The progressive type of this synchronization is really the fundamental mechanism behind sleep. Projections go from the thalamus to the cortex then back to the thalamus form a loop system. It serves as neurophysiological basis for every conscious experience. Besides sleep synchronization there are other patterns of thalamocortical synchronization that corresponds with other subtle states of consciousness.
Perhaps try to google with keywords like but I admit, the result would be a scientific lingo. If you interested in the basics then read about or try this: https://www.measurement.sk/2004/S2/susmakova.pdf.
Sleep progress through stages labelled from 1 to 4 based on scoring of EEG patterns. They represent increased synchronization of cortical cells. At waking and in REM sleep the cortex is desychronized and EEG shows a mixture of low amplitude, high frequency waves (gamma, beta, alpha). Low amplitude is the result of “random” firing of the neurons, thus, their impulses extinguish each other. As sleep deepens into stage two, bursts of 12-14 Hz (sleep spindles) and high amplitude slow waves appear. Neurons start to fire more and more in sync driven by the thalamocortical feedback. In the deepest, 4th stage of sleep we see high amplitude, low frequency delta waves on the EEG as a result of increased synchronization, superimposition of waves.
As I said in my previous post these expanding circles are very likely signs of increased local synchronization in the visual cortex. Other projections that goes into the auditory or the somatosensory cortex would cause buzzes and body vibrations. You can imagine these increased local synchronization patterns as wandering waves squirming around on the cortex. For me the entire feedback system resembles a little to a working plasma ball. If you don’t know what plasma ball is see this page https://www.phys.ufl.edu/outreach/plasma.html. When you focus on the light patterns you reinforce thalamocortical feedback that makes them stronger. It is like you would touch the glass surface of the plasma ball to collect the currents there.
In my experiences the light waves usually come from the upper part of the field of my vision. To make them appear I activate my solar plexus chakra (projection of sleep promoting hypothalamic nucleuses on the neuromatrix) before I start to observe the visual chaos. Sooner or later the light patterns turn into 3D clouds then hypnagogic pictures. Hypnagogic pictures could be efforts of the brain to make sense of this synchronous activity. But to reach that state the eye balls should be motionless so I prefer to practice some trakata before I attempt this. Definitely not my favorite LD induction method.
I’m guessing I’d be not far off the mark if I suggest that you have a science or medicine degree?
I just like people to state their authority in such a situation, when stating facts without giving a source for their info, as a Uni/College graduate I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from
So, if I understand correctly, synchronisation increases with the lowering of the brainwave frequency (the level of “trance” so to speak). What I wonder though is why a low amplitude of brainwaves goes hand in hand with a high frequency, and what this means for our consciousness. Does it mean we have more random thoughts, since the low amplitude is caused by random firing of neurons?
Could you explain a little more what you mean here, since this is a very cryptic short description of what you do. For example, why is activating your solar plexus a projection of sleep, and why and how does that promote hypothalamic nucleuses on the neuromatrix (from what I know, the neuromatrix is our neural hardware representation of our body and senses, which for examples explains the creation of an internal dream body while we sleep)? Thanks for explaining in advance
More exactly, general synchronization manifests as lowering of the brain wave frequency. Note, we’re talking about EEG frequencies and EEG shows only the superposition of cortical potencials. Thus, activities of lower structures cannot be measured with it.
I don’t see what you mean here. Consciousness is linked to gamma activity, more exactly to the 40Hz EEG-band that appears even in REM. A binding feature of the thalamocortical system.
The synhronization we are talking about is a general tendency in sleep. For example, the brain part that needs the most sleep (I mean synchronous activity) is the frontal lobe. This is why preserving consciousness in the first part of the sleep is so difficult. So it’s quite normal that some parts of the cortex are asleep while other parts remain awake. Otherwise not just lucid dreaming but even brain bound consciousness wouldn’t be possible.
No, not at all. Random thoughts are more likely results of increased parietal lobe activity. I believe, inner silence is meant to decrese activity in the parietal lobe, thus letting frontal activity (which inherently linked to awareness) to be preserved. I’ve used aposthrope because firings of cortical neurons appear to be random only from a level where EEG like measurements take place. The general desynchronous activity of the cortex at waking and in REM sleep is more like mesmerizing noises of a busy working city. Not really random just busy enough to mask individual activities, i.e. firing pattern of one particular neuron.
Sorry for the missunderstanding here, Xetrov. Of course, you’re right about the neuromatrix, I’ve read your articles on the Astral Pulse (and I liked them). I meant that the solar plexus chakra is a projection of some brain parts (most likely hypothalamic structures) that we feel through the connections they made with the neuromatrix. You know what we feel as body is really the neuromatrix. In my view chakras are functional units along the neurotaxis from brainstem to cortex but as such they being felt through the neuromatrix at the first place. Local changes at the corresponding anatomical spot, for instance, increased bood flow, agitation of nerve endings and possible bioplasm or other EM field effects might play only a secondary role. Nevertheless, feedbacks provided by these peripheral systems should be integral part of the chakras as we know them.
For example, in the case of the solar plexus chakra the two feedback system mentioned above should be responsible together for its sleep promoting effect. First, there are a bunch parasymphatetic nerves (coeliac ganglion) in the abdomen that mediates the vagal response: decreasing heart rate and blood pressure to mention only the most important effects. Second, an internal feedback system between the hypothalamus and “parts” of the neuromatrix that have nerve connections to the specific part of somatosensory cortex “where” we feel our solar plexus regio.
The role of the hypothalamus has often been mentioned in the induction of sleep. Basically it’s one ot the tree sleep promoting sites in the brain we known so far. It triggers relaxation and yes, promote sleep. It’s really a trance inducer. I think Jeff was who mentioned he use this chakra too. So nothing new in this regard. Activate the solar plexus chakra fully by diafragmal breathing or touching the skin. When it pulse like hell stare on the visual field. You may see that pulsations of the chakra are synchronous with the entopic light patterns.
Popov thank you a lot for your explanations, I read them with great interest, it gave me a good (albeit preliminary) insight in synchronisation and related issues.
There’s still a few things that you could explain further if you like to. You mentionned a few times that the frontal lobe is linked to consciousness, and that synchronisation forms a basis for conscious experience. How do you see the connection between consciousness and the brain, and what exactly has synchronisation to do with it?
Further, does synchronization of a particular cortex area mean that this area gets less active (or like you say, falls asleep)? If this is true, and during REM there is not so much synchronisation like you mentionned, this could explain why we dream in REM (parts of the visual cortex not in sync, thus active). How do we explain nREM dreams then, if during nREM the visual corex is highly synchronised?
[warning: from here on it gets a bit more speculative, and perhaps hard to follow for most people ]
To continue on these two questions, during deep sleep, at maximum synchronisation, we should not be conscious normally (according to science, that is). But there have been people (like Jeff, who measured it with an EEG), who are able to maintain consciousess during deep sleep. Perhaps if you read my article on this, you already know what I’m aiming at. Taking into account your claim that synchronisation and consciousness are linked, could it be that total synchronisation means a discontinuation of the bio-energetic link, thus resulting in an NDE (reported also by several people to happen at zero EEG activity)?
Lastly I wonder how you came to the conclusion that the plexus and the hypothalamus are linked through the neuromatrix. Was this personal experience (just testing what happens when you stimulate the plexus area)?
Thanks in advance if you care to answer my curiosity
English is not my forth but I like to explain things…
Not synhronization itself that is linked to consciousness but specific patterns of thalamocortical synchronization that assemble remote cortical areas into functional units. The result is “cortical coherence.” The real fun will occur, I suppose, when sleep synhronization coincides with interhemispheric and extracortical coherence.
Yes, at least in the sense of “sleep synchronization.”
The fact is that NREM dreams are lack of visual details. They are more like mentation. Also, we shouldn’t forget that the general trend of synhronization doesn’t exlude the possibility of regional activation of different cortical areas, like the visual cortex for example.
A typical NREM nightmare (sleep terror) is triggered by seizure loci in the prefrontal regio. The result is anomalous synchronization. Through interhemispheric connections the seizure loci will be mirrored into the other hemisphere but nevertheless it’s a local phenomena.
On the other hand, the pre-OB state with all those intense buzzes and pressures in the ears seems to be thalamic in origin. It’s a state that’s very similar to temporal epilepsy. Hyperactivation of temporal lobes will result in strong noises, limbic activation (sense of presence, fear) and in some cases, religious experiences.
When sleep is disturbed by noises yet the environment is considered as safe the brain increase the proportion of sleep stage 2. From S2 REM easily could be started. A typical WILDs that begins with the subjective feeling of separation is likely initialized from S2, the actual gate of sleep in which the sensory channel closes to isolates the brain from the external word. I suppose, when the blind state of the projection ended the brain has already entered in REM sleep.
I’ve read somwhere that the ability to maintain consciousness during sleep (called withnessing sleep) is corresponding with a superimposing EEG pattern independent from sleep states. If I remember correctly it’s a high amplitude, low delta wave modulated by some low alpha/high delta component. I suppose the delta component is 1.5Hz (an important resonance frequency of the EEG) and the low alpha frequency is 8Hz (a peak on the dreaming brain’s EEG spectra). Perhaps we should build a BWG preset and investigate this.
As I remember Frank was who introduced the term “bioenergetic link” but apparently he failed to define it properly. I think too that the bulk of our consciousness is independent from the brain which should work only as an interface. I admit, my viewpoint is quite radical, but I think we are actually EM-patterns in the Earth’s magnetosphere. And I’m not alone with this. I’ll search for sources on my HDD if you interested. In the interim, I’d like to refer to Matti Pitkanen. According to him it’s very probable that some ionospheric constants (called Schumann resonances, i.e 7.83Hz, 14.1Hz, 28.2Hz, etc.) as maximums of the human EEG-power spectra and the super virasoro frequencies (0.63; 3.5; 5.0; 10.0; 28.2; 40; 56 Hz computed by pure mathematics) as important resonance frequencies of the sensory cortex play fundamental role in the formulation of this link, which supposed to connect our brain and our megnetosperic self.
For me consciousness is a non-local phenomena that only loosely associated with the brain. Brain works as an interface for managing our local and real time experiences. Consciousness has so many facets, and the human aspect might be only a nexus in its tree like continuum. In my view, what really sustains our human identity is the waking state bound memory, which is apparently the hard core problem of consciousness, and at least two other major function, namely: 1. the constant stream of sensory experiences provided by the physical senses that makes difficult to turn away our focus; 2. the verbal system, most likely the neurological substrate of our ego consciousness.
Since all these binding factors are maintained by a stable beta/gamma arousal level, sleep synhronizations rather makes consciousness to retract, dissociate from the brain. I don’t think anymore that the crystal clear states of consciousness I enjoy sometimes when my brain is supposed to be in S4 are possible without something that’s at least partially independent from the brain. Do you familiar with the feeling when noises or vibrations abruptly build up, encompassing your entire being and literally push you out? Perhaps we should take OBE-type experiences more literally.
Besides my favorite OBE method based on solar plexus stimulation, I’ve already done some housework on chakras. Basically I was looking for body feelings and sensory experiences that tend to occur at the same time in pre-OB and OBE-conductive transitional states. At first I’ve found that solar plexus, neck and crown are mysteriously linked (I call it “OBE triad”) as well as do the genital chakra with the heart and the brown (in-the-body, “IBE triad”). Chakras in the OBE triad are good for changing consciousness state, generating trance force (sleep synhroniztion) or to promoting separation. Solar plexus is actually a trance pusher that naturally become active by deep diapharagmal breathing, neck works like a selector between the waking and dreaming states, and the crown is associated with separation and phasing. After trance has been build up, members of the IBE triad should be used to initiate edge states (like the famous vibrational state).
Later I found that homeopathic frequencies associated with the triads’ members are harmonics of each other. I hypothesized that important resonance frequencies of the brain (like 2.5Hz, 5.0Hz, 10Hz, 40Hz, etc.) are associated with various chakras. Now I think on chakras as sliders on an equalizer, besides their specific effects they increase and decrease the power of specific EEG bands.
For example, the formatio reticularis that regulate the basic arousal level of the brain is adressed most effectively with a sound frequency around 200Hz (and with its harmonics). This has to do someting with spatial encoding of the FR in the neuromatrix/thalamus system (I call this 200Hz as adressing or operational frequency). On the other hand, the FR’s intrinsic or “resonant frequency” is around 4Hz. So a binuaral beat stimulation that made by 198 and 202 Hz sinus tones aimed to each ear respectively would most likely be accepted by the brain as valid signal for lowering the arousal level (or more exactly to increasing the EEG power at this particular resonance frequency). I learned similar tricks by doing FFT analysis on The Monroe Institue’s tapes. The tapes have made by reverse engineering of talanted subjects’ EEG designed for the sole purpose of reaching and maintaining alterad states of consciousness.
Beside the FR, the other structure I was sure about was the heart chakra. As you may know, it plays a crutial role in OBE induction. People often report a pressure in that regio before OBE and similarly, when my external hearing is start to fluctuate, marking that total closure of the sensory gate is not far off, I often experience pressures at points where other members of the IBE triad are situated. I call my pre-OBE as “parapulsational state” since before I become paralized and able to separate, the perception of external and internal noises are fluctuating. After the parapulsational stage has been reached, bursting noises and/or pressures start to appear following each other more and more frequently until they unite into a hars buzz. Interesting enough I’ve never felt the pressure in the middle of all the three cavities at the same time. The parapulsation state seems to be a mild form of the famous vibrational state which is, as being really just subjective experience of sleep synchronization, a continuum itself. (The most stronger vibrations have to occur in the 4th stage of sleep when sleep synchronization of the somatosensory cortex reaches its peak.)
I’ve found that charcteristic features of the second sleep stage’s EEG, called “sleep spindles” have exactly the same pattern I’ve been looking for. Sleep spindles are impulses that originate from the reticular nuclei of the thalamus. They closes the sensory channel and push the brain to another level of sleep synhronization. The spindle frequency gradually increase from 2 per minute just like the parapulses do. When they appear I relax more, shut my mind off to let the pulses fuse into a continous, harsh, like buzz similar to white noise that’s quickly followed by various degree of silence. Some noises remain in the background, often interpreted by the secondary auditory cortex as music, but nevertheless, the sensory gate is already closed and the neuromatrix becomes isolated from the periphery. In the absence of peripheral feedback that synhronize the inner body with the spatial orientation of various parts of the physical body the inner body becomes missalingned and start to separate. I’m not sure that the cable like structures I’ve studied for years are just intrusion of the somatosensory phantom. It seems that something indeed separates from the body but usually saved back within seconds. Do we have anyone out there with similar experiences?
Anyway, since the parapulses appear mostly in the middle of my head (!!) yet could be triggered by concentrating in the middle of my chest, I concluded that the heart chakra is a projection of the thalamus. (Note, we shouldn’t be able to perceive anything inside the brain, so this ability already presupposes some detached, brain-dependent awareness.) Assuming that the chakra system shouldn’t have to be different from other representational system of the body (like palms, iris, ears, somatosensory cortex, thalamic nucleus, etc.), it should mirror the general topological architecture of the body. Thus, the neural substrate behind the solar plexus should be somwhere on the neurotaxis between the formatio reticularis and the thalamus. No other structure has remained left I could associate the solar plexus with than the hypothalamus, the supreme vegetative center of the body.
Thanks for the lenghty reply, and I bow to your knowledge! I will re-read it a few times, digest it if possible and see what insights this integration will bring me. I’ll let you know what I come up with!
]