Are you conscious now? What is it in you that is conscious? Can we be conscious beyond the body?
The most accepted academic view is that all of reality is essentially physical and that consciousness is a mere product of brain activity. However, many individuals throughout history have had first-hand experiences indicating that there is ‘more to life’ than just the physical. Moreover, there is diverse scientific data supporting that reality goes beyond the material experience we have.
IAC studies and practices consciousness science in a broader way. In focusing on consciousness from a multidimensional point of view, we study and teach various phenomena such as the out-of-body experience (astral travel or astral projection), life before birth and after death, and subtle energy manifestations. As a science, we conduct our studies according to scientific principles, including rationality, replicability, coherence, and consensus.
Moreover, surely, none of our models or explanations could be final or complete. Like all good science, our ideas are positioned at the frontier of knowledge with an openness to being refined, refuted, and discussed.
The basis of multidimensional consciousness science is the consciousness paradigm. Some key aspects of this consciousness-centered paradigm are the following:
- More than being just a state of the psyche, a property of some intelligent beings or an illusion that the brain creates for itself after perception and action, consciousness is primary, an entity, an irreducible aspect of reality, and it is possibly the origin of other features of the universe.
- Reality is composed of different levels of organization and types of matter, energy, and consciousness. Consciousness uses energy and matter to experience itself and the common reality shared by other conscious beings.
- In addition to the physical reality, there are other objective realities (or ‘dimensions’) of a subtler, non-physical nature.
Every living physical being is actually a consciousness (soul, essence) utilizing a temporary physical body. Consciousness per se does not die. - Even during physical life, we can have experiences of non-physical realities by developing sensitivity, lucidity, and control of our subtle energies.
- During physical life, we can explore non-physical realities by having out-of-body experiences while the physical body remains inactive.
- As there is no technology or methodology to reach and study the consciousness directly yet, first-person research is unavoidable and even positive in this context. If most of the human population were able to produce lucid out-of-body experiences there will be no need to discuss its reality or to prove it, and the effort could be directed to studying how it works and how it could be better used for furthering the quality of life and expedite the evolution of humanity.
The IAC and some of its members have done and are currently conducting research on subtle energy detection and its effects on matter and living things, including the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the quality of perception and recollection of OBEs, its beneficial effects on anxiety and depression mitigation via energy mindfulness, and more.
Progress in this field will possibly help us get closer to satisfactory answers to millennia-old questions like: Who are we? What are we? Where do we come from? What is the nature of reality and the purpose of physical life?
Are you passionate about consciousness science? The best way to develop a strong foundation of coherent theory and first-hand experience is our Consciousness Development Program (CDP).
You can also learn more about consciousness science by watching one of our free webinars.
