Mindapps: Multistate Theory and Tools for Mind Design - Softcover

"An important resource for anyone interested in psychedelics and the mind. Professor Roberts has an intimate and encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, having taught it to undergraduates for 32 years. Mindapps brings ancient practices and techniques together with contemporary science of the mind to produce `ideagens'--new ideas and new ways of thinking." * Malcolm Dean, research affiliate in the Brain Research Institute and Human Complex Systems Group at * "Mirroring its central thesis that the mind is multiple and its states of consciousness at once vast, ecstatic, and creative, this book is so many things all at once--a psychedelic autobiography; an education in human potential; a plea to revise the sciences and save the humanities through new psychedelic approaches to neuroscience, art, literature, music, and philosophy; a call for new mental technologies to literally and definitively `change our minds'; and a who's who of the American psychedelic intellectual landscape from the 1970s to today. Here is a perfect entry point into a whole series of glistening subjects that have yet to see their full day." * Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of Secret Body: Erotic and Esoteric Currents in the History of Religions * "As psychedelic substances increasingly become integrated into our culture in responsible ways as facilitators of mental health, spiritual development, and new knowledge in a variety of academic disciplines, this carefully researched and visionary book contributes innovative language and concepts to support, challenge, and guide us on the path forward." * William A. Richards, S.T.M., Ph.D., and author of Sacred Knowledge * "Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University, has been an organizing force in the global psychedelic movement. His new book is itself a history of the psychedelic revolution. He argues convincingly that apps are to devices as mindapps are to the mindbody. Whether the mindapp is psychotherapy, meditation, near-death experiences, or psychedelics, they can expand our mental powers, creative abilities, and generate new ideas and ways of thinking." * Allan Badiner, editor of Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics * "I found Thomas Roberts's book Mindapps to be very engaging and thoughtprovoking proof that the psychedelic renaissance is maturing and that psychedelics can be ideagens." * Robert "Tim" Scully, creator of Orange Sunshine * "In Mindapps, Thomas Roberts masterfully explores the various practices and techniques available to us, be they ancient, chemical, or technological. He looks at the potential development of fresh new mindapps and the potential of producing novel mind states through the synergy of using multiple mindapps at the same time. A case is passionately made for the value of altered and alternative states of consciousness and how these can not only yield new ideas but also improve creativity, open-mindedness, problem-solving and inner-brain connections. The information presented in Mindapps should be of great interest to thinkers and explorers of consciousness. I gladly recommend it." * Amanda Feilding, founder and director of the Beckley Foundation * "Thomas Roberts is a lot of things: a writer, an inspiration for people entering the world of psychedelic research, a trickster, and a wizard. But above all, he is an educator. He has been in the game a long time, and his ideas and hypotheses are always worth listening to. In Mindapps, Tom takes us once again into a world of creative hypotheses and unique narratives that force the reader to sit up and take notice. The concept of the mindapp as a new paradigm--something to replace the outdated concept of consciousness itself--is exactly the kind of approach that our contemporary tech-savvy society is in need of. I highly recommend this book. Read it. Then, years from now--when this is the stuff of mainstream scientific and cultural knowledge--you can say you were alongside the early pioneers of a new way of thinking about brain states, mind states, and psychedelics." * Dr. Ben Sessa, psychiatrist, researcher, writer, and cofounder and chair of Breaking Convention * "In this book, Roberts explores a new paradigm for how we see the human mind, and the tools we use as ideagens, or idea generators. This novel approach to how we can approach ideas is an enlightening and enjoyable journey to read." * Rick Doblin, PhD, founder and executive director of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic St *

An exploration of "mind design" technologies and practices--mindapps--that boost intellectual capacity and enable new ways of thought and action Just as we can write and install apps in our electronic devices, we can construct "mindapps" and install them in our brain-mind complex, and as just as digital apps add capabilities to our devices, mindapps can expand our mental powers and creative abilities, allowing us to intentionally redesign our minds. Using psychedelics as the prime example, Thomas B. Roberts explores the many different kinds of mindapps, including mediation, other psychoactive plants and chemicals, sensory overload and deprivation, biofeedback and neurofeedback, hypnosis and suggestion, sleep and lucid dreaming, creative imagery, transcranial brain stimulation and optical brain stimulation, rites of passage, martial arts and exercise routines, yoga, breathing techniques, and contemplative prayer. He also looks at the future of mindapps, the potential for new mindapps yet to be invented, and how installing multiple mindapps can produce new, yet to be explored mind states. Drawing on decades of research, he shows how psychedelics in particular are "ideagens"--powerful tools for generating new ideas and new ways of thinking. Uniting the many forms of mindapps into one overall Multistate Mind Theory, Roberts examines the singlestate fallacy--the myth that useful thinking only occurs in our ordinary awake mental state--and demonstrates the many mind-body states we are capable of. He shows how mindapps not only allow us to design and redesign our own minds but also offer benefits for artistic performance, mystical and spiritual experience, and scientific research by improving creativity, open-mindedness, problem solving, and inner-brain connections. Reformulating how we think about the human mind, Mindapps unveils the new multistate landscape of the mind and how we can each enter the world of mind design.