United States

A DARING EXPLORATION OF A NEW LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS. At one time, science allowed only a narrow definition of consciousness... the alert, rational state in which we confront the world around us. But in recent years, altered states of consciousness have been recognised and their reality probed. Under laboratory conditions, eastern mystics have suspended such vital functions as blood pressure, body temperature and even pulse rate to the point of simulating death. Among the most provocative experiments was that of John Lilly, a physician and psychoanalyst who immersed himself in a tank of warm salt water and floated in total isolation. The "waking dreams" which he experienced were of a "highly personal and emotionally charged nature" Lilly reported in the book "The Deep Self". He was inundated by "processes of immense energy, fantastic light and terrifying power" which made him fear that he "would lose control and not be able to come back." With each new experiment and discovery comes a mounting awareness of the wonder and ominous depths yet to be found... within ourselves.