Center for the Study of
Non-Symbolic Consciousness

Our work has been referenced in popular books such as Ken Wilber's "The Religion of Tomorrow", Deepak Chopra's "Meta Human", and Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal's "Stealing Fire".

In addition to assisting with research projects, coordinating research in the space, and partnering with and advising researchers all around the world, the Center for the Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness also leads the largest global scientific endeavor ever undertaken to understand the highest forms of human wellbeing. We refer to this academically as Persistent or Ongoing Non-Symbolic Experience (PNSE or ONE), and publicly as Fundamental Wellbeing (FW). Because this website is increasingly used by the public as a resource in this area, on it we primarily use the term Fundamental Wellbeing.

This global research project began around 2006. It grew out of a search for people around the world who reported both extremely high wellbeing and quality of life. The core goal of the project at that time was to identify these types of people, study them intensively to determine what made them different than the rest of the population, see if there were similarities between them and, if there were, determine if it was possible for others to reach similar heights.

The initial people who fit this category were often advanced spiritual and religious practitioners. These included highly regarded spiritual teachers, monastics, and recluses. The types of experience that constitute Fundamental Wellbeing have been well known, and in some cases cultivated, by religious and spiritual systems for millennia. They include ways of experiencing the world referred to as: Enlightenment, Nonduality, Persistent Mystical Experience, Unity Consciousness, God Consciousness, The Peace That Passeth Understanding, and hundreds of others.

Initially our research focused on these types of individuals, though eventually we learned that atheists, agnostics, and people who generally weren't spiritual or religious also experienced these extraordinary ways of experiencing life. For these individuals, these types of lived experience existed outside of any religious or spiritual context, and were often deeply integrated into a secular life.

The Research Phases

Phase 1 (2006)

During the first phase of the research we built a global participant pool of about 1,200 individuals who reported experiencing some form of persistent Fundamental Wellbeing. The research during this phase primarily involved gold-standard psychology surveys (i.e.: wellbeing, emotion, development, absorption, depression, stress, anxiety, etc.).

The primary outcome from this phase was validation that these individuals experienced high wellbeing, low levels of stress and anxiety, and essentially no depression.

Phase 2 (2006-2009)

The second phase of the research primarily involved intensive, long format (6-12 hours), one-on-one in person interviews with approximately 300 individuals who reported experiencing some form of Fundamental Wellbeing.

The primary outcome from this phase of the research was the first cross-cultural and pan-tradition map of the types of Fundamental Wellbeing, and an in-depth understanding of how these individuals experienced moment-to-moment life. The details from these findings are covered most extensively in our landmark book on this topic, The Finders.

Phase 3 (2009-2010)

The third phase of the research involved neuroscience and other physiological investigations into individuals who reported experiencing at least some form of persistent Fundamental Wellbeing. This was done primarily in collaboration with interested neuroscientists worldwide because of the global population of research subjects. The findings from these various studies and labs were highly convergent, and pointed to changes in major brain networks.

Phase 4 (2011-2019)

Up to this point, we had been researching people who already experienced Fundamental Wellbeing. Although that had been very fruitful, we knew that the most could be learned by measuring people prior to, during, and after their transition to Fundamental Wellbeing.

Although we'd searched globally, we had not found any religious, spiritual, or philosophical system; group; or individual that had a reliable method for transitioning large numbers of people to Fundamental Wellbeing. All of the methods encountered seem to be very hit and miss, to transition very few people (if any), and to take a long time to do so.

During Phase 4 we combed our extensive global dataset, and created and tested protocols based on what it showed us. Eventually we hit upon a multi-week protocol that transitioned approximately 70% of individuals who used it to various forms of Fundamental Wellbeing. This allowed us to begin collecting data on how people changed from pre-Fundamental Wellbeing to being in Fundamental Wellbeing, as well as to begin to track people's changes over time right from the moment of their transition.

During this phase we transitioned approximately 1,500 people to Fundamental Wellbeing in various research projects. The most notable of these was the Finders Course project which was operated in a public class. This allowed people all around the world to use the protocol in the comfort of their own home. We collected a wide variety of data that ranged from psychological to neuroscientific on participants who participated in these various projects. In addition to transitioning a majority of people who used the protocol to Fundamental Wellbeing, there were also highly statistically significant, beneficial results across a wide range of psychological measures. You can learn more about these on the publications page.

Phase 5 (2020-Present)

This current phase continues collecting data with class-based research protocols. These include various online classes, as well as offline classes, retreats, direct coaching/consulting, and so on. The most important research during this phase has been our longitudinal work on how Fundamental Wellbeing unfolds over time. We've continued to refine another research-based online class format (originally called the Explorers Course, now called Thriving in Fundamental Wellbeing) to help Finders to optimally deepen in Fundamental Wellbeing, and integrate it into their lives.

This phase also stepped up research into direct brain stimulation and Fundamental Wellbeing. This research started during Phase 3, and made significant progress during Phase 4. During this current phase it is finally escaping the lab and being made available to the public as part of a broader research initiative. The primary methods focus on transcranial A/C and DC current (tACS/tDCS), near-infrared light (NIR), and transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS).

tDCS can be used very effectively to quiet the mind and prepare an individual for optimum use of other methods, like meditation. Our work with NIR suggests that each person has key frequencies that stabilize and support their brain processes to make optimum progress towards and in Fundamental Wellbeing. Finally, TFUS is the only noninvasive technology that can precisely target (stimulate/suppress) anywhere in the brain. So, it is ideally suited to be used in conjunction with the neuroscience results from Phase 3 that revealed what is happening in the brains of various types of Fundamental Wellbeing. Used together, these three technologies form a powerful cocktail for assisting with and accelerating the transition to Fundamental Wellbeing, deepening within it, and so on.

The most notable outputs from the current research phase include: an advanced form of the protocol that transitions a majority of people who use it to Fundamental Wellbeing in just 6 weeks; extensive information about how to optimize Fundamental Wellbeing, integrate it into the world for ideal life results, and so on; and first opportunities for the public to take advantage of advanced brain stimulation methods.

Key Facts and Figures

Project length	2006 - Present
Amount of resources dedicated to the project so far	Approximately $5,000,000US
Countries	109
Continents	6
Research participants	> 8,000 people
Used one of our research protocols to reach Fundamental Wellbeing	> 4,500 people
Average success rate of our protocols	65%-90%