PEAK EXPERIENCE

THE ULTIMATE STATE OF MIND

Greetings to all fellow sufferers of the human condition.  "Such a life on such a planet"! However if you think about it a minute, you can remember brief moments in your life when everything did add up and make sense, complete with feelings of peace, well-being, and an overwhelming sense of purposefulness and zest for life. Now granted, these blissful experiences don't occur often, seldom last long, and are not easily generated at will, but you will never forget that feeling you once experienced on a mountaintop, at the beach, in a lover's arms, in spiritual ecstasy, or some other special moment of your life.

We coined the term peak experience to describe these rare states of mind.  However, recent interest by others in this field have established a need to differentiate the actual experience from terms used to describe the benefits such as peak state, and peak performance.  The experience occurs first, bringing about a special peak state of mind that results in peak performance.  The characteristics of this state of mind and the resulting improved performance are both benefits of the experience, but are not descriptive of the experience itself.

What is the exact nature of the actual experience?  How can one know when it is occurring?  How could an outside observer (therapist) know it was happening?  How would one quantify and qualify different levels of experience should they exist?  What conditions, enhances, or blocks it?  How could one improve their ability to achieve it at will?  These are all questions that Dr. Galitzer and myself have been trying to answer during the eight years that we have been investigating it together with other professionals all over the world.

Most of us were brought up being told that "success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."  This may have been true for ages past, but does not seem to be the case anymore.  In fact, these days it seems to be the opposite.  People are perspiring more that ever, but inspiration is really hard to come by!  We've all "been there, seen it, and done that", and now there's little left to keep us "turned-on" to life.  When there is no inspiration, there is no purpose.  When there is no purpose life becomes boring and uninteresting.  This is why so many people seek after peak experiences.  Many techniques have been tried over the centuries dancing around the fire, nature/ancestor worship, music, meditation, self-denial/abuse, social service, and even drugs.  The common thread was a search for the purpose and meaning of life, and the fact that all of these experiences lead to a non-ordinary state of mind commonly referred to as an Altered State.

Many, but not all, of the characteristics of these peak experiences have been documented.  Some of the ones we have investigated are:

It usually happens spontaneously without thought and is hard to create at will, or upon demand.  Most people report that it has only happened to them a few times in their life.

Almost always a positive experience that makes the person feel good, it's usually accompanied by some or all of the feelings and realizations mentioned earlier.

The experience has various levels of realization that must occur in a specific sequence in order to continue to completion.  Otherwise, it ends prematurely. 

Certain factors can aid in the creation of the experience such as good health, spiritual intent, proper breathing, appropriate vehicle (meditation, technique, or technology), sensory resonance, aroma anchors, and a trained facilitator to assist one through the process.

Other factors can block access to these higher states of mind such as lack of required energy, fear of the process or some change that it might bring, emotional obstacles, inability to give up control, lack of appropriate technique or technology, lack of available time to devote self discovery, too much focus on the outer sensory world...hedonism or its opposite an-hedonism the inability to experience even healthy pleasures).  In addition, the fear of being labeled "weird" or having inappropriate behavior is also limiting. 

Unlike other experiential techniques that ask one to take control of the situation to make some change, the peak experience usually requires one to let go and give up control, and just "go with the flow".

There is no time perspective associated with the experience.  Time does seem to flow but does not have a speed or direction.  In addition, there is no space.  One can move from one location to another instantly. 

Healing has come from changes within the body that are associated with loss of fear, emotional catharsis, forgiveness, acceptance, and a desire to get on with life.

Life improvement has occurred due to major decisions, creative ideas, powerful realizations and a desire to be a better person.

For these and other reasons, we believe these peak experiences are the answer for all those hardships that life seems to dish out with such abundance.  They can relax the mind, recharge the body, improve health, change attitudes, shift moods, ease pain, release emotions, spark creativity, transcend the material, inspire the spirit, and in many other ways, synchronize the personality.  An-hedonism and its associated obstacles are, not only the causative factor of disease, but the main reason that deterioration is allowed to continue. Therefore, learning how to make this "non-ordinary" state become the "ordinary" one of normal daily life could soon become the goal of all humanity.  As mentioned earlier, there are many different techniques used to achieve these peak states.

VibraSound...a state of the art neurotechnology that blends almost every aspect these varied techniques into one coherent experience, is currently in use with professional healers all over the world.  It has been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Next Step, Beyond 2000, Future Science, and Science Frontiers as well as many other national and international media.  The "techknowledgy" synchronizes light, sound, color, intent, aroma, breath, and intense vibration with music so beautiful that it will put chills up your spine.  The internal massage performed by the music leaves your body feeling relaxed, refreshed, and invigorated at the same time.  By synchronizing all of the body's main sensory input channels, it coheres the mind into a state called sensory resonance that can result in a peak experience.  Beyond the benefits already discussed, this "regenerative innertainment" can assist in stress management, creativity, emotional release, self-discovery, and spiritual evolution.  For more information about VibraSound, or to schedule your own "peak experience", please visit http://www.vibrasound.com.

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PICTURE ABOVE IS LILY BELLE ESTES, DON & JAIME'S DAUGHTER