Conference, 148
transient hypofrontality, 38, 40, 45, 125
“transitional psychosis,” 78
trauma, 60–61, 86–90, 153
Tricycle: Strassman findings in, 129
Trojan Warrior Project (DoD), 190–91
Turner, Fred, 20, 28
Turner, Victor, 68
2C-TC (psychedelic), 121, 122
Uber, 171
UI (user interface), 112–14, 202
Ulmer, Kristen, 209–10, 211
umwelt, 45–46, 102
unconsciousness, 7, 45, 124, 126
United Nations, 6, 143, 144, 166, 167
“unity” experience, 106–10. See also community/communitas
University of North Carolina: meditation study at, 48
University of Southern California, Institute for Creative Technology at: AI at, 100–102
University of Sydney: flow study at, 48
Valentine, James, 52–53, 54
Vatican (Rome): Jones art at, 143, 144, 145
venture capital, 171, 172
Veterans Administration, U.S., 188, 192
Vice
Kardaras comments in, 196–97
Zaitchik comments in, 64
Vicodin, 29
video games, 30, 196–97
Virgin Galactic, 173–74
virtual reality, 74–75, 108
visionary art, 142–45, 149, 150, 151, 152, 157, 198
visions
and neurotheology, 109
and pharmacology, 126–32
vitamin D, 112
von Lila, Rosie, 167
VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous), of Navy SEALs, 13, 19
wabi sabi concept, 218
Wade, Jenny, 83
Waking Up (Harris), 57–58
Wal-Mart, 195
Wallace, David Foster, 7
Walshe, Andy, 46
Warner, Dave, 165–66
Watts, Alan, 90, 91
webcams, 96, 101
Welwood, John, 216
White House: Summit at, 171
wicked problems
solutions to, 46–50, 158–79
See also specific problem
Winfrey, Oprah, 75, 76, 78, 81
wingsuiting, 135–36, 137, 138
Wolfe, Tom, 189
Wonder Woman posture, 98, 99
World Anti-Doping Agency, 186
World Economic Forum, 162
World War II, 77, 120
Wu, Tim, 185–87, 199, 200
Yale University: neurobiology studies at, 98
Yeats, W.B., 186
yoga, 79, 99, 147, 175–76, 177, 214
“You Are a Receiver” (Silva video), 33, 44
Young, Ed, 86
Zaitchik, Alexander, 64
Zappos, 161–62
Zectran, 120
Zeidan, Fadel, 48
Zeus, 4, 221–22
Zimbardo, Philip, 40
Zoloft, 88
About the Authors
Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the cofounder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project. His books include Tomorrowland, Bold, The Rise of Superman, Abundance, A Small Furry Prayer, West of Jesus, and The Angle Quickest for Flight. His work has been translated into forty languages and his articles have appeared in more than eighty publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Wired, Forbes, and Time. Steven is an in-demand speaker and advisor on technology, innovation and peak performance. You can find him online at www.stevenkotler.com.
Jamie Wheal is a world-leading expert on peak performance and leadership, specializing in the neuroscience and application of flow states. He has advised everyone from the U.S. Naval War College and Special Operations Command, to the athletes of Red Bull, to the executives of Google, Deloitte, and Young Presidents’ Organization, to the owners of the top professional sports teams in the United States and Europe. Jamie is a sought-after speaker and adviser to top performers across disciplines, ’and his work has appeared in anthologies and peer-reviewed academic journals.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Steven Kotler
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World
Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Scien
ce of Ultimate Human Performance
West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief
A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
The Angle Quickest for Flight
Copyright
The information contained within this book is strictly for educational purposes. This book is not intended to be a substitute for the medical, legal or pastoral advice of licensed professionals. If you wish to apply ideas contained herein, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. Caveat Lector!
stealing fire. Copyright © 2017 by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by Alex Merto. Cover photographs: © Weerachai Khamfu/Shutterstock (flame); © Ron Dale/Shutterstock (detail).
Digital Edition February 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06242967-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-06242965-0
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