When: Friday, July 26 (3pm-6pm); Saturday, July 27 (9am-5pm); Sunday, July 28 (9am-3pm); Group Zoom meeting (Monday, Aug. 5th 9am-10:30am). All times are listed in PST.
Where: Platform 360; Eugene, Oregon USA
Cost: $850 USD (early bird pricing $775 USD until May 30)* Space is limited to 12 participants
*Meals and lodging not included. Attendees also need to purchase a Brainbit device or make arrangements to borrow one from Dr. Tarrant.
When the mind is stuck or rigid, caught in the same repetitive patterns of thinking and feeling, we experience stagnation, anxiety, and depression. In order to grow and change, it is necessary to first disrupt the old patterns in the nervous system, opening the mind to new possibilities and perceptions. This disruption, when done in a therapeutic context, allows the system to reorganize at a higher level. In fact, this psychological flexibility is a key to unlocking creativity, transformation, intuition, and well-being. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies to increase this flexibility, including meditation and psychedelic states. However, simply increasing the brain’s entropy is not always enough. It is important to have a context and an avenue to engage this shift in our behavior, thinking, and feeling.
In this 3-day Workshop, you will experience a range of practices designed to break old patterns, expand consciousness, and deliver insights into the workings of your mind. We will also focus on preparation and integration aspects of this work to help you shift into a state of receptivity aligned with gaining the most from these powerful practices and integrating them into your daily life.
Please note: While this workshop will involve working with various altered states of consciousness (ASC), we will not be using any psychedelic substances (e.g., psilocybin, LSD, etc.). Instead, we will access this state through technology-based approaches and breathwork. In addition, you do not need previous experience with any of these practices to participate.
Read Dr. Tarrant’s blog in Psychology Today: The Therapeutic Potential of Altered States of Consciousness
Experience:
EEG NeuroMeditation
Stroboscopic Light
SOMA Breathwork
Sound Bath
Mind over Matter Experiments
Preparation and Integration
EEG NeuroMeditation
With brainwave biofeedback, or EEG biofeedback, we are able to monitor brain activity and use this information to gently guide the user into specific states of meditation. This process is generally called EEG NeuroMeditation.
By tracking brainwave activity in specific regions of the brain, we can tell if someone is focused or relaxed, if they are focused internally or externally. We can tell if the mind is wandering, or if they have entered a space of internal quiet. By monitoring this activity and connecting it directly to the intent of the meditation, we can help meditators learn to quickly enter a desired state of consciousness and maintain this state for increasing periods of time.
In this workshop, we will be using a wireless, dry EEG neurofeedback system (Divergence Neuro) to experience several NeuroMeditation protocols. This approach emphasizes 3 different meditation styles (Quiet Mind, Mindfulness/Equanimity, & Deep States). This aspect of the workshop requires participants to purchase a wireless, dry sensor cap or headband compatible with the Divergence platform*. This will allow you to access the NeuroMeditation protocols from your phone or ipad/tablet. You will own the device and have access to the NeuroMeditation protocols for one month after the workshop to continue practicing with this approach (you will also have the option to sign up for additional time and/or purchase your own Divergence subscription). A small number (3) of devices will be available for use at the workshop if you do not want to commit to a purchase at this time.
We specifically decided to use this style of EEG NeuroMeditation due to its ease of use and the opportunity to continue training after the workshop. Rest assured, you do not need to be a tech-wiz or trained in neurofeedback to use this approach.
Read Dr. Tarrant’s blog Combining Neurofeedback and Meditation.
*Options include the single sensor Calibri which can be attached to a baseball cap ($399), the 4 sensor headband ($499), or the 4 sensor flex cap ($750). The Calibri and flex cap provide the ability to move the sensors to any location whereas the headband has fixed sensors. Financing through Brainbit is also available. While all of these options will work for the workshop, we recommend either the baseball cap or the flex cap due to the ability to move sensor locations.
Stroboscopic Light
roXiva RX1 is a hypnagogic light machine for audio-visual brainwave entrainment. roXiva uses stroboscopic white light combined with sound. Expertly crafted sessions guide you into deeply relaxing or profoundly inspiring states of mind. It does this using the natural ability of the brain to synchronize to, and follow, external sources of rhythm. Essentially, the lights flash on and off at various frequencies and in dynamic patterns, guiding the brain into the desired state.
While it may look simple, these sessions are quite powerful and can often lead to profound experiences that have a “psychedelic” quality. These sessions can be used for psychological exploration, creativity, rest/recovery, and trancework/hypnosis. During this workshop, you will have the opportunity to participate in a 45-minute small group session as well as practice holding space for another small group during their experience.
*Note: This practice is contraindicated for anyone with a history of any seizure disorder.
SOMA Breathwork
This form of guided breathwork practice alternates between cyclic breathing and breath retention to create a unique state of consciousness, often leading to a deep internal quietude and feelings of bliss. Cyclic breathing involves inhaling and exhaling at a consistent pace with no pause between breaths. Breath retention involves holding the breath for extended periods, both at the bottom of the exhalation and the top of the inhalation. This practice has some similarities to the Wim Hof Method of breathing but is guided by the instructor and facilitated with specially designed music.
This 60-minute experience can lead to a temporary reduction of the brain’s normal inhibitory functions, allowing more subconscious and unconscious processes to emerge. Essentially, by minimizing the “normal” functioning of the brain, aspects of the mind that are normally restrained are free.
*Note: This practice is contraindicated for anyone dealing with any serious cardiovascular disorders, such as high blood pressure, aneurysms, or history of heart attacks.
Sound Bath
During a sound bath, participants lie or sit in a comfortable position while being surrounded by highly resonant, immersive live music, typically played on crystal bowls, gongs, and percussive instruments. The sound and the vibrations felt during this meditative practice can be powerful tools in releasing deep layers of mental, physical, and emotional tension. While some find it deeply relaxing and blissful, others experience internal journeys or use the practice for psychological and emotional integration.
Mind Over Matter
While psi-related abilities such as mind-matter interactions (psychokinesis; PK) are often considered controversial topics, there is a well-established literature showing that human intention can significantly influence the output of electronic, binary-bit random event generators (REG’s). Basically, the computer program randomly generates 1’s or 0’s hundreds of times per second. With enough trials, we expect there to be a relative balance between the two. However, under certain circumstances, the balance is tilted in favor of one or the other. This can happen spontaneously during events that involve groups of people entering the same state of consciousness as well as when a single person (or group) directly attempts to influence the outcome. Throughout the workshop, we will run REG’s in the background of our experiences to see if the change in the group’s mental state influences the output. We will also practice directly influencing the REG through group meditation and REG biofeedback. This practice is being included in the workshop to help teach the specific states of consciousness involved in influencing the world and manifesting our goals.
Preparation and Integration
When working with altered states of consciousness for personal growth, it is important to 1) prepare the brain/nervous system for the shift experienced during an ASC session, and 2) to take advantage of the increased flexibility created by the experience.
Preparation: Having positive ASC experiences is associated with specific psychological and emotional states including absorption, openness, acceptance, and surrender. Negative experiences are more common in persons who tend to be low in openness and surrender and/or high in preoccupation, apprehension, or confusion. Consequently, it is important to spend time preparing for this work. This is referred to as establishing the “Set” or mindset for the experience. EEG NeuroMeditation can assist in the preparation phase by teaching state awareness and mental flexibility. In fact, neurofeedback-guided meditation practices can be used to assist in the development of each of the aforementioned beneficial mental qualities/states (absorption, openness, acceptance, and surrender), thereby increasing the likelihood of a positive and productive ASC experience.
Integration: Because ASC experiences tend to generate a state of temporary mental flexibility, this can be an optimal time to shift maladaptive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, and practicing new patterns. It is as if the nervous system is more malleable during this time period. Consequently, integration is recommended in the days and weeks following the ASC experience. These sessions are designed to facilitate active processing and synthesizing of the experience to help identify and enact steps toward implementing any insights that may have been gained. In addition to integration work incorporated into the weekend, we will also have a 1.5-hour follow up session on Zoom one week after the workshop has ended on Monday, August 5th.
Refunds requested more than 30 days before the workshop starts will receive a 100% refund. No refunds will be given in the 30 days prior to the workshop start date.
The content of this workshop is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website or learned in this class.
Instructor: Jeff Tarrant, Ph.D., BCN
Dr. Tarrant is the founder and Director of the NeuroMeditation Institute and Psychic Mind Science in Eugene, Oregon. He is a licensed psychologist and board certified in neurofeedback. Dr. Tarrant specializes in teaching, clinical applications, and research combining technology-based interventions with meditative states for improved mental health. His research focuses on exploring brainwave changes that occur as a result of contemplative practices, technological interventions, non-ordinary states of consciousness, & psi-related abilities. Dr. Tarrant is the author of the books, Meditation Interventions to Rewire the Brain and Becoming Psychic: Lessons from the Minds of Mediums, Healers, and Psychics.