Institute of Noetic Sciences
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Noetic Sciences
Noetic theory
In traditional philosophy, noëtics is a branch of metaphysical philosophy concerned with the study of mind and intellect...
(IONS) was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell and investor Paul N. Temple to encourage and conduct research on human potentials. Institute programs include "extended human capacities," "integral health and healing," and "emerging worldviews."
This research includes topics such as spontaneous remission
Spontaneous remission
Spontaneous healing, also called spontaneous remission or spontaneous regression, means an unexpected improvement or cure from a disease which usually is taking a different course. Both terms are mainly used for unexpected transient or final improvements in cancer. Spontaneous remissions concern...
, meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, alternative healing practices, consciousness-based healthcare
Consciousness-based healthcare
Consciousness-Based Healthcare , an emerging field of complementary and alternative medicine, is the application of consciousness-based interventions to achieve tangible, beneficial outcomes across a wide range of health concerns including physical and emotional issues.CBH is a complementary and...
, spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
, human potential, psychic abilities
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
and survival of consciousness after bodily death
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
.
Headquartered outside Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, the organization is situated on a 200 acres (80.9 ha) campus that includes offices, a research laboratory, and a retreat center (originally the campus of World College West
World College West
World College West was an undergraduate liberal arts college in Marin County, California. Founded by Dr. Richard M. Gray, it offered a program that integrated a grounding in the liberal arts with work-study and a required two-quarter "World Study" in a developing country...
). The institute does not grant educational degrees.
History
Apollo 14
Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the American Apollo program, and the third to land on the Moon. It was the last of the "H missions", targeted landings with two-day stays on the Moon with two lunar EVAs, or moonwalks....
mission, investor Paul N. Temple and some others. During the three-day journey back to Earth aboard Apollo 14, Mitchell had an epiphany
Epiphany (feeling)
An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something...
while looking down on the earth from space. "The presence of divinity became almost palpable, and I knew that life in the universe was not just an accident based on random processes ... The knowledge came to me directly," Mitchell said of that experience. Following his spaceflight, Mitchell and others founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Willis Harman
Willis Harman
Willis Harman was an American engineer, social scientist, academic, futurist, writer, and visionary. He is best remembered for his work with SRI International, for being president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California, and for his work in raising consciousness within the...
served as its president from 1975 until his death in 1997.
The word noetic is derived from the Greek nous
Nous
Nous , also called intellect or intelligence, is a philosophical term for the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, very close in meaning to intuition...
, for which, according to the institute's website, there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to "inner knowing," a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason.
Research
The institute identifies three principle areas of interest: extended human capacities, integral health and healing, and emerging world views. Projects sponsored by the institute include a bibliography on the physical and psychological effects of meditationMeditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, a spontaneous remission
Spontaneous remission
Spontaneous healing, also called spontaneous remission or spontaneous regression, means an unexpected improvement or cure from a disease which usually is taking a different course. Both terms are mainly used for unexpected transient or final improvements in cancer. Spontaneous remissions concern...
bibliography, and studies on the efficacy of compassionate intention on healing in AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
patients. The institute has also conducted a number of parapsychological
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
studies into extra-sensory perception
Extra-sensory perception
Extrasensory perception involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by Frederic Myers, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and...
, lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming
A lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. The term was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden . In a lucid dream, the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem real and...
, and presentiment.
Publications
Since 2009, the Institute has published a semi-annual bulletin, The Noetic Post. From 2003 to 2009, it published a quarterly magazine, Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness.In February 2007, IONS announced a co-publishing agreement with New Harbinger Publications
New Harbinger Publications
New Harbinger Publications, Inc. is an Oakland-based American publisher of psychology, self-help, mental health and health books. Most of its psychology books focus on the areas of ACT, CBT, and DBT.-History:...
. Noetic Books and New Harbinger partnered to publish books that incorporate science and focus on global issues, consciousness, spiritual and psychological wellness. Authors include Edmund Bourne
Edmund Bourne
Edmund J. Bourne, PH.D. is an American self-help author, psychologist and researcher on anxiety, anxiety disorders and the treatment of anxiety disorders. He was the director of The Anxiety and Treatment Center in San Jose and Santa Rosa, California...
, Charles Tart
Charles Tart
Dr. Charles T. Tart is an American psychologist and parapsychologist known for his psychological work on the nature of consciousness , as one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology, and for his research in scientific parapsychology. He earned his Ph. D...
, and Marilyn Schlitz
Marilyn Schlitz
Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D. is a research scientist, medical anthropologist, and writer on the subjects of consciousness, healing, and consciousness-based healthcare. She is the current President and CEO of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of California...
.
Institute research has also been published as papers in peer-reviewed
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
journals, including:
- British Journal of Psychology
- Explore - The Journal of Science and Healing
- Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineJournal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineThe Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. since 1995. It includes observational and analytical reports on alternative medicine treatments...
- Journal of Consciousness StudiesJournal of Consciousness StudiesThe Journal of Consciousness Studies is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated entirely to the field of consciousness studies. It was previously edited by Joseph Goguen. It has been co-edited by the philosopher of mysticism, Robert K.C...
- Journal of Psychoactive DrugsJournal of Psychoactive DrugsThe Journal of Psychoactive Drugs was founded in 1967 by David E Smith, founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. It is an authoritative peer-reviewed quarterly periodical containing timely information of a multidisciplinary nature for clinicians and other professionals in the drug abuse field as...
Criticism
Stephen BarrettStephen Barrett
Stephen Joel Barrett is a retired American psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud , and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health fraud. He focuses on consumer protection, medical ethics, and scientific...
, organizer of the nonprofit organization Quackwatch
Quackwatch
Quackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...
, whose website describes itself as a "Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud
Quackery
Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the promotion of unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or...
, and Intelligent Decisions," lists the Institute of Noetic Sciences as one of the 729 organizations that he views "with considerable distrust."
See also
- Noetic PsychologyNoetic PsychologyNoetic Psychology is a specific theme in psychology dedicated to the discovery of meaning and purpose; resolution of existential angst; the integration of affect with cognition through forming meaning. Values are a key component of Noetic Psychology...
- Noetic theoryNoetic theoryIn traditional philosophy, noëtics is a branch of metaphysical philosophy concerned with the study of mind and intellect...
- Marilyn SchlitzMarilyn SchlitzMarilyn Schlitz, Ph.D. is a research scientist, medical anthropologist, and writer on the subjects of consciousness, healing, and consciousness-based healthcare. She is the current President and CEO of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of California...
- President and CEO of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
External links
- Institute of Noetic Sciences official website
- Institute of Noetic Sciences Shift in Action community & archive website
- Noetic Books
- Institute of Noetic Sciences entry in the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
course guide for "New Religious Movements" - Noetic science conference in Argentina, April 2003 (photos)
- Brendan O'Regan on the Unexplained Mystery of Spontaneous Remission