Proposed theory of survival: Rouleau excerpt #15

Rouleau writes: Throughout this essay I have presented significant evidence in support of a hypothesis that reconciles the continuity of experience and death. Before offering some important corollaries, implications, and final thoughts, I think that for the purposes of clarity it is necessary that we briefly return to the question at the core of this essay by restating its challenge: What is the best available evidence for the survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death? On the bases of what has been presented thus far, I offer the following answer:

The best available evidence for survival is the significant observational and experimental data that indicate the brain is an organ that receives and emits electromagnetic radiation in ways that are consistent with a transmissive model of brain function that positions consciousness as independent and at least partially separate from the brain itself.

Admittedly, there are several conceptual steps that must be followed to fully appreciate the argument and I suspect its conclusion can only be compelling if all of the evidence can be considered simultaneously. Therefore, it may be necessary to compress the argument down to its most essential postulates, even at the risk of losing information. Here, I will provide an explicit and succinct summary of the evidence I have laid out in previous sections, formalize my proposed theory of survival, suggest a general mechanism, and provide some historical background for models of consciousness that support survival.

Recall that, initially, I approached the question by focusing on how brains function because the survival of consciousness is only threatened by death if brains produce consciousness by force of internal mechanisms alone. I then invoked William James’ transmissive model of brain function, which posits that consciousness is a signal or the product of a signal that may interact with the brain but originates in the external environment. Therefore, if consciousness is generated in part or whole by forces outside the head, brain death is not synonymous with the end of consciousness.

I argued that the transmissive model is consistent with the electromagnetic nature of the brain and is supported by an established literature of EMF-brain interactions. I demonstrated that cognition, behaviour, and even free will can be manipulated by external EMFs. Next, I summarized the results of my own experiments with fixed, post-mortem human brains. Together, they suggested that a transmissive model could be mediated by the material-like properties of brain tissues that filter induced voltage fluctuations caused by natural and artificial EMF exposures. The right parahippocampal cortex was particularly capable of passively amplifying and filtering electromagnetic signals. Other EMF-brain mechanisms are possible including interactions with biogenic magnetite. Finally, I discussed human magnetoreception, environmental sources of EMFs, real-time Schumann-brain resonances, and the reasons why brain-EMF interactions can account for the continuity of consciousness and the storage of memories outside the brain.

The argument put forward here is that brain death cannot eliminate consciousness because consciousness is not a product of the brain. Rather, consciousness and other brain functions are explained by EMF-brain interactions, and these are not wholly dependent on the activities of living cells. To formalize my theory of survival:

Consciousness survives permanent bodily death because the electromagnetic forces that give rise to experience and thought are not created by brain tissues – they are only received, interpreted, filtered, or transmuted by them.

The idea that an electromagnetic field emitted by the body may permit the continuation of consciousness after permanent bodily death has been previously articulated. In the 1987 paper entitled “Electromagnetic Radiation and the Afterlife”, Janusz Slawinski cited the pioneering biophoton research of Fritz-Albert Popp and others to propose a scientific theory of the afterlife. Slawinski theorized that sharp increases of biophoton emissions from dying organisms – the “death flash” – may represent the separation of an electromagnetic consciousness or life force from the body that carries information about the individual. The following excerpt from his seminal paper337 echoes several key themes in this essay:

An important finding is that all dying cell populations and organisms emit a radiation ten to 1,000 times stronger than their stationary emission during homeostasis. That phenomenon of “degradation" or “necrotic" radiation, picturesquely called “light shout", “light S.O.S", or “death flash", is universal and independent of the cause of death. Its intensity and time course reflect the rate of dying. Of particular significance are reports on electromagnetic radiation from the human brain during the agony (and/or ecstasy) of contemporary near-death experiences, which center on ineffable light. Measurements of the number of photons emitted and the number of dying cells, Ndc, give the ratio Nhv/Ndc = 1. That suggests the involvement of one center critical both for the life of the cell and for light emission. The phenomenon of the “death flash" constitutes a cornerstone of this hypothesis.”

Persinger and St-Pierre later calculated that the energy of the death flash (5 x 10-17 Joules) would be within the range of visible detection for dark-adapted eyes, meaning it should be perceivable under very low light conditions. They argued that the existence of the death flash phenomenon accounts for historical reports of perceived blue and white light emissions observed hovering over or emanating from the bodies of dying people and blue-shifted wavelengths of light associated with cellular stress. Therefore, the proposed theory of survival outlined in this essay builds on an existing scientific literature concerning the biophysics of death and dying that should be pursued with vigor.

The proposed theory of survival is dependent upon the validity of transmissive brain function, which is not incompatible with models of productive brain function. The action potential really is generated by local, electrochemical events – and those that run along the corticospinal tract really do generate voluntary motor activations. However, the complexities of higher order functions appear to be reliant on the synchronizing and cohering effects of endogenous and exogenous EMFs. And because many of these effects are mediated by inorganic, sub-cellular, or material-like properties, it is reasonable to treat transmissive and productive modalities as compatible, parallel processes.

Therefore, the proposed theory does not require a complete revision of our understanding of the brain but rather, an amendment and consideration of some important implications. Still, there are some possible limitations that will need to be addressed by future research efforts. Most notably, the dependence of consciousness on external EMFs, how qualia are derived from EMF-brain interactions, whether the surviving consciousness is personal or shared, and the degree to which productive mechanisms participate in transmissive function are important issues that will require dedicated investigation.

Over the past century, modern scientists have grossly overemphasized molecules and their pathways as the bases for biological function, which has sadly overshadowed the equally relevant electrodynamic features of cells and organisms. Despite its general dismissal or outright suppression, the scientific evidence in support of the electromagnetic basis of life is longstanding and mounting. Early modern pioneers like the neuroanatomist and electrophysiologist Harrold Saxton Burr, who summarized his work in the 1972 book entitled “Blueprint for Immortality”, identified how electric fields changed as a function of ovulation, menstruation, gestation, growth, maturation, and regeneration. He described these fields, which seemed to track the development, physiology, and psychology of an organism the “fields of life” or “L-fields” and even commented on their relationship with death:

Electricity seems to bridge the gap between the lifeless world and living matter. . . . [it] is one of the fundamental factors in all living systems just as it is in the non-living world.

Burr’s influence on the field of biology can be found in the works of later scientists like Robert O. Becker, who significantly popularized the view that electrodynamics were consequential features of biological organisms rather than incidental biproducts and even suggested they may underlie psi phenomena. Over time, electrical contributions to living systems became increasingly clear and electromagnetic theories of consciousness began to emerge in the literature, where they continue to develop and gain popularity.

One review of the literature suggested that many prominent thinkers including Köhler and Libet have touched on elements of EMF-based theories of mind but have been historically misclassified. Among the more explicit theorists is the neuroscientist E. Roy John, who developed his own field theory of consciousness and claimed that spatiotemporal coherence of electromagnetic and quantum-like processes could resonate with brain structures to give rise to binding, synchronous firing and other important features of consciousness including cortico-thalamic reverberations. Related is the conscious electromagnetic information (CEMI) field theory proposed by Johnjoe McFadden.

Arguably, the famous orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR) model of consciousness offered by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff is fundamentally an electromagnetic theory of consciousness since it relies upon the quantum effects of electrons and their interactions with the material properties of microtubules, which are well-known to align and interact with EMFs. Indeed, microtubules represent an obvious candidate for the mediation of EMF-brain interactions since they generate dipoles within cells, respond to electric fields, and interact with biophotons. Incidentally, microtubules also display electric circuit properties of memristors that give rise to hysteresis-like phenomena that can encode information sub-cellularly – providing a mechanism for EMF-based memory within cells. Therefore, it is unsurprising that some have explicitly placed microtubules at the center of electromagnetic field theories of consciousness.

A good theory should provide new ways of interpreting existing empirical data and the supposedly established concepts on which they are based. In addition to explaining survival, a working model of transmissive consciousness may provide new insights that challenge existing assumptions about life, death, and everything in between. When a baby babbles as part of normal language acquisition, we currently assume it is essentially practicing behaviour that is selectively reinforced by caregivers as part of normal development. In other words, babies learn language from trial and error.

Viewed through the lens of transmissive function, babbling may represent something subtly different. Suppose babbling is the behavioural correlate of downloading linguistic information from a local or distant “source file”. This may involve a wireless brain-to-brain connection with caregivers or access to historical linguistic information in the electromagnetic equivalent of the Akashic record. This would be consistent with the disproportionate representation of EMF-sensitive REM cycles in infant sleep. Even if language is learned by conventional means, it may be reinforced and crystalized by EMF-sleep interactions.

Similarly, the insidious cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative disorders and dementia may represent an uncoupling of the brain’s structure from the transmitted signal rather than a failure of endogenous neurophysiology. As brains degenerate, they become increasingly “out-of-tune”, space and time become increasingly irrelevant, the life-death boundary may become blurred, and individuals may incorrectly identify people in their environments as long deceased spouses or friends. With both babbling and dementia, the neurobiology would be exactly as it is currently understood; however, the causal mechanisms and ultimate explanations would be fundamentally different.

A good theory should also explain more phenomena than its predecessor or its contemporary alternatives. Indeed, a theory of survival that relies on transmissive brain function will necessarily implicate psi phenomena because they too are reliant upon the independence of mind from brain. Consider that popular models of brain function that are based upon the assumption of productive functional dependence do not provide a mechanistic framework for psi and paranormal events. 

Consequently, psi research has either been ignored or marginalized by modern scientists despite significant interest among people all over the world and throughout history. In the following section, I will describe how the apparently unique abilities of some individuals classically termed telepathy, remote viewing, and psychokinesis are consistent with the survival of consciousness and easily accommodated by a model of transmissive brain function. It will also become evident that these phenomena can be inhibited or modulated by natural and artificial electromagnetic fields, which supports the general arguments that have been put forward in previous sections.

 

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.

Our geomagnetic brain: Rouleau excerpt #14

Rouleau writes: There are several additional reasons to suspect geomagnetic-brain resonance. As referenced in a previous section, the intrinsic, material-based resonant frequency of brain tissue is approximately 7 Hz or “theta”. Nunez’s mathematical modelling of the skull-brain cavity suggested that a dominant resonance frequency of 10 Hz is expected, which is equivalent to the alpha rhythm, or the dominant frequency affected by geomagnetic activity in empirical studies. Neurobiological processes associated with memory consolidation, particularly during sleep, are also associated with prominent theta rhythms. Sleep spindles, which are bursts of synchronous neural firing in the order of 11 to 15 Hz, are also well-within range of the first harmonic of the Schumann resonance frequency, which may explain EMF-sleep interactions.

In summary, synchronous brain activity, Schumann resonances, and their interactions by way of the geomagnetic field operate within a narrow band of low-frequency oscillations centering on 7–8 Hz but extending up to 14 Hz. That they display real-time coherence indicates they are likely related, not coincidental. This connection between the brain and the Earth is interesting, but it does not explain how memory or consciousness can be stored within it.

In his 2013 paper entitled “Billions of Human Brains Immersed Within a Shared Geomagnetic Field: Quantitative Solutions and Implications for Future Adaptations”, Michael Persinger provided a theoretical and quantitative basis for the storage of brain-based information in the Earth’s magnetic field56. Discussing the available energies to store brain activity, Persinger wrote:

The potential energy that could be maintained within the geomagnetic field is significant. The product of its dipole moment (8·1022 A·m2) and average intensity (5·10-5 T or kg·A-1·s-2) is about 4·1018 J. With ~10-20 J per action potential associated with each unit charge, an average discharge of ~10 Hz (range of alpha rhythms) and 4·1010 neurons in the cerebral cortices, the life-time (~2 Gsec) electromagnetic energy from the information associated with this activity from each human cerebrum would be about 1 J. Assuming 50 billion human brains in recent history, the total energy associated with cerebral activity (and the subsequent alterations in synaptic activity associated with memory) would have involved ~1011 J. Even if there were diminishment in the magnitude of the dipole moment by factors of 100s, there would still be sufficient potential to represent all of this information. This means the earth’s magnetic field has sufficient capacity to represent or “store” the information within the energy that has been associated with the action potentials that have been generated by every human brain that has existed on the planet.

Based upon parameters of magnetic diffusivity, Persinger explained that this holographic-like, transcerebral field could potentially activate every brain on the planet over a period of approximately 10 minutes. He argued that the same period of time associated with the duration of REM cycles could account for a functional exchange of information between the geomagnetic field and the human brain during sleep – a kind of uploading and downloading procedure for brain activity, like a neural form of cloud computing. Persinger viewed Schumann resonance as a conduit for the information transfer, with 7 to 8 Hz as the carrier wave (i.e., the signal that transports the information):

The role of the Schumann-type frequencies (fundamental around 7 to 8 Hz) may be relevant as well. This frequency is in large part determined by the fixed relationship between the velocity of light (3·108 m·s-1) and the earth’s circumference (~4·107 m). The total magnetic flux of the earth’s surface (5.1·1014 m2) for an average global value of 5·10-5 T is 2.6·1010 Webers. The amperage for this field would be the dipole moment (8·1022 A·m2) divided by the surface area, or 1.6·108 A. Therefore, the inductance, which is Weber per amp, would be 1.6·102 Henrys. With this value for inductance, a global capacitance of 2 Farads, and a frequency of 7–8 Hz, the solution would be 2 ks or about 30 min. These values are within the range required for consolidation of memory (the representation of experience) from the electrically labile stage to the patterns associated with the synthesis of proteins and the growth of dendritic spines at synapses.

It should be noted that the strongest theta rhythms produced by the brain are generated by cells in the temporal lobes – specifically, the hippocampus and adjacent entorhinal cortex334. Because the neurophysiology of memory formation – long-term potentiation (LTP) – is dependent upon theta activity within the hippocampus335, a reduced resonance potential between the Schumann frequency and the underdeveloped hippocampal circuitry of young children may account for the universal experience of infantile amnesia – our inability to remember the first few years of our lives. However, after the age of 3 or 4 and into adulthood, the brain would meet the structural criteria to resonate with the geomagnetic field and continually exchange packets of electromagnetic information. It follows that the memories of those whose brains have decayed have survived death. Instead of disintegrating with the body, they remain as electromagnetic representations in a planetary Akashic record. It should therefore come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that when I walked by Dr. Persinger’s old office after he passed away in 2018, I smiled when I read what he had written years earlier on the magnetic white board affixed to his door: “To Find Dr. Persinger Check the Akashic Record”.

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.

Earth's geomagnetic field: Rouleau excerpt #13

If consciousness persists after we die, where might it be found? Recall that the transmissive model of consciousness is consistent with survival precisely because, even when the brain is alive, the source of consciousness exists independent of it. Therefore, the question should be re-formulated: Where can consciousness be represented other than the brain? Where is consciousness stored?

 

The issue of where a person’s consciousness goes when they die has always been of interest to the human species as evidenced by our complex rituals associated with death as well as the rich cultural narratives that accompany them. Whether the beliefs were originally constructed to address grief, increase group cohesion, or identify the veridical position of a person in space-time after their body decomposes, the proposed solutions have typically shared thematic elements. In our modern era, the idea of “returning to the void” is becoming an increasingly popular belief, where in death, consciousness exists in the same space it existed before life: nowhere at all. This view is logical if one assumes, as most do today, a productive dependence of brain function. Because if consciousness is generated by the brain, and it did not exist before the brain developed, then it will not exist after it decomposes. In other words, productive models of consciousness will leave you stranded at the gates of Heaven – or Hell.

 

Other well-subscribed beliefs about a “life after life” are consistent with the transmissive dependence of brain function. For example, a mechanism for “reincarnation” might involve the return of consciousness to a reborn version of oneself or the transfer of consciousness into a new body. Concepts of “ascension” and “descension” place consciousness in non-living realms, where rewards and punishments may be issued.

 

There are also notions of a “persistent” consciousness that may linger among the living as an independent apparition263 or exist in unity with the consciousness of others. It is, however, difficult to discern which model, if any, reflects reality. Many have reported experiencing glimpses of an afterlife, apparently confirming or disconfirming one or more of these popular beliefs. Because afterlife beliefs are common and often conflicting, confirming any one of them will depend upon which eye-witness reports are prioritized. However, for reasons that I have outlined in a previous section, I do not think near-death and other experiences commonly cited in survival research should be regarded as the best available scientific evidence as they cannot be independently verified or replicated. Even if near-death experiences are informed by genuine glimpses of an afterlife, the burden of repeatability – for which exceptions should not be granted in science – may be too extreme by dint of the transient nature of the phenomenon.

 

Again, this is not to say the experiences are fabrications or even confabulations. As a method, science admits a weakness when it attempts to grapple with the private contents of experience. Rather than rejecting experiences outright, I claim that we cannot base an empirical case for the survival of consciousness following death on these types of experiences alone due to an intrinsic limitation of the scientific method. Nevertheless, themes of survival consistent across cultural narratives and eye-witness testimonies have inspired the formation of hypotheses toward more scientific approaches that are grounded in objective measurement.

 

In the late 1800s, the notable philosopher and mystic H.P. Blavatsky borrowed from Vedantic and Buddhistic thought to formulate her own narrative concerning, among other things, the location of consciousness outside the body. Indeed, her theosophy of Akasha – a term derived from the Sanskrit word for “space” or “sky” – places all intent, consciousness, memory, thought, and will in a pervasive and ethereal plane. Indeed, the Akashic record was also thought to be the place from which radiates “the First Logos”, where logos refers, in context, to sound or speech.

 

Blavatsky’s idea is essentially a reformed version of the Hindu concept of Akasha as the eternal and imperceptible substrate of the Universe – a sound or musical vibration from which all else emerges. Artistic representations of it are found in classical Indian music as the meditative drone of a single repeating note played by instruments like the tanpura or shruti box over which all other notes are played. Interestingly, one of the most ancient Indian stringed instruments – the veena – began as a harp-like device called Akasa, which consisted of strings tied to the tops of trees that vibrated with the wind – thus channeling what was assumed to be the musical substrate of the Universe.

 

Inspired by Blavatsky’s original interpretation of Akasha as an external but accessible record of all minds, the philosopher Ervin László identified analogous concepts in quantum mechanics that he claimed could accommodate evolutionary and cosmological processes as well as consciousness in the “Akashic Field” or “A-Field”. A recent paper even discussed the possibility of extracting information from the Akashic records for military intelligence purposes. These ideas parallel William James’ view of consciousness as being transmitted from one “infinite Thought”, existing “behind the scenes, coeval in the world”, which he reasoned avoided “multiplying [the] miracle” of de novo consciousness production within billions of brains across the planet and over time.

 

But is there a scientific basis for the storage of memory and consciousness in space? Or perhaps, given the electromagnetic nature of the brain, one might ask: Is it possible to store memory and consciousness in an electromagnetic field? The survival of consciousness after death requires a space within which it can exist independent of the brain. Here, I will demonstrate that the evidence indicates it is stored all around us in our shared electromagnetic environment.

 

In a previous section, I demonstrated that the brain is fundamentally an electromagnetic organ. While I did discuss the effects of artificial EMFs on brain function, I did not touch on the effects of their natural or environmental equivalents. This section is reserved for a detailed exploration of natural EMFs, their effects on human cognition and behaviour, and the possibility that they can store and transmit information to and from brains – thus permitting its survival beyond brain death.

 

The primary reason why environmental EMFs demand our special attention is the following: If brain function is at least partially dependent on the reception of transmitted EMF signals, there must be at least one source in Nature that functions as the transmitter or zeitgeber. Whether transmissive brain function was selected or an incidental adaptation, the environmental source of the cue should be physical and therefore subject to measurement.

The most conspicuous and pervasive source of natural EMFs across the planet is the Earth itself. Its geomagnetic field, which extends through the planet and out in all directions well-beyond the atmosphere, is generated by rotating molten iron within its core. The strength of the Earth’s magnetic field is approximately 50 μT, which is about the same intensity as a hair dryer and other household appliances. Its electric field is equivalent to about 100 volts per meter and is maintained by thunderstorms that constantly deposit negative charge on the planet.

 The Sun’s extended magnetic field – the interplanetary magnetic field – interacts with Earth’s in several ways. When it carries plasma toward the Earth’s magnetic field, the net result is an aurora – a light show caused by charged particles moving along flux lines that ultimately excite particles in our atmosphere. Another category of interaction is called the geomagnetic storm, which is caused by a compression and energization of the geomagnetic field by a colliding coronal mass ejection from the Sun. Incidentally, the frequency of coronal mass ejections is cyclical and tracks solar activity over periods of 11 and 22 years as indicated by sunspot numbers. The net result of the collision is an increase in geomagnetic field strength coupled with increased geomagnetic current. A sufficiently intense storm has the capacity to wipe out satellites and other electronic devices but there are also marked biological effects.

 

There is overwhelming evidence that biological organisms detect and respond to Earth’s magnetic field and its storms. The highly-cited works of Joseph L. Kirschvink demonstrate that magnetoreception – the ability to detect and respond to magnetic fields – is not uncommon among biological organisms. Indeed, bats, honeybees, pigeons, species of bacteria, and fish, as well as humans and many other animals display capacities to orient and navigate using the geomagnetic field as a reference point. Kirschvink has proposed biogenic magnetite as the primary receptor and transducing element for magnetoreception.

 

These biologically precipitated particles of iron oxide can even be “magnetized”. That is, the polar structure of the material can be re-aligned to become a permanent magnet. Magnetite is also ferrimagnetic – which is to say it displays a property called magnetic hysteresis. This unique property allows the magnetic behaviour of the material to change as a function of the history of its magnetization, holding a memory of its previous states. Incidentally, iron bars with similar properties can be induced to display conditioned responses that are operationally indistinct from animal forms of learning. Therefore, as a material, magnetite is able to store and re-express electromagnetic information as magnetic “states” or “memories”.

 

Magnetite deposits were initially found to be homogenously distributed throughout the brain. However, experimental magnetizations of these particles by exposures to high-intensity fields from an MRI scanner recently enabled researchers to use a MEG-based localization technique to identify increased concentrations of magnetite within the limbic regions. In particular, there were high concentrations of magnetite found within the hippocampal bodies, deep within the temporal lobes. Incidentally, while the hippocampus is an important organ for memory encoding and retrieval, it is also associated with spatial orientation and navigation. If magnetite participates in human magnetoreception, it may be a fundamentally passive process. Unlike heme iron in the oxygen-transporting metalloprotein hemoglobin, magnetite is not clearly coupled to any protein that opens an ion channel or performs some other active function at the level of the cell. Magnetite may instead interact with brain and environmental EMFs at a material level, though the precise mechanism remains unknown.

 

As reviewed in Persinger’s 1974 book “ELF and VLF Electromagnetic Field Effects”, as well as Dubrov and Brown’s 1978 book “The Geomagnetic Field and Life: Geomagnetobiology”, there is considerable evidence that the Earth’s magnetic field influences living systems including the human brain. In the early part of the 20th century, it was reported that psychiatric hospital admissions tracked geomagnetic activity, which was independently confirmed decades later. The same effect would later be observed in epileptic patients as the frequency of their convulsions – usually within the temporal lobes – correlated with geomagnetic activity. On the bases of these and other observations, it was predicted that EEG rhythms and geomagnetic activity would also likely correlate. Since the 1960s, the effects of geomagnetic activity on synchronous brain activity as inferred by EEG have been independently replicated by several research groups.

 

In 2007, Babayev and Allahverdiyeva quantitatively demonstrated that right hemispheric theta (4–7 Hz) and alpha (8–13 Hz) EEG power correlated with geomagnetic activity. The changes were observed within the temporal-limbic regions and typically marked by negative emotional responses, which is unsurprising given the correlation between geomagnetic activity and population-level aggression or war. The right hemispheric theta-alpha effect was quickly replicated by Mulligan, Hunter, and Persinger in 2010 with data from quiet periods of geomagnetic activity. The same authors later established a causal role by experimentally simulating geomagnetic storm conditions. One of the most recent examples of brain-based interactions with simulated geomagnetic field changes was reported by Kirschvink’s group. Indeed, with Wang and colleagues, Kirschvink reported a desynchronization of alpha rhythms (8–13 Hz) which was associated with the static component of the Earth’s magnetic field and was orientation-dependent. In addition to EEG changes and the well-documented suppressions of the hormone melatonin, geomagnetic field fluctuations have always been associated with reliable reports of post-mortem apparitions (i.e., ghosts), and other intense paranormal experiences.

 

All states of consciousness are apparently affected by geomagnetic activity; however, influences on sleep states are notable. Incidences of vivid and bizarre dreams, as well as sleep paralysis are associated with geomagnetic activity. The duration of rapid eye movement (REM) was also affected by the position of the human head relative to the Earth’s magnetic poles, where the latency for East-West orientation was significantly shorter relative to North-South. Recently, a similar experiment demonstrated that low-frequency EEG rhythms – alpha in particular – were significantly affected by sleep orientation. In 1996, Stanley Krippner and Michael Persinger demonstrated that performance on a remote viewing task involving the identification of target pictures by dream content alone was enhanced by reduced geomagnetic activity. Incidentally, prophetic or precognitive dream events are widely reported and have been linked to geomagnetic activity as well.

 

There is clearly a connection between the Earth’s magnetic field, brain activity, cognition, and behavior. The mechanisms that relate them have not been fully elucidated; however, repeating patterns in the data have revealed a likely unifying candidate. Recall that the literature consistently reported that synchronous neural activity with frequencies ranging from 4 Hz to 14 Hz (theta and alpha rhythms) are affected by natural and artificial EMFs. If the geomagnetic field oscillates with a similar frequency, resonance with the brain may be possible. Resonance is a physical phenomenon associated with waves where the frequency of an applied force can become amplified by a paired frequency or wavelength-matched structure.

 

A tuning fork, for example, will resonate with particular frequencies of vibrating air but not others. Likewise, antennae will only receive particular frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. In both examples, as the frequency of the signal becomes less like the ideal receptive frequency of the system, resonance potential decreases. Fortunately, the oscillations of Earth’s magnetic field, which are driven by a resonance phenomenon involving lightning strikes, have been under investigation for nearly a century.

 

There are, on average, approximately 39 to 49 lightning flashes that occur between the Earth’s ionosphere and ground surface every second. Lightning strikes interfere with each other, perturbing the geomagnetic field with a predictable oscillation pattern. The Earth-ionosphere cavity is effectively a resonance chamber for lightning that generates a perturbation of the geomagnetic field with a frequency mode of 7.83 Hz, which is called the Schumann resonance for its discoverer W. O. Schumann. With his colleague H.L. König, Schumann measured a peak frequency of approximately 8 Hz with harmonics which have since been confirmed at 14, 20, 26, and 33 Hz.

 

König and colleagues later noted the peculiar overlap of brain EEG rhythms and Earth-ionospheric resonances – an observation that has received significant quantitative support in recent decades. In particular, Kevin Saroka’s research has empirically demonstrated the existence of a real-time coherence between Schumann resonance and the frequency spectra of human EEG rhythms. That is, the synchronized activity of brain cells and geomagnetic oscillations driven by lightning occur simultaneously – presumably across all 7.9 billion human brains. Whether or not they can be causally disentangled is unknown; however, the possibility that they are fundamentally one unified process is promising for the continuity of consciousness following brain death. Because if brain activity is the transmitted product of Schumann-type signals, survival is likely.

 

Interestingly, Persinger noted several other conspicuous overlapping features between lightning and the brain that point to a scale-invariant relationship. For example, both action potentials from neurons and lightning strikes share pulse patterns, refractory periods, current densities, and energy densities. Together, these studies support the conclusion that the electromagnetic patterns of the Earth and the brain are not only similar across several parameters, but they are also functionally synchronized in time.

 

 

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.

Brains receive EMF signals: Rouleau excerpt #12

Rouleau writes: The next major findings in support of transmissive function involved the direct and systematic application of alternating current and time-varying EMFs to fixed, post-mortem human brain tissues. We wanted to know how human brain tissues, chemically preserved in such a way as to retain fine-scale structures, could filter direct and induced electrical currents. That is, as the electric current passed through brain tissue, how would the cellular architecture change the signal? If the filtration properties of the post-mortem tissues could amplify certain artificially generated signal frequencies over others within relevant brain regions, the possibility of natural transmissive function with environmental signals would become more likely.

For example, the possibility of the brain amplifying an extracerebral EMF signal and it subsequently interacting with the endogenous electric fields of ephaptic couplings was an exciting prospect. In the first study, electric current was injected directly into brain tissue with different waveforms and frequency modulations. Simultaneously, voltage outputs were recorded from adjacent tissues. The results indicated that signals with “spike” waveforms tended to increase the amount of low frequency (theta) voltage oscillations in the right hemisphere of post-mortem brains relative to “square” and “sine” waves. This effect was highly specific to the parahippocampal cortex. The neighboring area of the hippocampus showed a similar responsiveness to spike currents in the right hemisphere relative to the left; however, high frequency (gamma) oscillations – which is a common neural correlate of consciousness (NCC) – were enhanced instead.

Arrow indicates right parahippocampal cortex.

In a follow-up study, we wondered how induced currents from applied EMFs might affect post- mortem brain oscillations. However, we first explored how perturbations of the Earth’s natural magnetic field affected daily recordings of voltage oscillations within the post-mortem tissues. Specifically, we wondered if days with increased “geomagnetic activity” or “storms”, which are caused by solar perturbations of the Earth’s magnetic field, would affect post-mortem voltage fluctuations within the parahippocampal regions. Even if the electrical recordings from the post-mortem tissues were mostly noise, storm-dependent frequency shifts within particular parts of the fixed human brain would clearly indicate a material-like receptive feature. To our astonishment, the right parahippocampal cortex displayed more low-to-mid frequency (theta-alpha) oscillations on days of greater geomagnetic activity (storms) relative to quieter days. The left parahippocampal tissues were not similarly affected.

Using artificially generated EMFs, we exposed full post-mortem human brains to different signals within a large coil while simultaneously measuring voltage fluctuations across multiple tissue sites. Consistently, theta (4Hz–7.5Hz) and alpha (7.5Hz–14Hz) frequency oscillations within right hemispheric structures – particularly frontal and temporal areas – were affected by the applied EMFs.

In several related studies, we reported that post-mortem oscillations could be induced to change by chemical stimulation and that they even emitted stimulation-dependent photons. We also demonstrated that post-mortem rat brain oscillations could be used to predict whether or not they had experienced seizure activity while alive – which revealed that damaged brain tissues changed the way oscillations were expressed, like bending a tuning fork and changing its capacity to resonate with particular frequencies of vibrating air.

Together, our results indicated that post-mortem brains were selectively responsive to natural and artificial electromagnetic signals, that the effects were primarily localized to the temporal lobes, that certain waveforms amplified activity more than others, and that theta and alpha frequency oscillations were primarily affected. We agreed that the empirical evidence suggested brains possessed a “passive” functional capacity distinct from its “active” neurophysiological processes. And we reasoned that this passive feature of the brain was consistent with the idea that some residual functional capacities may persist shortly after brain death and the cessation of endogenous activity but before the microstructural features of the organ could decompose. Further, there was a strong case to be made on the basis of the experimental data that the parahippocampal cortex represented a particularly sensitive area akin to an EMF-receptive sub-organ of the brain.

This empirical project, which does not rely upon subjective experiences or the intrinsic fallibility and unverifiability of eye-witness testimony, remains the only objective experimental assessment of William James’ hypothesis and constitutes one of the best pieces of evidence for the continuation of consciousness after permanent bodily death.

Of course, without a tool to measure the content of experience directly, it is impossible to assess conscious percepts in post-mortem or living brains. Nevertheless, the identification of neural correlates of consciousness embedded within the voltage fluctuations of post-mortem brain tissues is one step toward an objective assessment of the survival hypothesis.

We will proceed with the substantiated assumption that brains can passively receive electromagnetic signals – particularly within the temporal lobes where theta rhythms are prominent. It should be noted that cortical gray matter exhibits a material-like resonant frequency of 7 Hz given intrinsic permeability and permittivity properties of the tissues. Indeed, Nunez provided the original quantitative solution for the fundamental resonant frequency of the entire cerebrum, which was within the same range based upon spatial brain parameters. Therefore, the theta band may be intimately linked to the material structure of the brain itself.

Of course, it is undoubtedly true that EMFs can interact with active neurophysiology and there are known productive mechanisms of theta pace-making. However, even the brain’s major theta-rhythm-producing cells are located within the temporal lobes’ hippocampal bodies, parahippocampal cortices, and neighboring entorhinal cortices – the same regions that appeared to be particularly sensitive to passive EMF amplification in post-mortem tissues.

Because our results were observed in chemically fixed brain specimens, they could not have generated action potentials or any known endogenous signals. The precise mechanisms underlying transmissive brain functions and the full implications of their effects on consciousness are not yet known and additional research efforts will be needed to elucidate them. In the concluding paragraphs of my doctoral dissertation, I wrote the following statement on the prospect of future works that might build upon our groundbreaking advances toward a scientific study of passive brain functions and the prospect of immortality:

It is predicted that this type of research, which is likely avoided for many dozens of reasons, will become increasingly unavoidable. . . . Faced with the looming prospect of human immortality . . . it is incumbent upon us as a species to challenge the taboos which cast the longest shadows and to transcend our more undesirable primate impulses. A new enlightenment, marked by a genuine study of death, religious experiences, and all “untouchable” things should be pursued without prejudice. . . . Though some will rest on their accolades or dismiss challenges of scientific dogma as denialism, the battle of ideas marches forward unimpeded and without regard for the individual desires of scientists.

In the next section, I will describe the likely environmental sources of electromagnetic brain transmissions, the evidence for natural EMF-brain interactions in living humans, and the potential to store the electromagnetic information of memories and experiences outside of the brain. We will explore the possibility that consciousness, thought, and memory are all around us – in life and in death.

 

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.

EMF-brain interactions: Rouleau excerpt #11

Rouileau writes: When I joined Dr. Michael A. Persinger’s laboratory in 2012, I spent a few years developing several ideas and techniques, including EEG, before coming upon William James’ hypothesis of transmissive brain function. Dr. Persinger was a clinical neuropsychologist, scientist, and the head of an interdisciplinary neuroscience laboratory – the Neuroscience Research Group (NRG) – where creativity and the desire to challenge assumptions were the price of admission. Beyond the “God Helmet”, Persinger and his rotating team of NRG members were responsible for some extraordinary discoveries in both mainstream and marginalized scientific circles over the last 40 years. Indeed, his work on the biological effects of low-intensity EMF exposures, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and consciousness are well-noted.

However, Persinger also explored the empirical bases of psi phenomena including remote viewing, poltergeist and haunt events, alien abduction and mystical experiences, as well as mind-matter interactions. As I was involved in the NRG’s previous investigations concerning the effects of the Earth’s magnetic field on cognition and behaviour, I was inspired to ask the question of whether electromagnetic forces and their interactions with the brain could satisfy the conditions of James’ hypothesis of transmission. Upon further examination of the problem, it became clear that testing the hypothesis would require a complete re-framing of our traditional approach to neuroscience research.

To make any progress at all, we needed to conceptualize consciousness as a physical entity located at least partially outside of the brain. Only then did it become reasonable to consider the possibility of measuring correlates of consciousness as a function of EMF-brain interactions. Just as dissecting radios in search of music would fail to grapple with the underlying mechanism, so too would a study of transmissive consciousness that treated the brain as its generator.

Over the next 3 years, Persinger and I designed and executed dozens of experiments with chemically fixed, post-mortem human brains, searching for extracerebral signs of consciousness. We hypothesized that brains could passively receive and process electromagnetic information. Because reception would be dependent upon the antenna-like, material structures of the brains rather than their active neurophysiology, life would not be a requisite condition for transmissive function.

We predicted that by measuring human brains that were chemically fixed shortly after clinical death, it would be possible to detect signals that could be filtered by the brain to express consciousness. Because any brain activity associated with action potentials would be eliminated by fixation, we hypothesized that what dynamics remained would constitute evidence for transmission, and therefore, the survival of at least one type of brain function following death. Our model of brain function would accommodate both active (productive) and passive (transmissive) functional dependencies.

The following are some of the types of questions we asked when designing our experiments in search of EMF-brain transmissions: How do the properties of applied electromagnetic fields change when they interact with post-mortem human brain tissues? Can putative transmissive functions be shielded by EMF-blocking materials? Do the frequencies of EMFs shift upon interacting with brain tissues to align with known neural correlates of consciousness? Are EMF-brain interactions similar in living and post-mortem brains? Do brain regions “filter” electromagnetic radiation differently? As far as we were aware, these questions had never been asked before and the potential rewards were worth the time and effort.

In 2017, I published my doctoral dissertation entitled “Structures and Functions of the Post-Mortem Brain: An Experimental Evaluation of the Residual Properties of Fixed Neural Tissues”, which is a collection of 7 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that constitute the first empirical assessments of William James’ transmissive hypothesis. In this section, I will describe some of our main results and their implications relative to the survival of human consciousness following bodily death. In each of the studies, we used post-mortem human brain tissues (originally donated for research and teaching purposes) and a common measurement technique based upon EEG. Needle electrodes were embedded into the cerebral cortices of fixed, post-mortem human brains to record low-amplitude microvolt fluctuations.

Whereas all conductive substrates, brain or not, can express electrical noise as slight voltage fluctuations, organized patterns among the noise reflective of living-like brain signatures would not emerge in all substrates. This would be analogous to detecting highly organized voices as whispers among a much louder cacophony of environmental sounds. We hypothesized that the preserved structure of the brain could operate like a biological antenna, receiving electromagnetic transmissions as subtle but detectable induced currents that would be uniquely filtered by the probed tissue region.

We found promising results. Despite significant levels of electrical noise associated with the measurement of voltage fluctuations within post-mortem tissues, reliable oscillatory patterns were apparent. That is, the electrical “fingerprint” of each cortical region was unique, not uniform. Gross electrical geometries could be discerned across the brain and certain regions amplified natural or artificially applied EMFs and direct current more than others. Therefore, whatever we were measuring was not random, and the material properties of the brain were modulating the electrical noise in ways that other materials would not.

Here, I will discuss the specifics of our major findings that demonstrate transmissive brain function, and therefore the survival of consciousness, is possible beyond a reasonable doubt.

Our initial discovery was derived from comparisons of living and post-mortem human brain measurements. First, we measured the brain activity of living human subjects using EEG while they wore EMF-shielding caps over their heads. We wanted to know if brain activity would change as a function of environmental EMFs – which are about 50 million times less intense than those associated with MRI scanners – and if we could inhibit the effects with shielding. The experiment had two measurement phases: 1) with the shield, and 2) without the shield. Therefore, each individual was subjected to EEG measurements with and without the EMF-shielding cap (i.e., within-subject design); however, the order was counterbalanced such that some participants wore it during the first phase and others wore it during the second phase.

Just as a full-body Faraday cage made of copper can significantly attenuate the strength of EMFs, we reasoned that a similarly grounded, copper-lined cap covering the skull could partially block impinging EMFs on the brain. We experimentally demonstrated that when living subjects wore a copper-insulated covering over their heads, the amplitudes of their brainwaves were markedly suppressed relative to when they were not wearing it; however, these suppressions were non-uniform.

Specifically, low frequency (theta, 4–7 Hz) brain activity became less synchronous over the right temporal lobes of participants when they wore the EMF-shielding cap relative to when they did not. We source-localized the EEG signals, which were originally obtained over the surface of the scalp, to the parahippocampal region using a technique called standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). That is, the actual source of the EEG differences at the surface were due to changes in the deeper parahippocampal region near the base of the inner surface of the skull.

It should be noted that the material structure of the parahippocampal region is unique because it is the architectural transition point between the 6-layered “neocortex” and the 3-layered “archicortex”. It is also the place in the brain where experience and memory functionally converge as the structure of the neocortex shape-shifts into the hippocampus. Our results demonstrated that shielding the brain from environmental EMFs affected the temporal lobes asymmetrically, which suggested that the brain may be non-uniformly susceptible to EMF-based transmission. If similar asymmetries could be found in post-mortem tissues, then we could confirm a passive EMF-brain interaction that is expressed in both living and post-mortem brains.

To that end, we measured the electrical noise within left and right parahippocampal regions of 3 separate post-mortem human brain specimens. Notably, we observed more theta-band oscillations in the right parahippocampal regions relative to the left. The effect was also specific to the “grey matter” or cell-containing regions and not the adjacent “white matter” or fiber-containing regions, which indicated the complex microstructure of the tissue was a relevant receptive factor.

In summary, we found that EMF-brain interactions are detectable in living and post-mortem brains, can be attenuated by EMF-shielding, affect brain regions asymmetrically with a deep temporal lobe focus, and affect some brain oscillation frequencies (i.e., theta) but not others.

 

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.

Transmissive consciousness: Rouleau excerpt #10

This is Nicolas Rouleau’s electromagnetic, transmissive model of consciousness that survives brain death. He explains: Infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), and visual light (VL), as well as electromagnetic fields (EMF) interact with brains to transmit consciousness that can be inferred by measuring the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs). The electromagnetic energies that transmit consciousness are physically independent of the brain and EM-based signals are readily emitted by the brain. Because EM-based inputs and outputs are independent extensions of brain information, consciousness likely survives brain death.

Having described the mechanisms underlying the electromagnetic transmission of information within the living brain, the following question becomes relevant: How does death impact the brain’s ability to interact with electromagnetic energy? As previously discussed, when the brain dies and decays, the cellular membranes that sustained its electromagnetic functions lose their structural integrity and their ability to generate action potentials. Without these features, it is generally assumed that the productive functional dependence of the brain is no longer possible. Given enough time, a decaying brain will decompose and then disintegrate entirely – leaving no trace of function, including consciousness, behind. To prevent decay and decomposition, brains can be placed in preservatives like formaldehyde that maintain both their gross and fine structures – a process called chemical fixation. While there are many ways to “fix” brain tissues, the net result is the same: cells are forced into complete stasis.

That is, the positions of cells are held constant and all of their activities that are dependent upon the passage of time stand still. In effect, the brain becomes a three-dimensional “snapshot” of itself that is structurally stable but functionally inert. Or, rather, functionally inert from the perspective of productive functional dependence. Just as a tuning fork holds a definite shape that is receptive to transmissions of a specific frequency of vibrating air, perhaps the fixed structures of the brain are similarly receptive to transmissions of electromagnetic oscillations.

While the preservation of brains is by no means a recent development, the technique presents contemporary scientists with a unique opportunity to test the transmission theory of consciousness directly by experimentation. Analogous to the practical significance of genetic knockout models, the chemical fixation process eliminates the possibility of productive function. 

But what about transmissive function? If brains can, even in death, filter EMFs such that they become – as William James put it – “sifted and limited” to express electromagnetic signatures of consciousness, then survival can be empirically tested. I, therefore, designed several experiments to test the transmission hypothesis using post-mortem human brain tissues and the results compelled me to re-evaluate all of my assumptions about brain death.

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay.

Our electromagnetic brains: Rouleau excerpt #9

Rouleau writes: Despite the darkened environment of the skull, the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, and striatum express photoreceptors that are particularly sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light. The pineal organ, which is a well-known circadian regulator and René Descartes’ hypothesized seat of the soul, also contains photoreceptors.

Unlike the photoreceptors of our retinas, which allow us to detect photons with wavelengths corresponding to visible light, these deep-brain photoreceptors, which also detect visible light, are not linked to vision at all. Their widespread existence throughout the brain suggests these recondite photoreceptors are functionally relevant; however, investigations to address their roles are ongoing.

While light can penetrate the skull, it is unclear whether these deep-brain photoreceptors primarily detect light from within or outside the brain under normal circumstances. Together, these findings indicate that human brains are equipped with the capacity to emit and detect electromagnetic radiation in the form of visible or near-visible photons.

Though it should be clear by now that the brain emits and is receptive to electromagnetic radiation, the extent to which electromagnetic signaling is integral to brain activity has not yet been fully elucidated. As discussed in a previous section, synaptic transmission involves an electromagnetic discharge called the action potential that triggers the release of neurotransmitters. This is often referred to as electrochemical signaling, and therefore, is only partially electromagnetic.

However, there are at least two additional neuronal signaling modalities that are both purely electromagnetic. The first is electrotonic signaling, which involves direct connections between cells called gap junctions. With electronic signaling, the membranes of two or more cells form electrical bridges between their inner compartments and become functionally integrated. The third and most recently identified signaling modality is called “ephaptic coupling” and is the definitive neural signaling modality that demonstrates a direct brain dependence upon EMFs as a source of useful signaling information.

While synaptic transmission and electrotonic signaling involve interfaces that are directly connective or “wired”, ephaptic coupling is truly “wireless”; it occurs when cells detect and respond to electric fields emitted by adjacent cells. Because ephaptic coupling is non-directional, any neuron that fires an action potential can stimulate surrounding cells including itself by the reciprocal flow of electric field activations.

Therefore, ephaptic couplings supply the brain with many more wireless connections than wired connections, including looped circuits that are necessary for a process called reentry: a bidirectional exchange of information that may be a requirement for consciousness. As with other modalities, ephaptic coupling can be excitatory or inhibitory, with known functional roles within olfactory regions, the cerebellum, and the memory-encoding hippocampus, where slow and periodic activity self-propagates across the tissue like waves, constructively interfering with a veritable ocean of electric fields. Fundamentally, a neuron stimulated by its neighbor via ephaptic coupling cannot be said to have produced its own activity. Rather, all neurons are connected to each other by a Jamesian transmission of electromagnetic radiation.

The discovery of ephaptic coupling demonstrated that the microscopic environment of the brain is teeming with electromagnetic information, and in recent years researchers have turned to this exciting new modality as a means of furthering models of brain dynamics that are compatible with consciousness. Among them, Anastassiou and Koch presented a compelling review that endogenous electric fields at the cellular and network levels may provide vital feedback mechanisms facilitated by ephaptic couplings that are intrinsic to cognitive processes. Some scientists have suggested that ephaptic coupling may extend a capacity for consciousness to single cells as well as other animals and plants. Still others have implicated the often-neglected glial cells as contributors to ephaptic coupling by calcium-current-induced magnetic fields, which would indicate that nearly all brain cells contribute to the organ’s macro-scale EMF patterns.

This runs contrary to modern assumptions about how the brain works but opens up new and exciting possibilities, particularly for transmissive function. There is likely much to learn about ephaptic coupling but one thing is clear: it demonstrates that EMFs within the brain are not mere biproducts or meaningless noise – they contribute to signaling dynamics by transmission and, ultimately, form mental states. What if all the longstanding doctrines and dogmas that position neurotransmitters and other chemical intermediates as the chief determinants of brain functions such as consciousness are more epiphenomenal than causal? As we lift the veil that once obscured the brain’s transmissive functional dependence, its fundamental electromagnetic nature becomes clear.

While brain-based emissions of electromagnetic radiation are abundant, the functional relevance of EMF-brain interactions on consciousness can only be fully appreciated with an examination of the effects of experimentally applied and artificially generated EMFs on brain function. The most common experiences associated with applied EMF-brain exposures are the reports of “phosphenes” or perceived flashes of white light in the visual fields among patients subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The magnets that generate the high-intensity, time-varying magnetic fields of the MRI activate nerve bundles within and along the visual pathway by Faraday’s law of induction, driving the flow of electric current and ultimately producing simple visual hallucinations.

Other established biological effects of MRI exposure are metallic taste, dizziness, nausea, and headaches, which suggest activations of the insular and temporal cortices. The same principles have been applied to engineer clinical devices and techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), to treat neurological disorders. TMS is a technique by which high-intensity EMFs are applied over the surface of the scalp, stimulating brain tissue in efforts to treat depression, anxiety, post- traumatic stress, as well as to facilitate recovery from traumatic brain injuries. TMS can also be used to reliably activate the primary motor cortex, which allows experimenters to control the movements of their subjects. In one notable experiment, scientists induced participants to move their left or right hands by secretly stimulating right or left motor areas respectively.

Remarkably, when participants – who were not aware if, when, or where they were stimulated – were asked to provide a rationale for why they moved their right or left hand they frequently reported that it was their choice – that they “wanted” and “intended” to move. Indeed, the experiment showed that applied EMFs associated with TMS can be used to control behavior and generate illusions of free will.

Whereas MRI scanners and TMS devices typically emit high-intensity EMFs (> 1 Tesla), decades of research have demonstrated that much weaker intensity fields can also affect conscious experience. As evidenced by my former mentor Dr. Michael Persinger’s pioneering work with complex, low-intensity (microTesla) EMFs, some of the most personally meaningful and life-changing human experiences can be reproduced in the laboratory by appropriate stimulations of the brain. With his co-inventor, Stanley Koren, Persinger created a helmet embedded with EMF-generating solenoids that could stimulate the temporal lobes of experimental subjects with field intensities within range of the brain’s own EMFs and environmental sources.

Instead of simple EMF patterns such as sine or square waves normally associated with TMS, Persinger converted EEG recordings from patients in meditative and trance-like states who reported “experiencing God” into complex, digitized patterns that could be applied through the helmet as EMFs. In other words, he isolated the electromagnetic brain patterns of some people in an altered state of consciousness, transformed them into signals, and applied them to separate brains as information-rich signals.

If, as Persinger hypothesized, EMF patterns carried information relevant to conscious experience, the applied patterns would be expected to produce genuine cognitive effects including transmitted subjective experiences. Indeed, hundreds of participants over several decades have reported out-of-body experiences and the feeling of a “sensed presence” when exposed to the helmet and some even claimed to have encountered a higher power or deity, inevitably inspiring the device’s more popular name: the “God Helmet”.

These studies, and those listed throughout this section, clearly demonstrate that the brain is an electromagnetic organ. But what about consciousness? That too, it would seem, is fundamentally electromagnetic as it can be extracted from one brain and re-applied to another as an information-rich EMF pattern with experience-inducing consequences.

 

Nicolas Rouleau, PhD, a neuroscientist and bioengineer, is an assistant professor at Algoma University in Canada. He received an award from the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies "An Immortal Stream of Consciousness" in response to its search for "scientific evidence for the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death." Footnotes and bibliography are omitted from these excerpts from his essay, but the full essay is available online at https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/index.php/contest-runners-up/.