The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is an American non-profit

parapsychological Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near- ...

research institute. It was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell,Pfeffer, Elizabeth
''Stars aligned: Astronaut's mission seeks to answer life's big questions''
'' Contra Costa Times'', 21 February 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2015.Allen, Mik
''Space explorer touches down this weekend in Southwest Virginia''
The Roanoke Times, 18 September 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013. the sixth man to walk on the Moon, along with investor Paul N. Temple and others interested in purported paranormal phenomena, in order to encourage and conduct research on noetics and human potentials. The Institute conducts research on topics such as spontaneous remission,McTaggart, Lynne
''The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World''

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

, New York (2007).

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

alternative healing Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and al ...

practices, consciousness-based healthcare,

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape ...

human potential Human potential is the capacity for humans to improve themselves through studying, training, and practice, to reach the limit of their ability to develop aptitudes and skills. "Inherent within the notion of human potential is the belief that in re ...

psychic abilities This is a list of alleged psychic abilities that have been attributed to real-world people. Many of these abilities pertain to variations of extrasensory perception or the ''sixth sense''. Superhuman abilities from fiction are not included. Psy ...

, psychokinesis and survival of consciousness after bodily death.Institute of Noetic Sciences. Research: Programs from the Institute of Noetic Sciences
Vieten, Cassandra

Huffington Post, 21 September 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2013. The Institute maintains a free database, available on the Internet, with citations to more than 6,500 articles about whether physical and mental health benefits might be connected to meditation and yoga. Radin, Dean
''Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities''

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, New York (2013). Headquartered outside Petaluma, California, the IONS is situated on a campus that includes offices, a research laboratory and a retreat center (originally the campus of

World College West World College West was an undergraduate liberal arts college in Marin County, California. Founded by Dr. Richard M. Gray, it offered a program that integrated a grounding in the liberal arts with work-study and a required two-quarter "World Study" ...

). Its current director is Claire Lachance. Other researchers associated with it include Dean Radin and

Rupert Sheldrake Alfred Rupert Sheldrake (born 28 June 1942) is an English author and parapsychology researcher who proposed the concept of morphic resonance, a conjecture which lacks mainstream acceptance and has been criticized as pseudoscience. He has wor ...

History

Edgar Mitchell has reported that on his return to Earth, after the 1971 Apollo 14 Moon landing, he had an experience comparable to savikalpa samādhi. He also says that he conducted

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

experiments with earthbound friends during spaceflight. In 1973, along with investor Paul N. Temple and some others, Mitchell co-founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). It was founded as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1973.

Willis Harman Willis W. Harman (August 16, 1918 – January 30, 1997) was an American engineer, futurist, and author associated with the human potential movement. He was convinced that late industrial civilization faced a period of major cultural crisis which ...

served as president from 1975 until his death in 1997. The word ''noetic'' derives from the Greek '' nous'', meaning "mind or ways of knowing."Murphy, Michael and Stephen Donovan
''The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation: A Review of Contemporary Research With a Comprehensive Bibliography, 1931-1996''
Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, CA (1997), p. 282. . Writing in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', the Institute's director of research pointed to philosopher

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

' 1902 definition of the word as:

... states of insight into depths of truth unplumbed by the discursive intellect. They are illuminations, revelations, full of significance and importance, all inarticulate though they remain; and as a rule they carry with them a curious sense of authority. ...

The Institute figures prominently in ''

The Lost Symbol ''The Lost Symbol'' is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of ''The Da Vinci Code'', and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters. Rel ...

'', a 2009 work of fiction by best-selling author Dan Brown. Brown, Dan
''The Lost Symbol''

, New York (2009).

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

postings on the day before the book's release led Institute director Marilyn Schlitz to purchase the book and read it in one sitting. She told NPR that she found ten experiments conducted by the real-world Institute referred to in Brown's fictional account. NPR reported that after its publication "traffic to he institute'swebsite ... increased twelvefold", applications for membership increased and "journalists from places like Dateline NBC — not to mention NPR ..." were seeking interviews with Schlitz.Hagerty, Barbara Bradley
''Woman Reads Dan Brown Novel, Discovers Herself''
NPR, 12 October 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2013. The Institute confers the Temple Award for Creative Altruism,''Political author, social activist to speak at SJU''

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are two closely related private, Catholic higher education institutions in Minnesota. The College of Saint Benedict is a women's college located in St. Joseph, while Saint John's Uni ...

"Campus News" web page. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.''Distinguished Visiting Professor: Bill Milliken, Communities in Schools Founder''
Marymount University Campus News and Events webpage. Retrieved 6 October 2013, biennially.IONS Grants and Awards web page
Retrieved 6 October 2013. The $25,000 award fund is divided among recipients selected by an independent jury.

Research

Projects sponsored by the Institute include a bibliography on the physical and psychological effects of

and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, and a spontaneous remission bibliography. The Institute has also conducted a number of

studies into

extra-sensory perception Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Univers ...

, lucid dreaming, telekinesis, and presentiment. According to '' The Roanoke Times,'' the Institute is "... devoted to exploring psychic phenomena and the role of consciousness in the cosmos." '' The Roanoke Times'' also noted that co-founder Mitchell's assertions "... have often been criticized by skeptics." Told "your research goes into a number of territories that are regarded with skepticism in some circles", Mitchell replied:

That's what's fun about it. We're breaking down barriers and finding things. That's what science is all about: new discovery. ... There's nothing that we have done or have demonstrated that doesn't have good science behind it. Skeptics be damned.

The Institute is listed on Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch website, for its research on fringe topics.

Documentaries and publications

In 1994, TBS broadcast a three-part, six-hour documentary based on work at the Institute, entitled ''The Heart of Healing'' and narrated by actress

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

.McVicar, Nancy
''More Than Medicine''
'' Sun-Sentinel'', 26 October 1993. Retrieved 6 October 2013.''Heart Healing''
Turner Publishing (1993) Since 2009, the Institute has published a semi-annual bulletin, ''The Noetic Post''. From 2003 to 2009, it published a quarterly magazine, ''Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness''.

References

External links

Institute of Noetic Sciences official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institute Of Noetic Sciences Noetic Sciences, Institute of Buildings and structures in Marin County, California Noetic Sciences, Institute of Parapsychology Noetic Sciences, Institute of 1973 establishments in California Organizations based in Marin County, California pseudoscience Edgar Mitchell

History

Research

Documentaries and publications

See also

References

External links