Through presentations and informal discussions in a convivial atmosphere you will learn about and have opportunities to discuss the insights and research findings of world-renowned experts on what are called ‘exceptional’ experiences.
The subject fits under the umbrella of consciousness research, which is currently enjoying a huge renaissance in terms of general interest and academic momentum.
The study of consciousness requires that we take seriously the many flavors of human experience, even those—ranging from psychedelics and lucid dreaming to synchronicities, near death experiences and mystical phenomena—that could be said to enter through the ‘backdoors of perception.’ Such experiences have until now been largely avoided by academia and left to lie beyond the border of what is typically explored scientifically and discussed in public.
However, now it is more openly being asked whether such experiences can actually inform—and even transform—not just neuroscience and fundamental physics but also our very understanding of the nature of reality and our collective and individual place in the world.
The scientific study of consciousness is now acknowledging that it has reached a stage where such parcels of human subjectivity have to be taken seriously. In fact, it is playing an important role in the recognition that such ‘backdoors of perception’ have the potential to profoundly impact our current state of knowledge in many fields.
Additional Information about the event – the pdf
Presentations:
The Evolutionary Ascent of Consciousness
Allan Leslie Combs
A Review of the Experimental Evidence for Parapsychological Phenomena
Etzel Cardeña
Local and Non-local Consciousness Components
Paul Grof
Divine Dreams: The History and Culture of the Dream as Medicine in the Western Esoteric Tradition
Sarah Janes
Archives of the Impossible: The Further Reaches of the Imagination and the Future Human
Jeffery Kripal
The Hermeneutics of Exceptional Experiences
Roderick Main
The Subtle Art of Mediumship: Effectively Communicating with Consciousness
Tanya Sacramento
Metaphysics, Mysticism, and Psychedelic Research
Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes