Contents

Preface

“The uniqueness of the work of consciousness lies in the fact that it likes to study its own activity.”

Thanks to advances in technology and the advent of neuroimaging equipment, we have already learned a lot about higher cognitive functions, and more discoveries are yet to be made.

In this book, I will try to reveal how the human brain changes evolutionarily.

Studies have shown that in the future, a person’s perception of the world around him will significantly change, cognitive and intellectual abilities will improve many times over.

This discovery represents an important step in understanding the functional development of the brain and could have crucial implications for the fields of medicine, psychology, education and shaping the future of all humanity.

However, it should be noted that the path to these discoveries was not easy and involved many experiments and scientific research. Let me walk you through this fascinating process.

Nature, in its infinite wise design, has endowed the human brain with a unique potential that we are only just beginning to comprehend. Such a complex organ, capable of higher forms of cognitive activity, keeps secrets, revealing which, we can not only better understand ourselves, but also open up new horizons of unlimited possibilities of the mind itself.

Studies of the effects of mental practices on the brain have shown how deeply we can penetrate into our own mental processes and how little we still know about our potentialities. What I managed to find is very reminiscent of the script of a science fiction movie, but this is an objective reality confirmed by scientific data.

We are on the cusp of a new era in neurophysiology, where each discovery further expands our understanding of the functional features of the brain. In this book, I will focus on those aspects of acquired knowledge that can be scientifically substantiated, although I admit that it has not been easy to express them in logical form. But when you have a clear vision of the goal, every piece of information, every observation becomes part of a bigger picture that can be put together.

The knowledge that I was lucky enough to acquire a few years ago came in such an unexpected way that it continues to amaze me to this day. It was not just a sudden insight or insight, but rather it is possible to say that I had received answers that seemed ready and waiting for their time to be discovered.

So let’s start our journey from the beginning, from the moment that changed my life and led to a series of discoveries that I will cover in this book. Let me take you along the path that, by a happy coincidence, I managed to go through, and share with you an amazing story about how in an instant, the brain can change not only our perception of the world, but also our entire life in general.

That day began as usual, with a gray sky, drizzling rain and the monotonous movement of the car through the morning traffic jams. The radio played softly in the background, creating the illusion of company in the solitude of my journey. Thoughts were scattered like autumn leaves on a windy day, chaotic and chaotic. They swirled in my head, uninvited and unwanted, echoes of yesterday’s worries and tomorrow’s plans.

But I was no longer the kind of person who meekly allowed myself to be ruled by an endless stream of thought. In recent months, I have devoted myself to the mental practice of silence, seeking to find peace within myself and learn to let go of the internal dialogue that has so often robbed me of my perception of the real world. And at that moment, standing in a traffic jam, I decided that this was the perfect time for the practice, which I had been doing several dozen times daily for several months in a row. I took a deep breath, focused on the energy streams of consciousness, and tried to let go of the flow of thoughts, to let them go as easily as they came, to sink into silent silence.

And then something unexpected happened. The moment I let go of the last thought, the world around me suddenly changed. It was as if I had suddenly woken up, although I had no idea that I had slept all my life before. The sounds of the radio are clearer, the colors around you are brighter, and the sense of time is more extended. I felt my consciousness expand, as if I saw the world in all its multifaceted fullness for the first time.

In an instant, everything around me seemed to freeze, although it should be noted that in fact it was a sharpening of my perception to an unimaginable degree. The world around him slowed down, or rather, perception accelerated so much that every second stretched to infinity. The dial of the clock in the car, which I saw in front of me, seemed to be the only proof that time was still running its course. Although the whole event lasted only a couple of tens of minutes, there was a feeling that the time stretched for several hours.

My senses became so acute that I began to perceive the world in all its fullness and diversity. Every detail of the environment, every sound, whether it was the whisper of the wind or the distant hum of the city, became simultaneously felt. It was not just an increase in sight or hearing, it was something phenomenal — a colossal sharpening of the senses of perception and complete dissolution in the surrounding reality, which previously seemed only a dim reflection of its true wealth.

After the initial shock caused by the lack of understanding of what was happening, there was absolute calm. All emotions and experiences dissipated like fog with the sunrise, giving way to a deep inner world. My “I”, personality and all the accumulated knowledge and experience faded into the background, and I felt part of something bigger, part of nature itself, the world around me.

The pressure that had always been present in the back of my mind was gone. Instead, there was a feeling of a pure, unclouded mind acquired from the outside. Thoughts and internal dialogue were absent; The questions are gone, leaving behind only the unshakable certainty that all the answers to the universe are already known.

I realized that this state of mind has no name in modern language, and only remotely resembles the process of silent thinking. It was more than just a thought or an intellect, it was more like an awakening to a global consciousness, to an intuitive understanding of the world that does not fit into the usual categories. There was a feeling of being connected to the global network of knowledge, to the source of information with a thin invisible network that permeates the entire surrounding world, including each of us.

This experience was so deep and overwhelming that it is impossible to describe it in words. However, later, I was able to find something remotely similar in meaning in ancient texts and teachings, such as Shambhala, where it is said that each of us has the ability to awaken the gift within ourselves that allows us to catch the subtlest vibrations of the energy of the information sea that permeates all existence.

All our thoughts and actions are energy, and every particle of the world, from the smallest cell to the vast expanses of space, carries energy information. The only question is, what information are we able to perceive? This realization led me to understand that life, no matter how miraculous it may seem, could not have arisen by chance. Behind its origin there is an intelligent principle, a single mind of the universe, which directs the evolution of all living things. Life could not have originated on Earth by itself, without the help of intelligent control from the outside, and the planet could have formed from nothing and, by a happy coincidence, become ideally suitable for life.

The understanding has come that the Nature of the Universe has a single mind and man is an integral part of this nature.

Nature, in its tireless movement forward, invariably follows the path of development and self-improvement. Evolutionary selection, as an integral element of nature, inexorably weeds out those forms of life that are unable to adapt to the constantly changing conditions of existence. A person with a unique mind and consciousness has a unique ability not only to adapt, but also to consciously influence his own path of development. We can choose what traits and abilities to cultivate in ourselves, what knowledge and skills to acquire in order not only to survive meaninglessly, but also to thrive, contributing to the common good and harmony of the world.

Thus, each person stands at the helm of his fate, and his decisions and actions determine whether he will move forward in unison with nature, revealing his potential and reaching new heights, or will remain on the sidelines of the main path of evolution. It is a choice between active participation in life and passive existence, between development and stagnation, between a life full of meaning and purpose, and an existence devoid of depth and direction.

Each of us is the architect of our own lives, and our thoughts, choices, and actions determine the trajectory of our development — we are responsible for the direction in which we move.

Aspirations for development open up new prospects for understanding the meaning of life and our place in the universe. It reminds us that everyone, regardless of their beliefs, can find a connection with the deeper aspects of being and that our inner world is intimately connected to the outer world.

This connection between the inner and outer worlds, between the individual and the environment, is the key to spiritual awakening. It allows us to see that our every action, every thought, every feeling is not just random, but is part of a larger picture where everything is interconnected and interdependent.

Some call it Nature, others speak of God as an all-pervading force present in every atom and living being. Understanding these ideas becomes not just scientific or theological statements, but also a practical guide to life. They teach us to appreciate every moment, strive for harmony with the world around us, and constantly seek ways to grow personally and spiritually. This journey to enlightenment and self-discovery is a never-ending process, in which each step forward brings new discoveries and insights into how to live a life full of meaning and purpose.

In my dialogues with clergy of various denominations, I have always asked only one question: how do they imagine God? And each time I heard the same answer: God is the entire existing universe. This is the unity of all living things, this is the force that permeates every atom, every thought, every action. This proves the connection and unity of all living and inanimate things, and also suggests that spiritual awakening and enlightenment are available to everyone who seeks to see and understand this interconnection. It also implies that spiritual development is not only an internal process, but also a way of interacting with the world around us.

At the moment when I was lucky enough to experience a deep spiritual epiphany, my life took a new turn, illuminated by an unprecedented light. Not only was this epiphany a powerful turning point, it was as if it opened the door to another world for me, where every aspect of my perception, every value and belief that I had formed over the years had been completely reimagined. Everything I knew, everything I was striving for, suddenly seemed to me in a new light, and I realized that the world was much wider and deeper than I could have imagined. This unexpected information was so radically different from anything I had known before that I couldn’t help but think: it couldn’t be a mere coincidence. It seemed to me that I had been chosen to receive instruction directly from God.

I confess that it is nice to feel chosen, but while studying Sufism, I came across an instructive story by Mansur al-Hallaj, who, during the experienced state of Fan (enlightenment) and unity of spirit with God, exclaimed — I am the Truth (I am God). As a result, Hallaj was persecuted not only by orthodox theologians, who accused him of non-observance of rites and public miracles, but also by many Sufis, who accused the preacher of divulging divine secrets. As a result, he was imprisoned in Baghdad, where he spent 11 years, and was executed in 922.

Therefore, just in case, in order not to accidentally divulge something superfluous, it is better to descend from heaven to earth and offer a more scientific hypothesis — our brain stores much more information than we are able to realize it.

In moments of a special cognitive state, when there is a redistribution of metabolic resources in the brain, we can access these hidden stores of knowledge. This opens the door to intuitive and creative thinking, when we begin to perceive the world not through the prism of accumulated knowledge and personal experience, but as a whole.

The stories of great scientists such as Dmitri Mendeleev, August Kekulé, and Otto Lévi show that sometimes the greatest discoveries come to us not through logical reasoning, but through sudden intuitive insights. This is a reminder that the mind is capable of much more than we used to think, and that the way to these untapped resources can be found in each of us.

Nikola Tesla described this state of mind as follows; “At that time I could not prove the correctness of my belief, but it came through what, for want of a better definition, I would call instinct. Instinct is something that transcends knowledge. There are, no doubt, some subtle fibers in our brains that allow us to comprehend truths that are inaccessible through logical reasoning and which cannot be arrived at by independent mental effort.”

Or, as A. Einstein put it; “The intellect is of little use on the way to discovery. There is a leap in consciousness, call it intuition if you will, but the decision comes to you, and you don’t know why or how.”

All this is another confirmation that in a normal state of awareness we are not able to use the greater potential of the brain and later we will analyze in more detail the unique capabilities of the mind, but for now I will continue the story, moreover, that my story did not end there and everything that happened served only as the source for a chain of subsequent events.

Just as sitting behind the wheel I could only objectively assess the sensations of changing time and space, when twenty minutes later, I began to return to my normal state, I realized that this was only the beginning, the beginning of the path to understanding the depths of consciousness and the boundless possibilities of the mind.

The regained awareness of the personal “I” was so shocked by its disappearance and loss of power that the inner voice that had accompanied me all my life suddenly reappeared, and doubts arose: “Maybe I ate something wrong and these are the consequences of poisoning? Maybe I’m crazy and it’s all hallucinations?”

But once you have seen the real possibilities of the silent mind, the voice of the inner dialogue will never have power again.

A little later I discovered that an event that initially seemed to me only a mental insight had a profound effect on my physical condition. As if opening up new horizons of consciousness, I also awakened the physical resources that had been dormant in me until that moment. My strength was rushing in, and I felt overwhelmed with energy that needed to be released into the outside world.

In the first days after this epiphany, I was like an elephant in a china shop, clumsily managing my newfound power. Every careless movement led to unintentional destruction: objects broke, fabrics were torn, as if the world around suddenly became fragile and delicate. But over time, I learned to control this surge of power, found ways to use it to good without harming others.

This was followed by a period of rapid physical development. My muscles grew at an incredible speed, as if they were trying to match a new state of mind. It wasn’t like the usual gains from going to the gym, it was something different — as if my body had found its own way to perfect balance and harmony.

With the increase in body weight to what seemed to me to be ideal proportions, I felt that I had reached a certain point of equilibrium. My body weight was stable at around 80 kg with a height of 180 cm, and this change was accompanied by the disappearance of old sports injuries and a decrease in sensitivity to pain. It seemed that my body had acquired a new, higher level of health and functioning.

These changes made me think about the close connection between mind and body, and how profound mental changes can lead to physical transformation. Perhaps this was the beginning of a new stage in my life, a stage in which I would be able not only to explore the depths of consciousness, but also to unravel the mystery of the relationship between psychology and human physiology.

The experience and subsequent changes in my life sound like a real awakening that not only improved cognitive abilities, but also brought a new meaning to existence.

Of all the amazing changes that have happened to me, the most significant has been the improvement in memory. Ever since I can remember, memory has always been my weak point. But after the moment when my inner world was transformed, I found that the ability to remember information increased dramatically. I was able to absorb complex scientific concepts and data with incredible ease, as if my brain had become a supercomputer capable of processing and storing vast amounts of information.

It was as if the shutters had suddenly opened and I had access to previously hidden resources of the mind. Although these unusual abilities began to fade slightly over time, the sense of clarity and depth of understanding of the world that remained behind them continued to change my life. The learning process became a source of inexhaustible pleasure, and I realized that the path of knowledge is endless, as is my thirst for knowledge.

Since then, education has become my top priority, and my interests have expanded to fields such as ecology, sociology, anthropology, neurophysiology, and psychology. I immersed myself in the study of everything related to the work of the brain and its potential, striving to understand how we can use its abilities to improve our world.

With the new knowledge came the desire to share it, to help others. From my personal experience, a clear concept of how the brain works was born, which became the basis for my efforts to make positive changes in the lives of the people around me. My life has acquired new colors, has become more purposeful and meaningful. I felt the strength and desire to change the world for the better.

It is noteworthy that all my target projects are so global and designed for tens, hundreds and thousands of years to come, that it would be interesting to still live to see their implementation and see the fruit, the grain of which I managed to plant now.

The constant pursuit of knowledge and discovery in the field of neurophysiology is reminiscent of the path of a wanderer, constantly striving for new horizons of knowledge, and this is a journey full of surprises and discoveries that I have yet to come to.

I have not yet found an explanation for everything that happened to me. But it is the unsolved mysteries that make this path so fascinating. Every day I am like a detective who investigates in the vast world of neurophysiology, exploring the complex labyrinths of the human brain. It is a pursuit of knowledge, where each new twist can lead to astounding discoveries.

Every time I manage to find a new piece of the puzzle, when I build a new concept or discover an unknown connection, I feel delighted. This feeling of joy that comes with each new discovery is incredibly inspiring. It fills me with energy and confidence that every step forward brings me closer to understanding how our amazing brains work.

This path is not always easy, and sometimes it requires a revision of established views and even the abandonment of some of them in favor of new ideas. But it’s the opportunity to constantly learn, discover new things, and share those discoveries with the world that makes my life rich and meaningful.

Exploring the depths of human consciousness and physiology often brings us to the limits of our understanding. In these fields of knowledge, where information is so vast and complex, we have to settle for hypotheses that are constantly evolving as new data accumulates. This approach allows us to gradually expand the boundaries of our understanding and get closer to the truth.

However, sometimes science encounters phenomena that seem to go beyond the ordinary. After I had experienced the momentous event, I began to notice that in the darkness electric discharges of a white-blue hue emanated from my body. It was something that I could not explain from the point of view of modern science.

At home, my loved ones were the first to witness this strange phenomenon. Each involuntary touch could lead to a strong electric shock, which, although it did not cause physical harm, caused significant discomfort. At work, colleagues, knowing about this feature, preferred to keep a safe distance.

The most powerful electric discharge of all that occurred on the bus, when the conductor, trying to check the ticket, accidentally touched her hand and flew away from me for several meters. This incident shocked both her and all the passengers who were at that time. I felt, to put it mildly, uncomfortable, guilty, although I could not control what was happening.

Interestingly, for some reason, electric discharges affected only women. This observation led me to think that there is a certain energy polarity between men and women. Perhaps this has something to do with differences in bioelectric fields or energy balance between the sexes.

These events became for me a new stage in immersion in the world of unknown phenomena of the human body and its interaction with the environment. I realized that my research was just beginning, and that there were still many unusual discoveries and mysteries ahead of me to solve.

Attempts to understand the reason for the activation of such an unusually high energy potential led me to study the depths of microbiology and neurophysiology. Although the definitive answer has yet to be found, one possible explanation may be related to the energy potential of the brain’s neurons.

Based on the assumption that there are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, and each of them is capable of generating about 0.03 volts in an active state, the total energy potential of the brain can reach an astounding 3 billion volts. This is comparable to the energy of discharge of several very strong lightning bolts at the same time, in a natural phenomenon the power of which varies from several tens of millions to a billion volts.

This comparison suggests that the electrical discharges I observed that emanated from the body could be the result of hyperactivity in the brain, which may have been functioning in a mode that was far from normal. This assumption is supported by the fact that during periods of peak brain activity, I needed significantly more metabolic energy than usual, which resulted in a constant increased need for food.

At that turning point, when I was confronted with an inexplicable and powerful energy, I found myself unable to control it. Moreover, my lack of understanding of what was happening led to the fact that this energy was more likely to bring confusion into my everyday life than to help in it. However, I began to think that if I could learn to direct these energy flows, control them consciously, and redistribute them as I saw fit, then what incredible possibilities could open up before me.

The idea that it is possible to consciously interact with such energy gives a sense of limitless potential and power. This could lead to fantastic changes in life, allowing us to reach new heights in understanding the world around us, in the development of the potential of all mankind.

Phenomena such as mine can open up new horizons in understanding how the brain works and how it interacts with the body’s energy systems. Perhaps we are on the verge of discoveries that will allow us to use the energy potential of the brain more efficiently and for the benefit of humanity. Maybe in the future we will be able to control this energy as easily as we manage the electricity in our homes.

In the meantime, I continue my research, trying to understand and explain what was happening to me. Every day brings new data, each new experiment expands the boundaries of my understanding of the mysteries of the nature of human consciousness.

What I have experienced, although it seems very significant to me, is actually just one of many similar stories that thousands of people around the world are experiencing. My experience is not unique, and this is its true value — it is part of the overall human path to knowledge and self-knowledge.

What matters is not what happened to me, but the answers I was able to find in the process of searching for cognitive change. These answers, although they represent only a small part of everything that is to be learned, are the ones that deserve attention. They can serve as a key to unlocking the mysteries of human consciousness and potential, and perhaps help others in their own research and pursuit of development.

My and your time spent thinking and analyzing these experiences has not been wasted. Every moment, every experience, brings us new knowledge and understanding, which are stepping stones on the way to a deeper understanding of the foundations of life and its infinite possibilities.

So, let’s appreciate these moments of discovery and insight together, no matter how humble they may seem. After all, it is in them that true wisdom and opportunity for growth are hidden, which make our lives richer and fuller.

My research shows that humanity is only one link in a long chain of evolution on Earth. With each generation, our brain development accelerates, and we are on the cusp of new, astounding mental possibilities. If we imagine that evolution continues without artificial obstacles, we can expect that in the near future human intelligence will reach levels that seem fantastic to us today. Imagine a world where IQ is measured in thousands of points, and everyone’s memory becomes absolute. What discoveries, what new horizons of science and creation can be achieved under such conditions?

However, despite this, the modern social and economic system often hinders this natural course of development. We live in a world where progress and innovation can be stifled by short-term interests or fear of the unknown. This artificial inhibition can slow down our movement towards new levels of cognition, but it cannot stop it completely, because the nature of the mind inexorably strives for its own progress.

Nevertheless, we face a serious threat — the possibility that we will not live to see this transitional moment. Our rapid technological progress and population growth are leading to critical environmental pollution and depletion of natural resources. If we do not find a way to solve these problems, we risk destroying the very ecology that supports life on our planet, and ourselves along with it.

In this context, it becomes clear that our responsibility as a species is not only to develop our minds, but also to take care of our home, the Earth. We must strive for sustainable development that balances our needs with the needs of our planet. This could include the development of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, the protection of biodiversity and, above all, global cooperation in tackling environmental challenges.

Thus, we stand at a crossroads of paths: one leads to a future full of intellectual achievement and harmony with nature, the other leads to possible decline and destruction. The choice is ours, and each of us has a role to play in determining the path that humanity will follow.

Over the past century, humanity has experienced unprecedented population growth, which has led to a significant increase in the consumption of natural resources and increased pressure on the ecosystems of our planet. This growth raises serious questions about the future sustainability and well-being of our species.

Many experts and sensible people are calling for a halt to population growth, but without the use of drastic or coercive measures. Instead, they offer solutions that respect natural processes and strive for balance. One such solution may be to increase the level of education and intelligence of the population, which, as research shows, directly affects demographic trends.

According to statistics, there is a correlation between IQ level and reproductive behavior. Regions with higher average IQs often show lower population growth rates. If it were possible to increase the average IQ level to 110 points, this could lead to a stabilization of the population, and reaching an average level of 150 points could contribute to the natural decline of the population.

This approach suggests that investment in education and the development of intellectual potential can be the key to solving many global problems, including the demographic issue. Educated people tend to make more informed choices about reproduction, careers and lifestyles, which in turn can lead to a more sustainable and balanced society.

Thus, improving the quality of education and access to it, as well as increasing the general level of intelligence of the population, can be effective tools for achieving a sustainable future. This will not only help to cope with demographic challenges, but also contribute to the formation of a more enlightened and responsible society capable of solving complex environmental and social problems.

In today’s world, where we are faced with an ever-increasing flow of information and increasingly complex challenges, the development of reason is becoming not only desirable, but also a necessary condition for the successful life of each person and the prosperity of society as a whole. This should be a major objective not only at the individual level, but also within the framework of global social policy.

Each of us, regardless of profession and social status, has a huge untapped potential. Professor William James, one of the founders of psychology, expressed the opinion that most people use only a small part of their mental abilities. His student Boris Sidis, developing this theory, showed by the example of the upbringing of his son William that the human brain is capable of much more than is generally believed in modern society. William Sidis, with his exceptional intelligence with an IQ estimated at 250—300 points, has become one of the brightest examples of human capabilities.

The opportunities for improving cognitive function and developing intelligence are unimaginably vast, and they can be realized through education, training, a healthy lifestyle, and continuous self-improvement.

Social policies and educational systems around the world should aim to provide everyone with opportunities to develop their mental abilities. This includes access to quality education, support for scientific research, creating an environment for creativity and innovation, and fostering a culture of lifelong learning.

This approach not only contributes to the personal growth and self-realization of each individual, but also ensures social progress, allowing humanity to better cope with global problems and open up new horizons in science and technology. Ultimately, developing the mind is key to creating a more conscious, just, and sustainable world.

Each of us, looking into the depths of our own consciousness, can ask ourselves: have I reached the limits of my intellectual capabilities? The sincere answer to this question will often be no, because deep inside we feel that we are capable of more, that our potential has not been exhausted.

This sense of untapped resources inspires us to find ways of self-development, which are certainly described in many books and studies. In this book, however, we will try to approach the question from a different angle, examining not so much the methods of development as the obstacles that stand in its way.

Often we ourselves, sometimes even unconsciously, put barriers on the way to our development. These can be fears, long-held beliefs, habits, social expectations, or even your own limiting thoughts. Getting rid of these factors can open the door to new levels of learning and self-improvement.

The human mind by its nature strives for the constant accumulation of knowledge, for an understanding of the world around and oneself in it. When we free ourselves from what limits us, we naturally seek to learn, to develop our abilities, and to expand new horizons.

In this book, we explore various aspects that can hinder our growth and development. We will consider psychological barriers, social constructs, emotional blocks, and many other factors that can inhibit our self-development. Through understanding and overcoming these obstacles, we can discover our true potential and begin to live a full, meaningful life filled with a constant pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement.

The human mind has a potential that borders on incredible, sometimes surprising capabilities. Our research and experience show that cultivating this potential through continuous self-development, spiritual practices, and overcoming internal barriers can usher in a new era for humanity.

This will allow us to better understand ourselves, achieve true harmony with nature and create conditions for prosperity on planet Earth. We are on the verge of great accomplishments if we can open the door and step into the world of limitless possibilities that lurk within each of us.

Chapter 1. Heritage of Humanity

After witnessing the unique powers of the mind, I was faced with a riddle that I could not solve with the help of modern scientific sources of knowledge. The Internet, with its inexhaustible amount of information, became the first assistant on this path, but, despite all the efforts, the answers that I was looking for could not be found, because the sensations could not be inserted into a search engine. I spent countless hours going through site after site, page after page, hoping to find something that might explain the unusual cognitive state I was able to experience.

And then, when I began to lose hope, I managed to find an ancient text that seemed to immerse me in the past, through the centuries that flew by in an instant. In a religious-spiritual treatise I found a mention of experiences strikingly similar to mine. A preacher who lived more than a thousand years ago described sensations that were so close to what I experienced that I couldn’t help but feel the connection that connects us through time.

This discovery was a major turning point for me. I realized that the answers I am looking for may not lie on the surface of modern scientific knowledge, but deeper in the wisdom and experience of our ancestors. It was the key that opened the doors to ancient teachings and mystical practices, to traditions and knowledge that have survived for thousands of years.

Having received a hint, the cherished key of knowledge to the doors of the wisdom of my ancestors, I continued my research with increased energy and hope. I immersed myself in the study of spiritual texts, philosophical works, and mystical treatises, looking for connections and understanding that could illuminate my path. For me, this process was not just a search for answers, but also a journey into the depths of human experience, where each discovery brought me closer to understanding how ancient knowledge can be applied in the modern world to unlock the potential of the phenomenal abilities of the mind. These ancient teachings, intertwined with modern scientific discoveries, provide us with a unique opportunity to look at the possibilities of the human mind from a new angle.

The state of consciousness I mentioned is often described in ancient treatises as moments of clarity and deep understanding, when inner boundaries dissolve and we feel connected to the entire universe. This state can be achieved in a variety of ways, and each one is unique, as is each person. But the essence remains the same: it is the desire for harmony, for a fuller and more conscious existence.

In the process of accumulating data, I was able to discover that such experiences are not just random moments or rare anomalies, they are part of the human experience, available to anyone who is willing to seek and discover.

The desire for enlightenment and understanding of the possibilities of the mind is universal, it is reflected in many cultures and traditions.

Through the centuries and civilizations, from ancient shamans to modern mystics, humanity has sought to understand the mysteries of consciousness and reason. This desire for self-knowledge and enlightenment has taken many forms and names, but it is always based on a single desire — to overcome the limitations of ordinary perception and reach a deeper level of awareness.

In this way, the description of the enlightened state of consciousness that I found in spiritual texts became for me a bridge connecting my personal experiences with the ancient wisdom of humanity. This allowed me to see that my experience was part of a larger spiritual path that people had been exploring for thousands of years.

Descriptions of those who have experienced a similar state of consciousness have been found in almost all religious and philosophical teachings of peoples around the world.

Throughout the history of mankind, people have constantly tried to comprehend their own nature of the capabilities of the mind, empirically creating practices of self-improvement, where the highest form of achievement is considered to be Enlightenment. Each nation of the world has its own name, but the description of an unusual state of consciousness for everyone, without exception, completely coincides.

Each of these traditions, although unique in its methods and practices, shares a common vision of enlightenment as a state in which a person achieves a new level of understanding of himself and the world. This is a state when we begin to perceive reality not through the prism of our limited beliefs, but see it as it really is — inexhaustibly rich and deeply interconnected.

Over the millennia of human history, there are so many descriptions of the phenomenon of the altered state of the brain that even one life is not enough to study them, so we will consider only the most unique of the teachings leading to enlightenment;

The state of enlightenment — Nirvana, which today is associated mainly with Buddhism, actually has much more ancient roots, going back centuries, to a time when even writing had not yet been invented. It was a world where wisdom and knowledge were passed down by word of mouth, from teacher to student, from generation to generation.

Nirvana is not just a concept or a philosophical term. It is a state of consciousness in which one attains liberation from the sufferings, desires, and illusions of the material world. It is a state of absolute calm, peace and harmony with the universe, which is described as the ultimate goal of spiritual development.

Interestingly, the concept of Nirvana, or similar states, is present in many Eastern religions and philosophical systems. In Brahmanism, it can be an understanding of Brahman, the absolute reality that is above all. In Hinduism, it is Moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In Taoism, it is the achievement of harmony with Tao, the eternal path of the universe. Even in Confucianism and Shintoism, although Nirvana is not explicitly mentioned, there are ideas about harmony with the natural order and the attainment of a higher spiritual state.

This suggests that the desire for enlightenment and understanding the depths of one’s own consciousness is a fundamental part of human nature. It is common to all cultures and civilizations, and each culture makes an invaluable contribution to the overall understanding of this unique state of consciousness.

The story of Nirvana, then, is the story of our own pursuit of self-discovery and self-realization. It is a path that each of us can take by examining both the outer teachings and the inner experience.

Advaita Vedanta is one of the most profound and influential philosophical teachings that originated in India. This teaching offers a unique perspective on the nature of reality and consciousness, offering a radically non-ambivalent view of the world and our place in it.

At the heart of Advaita Vedanta is the idea that true reality is the unity of existence, where there is no separation between the individual self and the universe. It is a state of Enlightenment when one realizes that one’s individual consciousness, the Atma, is inseparable from the absolute reality, Brahman. In this understanding, the world that we perceive through our senses and mind is an illusion or Maya created by our limited perceptions.

Caesar Teruel, speaking of the paradox of our thinking, emphasizes how beliefs shape our perception of reality. We tend to believe that we think, and our thoughts create a picture of the world in which we live. But Advaita Vedanta urges us to overcome this limited perception and see the world as it really is — one and indivisible.

This teaching offers a path to liberation from illusions and false ideas about oneself and the world. It teaches that realizing our true nature as a part of Brahman opens the way to deep inner peace, wisdom, and harmony. Understanding that we are not separate from the world, but an integral part of it, can radically change our experience of life.

Advaita Vedanta is not merely a philosophical teaching; It is a practical path to self-knowledge and enlightenment. It offers us the tools to break down the walls that we build between ourselves and reality, and to achieve a state in which we can live in full accordance with the true nature of our existence.

For many brought up in the traditions of Western logic and empiricism, the philosophy of Eastern spiritual teachings may seem incomprehensible. However, this is precisely where its unique value lies — it opens the door to other dimensions of understanding and perceiving the world. Islam’s contribution to world culture and science, especially through the spiritual teachings of Tasawwuf, is an example of such deep understanding.

Tasawwuf, or Sufism, with its practices aimed at achieving the state of Fana, offers a path to enlightenment that goes beyond rational thinking. It is a journey into the depths of the soul, where the personal “I” dissolves into the infinity of being, and a person gains a true understanding of his essence and connection with the entire universe.

Islam, which has enriched the world with knowledge in medicine, mathematics, chemistry and many other sciences, proves that spiritual development and scientific progress can go hand in hand. The Sufi understanding of the world, where every being and phenomenon is a reflection of a single divine principle, has inspired many scientists on their path to discovery.

It follows that Fana, as the highest stage of spiritual enlightenment in Islam, can be a key factor that inspires deep reflection and leads to the insight that underlies great scientific discoveries. This is a state when the mind is freed from the bonds of limited perception and begins to see the world in its true, multifaceted form.

In the light of these teachings, we can see that the path to enlightenment and understanding of ourselves and the world is not limited to one culture or religion. It is the universal aspiration of mankind for knowledge, wisdom and harmony with the world around us.

Throughout the history of mankind, religions have not only preserved spiritual traditions, but also contributed to the enlightenment and intellectual development of people. They were the custodians of knowledge and wisdom, helping generations to strive for a deeper understanding of the world and of themselves.

By reflecting on the past, we can see how ancient teachings such as Taoism influenced the development of civilizations and cultures. In China, where Taoism emerged between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE, it offered a unique path to harmony with nature and understanding the laws of the universe. Taoism is not just a religious teaching; it is a philosophy of life that teaches us to live according to the Tao, the natural order of things.

According to Taoist philosophy, true bliss and enlightenment are not achieved through external actions or the pursuit of material goods. Rather, they are in deep self-knowledge and awareness of their connection to the cosmic order. Meditation and inner contemplation become the tools with which a person can reach the state of Nirvana, understanding that all life is a game of illusions, and that the true reality lies beyond the visible.

Taoism, like many other Eastern teachings, encourages us to seek wisdom not in the external world, but within ourselves. This is the way to return to the origins, to the true nature of our existence, where each person can find his place and the meaning of life.

By studying the history and philosophy of Taoism, we can see how ancient teachings continue to influence our modern understanding of the world and our place in it.

Japan, a country where ancient spiritual traditions are harmoniously intertwined with innovations, has given the world many outstanding scientific discoveries. This cannot be a mere coincidence, given the deep roots of Zen Buddhism in Japanese culture, whose teachings are aimed at achieving Enlightenment and developing the mind.

The etymology of the name Zen goes back to the Sanskrit-Pali term “dhyana/jhana” (Sanskrit. “concentration, contemplation”), meaning”(mental) concentration” — the Mind of the Buddha.

Zen, with its emphasis on meditation and contemplation, seeks to realize the true nature of the mind. Satori, or enlightenment in Zen, is a moment of immediate insight, when a person perceives reality as it is, without embellishment and illusions. It is a state of clarity and awareness, when all artificial boundaries between the self and the surrounding world disappear, and a person gains a deep understanding of his own essence.

This approach to life and learning can be key to developing the creative and analytical thinking necessary for scientific discovery. Perhaps it is because of their deep inner concentration and the ability to see beyond surface phenomena that Japanese scientists have been able to reach such heights in science.

Zen is not just a teaching or religion; This is a path to self-knowledge, which can lead to fundamental changes in the perception and understanding of the world. He teaches us that every moment is an opportunity for insight, for deep understanding, and for true knowledge.

By studying the impact of Zen Buddhism on the culture and scientific achievements of Japan, we can see how spiritual practices affect the development of intellectual abilities and how they can become a powerful tool for achieving breakthroughs in various fields of knowledge.

Master Engo “The great truth of Zen lives in everyone. Look inside and look for her there without needing anyone’s help.”

In Christianity, especially in the Orthodox tradition, Hesychasm represents the path to inner peace and understanding through prayer and solitude. This practice, which has its roots in the depths of centuries, was developed to help believers achieve deep spiritual enlightenment and closeness to God.

Hesychasm is based on the idea that through silence, solitude, and constant prayer, a person can clear his mind of worldly worries and aspirations, distract himself from external noise, and focus on an internal dialogue with God. The Jesus Prayer, repeated incessantly, becomes not only a form of conversion, but also a means of self-knowledge and self-purification.

The goal of the hesychast is to achieve a state in which he can see the light of Tabor — the brightness that, according to the Gospel, the apostles saw on Mount Tabor during the Transfiguration of Christ. This vision symbolizes the encounter with the Divine and deification, the process by which man becomes like God in his qualities and actions.

Hesychasm is not just a spiritual practice, but also a mystical path that leads to a deep transformation of the personality. He teaches that true enlightenment and understanding come not through external achievements, but through inner work on oneself, through a constant striving for spiritual perfection.

Hesychasm contributes to a variety of spiritual practices aimed at achieving enlightenment. He emphasizes that the path to true understanding and harmony with the world lies through silence, prayer and self-denial. This teaching offers each person the opportunity to explore the depths of their own consciousness and find the light that will illuminate the path to spiritual fullness.

Modern brain research using neuroimaging techniques allows us to look into the areas where our deepest feelings and experiences are formed. The limbic system, located deep in our brains, is a kind of repository of emotions, memories, and aspects of personality. It is like a boundary where instinctive reactions and higher cognitive functions converge.

Interestingly, the word ‘limbo’ in Latin means ‘edge’ or ‘limit’, and this is reflected in the religious concept of limbo, which was used in medieval Christian theology. Limbo is described as an intermediate state where souls who have not made it to heaven are waiting for the Day of Judgment. It is not a place of punishment, but rather of purification, where souls shed illusions and conceits in order to prepare for eternal life.

Perhaps this is a coincidence in the names, but if we draw a parallel between the limbic system of the brain, which stores and manages our emotions and personality, and the concept of Limbo as a place of spiritual cleansing, we will notice a lot of similarities. Both concepts reflect the boundary between the habitual state of awareness and the transition to a higher level of consciousness.

In the Christian tradition, the idea of Limbo serves as a reminder that each person must go through a process of introspection and purification in order to achieve true understanding and harmony with the Divine. It is a process that requires us to let go of worldly attachments and let go of limiting beliefs.

In this context, hesychasm and other Christian practices of spiritual cleansing can be seen as pathways to attain enlightenment, similar to what is described in Eastern traditions. They offer us methods to achieve deep inner peace and understanding that can lead to the transformation of our consciousness and life.

Thus, in Christianity, as in many other religious traditions, the concept of enlightenment and spiritual purification plays a central role, pointing to the ability of each person to achieve a higher state of consciousness and harmony with the world around them.

In Judaism, Kabbalah is a deep and complex system of esoteric teachings that explores the inner aspects of the Torah and the nature of the universe. Kabbalistic practices and meditations are for those who seek to achieve a deeper spiritual understanding and reconnection with the Divine.

One of the key practices in Kabbalah is Kavanot, a meditative focus on sacred texts and divine names. These meditations involve not just the mechanical repetition of words, but a deep inner immersion in their meaning, which allows the practitioner to rise to a higher level of spiritual awareness.

The names of the angels and the aspects of the Divine that occur in Kabbalistic texts are seen as symbolic ‘keys’ that open access to the higher spiritual worlds. These names and symbols guide the soul on its journey through the ascending levels of the spirit world, leading to the possibility of encountering the Divine.

Kabbalistic teachings and practices offer a unique path to spiritual enlightenment that requires the practitioner not only to know and understand, but also to have a deep personal commitment. This is a path that can lead to the transformation of not only the inner world of a person, but also his interaction with the outside world.

Kabbalah in Judaism, like other mystical traditions, offers spiritually elite practitioners the tools to attain enlightenment and ascent of the soul. These spiritual techniques allow one to explore the depths of one’s consciousness and strive for an elevated state where one can experience oneness with the Divine and understand the true nature of one’s being.

Exploring the history of science and the great minds who have made invaluable contributions to our understanding of the world, it is impossible not to note the significant influence of Judaism, this ancient tradition has not only nurtured generations of outstanding scientists, but also formed the fundamental principles of the spirit of inquiry and critical thinking that underpin modern science.

Kaivalya, as described in the Upanishads, is the culmination of the spiritual path in yoga — it is a state of absolute freedom and independence from all material and mental bonds. In this state, the yogi realizes that his true nature is pure consciousness, not limited by time and space, not connected to the physical body and mind.

The Kaivalya Upanishad, one of the ancient texts dating from the first millennium BCE, details the path to this higher state. A person who has attained Kaivalya experiences deep self-awareness and oneness with all things. He sees himself not as a separate being, but as an integral part of the universe, eternal and unchanging.

This state of enlightenment in yoga is not just liberation from suffering or the attainment of peace and tranquility. It is the full realization of one’s spiritual potential, the realization of one’s true self, which exists beyond all conventions and limitations. Kaivalya means to live in complete harmony with one’s own nature, to be completely self-sufficient and independent of external circumstances.

The path to Kaivalya is the path to the deepest understanding of oneself and the world, the path to the realization that the true essence of a person is consciousness, which is the source of all that exists. This understanding brings with it not only peace and harmony, but also a deep sense of freedom and joy from the realization of one’s eternal nature.

Kaivalya is eternal, all-pervading, formless, unmanifested, infinite, incomprehensible, without beginning, middle and end, which is consciousness. He is the life force, the breath, the fire, and the moon. Eternity is him, everything that has arisen, was and will be is him.

Kaivalya — absolute liberation, non-attachment to something or someone, self-sufficiency. Perfection, that is, the full disclosure of one’s spiritual potential and the realization of one’s destiny as a rational being.

Kaivalya in yoga is not just a goal that the practitioner strives for. This is a state that transforms all life, making it complete, meaningful and free from illusions. “Know it, find liberation, there is no other way’ — these words from the Upanishads remind us that true enlightenment is available to anyone who seeks it, and that this journey is in itself the path to liberation.

In today’s world of rapid changes and constant stress, yoga is becoming not just a trend, but a necessity in everyday life. More and more of the world’s leading companies are incorporating the practice of yoga into their employee development programs, recognizing its potential to improve concentration, increase energy levels, and reach new mental heights. This ancient practice not only helps to strengthen the body, but also cleanses the mind, paving the way for innovation and creativity.

“The image of the All-Seeing Eye in a triangle, found in various cultures, is often interpreted as a symbol of enlightenment and spiritual vision. This symbol is a metaphor for deeper perception, the ability to see beyond the physical world and understand hidden truths.

In many traditions, the All-Seeing Eye is associated with divine observation and omniscience. It symbolizes the universal consciousness that is able to see all times and spaces, past and future, and combines the wisdom and understanding of the Architect of the Universe.

This symbol may also reflect the concept of the ‘sixth sense’ or intuition, which goes beyond the ordinary senses and allows a person to perceive electromagnetic fields or other subtle energies that are not available to the ordinary senses of perception. This ‘sixth sense’ can be associated with intuitive understanding, premonitions, or even psychic abilities.

The all-seeing eye, therefore, becomes a symbol of the desire for enlightenment and the search for a deep understanding of the world. It reminds us that there are higher levels of consciousness available to those who seek spiritual growth and self-knowledge. This symbol encourages us to open our inner eyes and see the world in a new light, realizing our connection to the larger reality and our role in the fabric of the universe.

In all the teachings, we can also observe that the word liberation is often mentioned. What exactly does liberation come from? Let’s try to analyze this issue in more detail.

Liberation, or ‘moksha’ in Hinduism, ‘nirvana’ in Buddhism, ‘fana’ in Sufism, and similar concepts in other traditions, often indicate a process of getting rid of the illusions and limitations that our own perception imposes on us. It is liberation from the chains that shackle our ability to see the world as it really is.

The moment we abandon the subjective perception of the self, a kind of ‘resetting’ of our personality occurs. All the beliefs, knowledge and worldviews that we have accumulated, often under the influence of the surrounding society, can be revised. This is not just a change in views, it is a deep rethinking of the very essence of our “I”.

When a person is freed from these external and internal limitations, he begins to see reality without filters, without the bias that acquired knowledge creates. This state can be compared to the “resetting” of the personality, when the old parameters of character and ego give way to a new understanding.

This process of liberation opens the door to the possibility of consciously choosing the qualities and characteristics that we want to develop in ourselves. We begin to realize that the limitations we thought were inevitable were actually of our own making. And when we free ourselves from these self-imposed limitations, we open ourselves up to new possibilities and abilities that previously seemed unattainable.

Thus, the path to liberation in spiritual teachings is not just a path to personal happiness or peace. This is the path to deep self-knowledge, to the realization of our true nature and to the discovery of the infinite potential of our mind. When we become “Nobody’, when we give up our attachment to a particular image of “I”, we gain the freedom to be ‘the All’, which opens up unlimited horizons of knowledge and self-realization.

At the heart of the various spiritual practices is the desire for transcendence of the individual, for overcoming the limitations of the ego and achieving a state of oneness with the world. This is the way to realize that our true self transcends individual existence and is connected to a larger reality.

Namaz in Islam, prayer in Christianity, meditation in Buddhism and yoga — all these practices are aimed at helping the practitioner to distract himself from everyday worries and immerse himself in a deep inner space. In these moments of solitude and concentration, one can experience a sense of loss of self, witness one’s own consciousness, and feel connected to one’s true nature.

This process of escaping the ego does not mean denying oneself or one’s individuality. Rather, it is the recognition that our personality is only a part of our existence, and that there is a deeper level of being beyond the ego. This understanding allows us to experience moments of deep connection with the world around us, to feel part of something bigger, and to gain a broader perspective on life.

Spiritual practices that lead to an altered state of consciousness open the way not only to spiritual awakening, but also to the development of the mind. They teach us to see the world not through the narrow lens of the ego, but through a broader and more integrative perception that unites us with all that exists. This is the way to understand that we are not just separate individuals, but also an integral part of the universe, capable of deep self-knowledge and transformation.

When we ask ourselves about the primary sources of spiritual teachings, we are confronted with the deep mystery of human experience. Who were the people who, thousands of years ago, were able to delve into the mysteries of consciousness and reason, opening the way for us to enlightenment and self-knowledge? They were sages, shamans, prophets, and mystics who may have experienced deep spiritual insights and witnessed the greater potential of the human mind.

It is possible to assume that these founders were people who were not just ahead of their time, but were also able to connect with some universal wisdom that transcends the boundaries of time and culture. They were able to achieve states of consciousness that allowed them to see the world from a completely different angle and pass on their knowledge to future generations.

Modern science, with its discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science, is beginning to confirm what ancient teachings have been describing for centuries: that the human mind has enormous, not yet fully realized potential. We are beginning to understand that our brains are capable of adaptation and change, and that we can develop our cognitive abilities and spiritual awareness much further than previously thought.

At today’s level of neuroscience, spiritual teachings can be seen as a kind of ‘treasure map’, pointing to possibilities that have yet to be explored. They offer us not only methods of self-development, but also the idea that humanity can evolve towards a higher level of awareness and understanding.

Perhaps it is thanks to these ancient teachings that we will be able to continue our path of development as a species and as a civilization, opening up new horizons for the mind and spirit. And perhaps we will see the day when humanity as a whole will reach a level of enlightenment that today seems to us only a distant dream.

It is religions that at all times have been directly involved in the enlightenment of society, and only in modern times, separate scientific trends have been formed from these teachings.

The concept of the role of religion in the development of education and science is based on the historical fact that many ancient religious institutions were centers of learning and knowledge. In different eras and in different cultures, religious institutions have played a key role in the preservation and dissemination of knowledge, as well as in the education of future generations.

In the ancient world, temples were not only places of worship but also served as centers of learning. Priests were often among the few literate people and were engaged in teaching writing, astronomy, mathematics and medicine. For example, in ancient Egypt, temples were places where future scribes and administrators were trained, and scientific research was conducted.

In India, Vedic schools known as gurukulas provided education based on scriptures and included the study of philosophy, literature, logic, and various sciences.

In Judaism, synagogues and yeshivas (religious schools) were centers of Torah and Talmud study, where instruction included not only religious texts, but also logic, ethics, and philosophy.

The Islamic world in the Middle Ages gave rise to madrasas, educational institutions where not only religious sciences were taught, but also many secular subjects, such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy. The Baghdad House of Wisdom, for example, was a famous center of translation and scholarship, where scholars of different religions and cultures gathered.

Christian monasteries in Europe preserved and copied manuscripts, taught literacy, and were the custodians of knowledge during the Dark Ages. Later, universities, many of which arose from monastic schools, became centers of scholarship and scientific research.

Religious institutions in many cultures have been the forerunners of modern educational institutions and have played an important role in the development of science. Not only did they impart knowledge, but they also fostered critical thinking and scholarly dialogue, which ultimately led to the emergence of the scientific method of education and the development of modern academic disciplines.

Today, we are on the verge of a new era where modern science and ancient knowledge can interact and complement each other. The possibility of combining the scientific method with the wisdom contained in religious and spiritual teachings opens up unprecedented opportunities for the further development of humanity.

This unification can lead to a new understanding of the nature of reality, consciousness, and human experience. It can help us better understand the complex relationships between mind and matter, between the individual and the universal, and between science and spirituality.

For many centuries, mankind has accumulated quite enough knowledge and it is time to build bridges between the ancient knowledge stored in religions and the discoveries of modern times. This synthesis can open up new horizons for human development and help us build a more harmonious and conscious society where knowledge benefits everyone.

By combining the knowledge of modern neuroscience with ancient spiritual teachings, I found amazing parallels and interconnections. Neuroscience provides us with a detailed understanding of how our brains work, how thoughts and emotions are formed, and what processes underlie our consciousness. Ancient spiritual traditions, on the other hand, offer practices and insights that aim to expand consciousness and achieve an enlightened state.

Combining these two fields of knowledge allowed me to see that enlightenment, or an altered state of consciousness, is not something abstract or unattainable. It is a real-world condition that has specific neurobiological correlates. Such an understanding opens up new prospects for psychology, in general, all medicine and personal development. It shows that we can consciously influence our brains by using ancient practices to achieve a healthier, more balanced, and more mindful state.

This association also emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to human development, where science and spirituality do not oppose each other, but complement and enrich mutual understanding.

Modern neurophysiology shows that meditation and spiritual practices can lead to noticeable changes in the brain, such as an increase in gray matter in certain areas, improved connections between different brain structures, and a change in activity in neural networks. These changes can help improve cognitive function, emotional regulation, and awareness.

Spiritual practices can also affect our ability to learn, our perceptions, and how we interact with the world around us. Thus, when we develop our minds through religious practices, we not only change our current state of consciousness, but we can also contribute to the long-term development of the human species.

There is a direct correlation: religious and spiritual practices affect the development of the mind, which leads to neural changes in the brain. And the inverse relationship: physiological changes in the brain can stimulate changes at the structural level, which in turn affects cognitive abilities and mental capabilities in general. Ultimately, spiritual practices lead a person to peace and wisdom.

Chapter 2. Personal stories of Profectum

Meetings and conversations with people who have experienced a state of altered consciousness in modern times have allowed me to see that, despite the differences in descriptions, there is a commonality of experiences in their stories. These sensations turned out to be remarkably similar to those that I experienced and to those mentioned in ancient texts and religious teachings. And if we compare modern stories with historical ones, we can see that according to the parameters of the characteristics of the sensations experienced, earlier this phenomenon of consciousness was called Enlightenment.

Traditionally, Enlightenment is interpreted as a spiritual awakening that includes elements of mysticism and transcendence. However, my observations and conversations with those who have experienced this state have shown that many aspects of the experience can have a physiological basis and are therefore amenable to scientific analysis. My hypothesis is that altered consciousness may well be a consequence of the evolutionary development of the brain, which fully explains such unusual cognitive activity.

“The nature of the mind cannot be invariably static, the brain always follows the path of constant learning and its own development. And the more the mind develops, the more proportionally its ability to find ways to expand its own capabilities increases.

It is quite logical that if it is thanks to the change in the brain that a person began his path to development, then without a doubt, further evolution is possible only in this direction.”

In order to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon of Enlightenment and make it accessible to scientific study, there was a need for a new term that would reflect both the spiritual and physiological aspects of the experience. This name should encompass not only the sensations experienced by humans, but also the potential neurobiological changes that occur in the brain.

I can imagine what difficulties the founders of spiritual teachings faced when, having outstripped evolution by several thousand years ahead, they explained the truth to their contemporaries, because even today there are no names for many things.

Or as Professor Michael Gazzaniga put it; “The most important step towards explaining the phenomenality of consciousness will be the creation of a new language for describing this phenomenon”

And since there is no scientific name for the man of the future, then let’s call him Homo profectum sapiens, which in Latin means — Man of Progressing Mind. And accordingly, the physiological state of brain change that people experience today will be called profectum (progress).

It is now easy to say that humanity is evolving from Homo sapiens to a new human species, Homo profectum sapiens.

The proposal to name the new human species “Homo profectum sapiens’ underscores the unique transformation we are beginning to witness in the modern world. This is not just evolution in the biological sense; This is the evolution of consciousness and reason. The profectum (progress) that people are experiencing today may be a sign that we are witnessing the birth of a new era in human history.

Observations of thousands of people who have experienced the state of ‘profectum’ suggest that we may be on the verge of significant changes in the structure and functioning of the brain. These changes can lead to new ways of perceiving, thinking, and interacting with the world. They can give us access to previously unexplored areas of intelligence and its capabilities.

Studying these unique cases of ‘profectum’ allows us to better understand exactly what changes occur in the brain and how they can affect our daily lives. It also gives us the opportunity to explore how these changes can be interconnected with ancient practices and teachings that have shown us the path to enlightenment and self-realization over the centuries.

In this way, “Homo profectum sapiens’ may become not just a new species in the biological sense, but a symbol of the new level of awareness that humanity is striving for. This could be the beginning of a new chapter in our history, where the development of the mind and awakened consciousness will become central elements of our existence.

In my quest to understand and describe this phenomenon, I am going to share some of the most unique and revealing stories of those who have already experienced the state of ‘profectum’. These stories not only illustrate the general features of the phenomenon we are experiencing, but also help us see the physiological trends of changes that occur in the brain.

It is difficult to give exact statistics, but according to preliminary estimates, tens of thousands of people have already experienced the profectum effect, and since all the personal stories of the experience are almost identical, it makes no sense to list them, so I will present in my opinion some of the most unique cases:

Dmitry. F. Age 15 years.

“I didn’t feel my body well, there was a feeling of peace, a kind of “levitation” — that is, the body felt as light as possible.

This state is very similar to the phenomenon of “hyper-realization” and that my brain begins to work as quickly as possible, productively, 100%. In this state, any difficult tasks were instantly solved. Apparently, a large amount of blood entered the brain, activating a significant part of the neural ensembles.

I began to be fully aware of myself, the feeling of anxiety completely disappeared, a state of complete comfort and relaxation came.

There was only a certain feeling that I could “change the world” and that I was not a separate person, but a part of this world and nothing separate.

Passing my hand, her movement seemed to me to be some kind of slides, that is? When I passed my hand near my face, I saw what had happened to it a second ago in the form of a transparent “image” that had a different time than the one I was in.

I felt what I would call hallucinatory levitation, literally I did not feel my body as some kind of mass. Very interesting.

I told my sister about this condition, that perhaps it was “hyper-realization”, she is a psychologist. Hyperrealization is a kind of spatial disturbance of perception, a state between sleep and wakefulness — a fairly similar description to what I experienced at that point in time.”

It is noteworthy that after three years, Dmitry is fond of various sciences; physics, space, futurology, the development of the mind, and wants to change the world for the better.

Pay attention to the fact that Dmitry did not have a complete transition to the pure work of consciousness, as a result of which visual images were perceived simultaneously as an accelerated and slowed down picture of the visible. That is, the visual system in our brain has two ways of perception; direct to the frontal structures and the second through the filter of the singular cortex (which stores our personality — I see, my body, my hand, etc.). The two paths of visual perception have a completely different speed — in the normal state, a person sees with a delay of 300 milliseconds to 30 seconds, and in the state of profectum, perception speeds up several times. As a result, this is why Dmitry developed such an unusual effect of a visual image with a bifurcation in time and space.

Apparently, this visual effect is an accidental coincidence, but a similar multiple depiction of hands can be found in Shaivism.

Another story of personal experience is told by Alexander V., 34 years old.

“It was summer, about 5 in the morning. Going out on the balcony and sitting on an armchair, I just listened to the street, trying not to distinguish sounds, allowing myself not to understand, but to listen, and did not notice how I listened to the singing of birds. And then the unusual happened. I no longer understood where the body was, whether it was breathing there or not, or in what position. At that moment, it was as if I was singing birds myself. Not with birds, not with sound waves, but with the singing itself. Then, a moment before, he could seem to control it or predict which one would sing and how.

I decided to ask my own question. Not words. It’s not just how you want to think and the mind expresses it in a monologue to itself, but without putting it into words, you already know what you want to think about before the thought takes shape. In fact, you don’t have to talk to yourself in your head, as it usually happens. I’m going to ask a question, and I just already know the answer. That’s what frightened my mind, as soon as I realized it, the fear of what was happening, threw me out of this state

All my life waiting for an answer from the outside and trying to find it: I did not even notice that I had already been communicating with the “voice of silence” since childhood. I began to rediscover the world around me through perception and gradually merging with it, I began to “hear” it again, to be in harmony with the world.”

Like the story of Dmitry described above, Alexander did not have a complete transition of feelings to pure consciousness, but in his case it is associated with auditory perception. The consciousness in accelerated perception had already heard the birds singing, but to the slowed personal awareness it seemed that it was predicting in an instant how the birds would sing.

The experience is described by Osho R. 1931 — 1990.

“The condition was supernatural. For the first time, it shakes to the very depths of the soul. After this experience, you will never be the same again. It brings a completely new outlook on life, makes you completely different.

Around midnight, my eyes suddenly opened by themselves… In any case, I did not make any effort to do so. Something disturbed my sleep. I felt someone’s presence next to me, in my room. My room was very tiny, but I could feel the beating of life all around, powerful vibrations. It was as if I had been caught in the eye of a typhoon and was drowning in a majestic storm of light, joy and bliss.

It was so real that everything else became unreal: the walls of the room, the whole house, my body itself. Everything became unreal, because only now did I see the real reality for the first time.”

As in the stories of Dmitry and Alexander, Osho lost the sense of his own physical body, and his visual perception changed.

Tesla N. 1856 — 1943.

“My sight and hearing are perfect, and I dare say, stronger than those of other people. I hear thunder 250 kilometers away and see colors in the sky that other people can’t see. I acquired such a sharpening of vision and hearing as a child. Later, I developed them consciously. I learned to control emotions, dreams and vision.”

John Jacob O’Neill. 1944. In the book “Genius Overflowing. The Life of Nikola Tesla” describes the feelings experienced by N. Tesla:

“One of the symptoms was hypersensitivity. His senses had always been extremely heightened, but now his sensitivity had grown so much that it had become simply painful. The ticking of the clock, from which he was separated by three rooms, sounded like the sound of a hammer on an anvil. The vibration created by ordinary street traffic, transmitted through a chair or bench, reverberated throughout the body, and in order to completely eliminate all vibrations, it was necessary to put the legs of his bed on rubber pads. Ordinary speech was perceived as a terrible noise, and the slightest touch had a psychological effect similar to a powerful blow. The ray of sunlight falling on him felt like an internal explosion. A particularly unpleasant sensitivity in the forehead made it possible to feel an object at a distance of ten paces in the dark.”

Tesla is the most striking example of the state of profectum — a complete transition to a heightened sense of touch, visual and auditory perception.

At the moment of direct work of consciousness (frontal structures of the brain), there is a multiple acceleration and increase in the work of the mind, a colossally larger amount of information stored in the brain is involved. Perhaps it was these mental abilities that allowed N. Tesla to make more than 700 inventions.

Another unique example of the tested state of Profectum is presented by Larisa B., 60 years old.

I like to walk, having a certain long-distance goal. Outline the final destination of the walk and walk without thinking about anything. To do this, I have long developed my own way of stopping thinking. I begin to experience thoughts as an internal movement of the energy they produce. I began to stop movements in the inner space and not only from loud thoughts, but also from the idea of stopping them, and from any intention to go somewhere and achieve something. It’s just that any interest, any desire, generates a vector of movement, a subtle, barely perceptible internal tension. It is very subtle and it should be noticed. And how to remove the intention, the desire to come to something? But only if you create a state in which you have already come, have already achieved everything, have already received everything and you do not need anywhere and do not need anything. I have already implemented everything I wanted and you don’t need to do anything, explain to yourself, prove something, control… And when there is no intention, no goal, and all that remains is to stop micro-movements from current thoughts that arise spontaneously.

Attention was somewhere inside, in some center, some point from which all these mental movements arose… And as soon as the next thoughts tried to come, I immediately returned them back to the point of peace from which they arose.

In general, I did it for about 10 or 15 minutes, and suddenly I was thrown out somewhere… The whole perception has changed… Space has changed… I even stopped from surprise… Amazing silence and some kind of viviparous emptiness. The density of the air and the space around is completely unfamiliar.

Thoughts simply did not arise and their absence was completely natural. It was perceived as a very colorfully shining, as if slightly moving space. It’s like you lived in a two-dimensional world before, and in an instant you got into a three-dimensional one. Some strange additional and shining volume appeared.

The picture is so “alive” that, in comparison with it, in the usual perception of reality, it seems that there is not enough “life”. In general, physical reality seemed to come to life… For myself, I later called it a stop in the inner world of a person.

Then a slight shadow of “me” appeared, curiosity about what was happening turned on (this, as I understand now, threw me back, but after 15 minutes). I began to look at everything carefully and even try to think… Houses are standing, trees are growing, cars are driving… Everything works, only everything is different, all the senses are sharpened.

And the exit was very gradual, soft, as if everything was slowly dissipating. Then, for about 10 days, a strong trace of the condition remained. It was incomprehensible how I had not seen this “living” thing in space before. I did not have any questions that would require answers. The answers came by themselves, I don’t know where they came from… The information also somehow came by itself…

As a person who is honest with myself and reasonable, I realized that this is certainly not “enlightenment” at all, just a deeper immersion in something, but the fact that this is a move to something more — yes. And for some reason I am sure that there is no end to this, deeper and deeper until it dissolves completely. Wei Wu Wei writes in his book “The Tenth Man” that this is not enough for liberation, and he is right. In this state, there was a “me” in which everything happened.

I came to understand how to be effective. There are no difficulties in achieving something, there are conditioning and reluctance. There was a conviction that everything is possible. The intensity of living has increased, it is possible to say: the speed has somehow increased…

Lyudmila’s story is most unique in that she was able to feel the information energy field. In contrast to the above examples, which partly have a natural basis, it has reached the state of profectum by practicing the cessation of the internal dialogue, the uninterrupted flow of thoughts. Her example proves that absolutely every person has the opportunity, with the help of meditative practices, to acquire the abilities of the mind of Nikola Tesla, to have the calmness of the Buddha, to change not only the perception of reality, but also to completely reset the parameters of the “I”, the subjective personality.

Meditation is able to reset the settings of programs acquired from early childhood, which leads to natural nature, self-knowledge, comprehension of the very basis of life and its fundamental purpose.

We are still only at the beginning of the path of upcoming discoveries, but even today, thanks to the Dalai Lama XIV, who initiated joint research with the participation of representatives of modern science and Buddhist monks, using the latest equipment, scientists are studying the effect of meditative practices on the physiological activity of the brain.

A participant in this scientific project and expeditions to India and Nepal, Professor Alexander Kaplan shared his view on meditation. “Meditation is not mysticism, it is a transformative force. You come out of it a different person. It is this transformative force that we are studying.”

This power, the professor is sure, “can make us better — more sensitive and compassionate to the world around us.”

Meditative practices certainly change the brain, making a person calmer, improve memory, thereby increasing mental abilities, but they are only the beginning. The beginning of the path of development to the phenomenal, sometimes inexplicable possibilities of the work of consciousness. It is impossible to describe something that goes beyond logical perception, so a survey of those who experienced the profectum revealed a number of cognitive changes that we are already able to study and justify scientifically.

The altered state of consciousness profectum usually occurs once and lasts an average of 5—10 minutes, in rare cases it lasts up to several hours and recurs episodically.

The age of those who have experienced profectum varies from 10 to 65 years, but there is mainly a predominance of two age categories, these are 20—25 years and 40—45 years.

In most cases, the effect occurs naturally, without meditative, spiritual or any other practices. Psychological experiences preceding the moment, depression, and health problems are often mentioned. That is, in such a case, it is the occurrence of critical life situations that serve as a stimulus for the activation of the functional activity of consciousness.

The survey of those who experienced the profectum reveals a number of common parameters of cognitive changes;

Table; 1

— Absolute peace of mind.

— Absence of “I”, ego, personality, character.

— The disappearance of the internal dialogue, the usual incessant flow of thoughts.

— A sense of pure reason.

— Increase in the amount of memory structures involved.

— The absence of a pressure filter over the perception of accumulated experience, knowledge, which contributes to a changed vision of reality.

— Acceleration and significant increase in the volume of sensory information processing (hearing, sight, touch).

— As a result of the departure from personal perception, there is a globalization of thinking, identity with the external world.

Individual symptoms are rare;

— Visual bifurcation of the external picture of the visible, simultaneous layering of ordinary and accelerated visual perception.

— Anticipatory auditory perception, advance knowledge of the external source of sound, which will occur in a moment.

— A heightened sense of touch, which allows you to feel objects at a distance.

— An increase in the speed of reactions, a change in the physical state of the whole body, the vegetative and endocrine system at the cellular level, a change in body weight, an increase in blood pressure.

— Access to all the information stored in the brain opens up, which contributes to the manifestation of unusual rational logic, and a form of thinking, which can be called intuitively creative and having a much higher speed.

Subsequently, after a short-term profectum, there is;

— Slow, lasting on average from 2 days to several months, disappearance of the effects of absolute memory.

— Self-analysis and conscious observation of one’s own thoughts and emotions are manifested.

— Continuous, ongoing learning, information-seeking, and community experiences similar experiences.

— Interests, life goals and values change dramatically.

— There is a change in the field of activity, profession, or at least new hobbies appear.

— The psyche, personality, perception of oneself and the outside world change.

— Often there are complications in relationships with the close environment, which are not able to perceive such a sharp change in personality.

— Those who have experienced attract others to themselves with a positive mental background, but due to the difference in the experience of knowledge and misunderstanding, over time they prefer to stay away from social society and its consumer interests.

— They become spiritual leaders, trying to explain their personal experience in an accessible language for ordinary people.

There are many more general parameters, but the above table is limited to logical perception, since only at the level of rational logic is it possible to describe the sensations of what has been experienced. At the very least, rational logic is limited to speech and what goes beyond it at the level of modern knowledge cannot be described.

I will give an example for understanding the level of thinking of the neocortex as a form of a higher order;

When the body needs a certain element, such as phosphorus, the brain is not always able to directly indicate the possibility of obtaining it in a pharmacy. Instead, our neocortex, which is responsible for more complex cognitive functions such as problem-solving and planning, ‘scans’ memory for sources of a given element.

This inner ‘search’, or more precisely, the awareness of a need, can manifest itself in the form of a sudden desire to eat foods rich in phosphorus, such as fish, almonds or pistachios. This is an example of how our biological needs can influence our preferences and desires, even if we are not aware of the true reason for this desire.

When the need is satisfied, the brain releases dopamine as a reward, which we perceive as a sensation of pleasure or ‘delicious’.

This example of unconscious needs of the body is especially observed during pregnancy or at the time of illness, when the lack of demanded elements increases many times over.

This process also highlights the importance of listening to our body’s signals and intuition. They can provide us with valuable insights into our physiological needs, which in turn can help us make more informed decisions.

Conclusion — listen to your intuition.

Neuroscientists Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman, after interviewing more than 2,000 people who had experienced Profectum in their book Our Brain and Enlightenment, published a table of five basic elements that mark experiences;

— A sense of unity or interconnectedness.

— Incredible power of experience.

— Clarity of mind and a new understanding of fundamental truths.

— A feeling of absolute resignation, or loss of conscious control.

— Awareness of irreversible changes — in beliefs, in life, in goals.

Further, the authors note:

However, the nature of the manifestation of these elements is highly variable and individual. For example, you may experience oneness with nature, universal consciousness, or God.

Here is the story of a 65-year-old American woman who professes Judaism: It was like an energetic merging and union with the most powerful Creative Force/Being in all universes and beyond. At that moment, I was at the same time aware of myself as an individual, but I was also part of “God” (I don’t have another word, though). Imbued with the power of all Creation/Creative Power, I was filled with joy so great that it nourished my Existence with a spiritual kinship with everything and everyone.

Now notice the similarities in the experience of oneness: the following is another story sent by a woman in India (43 years old):

One day, when I was doing Pranic Healing (directing energy to different parts of the body through the laying on of hands), tears poured down my cheeks. Then I experienced a sense of “ONENESS” with all creatures. My body was very light, and there was no difference between me and the external reality. There was no sense of “myself.”

This experience was unique. Both of these examples express an experience of unity: in the first case, a sense of incredible connection with God, in the second, a connection with all living beings and with reality itself. But the second story serves as an example of another quality that is often mentioned in the scriptures of the East: the loss of the sense of self. A person literally feels as if his own personality is dissolving. There is no “me” — just a universal sense of awareness or experience of oneness. Please think about it for a moment. How would you feel if you experienced the disappearance of your self?”

Often, the state of profectum is associated with the effect of taking psychotropic substances, which is basically a distorted interpretation of sensations. At least a comparison of only one, but the main effect of Profectum is a departure from one’s own “I”, personality, identity with the surrounding world, while some psychotropic substances create a splitting of the “I”, observation of the personality from the outside. The state of Profectum is a natural physiological change in the brain, and not a single extraneous substance is able to lead to it, not to mention harmful addiction, addiction or caused, sometimes irreversible damage to the brain. Quite the opposite: even a short-term state of profectum can become a catalyst for positive changes in a person’s life. When the new cortex of the brain, responsible for conscious thought and self-control, is activated, it leads to a decrease in dependence on primitive desires controlled by older brain structures, such as the limbic system.

This positive change in the structural functioning of the brain may explain why people who have experienced profectum often give up bad habits and focus on satisfying interests in more intellectual and spiritual pursuits. They begin to appreciate the process of learning and enjoying the work of mental activity, which becomes a new source of inspiration as a higher order.

My personal experience confirms the observed tendency of changing interests. After experiencing a profectum, with no explicit intention of breaking bad habits, I noticed a change in my perception of what was “superfluous” or “unnecessary.” This led me to give up alcohol, nicotine, and other forms of entertainment that I had previously thought were indispensable. Instead, he turned to scientific knowledge and education, which became a new source of satisfaction and meaning in life.

If I had never been interested in neurophysiology and psychology before, now I began to immerse myself in the study of the endless ocean of information about the brain with incredible pleasure. And this abrupt change of interests still surprises me. It turns out that even very complex sciences are easy to study when natural curiosity and interest are manifested. There is no need to memorize the material — the brain itself is happy to absorb any complex information.

The initial stimulus was the desire to understand what really happened to me, which later prompted me to delve into a more detailed study of the functionality of the brain. Although the realization that our brain is evolving came instantly, it took six months of accumulating knowledge in the field of neurophysiology to understand the mechanism of this process. It seemed contradictory to know the answer without having an idea of such a complex scientific field. But the information for building an evidential relationship was so easy that sometimes it seemed as if I was lucky. Being scrupulous and skeptical by nature, I did not stop at one source, but looked for confirmation or refutation among many scientific works. As a result, I collected much more evidence than is necessary for one book, which could lead to its endless expansion. Therefore, I strive to present here the most significant and conceptually expressed ideas accumulated by many generations of scientists over the thousand-year history of mankind.

Creating a unified view of human brain development based on a wide range of knowledge reflects my goal of finding unifying principles that can shed light on the future of humanity. This view incorporates ancient wisdom and modern scientific discoveries, providing us with a unique perspective on the evolution of consciousness through the lens of different disciplines.

Studying archival records, scientific research, laboratory data, philosophical and spiritual texts allowed me to see general trends and patterns in the development of the brain. This knowledge gives us clues to understanding what changes may occur in the near and distant future, and how these changes can affect our behavior, thinking, and society as a whole.

With this data, we can predict with relative accuracy some of the directions in which the evolution of the human mind might be moving. We can expect to see an increase in trends such as heightened senses, a significant increase in memory, new cognitive abilities, and a deeper understanding of one’s own nature and the nature of the world around us.

Understanding of evolutionary processes is constantly evolving, and each new discovery has the potential to influence our vision of what lies ahead. However, efforts to combine knowledge from different sources can help us prepare for the upcoming changes and actively participate in our own evolution.

Each of us is already able to influence the evolution of the human mind, which gives special importance to our daily decisions and actions. This awareness turns every choice we make into an important step towards a brighter future for all of us.

This is especially important for the upbringing and education of children. By supporting their intellectual development, we not only help them achieve personal success, but also contribute to the evolution of the human species as a whole. Teaching children critical thinking, encouraging their curiosity and creativity, developing emotional intelligence and social skills are all fundamental aspects that will shape not only their future, but the future of all humanity.

Your child’s education should be paramount, and every moment you spend with them to help them learn and grow is an investment in the future. This is not just raising the next generation; it is the formation of the foundation for the next stage in the evolution of the human mind.

We live in an amazing time when the boundaries between science, philosophy and spirituality are becoming more and more blurred. Discoveries in neuroscience and quantum physics reveal the amazing mysteries of human consciousness and the very nature of reality. At the same time, ancient teachings and practices such as meditation and yoga find their scientific confirmation and recognition as powerful tools for the development of the mind and body.

This fusion of different fields of knowledge creates unprecedented opportunities for the study and understanding of human potential. We can use this knowledge not only for personal growth, but also for the inspiration and enlightenment of all humanity.

Perhaps we are on the verge of a new Renaissance, when science, art and spirituality will coexist harmoniously, mutually enriching each other. This will be an era where people can fully integrate their mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects, achieving true balance and wholeness.

In this new world, where knowledge and transcendence go hand in hand, perhaps we can overcome many of the divisions and conflicts that have held back human progress for centuries. We will be able to see that we are all part of one great universe, and that our separate paths lead to the same goal — the full realization of our limitless potential of the mind.

Therefore, I encourage you to join me on this journey of knowledge and enlightenment. Together, we can explore the depths of human consciousness, push the boundaries of our understanding, and create a better future for all. May our hearts and minds be open to new truths, and our actions are for the benefit of all humanity and our beautiful planet.

This is the beginning of a new era, and we are its co-creators. Let us create together a world in which “Homo profectum sapiens” — the Man of the Progressing Mind — can achieve his highest destiny.

Chapter 3. Evolution of the brain

Modern Homo sapiens, standing on the evolutionary step of the phylogenetic ladder, is not the first and not the last human species to live on Earth. The history of our species is one of constant evolution and adaptation to changing environmental conditions and the challenges it poses.

Research shows that our brains continue to evolve, and these changes include both structural and functional aspects that affect cognitive abilities, emotional responses, and behavior.

The first historical records of humans experiencing the profectum state can be found about 5,000 years ago, and given this date, the more remarkable are the scientific works that show that the last genetic mutation of the brain occurred about 5,800 years ago. At that time, the first Sumerian urban civilization was born and, according to various sources, from 5 to 20 million people lived on Earth.

The mutation associated with the ASPM gene (abnormal spindle-like microchephaly associated) occurred in an era when humanity was undergoing a transition from a nomadic lifestyle to agriculture, which led to the emergence of cities and the development of writing. The presence of this gene variant in a significant part of the population may indicate its importance for adaptation to new social and natural conditions, the development of highly intellectual abilities.

The head of the study, Dr. Bruce Lahn, emphasized that the appearance of the gene explains the trend of gradual complication of the brain structure, which is observed in humans today. This process is still ongoing, according to Dr. Lang.

About 50,000 years ago, there was a change in another gene called MCPH1 that caused an increase in brain size. This change contributed to the flourishing of creativity and memory capacity, which became a hallmark of Homo sapiens.

Today we can observe that a violation in the functioning of the MPRN1 gene (Microcephalin) leads to the development of a clinical form of microcephaly. This is characterized by the absence of any neurological disorders, a sharp — up to 400 cm3 — decrease in brain volume and a decrease in intellectual abilities.

The discovery that protein products from normal variants of the MPRN1 and ASPM genes promote neurogenesis during fetal development underscores their importance in brain formation. In contrast, mutations in these genes that lead to blocked brain development can cause conditions such as microcephaly, indicating regressive changes similar to those of the more ancient ancestors of Homo sapiens.

The researchers suggest that positive selection for these genes may have played an important role in the evolution of the brain over time, from the simplest primates to modern humans. This assumption is supported by the trend of the spread of mutant gene variants, which may indicate positive selection in favor of certain brain functions.

Thus, mutations in the MCPH1 and ASPM genes not only affect the physical characteristics of the brain, but may also be associated with evolutionary changes in cognitive function. This discovery provides a unique opportunity to further investigate how genetic changes can affect brain structure and function, as well as behavior and intelligence.

The interest in the MCPH1 and ASPM genes and their impact on human brain development underscores the complexity and diversity of the mechanisms involved in the evolutionary process. While the MCPH1 mutation is associated with a change in the volume of the neocortex, the role of ASPM may be more specific and related to other aspects of brain development, perhaps its functional organization or neural plasticity.

True, 5,800 years is a relatively short period on an evolutionary scale, but the presence of positive changes in brain function in individuals may indicate an accelerated pace of evolution, possibly under the influence of natural or social factors. These changes can be the result of both genetic adaptation and epigenetic modifications that occur in response to changes in the environment and lifestyle.

Current research shows that the human brain has a high degree of plasticity and is able to adapt to new challenges, which can manifest itself in improved cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and learning ability. This suggests that the processes underlying these changes may be related to recent mutations in genes such as ASPM.

Thus, continuing to study the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of brain evolution may help us better understand what factors contribute to positive changes in brain function and how we can use this knowledge to stimulate cognitive development and improve quality of life.

However, the question of the future evolution of the human brain and whether there will be an increase or decrease in its volume remains open and is the subject of scientific debate.

The existing different points of view on the future of the evolution of the human brain, they reflect the complexity and complexity of this issue. On the one hand, Professor S. Savelyev emphasizes that a large brain provides a person with the ability to solve complex problems and adapt to changing conditions. On the other hand, it points to the energy costs of maintaining such a large and metabolically active organ as the brain.

Dr. Lang, in turn, suggests that in today’s world, where access to nutrient resources has improved significantly, energy costs may not be as critical, and the large brain can continue to develop without significant restrictions.

Both views emphasize the importance of balancing energy costs and cognitive benefits in the process of evolution. Perhaps the future of brain evolution will not be so much in increasing its volume as in optimizing its structures and functions for a more efficient use of resources.

It’s also worth considering that the evolution of the brain can go in the direction of improving specific cognitive abilities, such as memory, attention, learning, and creative thinking, without significantly changing its size. Epigenetic mechanisms and cultural factors can also play an important role in this process, allowing humanity to adapt to new challenges without radical changes in the genetic code.

Ultimately, the future of the evolution of the human brain will depend on a variety of factors, including changes in the environment, social conditions, technological innovations, and many other external influences. Science continues to explore these questions, and each new discovery brings us closer to understanding what changes await us in the future.

And yet, a number of questions arise here: do we need a large brain at all, or is a small, but more productive one enough? And where to get additional energy, because the stomach already works around the clock, and is simply not able to produce more of it?

Also, if we remember how “expensive” the brain is for a person (“a vacationer” consumes 9% of all energy and 20% of oxygen, a “thinking” person consumes about 25% of the nutrients entering the body and about 33% of the oxygen needed by the body), it turns out that thinking is not very profitable.

The question of brain size versus brain performance is key to the debate about the future of human evolutionary development. Modern science shows that a larger brain does not always equate to higher cognitive ability. Perhaps more important is not the increase in brain volume, but its ability to neuroplasticity and optimize neural networks.

The modern lifestyle and diet do provide people with an excessive amount of energy, but the main thing is not in the quantity, but in the ability to effectively use this energy. Studies show that during meditation, the activity of the limbic system decreases significantly and the activity of the neocortex increases, which may indicate the brain’s ability to flexibly manage its resources. With the help of meditation and other mental practices, a person is able to redistribute energy flows in the brain, improving its functionality.

This finding suggests that the future evolutionary development of the brain is not aimed at increasing its size, but at optimizing functionality and managing energy resources. Perhaps evolution will lead to the development of a more compact brain that will be more efficient at processing information and solving cognitive problems.

The tendency of a person to immerse himself in the inner world of fantasies and maintain a constant internal dialogue leads to a significant expenditure of energy resources of the brain. This internal ‘consumption’ of energy, as research has revealed, is much higher than the energy expended on direct interaction with the outside world and response to stimuli.

Such a state, when ancient brain structures, such as the limbic system, are actively working to maintain the emotional state and internal self-image, leads to a redistribution of blood flow and, as a result, to an increase in energy expenditure. This explains why people often feel tired, perceived as mental emptiness, after long periods of intense internal dialogue or emotional stress, even when physical activity has been minimal.

When we interact with the outside world, our sensory systems and cognitive processes synchronize to perceive, analyze, and respond to our environment. This active state includes areas of the brain such as the visual and auditory cortex, motor areas, and the prefrontal cortex, which are responsible for planning and decision-making.

In the state of the inner psychic world, other areas of the brain are activated, including those involved in the processing of memories, emotions, and imagination. This process involves the hippocampus, which is responsible for short-term memory, and areas of the limbic system, such as the amygdala and hypothalamus, which regulate emotional responses.

If we consider the two states of consciousness — internal and external — to be mutually exclusive, then there is indeed an assumption that intense immersion in the inner world limits our ability to learn and develop intellectually. This is because internal processes, such as mental and emotional reactions, require a significant amount of energy and attention that could otherwise be used to increase the amount of storage and processing of information.

The research conducted by a team of scientists led by Markus Reichl provides valuable insights into how individual neural networks that connect different structures function in the human brain.

The discovery of the relationship between the dorsal attention network (DORSN) and the default mode network (DMN) underscores the uniqueness of brain processes. The DSV is activated when we focus on tasks that require interaction with the outside world, such as when solving problems or performing tasks that require concentration. This network includes brain regions such as the frontal and parietal lobes, which are important for controlling attention and controlling actions.

The DMRM, on the other hand, often referred to as the ‘default mode network’ (DMN), is activated when we are immersed in our inner world — thinking, dreaming, or remembering. This network includes the medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior parietal cortex, and portions of the temporal lobe that are associated with self-awareness and memories.

Interestingly, these two networks are rarely active at the same time, which emphasizes their mutually exclusive nature.

The passive mode network includes several anatomically separated but functionally interconnected areas of the brain: the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the lateral parietal cortex, and the cortex of the posterior cingulate gyrus, along with the adjacent parts of the precuneus.

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is the area that connects the orbitofrontal cortex and structures such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, and central gray matter of the midbrain. Because of these anatomical connections, it plays an important role in sending sensory information about the outside world and the body to the structures responsible for visceral and motor responses. Neuroimaging methods have established that in anxious emotional states, the activity of the passive mode network increases. The activity of the passive mode component associated with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex indicates a dynamic balance between directed attention and the general emotional background of a person, which occurs in the so-called “basic” (i.e., inactive and calm) state.

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex is anatomically adjacent directly to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, but its activity is related to another aspect of the “basic” state, namely immersion in thoughts related to the person himself. In the experiments, the subjects were presented with emotionally significant images, and they were asked to note whether these pictures caused pleasant or unpleasant sensations. This increased activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex component of the passive mode network and decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, consistent with the fact that the emotional component decreases as the task requires more attention.

The posterior cingulate cortex and the medial part of the precuneus are components of the passive mode network that are closely related to the hippocampal formation. They are associated with memory and memories, which can pop up involuntarily in a “baseline” state or be intentionally triggered by a person.

Thus, these three main components, identified within the framework of the structural approach, indicate the role of the passive mode network in such processes as the emotional background of mental activity, thoughts related to the subject himself, and memories. According to modern experimental data, these components are always present in states when the passive mode is working, but their relative activity can vary (strengthen or weaken) depending on the nature of the task or the current state of the person.

Studies conducted by 2018 have significantly revealed the nature and extent of the connections of the passive mode network in the states of focus and focus. It is revealed that it performs the following functions:

It absorbs distractions, immersion in one’s own thoughts, detachment from the present moment, trance state.

It establishes deep connections with the inner self and the world around us. Provides master access to autobiographical memory. In this way, a person is connected with his life events stored in different parts of the brain, and at any moment of concentration allows you to retrieve past events from memory. Personality traits and perception itself are reduced by chains of defocus to one point, and can be activated by them simultaneously. It activates the chains of “social connections”. It combines fictional images of the past, present and future. Information about the past extracted from memory, signals perceived by the senses, and plans and images of the future are combined. The network of passive mode brings them together and contributes to the subjective comprehension of what is happening at the moment. It connects the points of the human life time scale. It contributes to a clearer manifestation of vague memories, helps to use memory that lies beyond the boundaries of attention.

Modern research confirms that emotional experiences, especially when they are negative or overly intense, can take up a significant part of our mental resources. However, being emotionally calm and managing your emotions can help free up these resources and channel them into more productive cognitive processes, such as learning and problem-solving.

Emotions, which are formed in more ancient areas of the brain, such as the limbic system, are essential to our survival and social interaction. However, in today’s world, where physical threats are less common, the ability to regulate these emotional responses and prevent them from dominating our behavior is becoming increasingly important.

In the future, we can expect that as the structures of the neocortex evolve, humans will learn to manage their emotions and use cognitive resources more efficiently. This will lead to a decrease in the dominance of emotions over reason and an increase in the ability to think rationally and make deliberate decisions.

Thus, understanding how emotions and cognitive processes interact in the brain can help us today not only to understand ourselves better, but also to develop strategies for conserving the energy of an emotional resource and thereby redistributing it to improve intellectual abilities. This, in turn, can lead to a more conscious, harmonious, and balanced lifestyle.

Modern neuroscience confirms that emotions are not just subjective sensations, but also complex physiological processes that involve the activity of certain areas of the brain, the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, and changes in heart rate, breathing, and other bodily systems.

The physical basis of emotions plays a central role in our understanding of mental health. Emotions not only affect the subjective perception of the world, but also cause specific physiological changes in the brain and body that can be measured and analyzed. This allows scientists and clinicians to better understand how different mental states are related to the activity of certain neural networks and biochemical processes in the brain.

The study of these processes has led to significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. For example, in the case of depression, studies have shown changes in levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, as well as changes in the activity of certain areas of the brain, including the prefrontal and singular cortex.

Understanding the relationship between emotions and a person’s physical state is critical to developing psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and mindfulness practices that help manage emotional responses and develop adaptive coping strategies for stress. In this context, the theory of the “circulation of emotional arousal”, proposed by the neurologist James Peipez in 1937, links emotions to the functions of certain brain structures and emphasizes a comprehensive approach to mental health. The “Peipetz circle” involves many interconnected brain structures in emotional responses, which became the basis for further research in the field of neuropsychology.

Studying emotional disorders in patients with lesions of the hippocampus and cingulate gyrus, Peipetz hypothesized the existence of a single system that unites a number of structures and forms a brain substrate for emotions.

An important role in the formation of emotions belongs to the presence of closed circles of circulation of nerve impulses between the formations of the limbic system: hippocampus — fornix — hypothalamus — mamillary bodies — thalamus — cingulate gyrus — parahippocampal gyrus — hippocampus.

The structures of the limbic system are involved in the implementation of such complex brain functions as behavior, emotions, learning, and memory. Brain functions are organized in such a way that the more complex the function, the more extensive the neural networks involved in its organization.

In the formation of emotions that reflect our subjective attitude to current or past events, we can distinguish mental (experience), somatic (gestures, facial expressions) and vegetative (vegetative reactions) components. The degree of manifestation of these components of emotions depends on the greater or lesser involvement in emotional reactions of the brain structures with the participation of which they are realized. This is largely determined by which group of nuclei and structures of the limbic system is activated to the greatest extent.

The limbic system acts in the organization of emotions as a kind of conductor that strengthens or weakens the expression of one or another component of the emotional reaction.

The involvement of the structures of the limbic system associated with the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres in the responses strengthens the mental component of the emotion in them, and the involvement of the structures associated with the hypothalamus and the hypothalamus itself as part of the limbic system strengthens the autonomic component of the emotional reaction. At the same time, the function of the limbic system in the organization of emotions in humans is influenced by the frontal cortex, which has a corrective effect on the functions of the limbic system. It restrains the manifestation of excessive emotional reactions associated with the satisfaction of the simplest biological needs and contributes to the emergence of emotions associated with the implementation of social relationships and creativity.

The hippocampus plays a central role in the formation and storage of memories, especially those associated with strong emotional experiences. Emotional stimuli can cause stronger and longer lasting neural responses, which helps to consolidate them in memory. This explains why intense emotional events, such as resentments or fears, are often remembered better and longer than neutral events.

From the short-term memory of the hippocampus, the transfer of information to the long-term memory of the neocortex is carried out by spindle neurons, which are key to the process of memory consolidation.

Spindle neurons, also known as fusiform neurons, are a special type of neurons that have been found in some areas of the human brain. They get their name from their unique spindle-like shape — with an elongated body gradually tapering toward the ends, with one dendrite at one end and one axon at the other.

Spindle neurons have been found in the anterior cingulate gyrus and anterior insula region, as well as in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These brain regions are involved in a number of high-level cognitive functions, including emotional processing, social interaction, decision-making, and self-awareness.

Spindle neurons are indeed of great interest to science, especially in the context of studying the human brain and its evolution. Their ability to synchronize activity between different brain regions promotes the integration of information, which is important for forming a coherent perception of reality and creating complex cognitive processes such as thinking and consciousness.

The unique structure and function of spindle neurons may provide clues to how human intelligence evolved and what features of consciousness distinguish us from other species. The presence of these neurons only in highly organized animals, including some species of primates, cetaceans, bottlenose dolphins, and elephants, underscores their potential importance in the evolutionary process. This may indicate that spindle neurons are a critical neural adaptation needed for efficient processing and transmission of information in the larger brain, which in turn contributes to the development of complex cognitive functions.

Research conducted by Professor John Allman and his colleagues at the California Institute of Technology in 1999 opened a new page in the understanding of the brain and the role of spindle neurons in it.

Allman’s team found that spindle neurons facilitate the transmission of neural signals from the deep interior of the brain to the neocortex, specifically to Brodmann’s 10th field, which is found in the anterior prefrontal cortex and is associated with the regulation of cognitive dissonance.

These neurons can act as “dispatchers” of emotions, focusing and integrating complex nerve signals, which is especially important when strong emotions such as love, anger, or passion arise, when the anterior cingulate cortex becomes particularly active. They also play a key role in social receptivity, as evidenced by the activation of the anterior cingulate cortex during the mother’s auditory perception of the baby’s cry.

These findings highlight the importance of spindle neurons not only for individual emotional response, but also for social interaction and cognitive processes related to decision-making and responding to mistakes.

The anterior cingulate cortex is one of the oldest areas of the brain and performs many functions important for the autonomic system, including the regulation of motor skills, digestion, blood pressure, and heart rate. Over the course of evolution, the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior cortex of the insula have undergone changes that may have been aimed at improving functions related to recognition and higher cognitive processes, such as action planning, self-awareness, role-playing, and deception.

The decline in olfactory abilities in humans compared to other primates may be due to changes in the structure of spindle neurons, which have fewer processes in key neuronal centers, leading to reduced neurological integration.

The frontoinsular cortex is closely connected to the insula of the brain, which is part of the orbitofrontal cortex. These areas contain complex neural networks responsible for understanding space and touch. They also play a key role in building a sense of self-awareness and experiencing difficult emotions. In the right hemisphere, these structures are especially important for orientation in three-dimensional space and perception of oneself in the surrounding world.

For Bud Craig, a neuroanatomist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, the operation of the two cortical systems boils down to an ever-changing sense of “how I feel right now”: the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula cortex receive signals from the body and associate them with social stimuli, thoughts, and emotions to change our behavior quickly and effectively.

The ever-changing picture of how we feel can affect how we perceive the passage of time. When something emotionally important happens, Craig suggests, time seems to speed up. Conversely, if there are few events, the brain needs to change less in our perception of the world around us, so the passage of time slows down for us.

Craig discovered one trait that probably applies to all animals with large brains. He points out that the bigger the brain, the more energy it needs to work, so it’s crucial that it functions as efficiently as possible. Therefore, a system that constantly monitors the environment and people or animals is of great value, allowing you to quickly adapt to situations with as little energy as possible. “Evolution has produced a system for calculating energy expenditure that takes into account sensory stimuli not only from the body, but also from the brain,” Craig comments. And our constant updating of the picture of “how I feel now” has an interesting and very important side effect: we have an understanding of what there is a “me” that feels. “Evolution has created a very efficient system for constantly counting energy use, which has a concomitant effect that gives us a subjective view of our own feelings.”

Spindle neurons probably play an important role in this process, but we can only infer this role from indirect evidence. This is because locating these cells and measuring their activity is not yet possible in a living brain.

Abnormal development of spindle neurons can be associated with some pathologies, usually characterized by distortion of reality, impaired thinking, impaired speech, and withdrawal from social contact.

A study related to the study of the brains of people suffering from schizophrenia has revealed important aspects of the work of spindle neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex. The identified increase in the number of these neurons in schizophrenics who have committed suicide may indicate their role in increasing emotional responses, which, in turn, affects an increased tendency to negative self-esteem, feelings of guilt and hopelessness.

Spindle neurons create strong connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is the highest part of the limbic system and plays a key role in controlling attention, coordinating thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. This area of the brain functions as a neural command center, regulating complex cognitive processes and social behavior.

In addition, spindle neurons have a high concentration of receptors for serotonin, dopamine, and vasopressin, neurotransmitters and hormones that significantly affect mood, feelings of pleasure, affection, and love. This highlights their potential role in shaping social bonds and emotional states. brain functioning, which can influence behavior and psychological experience. For example, some studies indicate that women have a more developed anterior cingulate cortex, which is correlated with emotional processing and empathy, which may contribute to their increased sensuality and emotional responsiveness.

Such differences may be adaptive in evolutionary terms, as they help women better understand and meet the needs of their children, especially at an early age when children are not yet able to clearly express their needs. Emotional intelligence thus plays a key role in establishing and maintaining maternal bonding and caring for offspring.

Empathy is indeed a valuable quality that allows us to understand and empathize with others more deeply, establish deep social connections, and interact effectively in society. It plays a key role in the development of interpersonal relationships and contributes to the creation of more coherent and collaborative communities.

However, empathy can also lead to emotional burnout, especially if a person is constantly faced with other people’s problems and experiences, not being able to distinguish himself from them. This can lead to a person becoming overly involved in other people’s emotional states, which has a negative impact on their own mental health.

In addition, when emotional expectations and ideas about the future do not correspond to reality, it leads to disappointment and mental discomfort. This is especially true when people build their plans based on idealized ideas or hopes that do not always come true.

Emotional ‘swings’ create a state in which a person becomes dependent on emotional experiences, seeking their repetition to maintain a sense of vitality or significance. As a result, this leads to emotional lability and instability, when the human psyche constantly oscillates between high and low emotional states.

If we assume that the anterior cingulate cortex is indeed associated with the intensity of internal dialogue, then this fully explains why some people, including many women, may experience more active internal dialogue and, as a result, have a higher need to communicate and express their thoughts and feelings.

Measuring the frequency, volume, and speed of internal dialogue can be challenging, as these processes are subjective and internal. However, with the help of neuroimaging and other scientific methods, researchers can study brain activity and try to correlate it with self-reports of internal dialogue and thinking.

This study may shed light on how different brain structures affect our perception of reality and our ability to think and communicate. If it does turn out that women have a more active internal dialogue, it may be due to their capacity for empathy and a more nuanced perception of social cues.

This understanding has important implications for education, workplace organization, and social interactions, as it emphasizes the need to take into account individual cognitive styles and preferences in communication. In addition, it can help in developing strategies for maintaining mental health, given that ongoing internal dialogue can be both a source of creativity and self-reflection, as well as a potential source of stress and anxiety. A detailed study of the structural differences in the brain and their impact on cognitive processes can help us better understand each person’s unique abilities and preferences, as well as create more inclusive and adaptive social and educational environments.

In turn, the posterior cingulate cortex contains a large cluster of pyramidal neurons, which at their core play a key role in human intellectual abilities.

Pyramidal neurons play a key role in brain function, being the main excitatory neurons in structures such as the neocortex (neocortex), hippocampus, and amygdala (amygdala). They have a complex dendrite structure with many dendritic spines, which allows them to receive signals from thousands of other cells, thus enabling complex information processing processes in the brain.

An interesting feature of pyramidal neurons is their ability to release retrograde signaling molecules, such as endocannabinoids, which allow bidirectional communication between neurons. Endocannabinoids are lipid signaling devices that are released from a neuron and activate cannabinoid receptors on nearby cells, affecting their function.

These molecules are different from traditional neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and dopamine because they use retrograde signaling, meaning the signal travels from a postsynaptic cell to a presynaptic cell. Endocannabinoids are also lipophilic and insoluble in water, they are embedded in the membrane biolayer of cells and are not stored in vesicles.

The effect of cannabinoids contained in cannabis on the endocannabinoid system of the brain leads to an intoxicating effect, which explains the psychoactive properties of marijuana and other drugs based on it. This effect of cannabinoids on the brain is the subject of many studies aimed at understanding their effects on neural activity and behavior.

Serotonin and cannabinoids can dampen arousal signals, which helps maintain emotional balance. This is especially important when there is a need to reduce the level of stress or anxiety caused by the activation of the “ancient” brain structures responsible for instinctual reactions and emotions.

The singular cortex, which is part of the limbic system, plays an important role in the formation of a subjective image of personality and awareness of emotions. While the prefrontal cortex is associated with higher cognitive functions, such as planning and decision-making.

Thus, in a state of intense emotional arousal, when ancient areas of the brain are active, the prefrontal cortex can remain calm thanks to the regulatory effects of neurotransmitters. However, if the activity of these ancient areas is too high, it can prevail over the calming effects, resulting in delayed or decreased feedback from consciousness to awareness. This means that the intensity of the emotional experience can affect the speed and amount of information returning from the prefrontal cortex to the singular cortex. This delay in the information coming into awareness from the mind can reach from 300 milliseconds to several tens of minutes, depending on the degree of emotional arousal.

The effect of the delay between the conscious mind’s decision-making and the awareness of this information was published by an experiment conducted by Benjamin Libet in 1983, which became one of the most significant and at the same time controversial in the study of consciousness and the mechanisms of human decision-making. Libet and his colleagues asked the participants to randomly raise their fingers, fixing the moment when they decided to start the action. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the researchers measured the electrical activity of the participants’ brains.

The main conclusion of the experiment was that the recorded brain activity preceding the conscious intention to lift the finger began about 500 milliseconds before the actual movement. That is, even before a person realizes his desire to perform an action, his brain is already “preparing” to perform it. This discovery has raised many questions about the nature of free will and the extent to which our actions are the result of conscious choices.

Interestingly, the awareness of the intention to make a movement occurred about 200 milliseconds before the action itself, which means that about 300 milliseconds passed between the beginning of the brain’s preparation for action and the awareness of this intention.

Libet’s experiment remains the subject of intense scientific debate today because it deals with fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness, free will, and decision-making mechanisms. It does raise questions about the division of functions between different areas of the brain and the time it takes to become aware of and perform actions, and it also shows that the decision to move begins in the brain before a person is aware of that desire.

According to these findings, the neocortex, which is responsible for higher cognitive functions, begins to prepare for action before the cingulate cortex, associated with awareness and self-identification, “confirms” the action. This finding suggests that if it were possible to minimize or circumvent the delay caused by interaction with the cingulate gyrus, then the process of sensing and responding to external stimuli could be significantly accelerated.

The concept of Homo profectum sapiens assumes the evolutionary development of the human brain, which will improve the ability to perceive and process information. This may be due to the further development and optimization of neural networks, improved interneuronal communication, and increased efficiency of neurotransmission. Such changes can lead to faster perception of reality, faster processing of sensory information, and increased intellectual abilities. However, it is worth noting that this assumption is based only on the theory of acceleration of the senses of sight and hearing in the state of Profectum and requires further research to be confirmed.

However, temporary dilation is quite common in everyday life, during the occurrence of extreme situations. At such moments, when a person is faced with a threat to his life, the brain’s defense mechanisms are activated, which can include increased perception, increased concentration, and acceleration of thought processes. This allows you to respond more effectively to danger and make decisions in a limited time.

The brain can go into increased activity mode at such moments, increasing physical performance and mental acuity. As a result, it seems that time passes more slowly, which makes it possible to analyze the situation in more detail and make decisions faster.

I will give an example from my personal experience in the mountains, when at a critical moment that poses a threat to life, my time slowed down many times:

Walking along the mountain path, through the gorge, I encountered a sudden collapse. The way back was cut off, and I could only watch the stones fall. In those moments, it seemed that time stretched out — I had time to analyze the trajectory of each falling stone, assess the ways of escape and possible consequences, all accompanied by actions of self-preservation. Fortunately, an avalanche of stone landed a few meters away from me, causing no harm. At that moment, I was devoid of emotion; They came later, when the danger had passed and I realized the fear after what had happened.

My experience in the mountains is a classic example of temporary dilation. In such moments, when every second counts, the brain is able to restructure its work in such a way as to use the available resources as efficiently as possible for survival. Emotions in such situations can be temporarily blocked so as not to interfere with decision-making, and often return after the immediate threat has passed. This phenomenon is still being actively studied by scientists because it affects many aspects of brain function, including time perception, stress response, and cognitive processes.

The huge untapped reserve of mental and physical abilities of the human brain gives grounds for thinking about how our lives could change if our perception was accelerated. If we could perceive, process, and respond to information several times faster, it could radically increase productivity and enrich our experience.

From a physical perspective, time and space are relative, and our perception of time can be very different depending on the circumstances. Speeding up the perception of time can create the potential for a longer life, as we will be able to experience more events and experiences in the same amount of objective time.

This view of time as a flexible resource opens up new horizons for thinking about the future of humanity. Optimizing cognitive processes will not only improve the quality of life, but also, in a sense, extend its duration, providing a richer and more diverse life experience.

Chapter 4. Emotions

One of the key cognitive changes seen in all those who have experienced Profectum is a state of deep calm, which is best described as the complete absence of anxiety. Let’s explore what specific feelings people experience in the Profectum state and determine the physiological mechanisms underlying these sensations.

According to extensive neuroimaging studies, cognitive perception is influenced by a number of structures located in ancient areas of the brain. Most of the nerve signals transmitted through sensory pathways to the neocortex are also routed to the Reticulum formatio (reticular formation), where they are evaluated for “importance” before activating the neocortex for further processing. Given the anatomical position of the reticular formation in ancient brain structures, it can be concluded that the information filter is primarily based on stimuli associated with elementary biological needs and creates a barrier to undisplaced mental activity.

Thus, a person’s thinking subconsciously focuses on what the ancient structures of the brain dictate, and, as a result, the satisfaction of basic needs is built into the long-term planning process. Anxiety, fear, the desire for dominance or submission, the possession of resources, reproduction, and other fundamental aspects are always present at the heart of the thinking and behavioral stimuli of members of the species Homo sapiens.

Another of the most significant ancient structures that affect the mental peace of a person is the Amygdala (amygdala, amygdala). Located in the white matter of the temporal lobe of the brain, the amygdala is a paired structure, with one element in each hemisphere. This area plays a central role in generating emotional responses, especially such as fear, anger, and anxiety.

In its functional stability, the amygdala is always in a state of constant excitation, sending signals to various parts of the brain, including the reticular thalamic nucleus. This leads to the fact that even in the absence of external threats, a person can subconsciously experience a continuous feeling of anxiety.

However, the prefrontal lobes of the brain are able to modulate the activity of the amygdala through cognitive effort. When a person is faced with a potential threat that causes heart palpitations and breathing, and the body prepares to fight or flee, the realization that there is no real danger allows the conscious mind to reduce the arousal of the central nervous system and restore calm.

Thus, understanding the mechanisms of the amygdala and its interaction with the prefrontal cortex is essential for developing methods for regulating emotional state and managing stress, which can contribute to mental well-being and improve quality of life.

Therefore, considering the situation from the point of view of a conscious Observer, we open up the opportunity not only to respond to changes in the external environment, but also to actively control internal processes, including the autonomic, endocrine and immune systems. This control is through the development of the prefrontal lobes, which can be seen as the command center of our conscious interference with the brain’s ancient automatic responses.

The prefrontal lobes are known to be responsible for higher cognitive functions such as planning, decision-making, and emotion regulation. When these areas of the brain are well developed and active, they can effectively inhibit impulsive responses emanating from older structures such as the amygdala. This is especially important in the context of the treatment and management of mental disorders, as it allows a person to maintain emotional stability even in stressful situations.

Thus, strengthening the position of the Observer through the development of the prefrontal lobes is key in controlling unconscious impulses and influencing ancient brain structures. This is achieved through a variety of practices and techniques, which will be discussed in detail in later sections of the book.

Before we discuss these techniques, it’s helpful to dive deeper into the anatomy and function of the brain structures that affect the perception of mental anxiety. Understanding how these structures work will give us clues to how we can improve our mental health and achieve greater harmony in life, as well as understand the reason for the absolute calm of people experiencing the state of profectum.

The hypothalamus, which functions in close connection with the amygdala, is an even older brain structure that plays a central role in the regulation of fear and aggression. Unlike the amygdala, which affects mainly nervous and mental activity, the hypothalamus is responsible for regulating the neuroendocrine system and maintaining homeostasis in the body.

The hypothalamus responds to nerve signals by stimulating or inhibiting the functions of the anterior pituitary gland, which in turn affects the functioning of the endocrine glands through pituitary hormones. Thus, the hypothalamus has the ability to modulate the body’s endocrine responses.

Disorders in the central nervous system can lead to an imbalance in the endocrine system, which, in turn, disrupts the balance of the autonomic system. Hormones, acting through feedback mechanisms, also affect the central nervous system, influencing perception and thinking. This stimulates emotional responses and can have a long-term impact on both mental and physical health.

Thus, understanding the interaction between the hypothalamus and other brain structures opens up new perspectives for the study and treatment of various mental and endocrine disorders, as well as for a deep understanding of how emotional states affect the overall state of the body.

Based on the accumulated data, it is possible to assume that the reticular formation, the amygdala and the hypothalamus are jointly involved in generating the feeling of constant anxiety. In the Profectum state, there is a decrease in their dominant influence on conscious perception, which leads to the manifestation of deep calm. This indicates that changes in the activity of these structures can modulate the emotional state and affect the level of anxiety experienced by a person.

By studying the anatomical structure of the brains of various species, from reptiles to great apes, we can observe an amazing process of evolutionary development, where each new layer of brain structures grows on top of the previous ones. These layers are evidence of evolutionary changes that have occurred over millions of years, reflecting the transition from simple to more complex life forms.

At the heart of this evolutionary ladder are ancient brain structures, such as the cerebellum and brainstem, which are responsible for basic life functions and instinctual behavior. With the development of mammals, new layers were added, including the limbic system, which is involved in the formation of emotions and memory. The most significant achievement of mammals was the emergence of the neocortex, which became the basis for the development of complex cognitive functions and behavior.

The human brain, although similar to the brain of primates, differs from it in the increased volume of the neocortex. This expansion of the neocortex allowed humans to reach new heights in intellectual development, including the development of language, abstract thought, and the ability to engage in complex social interactions. The genetic difference between humans and primates is only 1.2%, but it is these small changes that have led to significant differences in brain function.

Modern humanity is still influenced by ancient brain structures that have been polished over millions of years of evolution to respond to the external environment and maintain basic survival functions. The neocortex, which is responsible for the mind and higher cognitive functions, is just beginning to master the complex tasks of manipulating these ancient areas, striving for a more conscious and meaningful impact.

Over the epochs of evolutionary development, ancient brain structures have formed a number of automatic responses that ensure survival and a quick response to threats. However, with the development of the neocortex, there is an opportunity for more complex and detailed analysis of situations, which requires the neocortex to constantly learn and adapt to the changing conditions of the modern world.

The neocortex, using a vast amount of information, takes into account many variables when making decisions, which allows a person to engage in forecasting and long-term planning. In the context of rapid technological progress, the world around us is becoming more complex and information-rich, making the basic instinctual programs inherited from our animal ancestors less relevant.

In the near future, these primary programs may begin to hinder human development because they do not match the rapidly changing social and technological realities. Thus, the task of the neocortex is not just to control ancient structures, but also to reprogram them to adapt to new conditions, which will require us to develop new strategies of thought and behavior that are appropriate to the needs of the modern world and aimed at achieving mental goals higher than satisfying animal instincts and basic needs.

A more detailed evolutionary formation of the brain is described in McLean’s theory, “The Three ‘Brains’ and the Evolution of the Nervous System.”

On the phylogenetic ladder of animals, the brain, along with the head and bilateral symmetry of the body, first appears in flatworms such as planarians.

This evolutionary event appears to have occurred about a billion years ago. If in the beginning the brain was only two small clusters of neurons numbering about 3000, then in the process of evolution it reached the development inherent in modern man, and formed two hemispheres containing 86 billion nerve cells.

The nervous system is most complex in vertebrates.

McLean (1964) proposed a classic scheme according to which the brain in its development passes through three stages, corresponding to the levels of development of vertebrates at three important stages of their evolution.

In the first of these stages, the ancient brain, also called the “reptilian” brain, appears.

It includes the brain stem, responsible for the most important vegetative functions, above which is the midbrain, which at this stage of development actually performs the role of a primitive forebrain. At this stage of evolution, the cerebellar rudiments are already present, and the hypothalamus plays an important role in maintaining internal homeostasis and in satisfying basic physiological needs. The ancient part of the cortex (later turning into the hippocampus) has already appeared.

In lower mammals, an old brain is formed.

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It consists of the thalamus, striatums, and the primary cortex (the old cortex, or limbic brain), which is closely related to the sense of smell and is very highly developed in many animals. In addition to the sense of smell, the limbic brain begins to perform other functions related to the control of emotional behavior and primitive reward and punishment learning. The thalamus coordinates and integrates the sensory functions of the body, and the striatum is responsible for automatisms.

In mammals, the higher part of the brain develops, consisting mainly of the neocortex. It covers the two hemispheres of the forebrain and reaches its maximum development in humans. According to the hypothesis of Professor Sergey Savelyev, the neocortex did not appear out of nowhere, it began its formation from the olfactory cortex and, with the growth of the number of neurons, acquired the ability to accumulate and process information, mental activity. Perhaps this is why, unlike animals, humans have a poorly developed sense of smell. Withthe introduction of the neocortex, higher mental functions also develop, based on a person’s knowledge of the world around him and himself and the improvement of complex forms of behavior.

According to McLean, the development of this “third brain” lasted no more than 1 million years, which gave rise to some problems. In this relatively short time, the neocortex could not establish any reliable control over the activity of the two more ancient parts of the brain. In this regard, Laborit (1979) believes that the conflicts between instinctual gratification and “reasonable” behavior that we constantly experience are due to a lack of coordination of the functions of all three brain regions.

In the process of evolution, man has received a very conservative and extremely complex organ of control — the brain with layers of preserved ancient and newer structures, in which the subsequent layers, responsible for more and more complex organs and actions, are interconnected to one degree or another with all the previous layers. The brain contains, like an archaeological slice, the entire history of human evolution, but at the same time, all the ancient, ancient, older and newer layers work and interact.

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, I.P. Pavlov came to the conclusion that the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres in the process of development increasingly subordinated the activity of all the lower centers of the brain, and in higher mammals and man became the main “manager and distributor of all the activity of the organism.”

The modern human brain continues to evolve, and the cognitive state of Profectum is evidence of this physiological process. However, in addition to changes in the activity of the anatomical structures of the brain, there are also significant changes in neurochemistry that have a significant impact on mental perception and emotional states of a person.

Participants who experience Profectum report a complete disappearance of negative emotions, while feeling an increase in levels of positive feelings such as happiness, joy, and fulfillment. This points to the role of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is produced in ancient areas of the brain and affects emotional state. Dopamine, spreading along the axons, reaches the neocortex, where it modulates the activity of neurons, affecting the processing of information, giving it a positive emotional connotation.

Thus, neurochemical changes, in particular those related to the dopamine system, play an important role in the formation of the emotional background of a person’s higher cognitive activity and his perception of the world. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for understanding the mechanisms of memory and developing new approaches to the education system.

Subjective human awareness, although limited in its ability to directly observe the inner workings of the brain, has a unique capacity for self-observation that allows us to indirectly assess the activity and development of its various structures. This observation is carried out through the analysis of emotional reactions, which are a reflection of the work of these structures. For example, the intensity and nature of emotions can indicate the dominance of certain brain regions in our behavior and psychological state.

Using this method of monitoring patients, it is possible to develop primary diagnostic approaches in neuropsychology to identify potential imbalances or abnormal abnormalities in brain function. For example, excessively strong or frequent fear reactions indicate an overactive amygdala, while difficulties with decision-making are overwhelmingly associated with insufficient activity of the prefrontal cortex.

Further study of these patterns of reactions and their correlation with neurophysiological processes may lead to the development of more accurate and effective methods of structural correction. Cognitive therapy, for example, can be aimed at strengthening the prefrontal cortex and developing strategies for coping with emotions, which in turn affects the reduced activity of ancient brain structures such as the amygdala and hypothalamus.

Such approaches can include a variety of techniques, from meditation and mindfulness to biofeedback and neurofeedback, which help the individual better understand and regulate their emotional states. This, in turn, contributes to improved mental health and overall well-being, as well as increased cognitive flexibility and adaptability in daily life.

Ultimately, a deep understanding of the relationship between emotional responses and neuroanatomical structures opens up new horizons for neuropsychology and cognitive science, providing opportunities for a more informed and evidence-based approach to improving human potential.

To understand the emotional life of a person, it is critically important to understand the mechanisms of the emergence of emotions and their impact on behavior and psyche. Emotions are based on chemical and biological processes that can be compared to the effects of narcotic substances. These substances, interacting with neuronal receptors, trigger chemical reactions that form the physical basis of sensations. These sensations are then interpreted by people as emotions of a positive or negative nature.

The desire for positive emotions and the avoidance of negative emotions can lead to the development of addictions, such as drug addiction, overeating, gambling addiction and alcoholism. This suggests that emotional addiction is similar to drug addiction. Moreover, the genetically determined characteristics of the brain make emotional responses individual and subjective. Thus, different people can react differently to the same stimulus, and in one person, the reaction can change depending on many factors.

These factors include personal experience, knowledge, the current state of the endocrine system, the presence of essential chemicals in the brain at the time of stimulus, and a variety of other external and internal circumstances. This emphasizes that a person’s emotional response is the result of a complex interaction between their biological state and their environment.

The chemical balance of the human brain has its own natural limitations, which makes it physically impossible to constantly feel positive emotions. Unlike positive emotions, the resource for negative emotions, such as fear or anger, seems to be more extensive, which is related to their survival function. However, long-term depletion of emotional resources can lead to negative consequences for physical and mental health.

Drug abuse is often motivated by a desire to experience positive emotions, but this leads to the depletion of neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Addicts, after exhausting these resources, often do not have enough dopamine left to enjoy everyday activities, such as communicating with loved ones, learning, or creating. Likewise, regular people who spend dopamine on simple pleasures such as games, movies, or music may find that they lack this important resource for more meaningful aspects of life.

This phenomenon indicates that in order to maintain a healthy mental state, it is important to consciously allocate the chemical resources of the brain. The constant desire to experience positive emotions can lead to their rapid exhaustion, which makes it impossible to maintain a stable level of satisfaction and well-being. Instead, a more productive approach may be to strive for inner peace and sustainability, which will allow for a more efficient use of available resources for long-term development and creation.

Calmness and poise provide a better platform for deep satisfaction in life than short-term bursts of joy. This allows a person to stay focused and productive, find pleasure in solving complex problems and creativity, and strengthen relationships with family and friends. Management of emotional reactions and reasonable distribution of emotional resources are becoming key in the development of personality and achieving success in various spheres of life.

Animals are completely dependent on their limbic system, which controls emotions and instinctual behaviors to ensure survival in the wild. Humans, on the other hand, have evolved a new cerebral cortex, the neocortex, which has provided opportunities for more complex and conscious control of behavior.

The neocortex, which is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as memory, abstract thinking, and the ability to self-reflect, has gradually begun to take over functions previously performed by older brain structures. This process of teaching the neocortex to control basic emotional responses and instincts continues today, and everyone can witness this process in their lifetime.

The more developed a person’s neocortex is, the more opportunities he has to consciously observe his emotions and their impact on the psyche and physiology. This allows you not only to understand the causes of your emotional reactions, but also to actively participate in their regulation. The ability to self-observe and self-regulate emotions is an important step in personality development, improving mental health, and improving quality of life.

This process of self-regulation includes a variety of methods and techniques, ranging from meditation and mindfulness to cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help with the development of the neocortex and improved emotion management. Thus, a person is able not only to react to external circumstances, but also to actively form his internal emotional state, which is key to achieving a more harmonious and conscious existence.

I have developed a test for subjective assessment of the level of self-control and awareness. Such a test can help people realize how much they are able to manage their emotions and thoughts, and determine the degree of development of their prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in regulating emotions and impulsive reactions.

To conduct such a self-test, it is necessary to write down situations when you experienced strong emotions for several days, and note how quickly you were able to realize and calm them down. After that, it is possible to evaluate oneself on the proposed scale from 0 to 7, where 0 corresponds to complete subordination to emotions, and 7 to complete self-control and awareness.

This test can be a useful tool for both psychotherapists and for self-knowledge and personal growth, and it can also help in planning personal strategies for self-development and self-improvement.

Self-assessment test for emotional self-control and awareness

Level 0: Great Primate

— Acts under the influence of instincts and emotions.

— Capable of the simplest training and imitation.

Level 1: The initial stage of Homo sapiens

— Thoughts cycle back to the emotional stimulus.

— Is able to realize the impact of emotions on their actions after a few days.

Level 2: Moderately developed frontal structures

— Can consciously calm emotional arousal in a few hours by an effort of will.

Level 3: Observer

— Is aware of emotional arousal within a few minutes.

— Uses thought redirection to change emotional state.

Level 4: Advanced User

— Observes emotions and thoughts at the moment of the reaction.

— Has the potential to further develop self-control.

Level 5: Emotional Energy Management

— Able to redirect the energy of emotions and thoughts.

— Regulates the balance of the central nervous system, shows creativity.

Level 6: Profectum

— Practices stopping thoughts and neutralizing the influence of emotions on the mind.

— Has a high intellectual potential.

Level 7: Homo profectum sapiens

— Achieves a state of pure consciousness, free from emotional impact.

— Lives in full awareness and harmony with himself and the world around him.

The table of emotional impact on the human psyche illustrates the relationship between the activity of the neocortex and ancient brain structures. As the development of the prefrontal lobes, which are part of the neocortex, increases, so does the influence of automatic responses emanating from the ancient areas responsible for instinctual behavior and emotional impulses.

The brain has the capacity for neuroplasticity, which means that each person has the potential to develop and change their neural connections in response to experience and learning. However, mental development is a gradual and long-term process that requires conscious effort and self-control.

There are techniques that can promise a quick transition from the initial level of awareness to a higher one, for example, from the 1st to the 6th level. But such practices often lead to short-term results, and consistent and ongoing learning is essential for sustainable development. The experience gained during such practices can provide valuable insight into the potential of one’s own mind and become a starting point for further self-improvement.

Ultimately, the path to self-development and emotion management is through constant practice and training, which allows you to achieve higher levels of awareness and emotional intelligence.

We have become so dependent, so accustomed to the world colored in emotional shades, that the idea of existing without their influence seems alien to us. Emotions give life brightness and saturation, and without them, our reality can seem faded and monotonous. We often perceive emotions as an integral part of life, forgetting that they can also be a source of suffering and anxiety.

For many people, especially those who live without full awareness of their inner processes, emotions become the dominant factor that guides their actions. They can encourage activity or aggression, and they can also push into the abyss of apathy, depression or fear. These emotional states are the result of a complex interaction between neurotransmitters, peptides, and hormones in our bodies.

Understanding that our emotions are nothing more than biochemical processes can give us the strength to free ourselves from their tyranny and learn to manage them rather than be managed. This understanding opens the way to a more conscious and balanced life, where each person can learn to make decisions based not on fleeting emotions, but on deep values and reasonable beliefs.

It is easy to imagine what global catastrophes can lead to an unconscious leader, whose actions are dictated by a disturbed hormonal balance that affects his psyche and leads to aggressive thinking. A simple example is thyroid dysfunction that distorts the work of the brain centers responsible for fear and aggression, which in turn can lead to despotism, tightening of laws, totalitarianism, militarization of society, and even military conflicts.

In turn, in the context of the family, a person who is unable to control emotions can become a tyrant, which is fraught with violence and abuse. This raises the question of whether a reasonable person can show aggression or anger towards their loved ones, or whether such behavior is only a consequence of emotions that interfere with clear thinking.

Although emotions can bring pleasure similar to drugs, it is important to weigh their impact on our lives. Personally, I prefer a sober mind. In the end, the choice between emotionality and rationality is like the scales of Themis: where emotions lie on one bowl, and reason lies on the other. The more a person succumbs to emotions, the less room there is for reason.

J. Godefroy in his book “What is Psychology” (1988) describes the correlation between rational and emotional behavior;

“Finally, if man is a creature dominated by instincts and innate inclinations which he cannot overcome, it can be expected that the number of rapes, jealous crimes, or violations of the law can be reduced only by repressive measures, including prison and the death penalty. If, however, it can be shown that the education of the senses, which begins in childhood and enables the individual to know himself deeply, enables him to understand the reasons which impel him to act and to retain control over himself, there is no reason to be pessimistic as to the possibility of preventing such offences.”

Emotions, at their core, are the reaction of ancient brain structures to the satisfaction of biological needs and are a reflection of the process of experiencing, when a person attaches subjective significance to various objects and phenomena. Such evaluative mental responses are effective for animal learning because they are directly related to survival and adaptation to the environment. However, man, unlike animals, has a developed mind that allows him to analyze and evaluate his actions from the point of view of their rationality. If a person is guided solely by biological and emotionally colored needs, this may indicate an insufficient use of his cognitive abilities.

The biological needs of man, although they have a simple program similar to those of animals, acquire additional layers of significance in the context of human society. The emotional reinforcement of these needs plays a key role in motivation and behavior, but the human mind is able to rethink and regulate these impulses in pursuit of higher goals and values.

In his seminal work, Motivation and Personality, published in 1954, Abraham Maslow proposed the theory that human needs are innate and ordered into a hierarchy where some needs dominate others. This hierarchy is a pyramid with physiological needs such as hunger and thirst at the base, and the need for self-actualization at the top.

Maslow argued that higher levels of needs become relevant to a person only after lower levels of needs have been met. For example, a person will not strive to achieve respect and recognition if their basic needs for food and security are not met. This model helps to understand how different needs can influence a person’s behavior and motivation to act.

Pavel Vasilyevich Simonov, an outstanding psychophysiologist, biophysicist and psychologist, proposed a detailed analysis of human biological needs, classifying them on the basis of physiological areas of the brain. He identified three main groups of innately given behavioral programs, each of which is associated with certain brain centers:

1. Vital needs: These are vital and include the need for food, water, sleep, procreation, and protection from external dangers. This category also includes the need for economy of effort, which stimulates efficiency and minimization of efforts to achieve goals. This need can drive innovation and technological progress, but it can also lead to laziness if it becomes an end in itself.

2. Zoosocial needs: Related to intraspecific interactions, including social hierarchy, communication, and mutual assistance within the species.

3. Self-development needs: Directed towards the future and related to self-improvement, learning and creativity.

Simonov emphasized that each of these groups of needs has its own brain centers and mechanisms of implementation, which allows a person to adapt to changing environmental conditions and social context. This system of needs serves as the basis for understanding the motivation of human behavior and its biological foundations.

Vital human needs:

1. Food and drink: The need for nutrients and water to maintain the vital functions of the body.

2. Passive-defensive: Fear and anxiety responses that serve to protect against potential threats.

3. Active-defensive: Manifestations of aggression in response to threats aimed at self-defense and defense of the territory.

4. Homeostatic: Regulation of basic physiological processes such as breathing, blood circulation, thermoregulation, and the alternation of sleep and wakefulness.

5. Economy of effort: A tendency to minimize effort, known as “laziness reflexes,” which can promote efficiency but can also lead to avoidance of activity.

6. Grooming: A tendency to maintain personal hygiene and take care of one’s own body.

Each of these groups includes a number of innate behavioral programs, both simple and complex, activated by stimuli that can be both biologically beneficial and harmful.

Social needs:

— Relate to the need to belong to a social group and occupy a certain place in it.

— Include the desire to receive attention, respect and love from other people.

These needs are socially conditioned and are an important part of human motivation, influencing behavior and interaction with other people.

Zoosocial needs:

1. Sexual behavior: The desire for reproduction and procreation.

2. Maternal (parental) behavior: Care for offspring and their upbringing.

3. “Childish” behavior: Seeking contact with the parent, providing protection and education.

4. Territorial behavior: Protecting habitat from invasion.

5. Hierarchical behavior: The desire for leadership or, conversely, subordination in the social hierarchy.

6. Empathy reactions: The ability to empathize and experience the emotions of other individuals.

Self-development needs (Ideal needs):

1. Research: Search for new information and the desire for knowledge.

2. Imitative: Learning through imitation of the behavior of others.

3. “Freedom reflex”: The desire for independence and overcoming limitations.

4. Playful: Development and training of motor and cognitive skills.

The activity of the centers of needs in the hypothalamus depends on:

1. Signals from the internal environment of the body: They inform about the state of internal organs and systems.

2. Environmental Cues: External stimuli can activate or inhibit certain needs.

3. Hormonal levels: Hormones affect the activity of the centers of need, regulating them through the endocrine system.

4. Genes: Genetic factors determine the sensitivity and response of the centers of need.

5. Individual History: Personal experiences and learning can modify responses to needs.

Hypothalamus Need Centers:

— Hunger and thirst centers: Located in the middle of the hypothalamus and responsible for regulating food and water balance.

— Sexual and Parental Behavior Centers: Located in the front of the hypothalamus and interact closely with the amygdala in response to sex hormone levels.

— Fear and aggression centers: Located at the back of the hypothalamus and subordinate to the control of the amygdala, which is also involved in the regulation of the need for dominance and other zoosocial needs.

The hypothalamus plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis and regulating endocrine and autonomic functions, making it a key structure in the system for managing behavioral responses and meeting needs.

Emotional reactions serve as a reinforcement system in the process of satisfying needs. Emotions play an important role in learning and motivation by encouraging the repetition of actions that lead to positive outcomes and preventing the recurrence of those that cause negative outcomes. This process is the basis for habit formation and decision-making, influencing human behavior in the long term.

Rather, the question arises: is a person guided by needs and emotional reactions, or is it still a conscious mind? And why do emotions so often prevail over rational behavior?

Nature designed the human brain in such a way that the conscious mind is often forced to stimulate reactions through emotions, which serve as a “carrot and stick” for ancient brain structures. This stimulation resembles the methods of memorizing behavioral programs and is a necessity due to the desire to save energy. The neocortex, the center of consciousness and mind, consumes a significant amount of energy, which forces it to delegate routine and stereotyped tasks to older brain structures.

Emotions that arise in the process of interaction with the surrounding world and the internal state of the body play a key role in the regulation of a person’s mental life. They can be both simple and complex, and range from tones of sensation to affect — powerful and short-term emotional outbursts that can lead to “emergency behavior” in stressful situations.

Actually, emotions can arise both in response to real events and as a result of imaginary scenarios, without having obvious external manifestations, but they are always associated with certain situations and are activated in the process of various types of human activity. This highlights their importance in our daily lives and the importance of understanding their impact on our behavior and decision-making.

It is believed that the basis of positive emotions is such mediators as dopamine, oxytocin, endorphin, serotonin and norepinephrine. They are associated with feelings of pleasure, happiness, and well-being. At the same time, negative emotions are often associated with the effects of adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause stress and anxiety.

Disruptions in the endocrine system can lead to unstable mental states and negative emotional reactions. Positive emotions are usually short-lived, while depression and anxiety associated with elevated cortisol levels can be more long-lasting and persistent.

Cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” is naturally present in the blood and can affect cell metabolism, with a wide range of effects on the entire body. Because cortisol interacts with a variety of cellular receptors, its effects are felt in the body’s vast systems.

Long-term exposure to high levels of cortisol can lead to a number of physical and mental illnesses, causing exhaustion of the body. There is an inverse relationship in which mental and emotional exhaustion can stimulate the adrenal glands to increase the production of cortisol, which leads to psychosomatic disorders.

The field of psychology (the behavioral immune system) and the field of biology (the physical immune system) are often considered separately. In fact, evolution has brought them together, creating a brilliantly coordinated, deeply rational system. It turns out that the activation of the psychological system also triggers the physical immune system of a person, that is, it activates a reserve army of lymphocytes that kill microbes.

Marc Schaller once conducted an interesting experiment to find out how closely our two immune systems work with each other. He and his team asked participants to watch a slideshow that contained images of obviously sick people. The photos showed patients with rashes and redness of the skin, as well as sneezing so that they were surrounded by a halo of splashes. The subjects gave blood for analysis before and after watching the slideshow. The researchers cultured the samples in a bacterial culture to determine the presence of interleukin-6 (IL) and the cytokine that white blood cells release when microbes emerge. Higher levels of interleukin-6 indicate that our bodies are beginning to prepare to actively resist infection. This is comparable to how the army of our immune system prepares for a big battle.

By measuring the extent of inflammation in the samples before and after viewing the photos, the scientists could establish whether the appearance of sick people actually activated the immune system to fight infection. And it turned out to be true! The mere contemplation of images of sick people caused the white blood cells to launch a furious attack against the bacterial infection. Scientists have even found that our immune system turns out to be very selective in relation to those images that can actually cause a biological reaction.

Another group of participants looked at photos of people who looked dangerous. Some of the people were pointing their guns directly at the camera, posing a direct threat to the subjects (these kinds of images activate our self-defensive subpersonality). Although the photos depicting the danger were rated by the participants as even more annoying than the pictures of sick people, they did not cause an immune system response. Only the demonstration of the manifestations of the disease made the immune system immediately activate.

The immune system is closely related to the psycho-emotional state of a person and endocrine balance, where cortisol plays a key role in maintaining health. To understand why cortisol has such a significant effect on the psyche, let’s turn to the history of mankind.

A few thousand years ago, in the era of hunters and gatherers, the ability to react quickly was vital. In a world where instant resolution could mean the difference between life and death, fear was a survival mechanism. A mistake in perceiving danger could cost life, while excessive caution only wasted energy.

This genetically fixed fear was inherited by us and still affects the subconscious, behavior and thinking. In today’s world, where physical threats have significantly decreased, fear often turns into chronic stress, negatively affecting the immune system and contributing to premature aging and the development of diseases.

Thus, many modern fears caused by the activity of the emotional psyche can cause a “self-destruction reaction”, when the body is exposed to stress, which in the long term causes irreparable harm to health. This highlights the importance of managing emotions and stress to maintain health and longevity.

In psychology, obsessive fears are called obsessions. It is a syndrome characterized by periodically occurring unwanted and involuntary thoughts, ideas, or perceptions that may occur at indefinite intervals. Obsessive thinking statistics show that 97% of fears are fictional, 2% can be controlled, and only 1% can actually pose a threat.

The neocortex is always proactive, predicting the future and analyzing possible outcomes based on past experience and knowledge. In turn, the singular cortex, which stores the subjective perception of the individual, tends to choose the most negative scenario of all possible projections of the future. Further, the reticular formation fixates attention on the potential danger, which leads to the activation of the amygdala and the triggering of the reaction of the central nervous system. The hypothalamus reacts to this threat at the hormonal level, affecting the functioning of internal organs.

Aggression is essentially a form of fear and is activated in a similar way, involving the nucleus of the septum accumbens. This explains why a person with an unsatisfied addiction can become restless, irritable, and aggressive. These processes underscore the importance of understanding how the brain works and the mechanisms of mental responses to manage emotional states and behaviors.

In the context of emotional reactions, the frontal cortex of the brain plays a key role, allowing a person to act as a rational Observer and restrain impulsive reactions emanating from ancient brain structures. The development of this ability for self-observation and self-regulation can free a person not only from phobias and aggression, but also from various forms of addictions.

A representative of the future evolutionary stage of humanity, Homo profectum sapiens, will be characterized by the predominance of reason over the more ancient structures of the brain. This change in the dominance of brain structures will allow for a redistribution of metabolic resources, which in turn will lead to an expansion of intellectual capabilities. Increasing the efficiency of the use of brain resources can open up new horizons for cognitive development, the immune system and human health itself.

Chapter 5. Meditative practices

Neural activity in structural areas of the brain that have experienced the profectum state shows similarities to the brain activity of people who regularly practice meditation. At the same time, in depressive states, a completely opposite picture of activity is observed. Common to all three cognitive states is the altered activity of the singularity cortex, which plays a key role in emotional evaluation and subjective identification of a person in the surrounding world.

The singular cortex, which is part of the limbic system, is responsible for the formation of a virtual image of a person and self-identification. The internal dialogue that we perceive as part of our consciousness is actually an exchange of information between different cortical areas and the singular cortex.

When the activity of the singularity cortex decreases, it leads to depression and a fading sense of personal worthiness, comparable to the extinction of a candle flame. Understanding this process is essential for maintaining mental health and developing treatments for depressive disorders

The singular cortex is located at the junction of ancient and new areas of the brain, occupying an intermediate position between them. This elongated paired structure serves as the lower part of the neocortex and the upper region of the limbic system, creating a connection between the “reptilian brain” and the “primate brain.” It encompasses the corpus callosum, located in the center of the brain, and is present in both hemispheres, having a paired structure.

Information from more ancient areas of the brain initially enters the singular cortex, where it is subjectively evaluated. The signal is then sent to the neocortex, where there is an active exchange of information between these areas. We perceive this process as an internal dialogue or thinking.

It is almost impossible to stop the internal dialogue, since the spindle neurons of the anterior part of the singular cortex continuously transmit amplified impulses to the cortical areas of the brain. This continuous activity is the basis for our constant inner monologue and ability to reflect.

Maintaining an active internal dialogue requires a significant energy resource, which makes the singular cortex one of the most metabolically active areas. In this area, blood flow can be 40% higher compared to other structures. Although the brain itself does not contain pain receptors and can undergo surgery without anesthesia, headache is a common phenomenon that is familiar to everyone and this sensation is associated with sensitive receptors in the walls of blood vessels.

If you listen carefully to the processes taking place in the depths of the brain, you can notice a feeling of increased blood pressure in the structure of the singular cortex, especially in the occipital region. This pressure can change markedly during practices aimed at stopping the internal dialogue, for example, during meditation. When the internal dialogue stops, metabolic potential is released, which can be redistributed to enhance the functions of the neocortex. This, in turn, leads to improved memory and enhanced information processing ability, expanding a person’s cognitive capabilities.

If the neocortex is consciousness, then the singular cortex is awareness, the subjective perception of one’s own personality, character parameters, the guardian of the self, ego, ambition, and emotional psyche. That is why in the state of profectum, when the internal dialogue is completely stopped, all information goes directly to the frontal lobes of the brain, without the filter of the subjective personality. This is an amazing feeling when you come to understand that there is no separate personality, that you are identical to the world around you and are an integral part of it. Nature is intelligent and has tremendous power, and you just become one with it, part of that power. This sense of natural power is so stunning, pervasive and all-encompassing that it cannot be described in words. How to describe the power of volcanoes, rivers, seas and oceans, wind, every sprout, the power of the energy of the whole Earth, when you are nature itself, and nothing separate.

The singular cortex performs a number of functions:

Regulation of blood pressure, heart rate. Regulation of cognitive functions:

Reward expectation, decision-making, empathy, impulsivity management, emotions.

Tracking and control functions: answer selection and braking, conflict and task tracking, error detection. Representation of multimodal stimuli and their evaluation as related to “my self”.

Recognition of significance in the context of current conditions as an integrator of various brain systems to form the final signal of significance.

Retrieval from episodic, spatial and autobiographical memory (when recalling acquaintances, the left posterior cingulate gyrus of the brain was the only highly active brain structure in all subjects)

Switching attention from one object (thought) to another, seeing solutions.

In case of violations:

In schizophrenia, these areas work with distortions — the patient believes that his actions are controlled by external forces, and not by himself.

Depression, apathy, suicidal tendencies.

Anxiety; constant return to past grievances; obsessive thoughts and behaviors (It’s like a squirrel in a wheel, thoughts come back again and again).

Oppositional behavior, desire for arguments and the word “no”, inability to cooperate; lack of cognitive flexibility, impulsively aggressive behavior.

Addictions (alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, etc.); chronic pain.

Activation of the cingulate cortex does not depend on whether positive or negative emotions are experienced, while attention is closed on the events that caused the emotional response, thereby provoking a departure from the external perception of reality and immersion in a trance state, in the inner world of reflection.

Numerous functional imaging studies have shown activation of the cingulate cortex during emotion induction in healthy individuals. It is also related to the subjective experience that a person experiences when subjected to direct provocation, insult or any disrespectful attitude that can cause anger.

The reproduction of painful personal experiences is accompanied by an increase in regional cerebral blood flow in the cingulate gyrus and insula, as well as a decrease in blood flow in the right dorsolateral prefrontal region and the inferior parietal region. These reverses, activation of limbic areas and deactivation of cortical areas, are consistent with “hot” evaluation reports of subjects indicating that they have experienced strong emotions, partially oblivious to their surroundings, according to numerous observations linking negative mood and distracted attention.

And the more a person plunges into the inner world of negative reflections, the more he moves away from the perception of the external and the less he has a desire to contact with the world around him, which eventually leads to self-isolation — a depressive disorder of the psyche.

The structural-anatomical correlates of depression were carried out by Hecht. A.B.;

Most neuroimaging and pathology studies in patients with major depression have revealed a deficiency of gray matter (s) in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system structures.

The most typical finding in such cases is a deficiency of gray matter in the anterior parts of the singular cortex, localized ventrally to the knee of the corpus callosum (popliteal cingulate cortex). For example, in a study by M. Ballmaier et al., the volume of gray matter in the left and right cingulate gyrus in elderly patients with depression was reduced by 18 and 20%, respectively.

In addition, the researchers found a 14% decrease in the volume of white matter (synaptic connections) in the same brain structure on the left and 21% on the right. A similar deficiency of white matter in the left anterior singular cortex in elderly patients with depression was noted in a study by S. Bell-McGinty and K. Cullen, who identified a deficiency of myelinated tracts connecting the popliteal cingulate cortex with the amygdala in the right hemisphere of the brain in adolescents with depression.

At the same time, M. Ries, having found gray matter deficiency in the posterior singular cortex and adjacent regions in elderly people with moderate depression, did not find significant differences in the volume of the anterior singular cortex compared to the control group.

According to some researchers, pathomorphological changes in the singular cortex are more of a predisposing factor than a consequence of depression, since this anomaly was detected at the earliest stages of the disease, as well as in healthy individuals with a high family burden of affective disorders.

For example, P. Keedwell revealed differences in the microstructure (decrease in fractional anisotropy) of the singular bundle in healthy students with a family history of major depression compared to students who did not have relatives with depression. Intergroup differences were expressed maximally in the popliteal region of the left singular bundle.

Interestingly, the ability to receive pleasure (hedonia) was positively correlated with the fractional anisotropy of the left and, to a lesser extent, the right singular bundle. It is important that a number of longitudinal studies have demonstrated a progressive decrease in the volume of the popliteal cingulate cortex in patients with psychotic depression, as well as significant correlations between the severity of depressive disorders and the deficit of the volume of the singular cortex.”

Indeed, studies show that people with depression have a decrease in gray matter volume in certain areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex. This may affect the functions of these areas related to the regulation of mood and emotions. On the other hand, studies conducted by Sarah Lazar and others have shown that regular meditation increases gray matter volume and increases activity in these same areas of the brain.

The combination of these studies offers new approaches to the prevention and treatment of depressive and suicidal disorders. Incorporating meditation practices and mindfulness skills into the educational curriculum can help promote mental health and improve the emotional well-being of the population.

Meditative practices have a significant impact on the structure and function of the brain, especially when they begin at an early age. Brain plasticity during childhood and adolescence makes this period especially suitable for forming and consolidating good habits, including meditation practice.

Studies show that regular meditation and other forms of mindfulness can help improve attention, reduce stress levels, and improve emotional regulation. These changes can be especially beneficial in today’s society, where stress and emotional disorders are common problems.

Combining ancient practices with modern scientific approaches opens up new horizons in understanding how the brain works and in developing methods to improve mental health. For example, the use of neuroimaging allows scientists to observe changes in the brain during meditation and prayer, which helps to understand exactly how these practices affect neural activity.

It is also important to emphasize that success in the application of meditative practices depends on the individual desire and effort of a person. Despite age restrictions, it is possible to change established habits and thought patterns at any age, although this will require much more time and effort. Therefore, incorporating meditation and mindfulness skills into educational programs early in life can have long-term positive effects on the mental health of the population.

In order to achieve personal growth and mental health, it is important to learn how to manage your own thoughts and emotions, the concept of the intelligent Observer can really serve as a powerful tool in this process. This position involves conscious observation of one’s thoughts and emotions without direct identification with them, which allows a person not to succumb to instant emotional reactions and choose a more meaningful response to situations.

Negative emotional thinking is not only detrimental to health, but also serves as a limitation for personal development. The position of an intelligent Observer allows for complete control of emotions, and is also an assemblage point for the desired parameters of personality characteristics.

If you do not learn to manage your own emotions, then emotions will control you.

And there is only one tool with the help of which you have the opportunity to take control of the emotional psyche with its phobias, fears, anger, addictions, etc. Initially, you need to learn to consciously control your own thoughts.

That is, only by learning to control your own thoughts, it is possible to learn to control emotions.

Emotional responses to external stimuli are formed by ancient brain structures and for animals they are the fundamental stimulus to action. Their brain remembers the program of actions and with a repeated stimulus, the program automatically starts again. Animals do not reflect, they automatically act according to a recorded program based on emotional reactions.

And a human also has identical programs in the ancient structures of the brain, and he also reacts emotionally to external stimuli, but unlike an animal, he has a developed neocortex and is able to be guided by reason. And if animals learn under the influence of emotional reactions in an automatic mode, without thinking, then a person with the help of the thought process often provokes the activation of emotional reactions of ancient brain structures.

Therefore, if a person is able to wind himself up with the help of thoughts, then he is able to learn to control not only the emotional process, but also to get out from under the influence of embedded programs. Such methods, which allow you to learn how to control your own emotional psyche, have been developed by people for more than one millennium.

One of the most understandable philosophical teachings for a European is Stoicism, which describes the practice of conscious observation of emotions and thoughts used in ancient Greece. There is an opinion that these teachings came to Greece from ancient Egypt.

Stoicism is a philosophical school that originated in Athens around 300 BC during the early Hellenistic period and retained its influence until the end of the ancient world. It was named after the Painted Stoa, where the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Kition, first acted independently as a teacher.

Stoicism flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the third century AD. Prominent representatives of Stoicism in Ancient Rome were Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Epictetus and Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The ideas of Stoicism can indeed offer valuable lessons for a modern person who strives for order in life and the achievement of goals. Consciously distancing yourself from the initial emotional reaction to events allows you to look at the situation more objectively and calmly, which is the key to effective problem solving.

The practice of writing letters to oneself, describing the situation without emotional coloring, helps Stoics analyze what is happening from the perspective of an external observer. Not only does this contribute to a deeper understanding of events, but it also opens up new perspectives for dealing with issues that may not have been visible due to the initial emotional impact.

Marcus Aurelius’s allegory about a ray of light illuminating events from a certain angle reminds us that our perception does not always reflect objective reality. Our view can pick out certain aspects and ignore others, depending on our biases, beliefs, and emotional state. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this subjectivity of perception and strive for a more objective analysis of situations.

Applying these Stoic practices to modern life can help a person develop resilience to stress, improve decision-making, and promote personal growth. They teach us to appreciate the peace of mind and to understand that many external circumstances are out of our control, but we can always control our attitude towards them and our reactions.

The concept of the inner mentor in Stoicism and other philosophical traditions is a powerful tool for self-development and self-improvement. It allows you to form an ideal image to strive for, and which can serve as a guide in making decisions and actions.

The Stoics attached great importance to introspection and self-reflection. They sought to evaluate their actions in terms of moral and ethical principles, rather than external circumstances. This approach helps to develop resistance to external influences and to remain calm and rational in any situation.

An inner mentor or an imaginary observer helps to carry out this self-analysis by imagining how the ideal image would act in a given situation. This is not just a way of self-control, but also a method of self-education, which allows you to form the desired qualities and character traits in yourself.

Writing down the qualities that your inner mentor possesses and then applying them to real-life situations is a practical step toward embodying those qualities in yourself. This is a really long process that requires constant work on yourself, but the result can be significant personal development and an improvement in the quality of life.

Including qualities inspired by historical figures, literary heroes, or even fictional characters in the mentor’s image broadens horizons and allows you to draw inspiration from various sources. This contributes to the formation of a comprehensive and deep understanding of what qualities are worth possessing and what goals are worth achieving in life.

At the structural level of the various brain regions, the physical description of the practical benefits of self-improvement techniques in Stoicism may well be characterized by the concept of dualism. Dualis (Latin — dual), a term introduced by T. Hyde (1636—1703) to denote the religious ideas of the two existing forces of good and evil. Later, this term was borrowed by philosophers to describe two independent principles — matter and spirit, physical and mental, body and soul. However, in modern times, given the available neuroimaging equipment, thanks to which we can observe the activity of various brain structures, it is possible to use the term dualism to describe the dual opposite of the activity of consciousness (neocortex) and awareness (ancient cortex)

Putting aside the concepts of the soul, the forces of good and evil, but taking spiritual and philosophical teachings as a basis, we can already take a completely new look at the concept of the work of the duality of consciousness from the point of view of physiology and psychology.

The concept of dualism can indeed be applied to understanding brain function and self-improvement processes in the context of Stoicism. In classical philosophical dualism, a distinction is made between the material and the spiritual, the body and the mind. In modern neuroscience, thanks to neuroimaging techniques, we can observe how different parts of the brain interact with each other and how this affects our behavior and mental processes.

In the context of stoicism and self-improvement, dualism can be rethought as the interaction between conscious processes controlled by the neocortex and deeper, unconscious processes associated with ancient brain structures such as the limbic system. The Stoics teach us that while we cannot control external events, we can control our attitudes toward them and our internal reactions.

Modern self-improvement techniques based on Stoic principles can include mindfulness, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy practices that help manage internal reactions and develop a conscious attitude toward thoughts and emotions. This allows a person to develop self-control and self-discipline, which contributes to personal growth and improved quality of life.

Thus, dualism in the modern sense can reflect the interaction between the conscious and the unconscious, between the mind and the emotions, and how we can use this understanding to better manage our reactions and behaviors in everyday life.

Dualistic teachings describe that we usually perceive ourselves as a whole, a subjective person, but this is the main misconception.

A good example of the duality of consciousness is the internal dialogue.

Intelligent consciousness in the neocortex has no personality, virtual personality is present only in awareness in the ancient structures of the brain, so it is difficult for a person without the experience of enlightenment to realize duality. But this can be understood by the endless internal dialogue, one whole cannot communicate, these are two completely different areas of the brain.

Studies show that for the most part, people spend on mental journeys, not thinking about current tasks, escaping from reality, wasting an already limited energy resource.

The illusion of thought immerses you in the past, planning for the future and winding up itself is one of the main causes of anxiety. Negative thoughts and experiences can create imaginary problems that never even existed in reality.

Conscious observation of thoughts and emotions is the key to calmness and development of the mind.

Osho, the religious and spiritual leader of Hinduism, the inspirer of the Neo Orientalist and religious-cultural movement, Rajneesh describes these psychic mechanisms in detail:

“A person of awareness, understanding — acts. A person who is unconscious, unconscious, mechanical, like a robot — reacts.”

“The only thing you need to learn is observation. Watch! Observe every action you take. Observe every thought that passes through your mind. Observe every desire that overwhelms you. Observe even insignificant gestures — how you walk, talk, eat, take a bath. Continue to observe, in everything, everywhere. Let everything become an opportunity to observe.”

“Mindfulness in relation to thoughts is the observation of thoughts.

Millions of random thoughts fill your head every day. You can allow your thoughts to spin as before, or you can start to consciously observe them, which will later lead to the calming down of the thought flow and its complete stop. Then you will have the opportunity to use your thinking purposefully, and not just jump from one thought to another. In this way, the efficiency of thinking and its concentration will increase, and you will gain the ability to think on a deeper level.

If you don’t already have experience observing your thoughts, at first they will simply suck you in, like a whirlpool that leads you into a world of illusions, and from which it is not so easy to get out. But if you make an effort and try to observe your thoughts from a distance every day, while not letting them lead you into the world of fantasies and dreams, you will have a chance to contemplate them without clinging. By being aware of your thoughts, you can stop this constant noise in your head, stop thinking negatively, end communicating destructively once and for all, and ruin your life. By letting the light of awareness into your life, you will change it for the better.

Awareness of emotions and feelings is the observation of emotions and feelings.

If you are not aware of your emotions and feelings, then they begin to control your life, not giving you the right to choose, depriving you of freedom. How often has the wave of anger and aggression that swept over you carried you away from reasonable actions and deeds? How often have you been able to control this wave, have you been able to curb it? When this happens, you lose all control over yourself, you are in an unconscious state, at that very moment your self-consciousness is in a deep sleep.

What normal person in his right mind and memory would shout at people close to him and foam at the mouth to prove his rightness? If you had control over your emotions and feelings, if you were in a state of awareness, this simply could not happen, but nevertheless it is a fact that repeats itself over and over again, further destroying your life.

Being in a conscious state, you are able to fully see and feel what emotions and feelings you have and how they manifest. Through observation, you can learn to control your behavior, learn to manage your life, rather than handing over the reins to your emotions and feelings. In a state of awareness, you have a choice, and as a result, complete freedom. You fully become the creators of your life, where you are free to decide for yourself what emotions to let into your life and what actions to take.”

Sadhguru is an Indian yogi and mystic, the founder of the Isha Charitable Foundation.

“Now everyone is in a restless mind mode and is not able to concentrate their attention. Because of this, there is a complete mess. If you learn to concentrate your attention, there is nothing that can stop it, it is one of the most important aspects of the mind. You can control your life if you take control of your mind. If you take responsibility for your psychological process, then what emotion to feel will be your choice.”

Either you learn to control your emotions yourself, or they will control you…

And so, if the cortex cingularis is the subjective perception of yourself, psycho-emotional reactions and sensations of incoming signals from external and internal stimuli, then the prefrontal cortex is the observer, it monitors what exactly you feel and is able to correct and suppress the automatic reactions of the limbic system.

Therefore, all meditative practices are built on getting away from the impulsive influence of the singular cortex and, through concentration, developing the position of an intelligent observer.

Along with IQ (intelligence quotient), in the modern world more and more attention is paid to the concept of EI (emotional intelligence). This concept includes a person’s ability to recognize emotions, understand intentions, motivations, and desires of both their own and those of others. In addition, EI covers the ability to manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others to solve practical problems.

It is important to note that emotions themselves do not have intelligence. They are the basic form of responses emanating from ancient brain structures to certain stimuli. Only the development of the mind allows you to take control of this process. Although the overall development of the neocortex, and therefore IQ, correlates with high EI levels, emotion management is carried out by a separate region of the brain and represents a unique form of thinking. This form of thinking is not connected with rational, logical, or any other known way of thinking. Since this direction in the evolutionary development of the brain of Homo profectum sapiens is still relatively new and weakly expressed, it does not yet have a specific name. However, it can be characterized as Profectum mentis — progressive mental activity.

Although Profectum mentis as a new form of thinking is only beginning to be studied, there are already a number of practices for its development that can be applied now.

The most natural and, accordingly, the simplest development of emotional intelligence is to teach a child from an early age to observe his own emotions. Developing emotional intelligence (EI) from an early age is a key aspect in building a healthy personality. Teaching a child to observe his own emotions is a natural and effective way to stimulate his emotional development. Regular interest in the emotional experiences of the child, questions about what he feels and why, help him learn to analyze and understand his emotions.

Redirecting the child’s attention from impulsive reactions to conscious reflection and analysis of his own sensations contributes to the development of his position as an observer. This not only helps the child understand himself better, but also stimulates the development of neural connections, which over time will contribute to a more conscious perception and management of his emotions.

The results of EI development in a child become noticeable when he begins to independently express his observations of the emotions of others, understanding them and being able to respond to them adequately. The game form of learning is the most appropriate and effective way to develop emotional intelligence in children, since the game naturally involves the child in the learning process, making it interesting and exciting.

At the same time, for adults, changing established neural pathways and forming new ways of responding to emotional stimuli can take significantly more time and effort. Nerve impulses really tend to follow the already familiar, shortest paths, which makes the process of change more difficult. However, through purposeful practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral techniques, adults can also make significant progress in developing their emotional intelligence and ability to self-regulate.

The approach to understanding the brain as a complex biological mechanism that can be tuned and corrected reflects current trends in neuroscience and psychology. Indeed, a deep understanding of the brain and its structural features opens up opportunities to optimize its functioning and improve the quality of life.

Diagnosing and identifying the individual characteristics of the brain is an important step towards self-improvement. Modern neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and EEG (electroencephalography), provide a detailed picture of the activity of different areas of the brain and identify potential areas for adjustment.

Consultation with specialists, such as neuropsychologists and psychotherapists, can provide valuable guidance and directions for working on yourself. However, there are also many self-study methods available that can help develop the brain and improve brain function.

Meditative practices and cognitive therapy techniques have proven to be effective in changing brain activity patterns and improving emotional well-being. They help to develop the ability to self-regulate, improve attention and concentration, and reduce stress and anxiety.

It is important to remember that any work on yourself requires time, patience and consistency. Regular application of the selected methods and practices can lead to significant positive changes in brain functioning and overall well-being.

Studying the brain opens up amazing opportunities for understanding how we perceive the world and how we respond to it. The approach to self-observation and self-diagnosis through systematic observation of one’s own thoughts and emotions is a powerful tool for self-knowledge and self-development. Keeping a daily journal of emotional reactions and obsessive thoughts can be the first step to becoming aware of and managing internal processes. Here’s how you can organize it:

1. Awareness of an emotion: As soon as you notice that you are experiencing an emotion, write it down. Try to identify the emotion as accurately as possible. For example, instead of “I’m angry,” it might be “I’m disappointed” or “I’m offended.”

2. Observing the body’s reactions: Have you noticed any physical reactions associated with this emotion? For example, heart palpitations, muscle tension, or a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen.

3. The situation that caused the emotion: Describe the situation that led to the emotional response. This will help you understand what external circumstances or events are causing you certain emotions.

4. Impulsive actions: Write down what actions you have performed under the influence of the emotion. This will help you see the connection between emotions and your behavior.

5. Emotional thoughts: Notice what thoughts came to mind at the time of the emotional outburst. This can help you recognize negative thought patterns.

6. Judgments after calming down: After the emotion subsides, go back to the recording and analyze the situation again. How do you assess what happened now? What could you do differently?

This process not only helps to understand oneself better, but also develops the ability to self-regulate and manage emotions. Over time, you may find that you become more resilient to stress, better understand your emotional reactions, and learn to respond to them more consciously and productively.

Keeping a journal of emotional reactions at the time they occur and then analyzing and supplementing the notes in the evening is a really effective way to develop self-awareness and manage emotions. This approach has many advantages:

1. Distraction from the emotional stimulus: Recording what is happening helps to distract from the object that caused the emotional response, which helps to calm down.

2. Development of a self-observation system: Systematic record-keeping triggers the process of self-observation, helping to understand oneself better.

3. Automating the Observer Position: Over time, practice causes the observer position to activate automatically when emotional reactions occur, reducing the time between the emergence of an emotion and the conscious observation of it.

4. Managing emotions and health: By learning to manage your emotions, you have the opportunity to influence your health, as many diseases are associated with emotional stress.

5. Analysis of Prevailing Emotions: Regular journaling allows you to identify which emotions, moods, and thoughts are prevalent in your life, giving you an idea of which brain structures may be hyperactive.

6. Correction of brain activity: Understanding which areas of the brain may be overactive allows you to focus on correcting them through meditative and cognitive practices, promoting the development of cortical areas responsible for intellectual abilities.

This practice not only helps you better understand and control your emotions, but also contributes to your overall psychological and physical well-being. The development of the ability to self-observation and self-regulation is an important step towards a conscious and happy life.

It is not difficult to imagine how much of an invaluable energy resource we spend on empty thoughts if you count their amount per day. The research by Jordan Poppenk and Julie Tseng opens up surprising prospects in understanding how our brains work and thought processes. Finding that the average person spontaneously has about 6,200 different thoughts a day highlights how active our brains are and how many resources we spend on thinking.

The conclusion that emotions depend on thoughts, and that by controlling thoughts, we can control emotions, is key to understanding the relationship between thought processes and emotional state. This underscores the importance of a conscious approach to thinking and attention.

It is also important to understand that thought processes cannot be stopped, but they can be directed and controlled. Consciously redirecting the thought flow in the desired direction with the help of attention allows not only to use our cognitive resources more effectively, but also to improve our emotional state.

Attention training through various practices, such as vipasana breathing meditation, concentration on the senses and switching thoughts, is a powerful tool for developing the ability to manage one’s own attention and, as a result, thoughts and emotions. These practices can contribute not only to personal growth, but also to an overall improvement in the quality of life.

The concentration of your attention gives rise to thoughts. In turn, thought streams are a trigger for triggering emotional reactions.

Thus, being aware of and working with the interdependent triune model of “attention — thoughts — emotions” opens the way to a more conscious and meaningful existence, allowing you to better understand yourself and manage your inner world.

Stopping the internal dialogue is one of the most productive workouts involving attention, emotional control, and thought flow. To implement this practice in your life, you can set reminders on your phone that will signal the need to stop the internal dialogue about 10—20 times a day. Each session lasting 2—5 minutes will be enough for training.

It is important at this point to really try to completely stop the internal dialogue, including thoughts of not thinking. Relax and redirect your attention to the inner area of the brain, free yourself from the feeling of pressure. This practice can be done at any time without being distracted from daily activities, even while performing routine physical work.

After a few months of regular practice, you will start to notice positive changes. It is not so much the time and regularity of the practice that is important, but your volitional desire and effort to learn how to control the cognitive functions of the brain and use the metabolic resource consciously and effectively, which over time will lead to an improvement in the ability to manage your thoughts and emotions. It can also help improve focus, reduce the frequency of unwanted thoughts, and increase the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. This confirms that you are on the right track to mastering the control of cognitive functions of the brain and using your mental resources more effectively.

The practice of stopping the internal dialogue can be especially useful for people suffering from acute depressive disorders, wanting to get rid of bad habits and addictions, experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorders, phobias, experienced psychological trauma or want to change destructive attitudes laid down in childhood. This practice helps reduce the impact of automatic thought processes and emotional reactions, thereby promoting a more conscious and controlled approach to life.

The practice of short-term withdrawal from internal dialogue leads to significant changes in brain function. The goal of such a practice is, if not to completely stop, then at least to modify the neural pathways that link conscious brain activity to the perception of one’s own personality. This helps to weaken the influence of automatic, preset behavioral and thought patterns.

In the process of such practice, a kind of “reset” of character and personality attitudes can occur, which opens up the possibility for conscious choice and the formation of new aspects of personality. This does not mean a complete rejection of the personality as such, as the ancient structures of the brain will always have an impact on our thinking and reactions to life situations. However, this practice makes it possible to consciously influence these processes and form the desired character traits.

Understanding that personality traits are not innate, but are formed under the influence of the environment, allows people to return to their natural state and discover innate predispositions. A short-term “reset” of the personality program may be enough to realize that self-identification can be limiting, and that the world around us is much wider and more diverse than we used to think.

The conscious mind, whose activity is primarily associated with the cortical areas of the brain, processes a vast amount of information, but only a small fraction of this information reaches the level of conscious perception by passing through the personality filters that are stored in the more ancient structures of the brain.

Personality, with its unique traits and attitudes, can limit the perception of the world around us, especially when emotional reactions become more intense. The more strongly the personality is expressed, the narrower the perception can become, which leads to the fact that a person is imprisoned in the framework of his own ideas and views.

The world we live in is a projection of our perception created by the brain. With this in mind, we can begin to work on changing these projections, which will allow us to see the world in a new way. Work on ourselves, including mindfulness and meditation practices, can help us expand our perception and free ourselves from the limitations imposed by our personality and emotional reactions. This is the path to deeper self-knowledge and to the opportunity to live in a world that we ourselves choose and shape.

In the world of illusions erected by our own consciousness, each of us has the power to reshape the inner reality, which, in turn, qualitatively transforms the world around us.

“While you sleep, behind the scenes of your mind, unseen scriptwriters draw their fantasies in which you limply play puppet roles.”

Imagine that your personality is a canvas and you are an artist who can start painting your picture again. Everything that you considered to be unchanging traits of your character is actually the result of your past experiences, upbringing, and social environment. This realization gives you the power and opportunity to rewrite the script of your life as you see fit.

The knowledge that you acquire from childhood from the outside world forms your personality parameters, perception and understanding of reality. Your beliefs and biases, whether conscious or subconscious, define the framework of your thinking and influence your actions and reactions.

Liberation from these limitations requires courage to face the unknown and a willingness to let go of established notions. It is a process that can be both liberating and unsettling, as it raises questions about the very essence of your self.

Resetting the parameters of your personality characteristics is a chance to free yourself from the limitations that may have been imposed on you by others. This is your chance to define who you are, who you want to be, and what values and beliefs you want to embody in your life.

When you let go of attachment to certain aspects of your personality and let go of beliefs that no longer serve you, you open the door to a deeper level of consciousness. In this state of “Nobody’, you are not limited by the parameters of your personality, and therefore you can perceive the world more objectively and freely.

The world around you is really not what you can imagine it to be. It is full of wonders and opportunities that you can only see if you take off the “glasses” of prejudice and limitations. Allow yourself to see the world in its true light, appreciate its beauty and diversity with your own eyes. This helps to come to your true beginning, understand your natural purpose, and choose your own path in life.

If you do not have an understanding of your true purpose in life, then you will serve the goals of other people. When you begin to understand your purpose, you find direction and meaning in life. It allows you to set your own goals and strive for them using your unique talents and abilities. You begin to live a life that reflects who you are, and every step you take is filled with greater confidence and determination.

It is important to understand that true happiness and fulfillment do not come from serving the goals of others, but from being in harmony with your own nature and following your inner compass. When you live your true desires and values, every step towards your goals brings joy and fulfillment.

However, the path to discovering one’s destiny is not always easy. It may require change, abandoning established beliefs, and getting out of your comfort zone. But it’s these challenges and obstacles that make travel valuable and transform you, making you stronger and wiser. This is a journey to harmony with yourself, to understanding what makes you truly happy and fulfilled.

Remember that self-knowledge is not an end goal, but an ongoing process. You will constantly learn, grow, and change as you progress along this path. Be ready for change, be flexible in your views and beliefs, and be kind to yourself in the process of becoming.

After all, you don’t have a second life in reserve, self-knowledge gives you a chance, the opportunity to live your own life. Finally, take off the mask of an actor, and stop playing an eternal role in someone else’s, even beautifully written script. It allows you to live with a sense of authenticity and wholeness, and it’s the most valuable thing you can give yourself.