Underlying model for peak states

Underlying model for understanding why peak states exist and what causes them
Revision 1.0

“Our model not only allows us to predict phenomena to our knowledge never before discovered, but also to invent new techniques from our understanding of the underlying principles.“
-Grant McFetridge

Our book Peak States of Consciousness: Theory and Applications, Volume 1: Breakthrough Techniques for Exceptional Quality of Life introduces our developmental events model of why peak states exist and what causes them. Peak States of Consciousness: Theory and Applications, Volume 2: Acquiring Extraordinary Spiritual And Shamanic States goes into much greater depth. The paper called “Spiritual Emergency and the Triune Brain" located on this website also covers some of the material, as does our The Basic Whole-Hearted Healing Manual (3rd edition). For a description of the new paradigm that our work has generated, go to the Paradigm Violations, or "101 Reasons Why This Can't Be True".

Below is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Volume 2 of Peak States of Consciousness: Theory and Applications by Grant McFetridge, et al. This chapter reviews the concepts introduced in Volume 1 of Peak States of Consciousness: Theory and Applications, and adds a few new ones.

 Chapter 1: Peak States Theory: The Developmental Events Model, the Triune Brain, and the Center of Awareness
(© Copyright 2005 by Grant McFetridge. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the Institute for the Study of Peak States Press, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.)

Peak States and the Developmental Events Model
In Volume 1, I introduced the ‘developmental events model for peak states, abilities, and experiences’. Simply stated, the model says that all peak states, abilities, and experiences are acquired during key events in our development as a sperm, egg, zygote, fetus, and baby. The states are gained when the growing, developing organism becomes complex enough to incorporate them. If there was trauma at these events, later on in life when we move towards having these states, the associated pain gets triggered and we move away from the states, automatically and generally without conscious awareness. It’s very much like teaching a rat to avoid areas of their cage that induce an electric shock. If these and related events are experienced with mild trauma, these states (and abilities) will come and go during our lifetime, depending on outside circumstances and our use of spiritual or shamanic practices. If these key events are experienced with extreme trauma, it becomes nearly impossible to access these states no matter what techniques or circumstances we use or encounter.

The model implies that any particular state can be restored by healing the trauma that occurred during the key (and related) developmental events. This actually works for most people, making us quite confident of our model. Note, however, that implementing this idea requires very effective trauma healing techniques, a map of relevant developmental events and a way to get to the traumas. The volumes in this series define the key developmental events that we know of, methods for accessing these events, and a variety of healing modalities.

This model is a significant departure from just about all existing models and methods for understanding and acquiring peak states. First of all, our model says that peak states are our birthright, and should be present in us from birth. Secondly, our model includes not just states that our cultural conditioning is comfortable with, such as the Underlying Happiness state, but also all spiritual and shamanic states as well! These latter states are also acquired at key developmental events, just like the other, more conventional biologically based triune brain fusion states.

Trauma and Pre-Birth Peak States
One of the most surprising results of our work with pre-birth regression was the observation that the fetus, sperm, and egg had virtually all possible peak states. Even if trauma occurred in key developmental moments (such as conception, implantation, and so on), the developing organism, for the most part, kept its states until birth. In some cases, the organism doesn't have the state fully, or can actually lose a state, but for most clients this model of having all (that we know of) peak states is accurate. This is why sperm, egg, or fetal consciousness feels so different to most people during regression - they're experiencing themselves with their peak states relatively intact, giving them sensations that they don't recognize in their adult lives.

The presence of peak states in the fetus (and sperm and egg) explains why pre-birth trauma only takes place if the organism is injured, unlike trauma that occurs after birth. This fact is not widely known even in the pre- and perinatal trauma field, and explains why therapists sometimes don't succeed in eliminating emotional content during pre-birth trauma. They don't realize that the emotions are held in place by injury. This lack of understanding is compounded by the client's automatic defenses, as they often suppress any awareness of injury unless guided to look for it. Hence, both client and therapist remain baffled as to why the trauma isn't fully healing.

Traumas Blocking Peak States are Activated at Birth
Our colleagues that can recall their fetal experiences at will all report that their peak states are lost during the birth experience. This also matches the data from thousands of trauma regressions that we've done. This occurs because the previously dormant effects of trauma (associated with key developmental events) gets 'turned on' at birth. This in turn causes the body to block peak states, experiences, and abilities to avoid the pain of the associated traumas.

A Note on Terminology: 'Acquiring' Versus 'Restoring' Peak States
When we heal early developmental trauma and a client suddenly experiences a peak state, we often say that they have 'acquired' the state. Obviously, our model says that isn't true - the state was really acquired at pre-birth developmental stages. Instead, all they have done is unblocked the state and restored themselves to what they once had. Thus, we should really use words like 'restore' or 'unblock' when referring to our peak states processes. However, most clients would not understand what we mean - to them, it feels like they've acquired something out of nowhere. Thus, in these textbooks I'll often use the word 'acquire' so I can discuss the ideas with people who don't know our model.

Peak Abilities and the Developmental Events Model
Let’s look in more depth at the part of the model that was only briefly mentioned in Volume 1 - that of peak abilities. Like peak states, peak abilities are a consequence of having particular developmental events occur without trauma. Some peak states automatically give characteristic, unusual ability or abilities. An example of this can be found in this volume in the chapter on Spaciousness.

It is also possible to restore some peak abilities without a peak state. We access these abilities by surrounding ourselves in the present with the sensations we had during their key developmental moment. Most people who have natural peak abilities are not aware that they do this. We have our students acquire these abilities using regression to key events, and healing any trauma there. Afterwards, they can turn these abilities on and off by deliberately choosing to feel the sensations from the corresponding developmental event in the past.

Peak Experiences and the Developmental Events Model
In the ‘60s, Dr. Abraham Maslow defined the concept of ‘peak experiences’. His definition primarily described a variety of temporary (“unstable”) peak states. Over the years, people have also used the same label to describe temporary, unusual experiences that are not brief peak states, but are rather a whole range of unusual experiences. This can be a bit confusing as the same words are used for two very different types of phenomena. Unfortunately, one has to look at context to determine which type of peak experience is being referred to. In this section, I’m going to look at peak experiences that are not temporary peak states.

Applying the developmental model to this latter type of peak experiences is particularly fascinating. One can regress to particular key events in development and, instead of just reliving the biological events at those moments, a variety of other types of experiences can occur. For example, there is a moment in time, shortly after birth, when one is filled with the sensation of ‘truth’.

A much more radical set of developmental events exists. These act as a ‘gateway’ to another realm of existence or time. When one regresses to these moments in one's past, one finds oneself suddenly in a completely different reality, simultaneous with that early biological moment. An example of this was given in Volume 1, where it is possible to access the realm of the archetypes. Another is the ‘Humanity Disc’ covered in the chapter on good or evil. An appendix in this book lists the ones we’ve currently identified, but there are many more. These gateway experiences are the same for everyone, and don't just trigger some sort of general access to the non-physical.

Definition - ‘Gateway developmental event’ A ‘gateway event’ is a particular developmental event that, when relived, gives access to a particular experience in other realities, or to other non-physical experiences.

Triune Brain Biology and Brain Awarenesses
To understand many of the peak states in this volume and how to restore them requires an understanding of the Papez-MacLean discovery of the triune structure of the brain. In particular, the work of Dr. Paul MacLean of the US National Institute for Mental Health is key to our understanding. This material is covered in depth in Volume 1, so I will only emphasize the highlights here.
In our culture, we're accustomed to recognizing that we have a body, heart and mind - the familiar source of sensations, emotions, and thoughts. In evolutionary biology, these parts of our self are due to separate brain structures known as the reptilian, mammalian, and primate brains. What isn't widely known is that these brain structures are self-aware, they 'think', and have a particular viewpoint and agenda. However, their 'thinking' processes radically differ. The body (reptilian brain) thinks in sequences of sensations, and makes decisions based on associations of sensations, and it's primary drive is survival and reproduction. The heart (mammalian brain) thinks in sequences of emotions, and its primary drive is connection. The mind (primate brain) thinks in sequences of words or thoughts, uses judgment, and understanding is its primary drive. Each brain usually experiences itself in a physical area of the body: the body brain in the lower belly, the heart brain in the chest, and the mind brain in the head.

For most people, these brains awarenesses are separate from each other, and in fact compete and dominate each other. Dysfunctional family dynamics mimic the internal interactions between these brain awarenesses. A large class of peak states, known as a group as triune brain fusion states, exist because it is possible for these brain awarenesses to fully merge with each other in various combinations and degree. Having all of the brain structures' awarenesses fully fused together is optimum, and in fact is how we were designed to live. When this occurs, the composite brain awareness location becomes shifted. The full fusion state finds the awarenesses experiencing themselves in the upper belly area.

There are four other, less well known brain structures. One is the solar plexus brain. It awareness is usually found tightly coupled with the body awareness, and so most people are unaware of it as a separate entity. Its primary mode is the sensation of movement, and its primary drive is also survival. Another is what we call the Buddha brain. Its awareness is usually found tightly coupled with the mind brain, and so most people are unaware of it as a separate entity. Its awareness is usually located above the head, and its primary drive is spiritual understanding. Some people become aware of this brain structure during mediation, especially Buddhist meditation, hence its name.

The last two brain structures require an understanding of cellular evolution, described in the next section.

Cellular (Organelle) Triune Brain Biology and Precellular Brain Awarenesses
When we normally think of brain structures, we think of large masses of neuron cells in the head. Although there are large amounts of brain type cells elsewhere in the body, particularly the lower belly and heart area, the model that the brain is in the head is quite useful and matches most clinical experience. However, the next two brain structures are not as obvious as the previous five. One of them has its awareness in the belly button area, and the other in the spinal area centered in the upper trunk of the body, ranging from the center of the back to the front of the chest.

To understand them, I again turn to developmental biology. From an evolutionary standpoint, the multi-celled structures we call organs (be they brain structures or other internal organs) are an elaboration of subcellular structures, called organelles, found in our remote single-celled ancestors. When we evolved into multicellular creatures, nature used the original organelle as a template and just reproduced the same function more efficiently using many cells. This same process is replayed in our own early development when the single celled egg and sperm structures are combined to create the multicelled zygote. There are organelles in the sperm and the egg that are the prototypes for the later multi-celled, adult triune brain structures in our head and body.

The next major conceptual jump involves the self-awareness of the triune brain organelle prototypes. It probably comes as no surprise that the adult, child, and, in spite of old Freudian beliefs, fetal triune brains are self-aware. However, techniques using intentional or accidental regression to early sperm and egg trauma uncovered a totally unexpected fact - the prototype precellular organelle brain structures in the sperm and egg are also self-aware! They feel, sense, think, and act in exactly the same way that they do later on in life, given the constraints of their cellular existence. In fact, self-awareness starts from the original precellular brain structures, even before they come together in an event called coalescence, and continues without break into the adult structures. What puzzled many investigators was that the kind of consciousness that the fetus, egg and sperm had was obviously different than adult consciousness. They assumed that this was due to the single cell only having a 'cellular' consciousness. However, the difference in consciousness was not because they were in a single cell, but because for the most part the pre-birth organism has all or almost all peak states, making it feel different and unfamiliar to the regressed client. What wasn't known at the time was that, for most people, peak states are lost during birth, and so most people experience adult consciousness life in a very disabled and partial manner, quite differently than it should be experienced. When these people with 'average' or 'disabled' consciousness regress to womb and precellular events, they experience the brains as fused, making it seem like there is only one, cellular awareness. However, this same state can also exist after birth, something that most investigators didn't understand or realize.

With this explanation, the final two self-aware 'brains' can be identified. The one that experiences itself in the upper back at the spinal cord after birth starts as the sperm tail. After conception, this precellular 'brain' is reabsorbed into the zygote. We call this brain simply the 'sperm tail' brain. As of this writing, we don't get a consistent location from our test subjects - they report it can be in the back or front of the chest to their present, adult awareness. I suspect it's location is determined by conception trauma. After the tail detaches from the sperm as it enters the egg, the tail brain's physical core enters the egg following the path of the sperm itself. To the adult doing regression, this feels like it enters into the area of upper chest. I hypothesize that trauma around this event cause it to be perceived in various locations along its route.

The final self-aware brain structure is the placenta, and it is experienced at the belly button after birth. This precellular brain is present in the egg before conception, and expands to the womb wall after implantation. Like the sperm tail, after it's function is over it it reabsorbed into the baby. At first glance, one would expect that these brains would have no influence on adults. However, this is far from the truth - they are intimately involved with the feeling and state of 'wholeness'.

To sum up, our physical bodies are composed of 12 separate, self-aware brain structures that are an elaboration of subcellular organelle structures in the sperm and egg. Six are from the egg, and six from the sperm. The ones of the same type (egg body to sperm body, egg heart to sperm heart, etc.) are supposed to be perfectly fused, but for most people they are not. Lack of pairing fusion creates the phenomenon of the 'male' and 'female' sides of the brain. Thus, clients experience their right side as their male side (the 'left half of the brain) and their left side as their female side (the right half brain) due to inadequate fusing of the sperm and egg organelle brains during conception

Triune Brain Fusion States
In average people, the individual triune brain awarenesses are to one degree or another separate from each other. The brain awarenesses can give up their individual identities and merge or fuse together to form single awarenesses. The different possible ways that the brains can 'merge' results in different peak states with distinctly different experiential characteristics. The Happiness, Inner Peace, Hollow, and Wholeness states are examples of different brain awareness combinations. As a group, we call these states 'triune brain fusion states'. Perry diagrams can be used to show the different ways and amounts that the awarenesses are merging. These diagrams allow clinicians to identity the types and degrees of the triune brain states a client has, in order to keep track of progress in fully acquiring the endpoint states, Hollow and Wholeness. Volume 1 goes into these states in great detail.

Triune brain fusion states and probably other states as well can and often are temporarily lost during the time the pre-birth injury is actually occurring. The phrase, "Every man for themselves!" captures the situation between the triune brains at that moment quite well. However, the loss of states isn't permanent, and they soon return after the trauma ends. Alternately, the triune brain fusion state can also be recovered at that particular moment by fully healing the trauma.

The 'Conscious Self': A Non-Physical Element to the Triune Brain Model
In Volume 1, I identified the triune brains as being self aware. However, with some introspection, it quickly becomes apparent that there is something missing in the model - where is the ‘who’ that is aware of the brains thoughts and actions? In other words, if the triune brain model is correct, why doesn’t it match our everyday experience? True, we have thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that correspond to the triune brains, but doesn’t the Western model of a single awareness with a conscious and unconscious fit our typical perception of ourselves better? Even if the triune model is true, isn’t our seat of awareness behind our eyes in the neocortex? To understand the answer, we need to add a non-physical element to the triune brain model. This element is the 'conscious self'. I'm referring here to something that is totally familiar to us, as it is the core of our moment to moment perception of ourselves, the ‘conscious mind’ in Western terms.

Identifying the 'Center of Awareness' (CoA) of the 'Conscious Self' The triune brain model requires the addition of a non-physical element, the 'conscious self', so that one can understand and explain certain types of experiences encountered in key developmental moments. Even more importantly from a practical perspective, this element is required in our processes for acquiring many of the states in this volume. However, unlike the vague definitions of this concept found in psychology, in our work we use a clear, unambiguous experiential identifier. I will show a way that people can point at the concept and recognize it from their own personal experience. We call this new element of the model the ‘center of awareness’ (CoA) of the conscious self, or 'CoA' for brevity.

A very simple test is quite revealing about this phenomenon. Take your hand, and point a finger at yourself, starting slightly above your head. Slowly move your finger down your body until it feels like you're pointing at yourself, at your center of your awareness. By this I mean, point at where "you" are in your body. Continue moving your finger downward and notice how it eventually feels like you are no longer pointing at where you are in your body. Because mine is usually behind my eyes, I just assumed this was true for everyone. This is not the case, as Dr. Pellicer of our Institute discovered when she ran a test on our workshop participants to see if it was. Instead, having the CoA in the head is found less than half the time. In fact, the center of awareness can be focused in a spot from the head to belly, it can be split into two locations, it can be spread out in an area, it can be outside the body, or it can even be uniformly distributed throughout the body.

Definition - Center of Awareness (CoA) This is the area of the body, or outside our body, where we experience our center of self awareness. This is the place where we can point a finger and locate where 'we' are in our body. It can be in one spot, diffused over an area, or completely fill the body.

Definition - Conscious self We define the 'conscious self' experientially. It is non-physical, and is what we refer to when we point at the physical center of our self awareness. This is in contrast to the individual awarenesses of the individual (or fused) triune brains, which may or may not be experienced from the viewpoint of the center of awareness 'self'. In this text, we often refer to the conscious self as the CoA for clarity. Other terms in the literature for this concept are 'soul', 'spirit', and 'self-awareness'.

Institute for the Study of Peak States

"Methods for Fundamental Change in the Human Psyche"