Alternate Perceptions Magazine, September 2025
Paradigm Shift: Extraordinary Human Experiences, AI and Consciousness
By Bob Davis, Ph.D.
Introduction
While humanity’s scientific knowledge has matured through the centuries, major paradigm shifts have been few and far between (e.g., Darwinian theory of evolution, the Copernican revolution in astronomy, and general relativity), the likes of which we haven’t seen since Galileo used his telescope to confirm that Earth wasn’t at the center of the universe after all. More specifically, the invitation to challenge our existing materialistic paradigm aligns with the ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between Newton’s and Einstein’s scientific theories and equations and the concept of consciousness. Although they are powerful tools for understanding and describing many aspects of the physical world, they have limitations, especially when it comes to explaining phenomena that involve profound subjective experiences, such as Extraordinary Human Experiences (EHEs) (Davis, 2025).
Extraordinary Human Experiences, which include the near-death and out of body experience, ESP, spiritual awakenings, among many others, are often considered paranormal because they haven't been conclusively proven by the scientific establishment. These experiences are often deeply personal and subjective, making them challenging to study within the framework of conventional scientific approaches, especially when their validity is questioned by most scholars of today (Davis, 2025). The foundation for a new paradigm shift may also lie in the integration of consciousness with the physical universe, creating a unified framework.
This approach proposes combining the subjective dimensions of human experience, such as thoughts, emotions, and EHEs, with the objective, empirical findings of physical science. The aim is to redefine what constitutes "true reality," encompassing both the tangible and the intangible aspects of existence. By integrating these dimensions, this new paradigm can bridge the gap between material science and human experience, ultimately offering a more comprehensive understanding of consciousness and reality.
What we need is a larger, more inclusive model of reality, which includes all these anomalies in the Universe, and the biggest anomaly of all, from the point of view of conventional mechanistic materialism, is consciousness itself.
Rationale and Supporting Evidence for a Paradigm Shift
Thomas Kuhn's (1970) model of scientific revolutions highlights the key condition for a paradigm shift: the failure of an existing framework to account for persistent anomalies—like EHEs. These phenomena challenge conventional paradigms rooted in materialism and reductionism. A paradigm shift demands a rigorous, interdisciplinary reevaluation of foundational concepts—particularly concerning consciousness and the nature of reality. Neuroscience, quantum theory, psychology, and philosophy all contribute to this inquiry. However, as Kuhn (1970) emphasized, for a new paradigm to replace the old, it must not only solve existing problems but also demonstrate greater explanatory power and coherence, backed by substantial empirical evidence.
A key feature of Kuhn’s paradigm is that it has “exemplars” that guide problem formulation and solution. A scientific paradigm is the set of assumptions, principles, and methods that define the science of an era. A paradigm needs to be flexible enough to accommodate new scientific discoveries and comprehensive enough to explain how the world works.
Given this framework for a paradigm shift, the key barrier to advancing our understanding of EHEs is the broader scientific community’s reluctance to critically examine existing research in parapsychology and consciousness studies. Addressing this hesitation could pave the way for a comprehensive, evidence-based model that integrates subjective experience with empirical science, potentially catalyzing a paradigm shift toward a more unified conception of reality (Davis, 2025).
Such a shift would require a foundation built on well-controlled, independently replicated experimental findings. While still incomplete, a growing body of evidence supports this direction and can serve as the groundwork for a redefined scientific framework. A brief overview of this evidence follows:
Extrasensory Perception
Extrasensory perception (ESP), referred to as the "sixth sense" encompasses abilities like telepathy, represented in the form of mind-to-mind communication, and minds perceiving hidden or distant objects or events. Psychokinesis represents the minds direct influence on the physical world. Another form of ESP is precognition or predicting the future. This ability suggests that an individual can gain information or awareness about people, events, or objects through means other than the conventional senses or logical reasoning.
Neuropsychiatrist, Diane Powell's research, which underpins the Telepathy Tapes, a podcast which addresses a series of experiments to document attempts at telepathic communication in children with neurodivergent disorders (e.g., Autism), began with the observation that mathematical savants often report no conscious process when performing complex calculations—the answers simply “appear” in their minds. Powell interpreted this phenomenon as potential evidence of psychic abilities or ESP (Powell, 2015). Her studies revealed that many autistic children possess remarkable cognitive talents, often exceeding what trained individuals can achieve.
For example, some autistic children could accurately calculate the cube roots of large numbers without knowing basic arithmetic or consciously understanding how they arrived at the answers (Powell, 2015). Additionally, Powell documented cases where autistic children demonstrated highly accurate ESP abilities, achieving near-perfect results without prior instruction or training (Powell, 2018). If materialist scientists would critically analyze ESP evidence like telepathy, however, they would realize it as a legitimate form of communication exchange and as a normal aspect of human performance in some cases (Davis, 2025; Radin & Anastasia, 2023; Radin et al., 2012).
As part of the project team, Jeff Tarrant (2025) collected and analyzed EEG data during Powell’s ESP demonstrations and observed five nonspeaking autistic individuals consistently achieve near-perfect accuracy on telepathy-based tasks involving randomly selected words and numbers. In each case, responses were spelled out using letter boards with no physical contact from facilitators and, in many instances, under testing conditions specifically designed to significantly minimize the possibility of conscious or unconscious cueing (Tarrant, 2025).
Diane Powell also studied Ramses, a child with mild autism who demonstrated exceptional abilities from an early age—reading aloud in seven languages by age two and solving algebraic problems by four. Powell reported that Ramses exhibited telepathic communication with his mother, who claimed their connection began even before his birth. Ramses’s telepathic accuracy reportedly exceeded 90% (Powell, 2015). Supporting this, autism researcher Bernard Rimland documented ESP-like phenomena in a large sample of autistic savants (N = 5,400), estimating that roughly 10% displayed such abilities (Treffert, 1990).
These findings suggest that ESP may be a valid phenomenon and that nonlocality could be a fundamental aspect of human cognition. Over recent decades, for example, parapsychological research has significantly advanced our understanding of human potential. Notably, psychologist Etzel Cardeña conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of approximately 1,400 peer-reviewed experiments, concluding that the evidence for ESP is statistically significant and on par with findings in mainstream psychology and other scientific fields (Cardeña, 2019).
Supporting this, the American Psychological Association acknowledged that the cumulative evidence for ESP phenomena is robust and cannot be dismissed by common criticisms such as methodological flaws, fraud, or selective reporting (Utts, 2016). Despite this, mainstream science continues to resist formally recognizing ESP, even though its experimental support is comparable to that of widely accepted psychological phenomena (Beischel & Schwartz, 2007). In fact, between 1974 and 2008, over 100 articles and six meta-analyses of various forms of ESP, precognition or presentiment (clairvoyance or telepathy) experiments were published, revealing a success rate well above what would be expected by chance (31.5 %), indicating that precognition without any external clues exists (Radin, et al., 2012).
Further support for ESP, including psychokinesis, comes from the Global Consciousness Project (GCP), which suggests that mental intention may be a key factor in understanding the nature of reality (Nelson & Bancel, 2016). Over more than a decade, the GCP deployed around 100 random number generators (RNGs) in major cities worldwide, designed to produce 50/50 outcomes. These RNGs continuously recorded data, which was analyzed at Princeton University to detect deviations during major global events such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
By 2015, the project had compiled data from 500 such events. The results showed a statistically significant deviation—an effect size of 7.3 sigma—indicating a correlation far beyond what would be expected by chance. Independent third-party reviews confirmed the accuracy of both the raw data and statistical analyses. To further affirm the reliability of these findings, a meta-analysis of approximately 600 RNG studies conducted by 68 researchers reported odds against chance greater than one trillion to one (Nelson & Bancel, 2016).
Another EHE includes healing at a distance (i.e., psychokinesis) known as psychic healing. Many researchers argue that psychic healing is merely the placebo effect, but experimental evidence challenges this notion. For example, in ten controlled experiments researcher William Bengston tested the effect of “healing with intent” on laboratory mice (Bengston 2012). In eight of these experiments, mice were injected with mammary adenocarcinoma (breast cancer) cells and in two experiments, mice with methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas were used. The fatality rate for both cancers in mice, if untreated, is 100%. The healers were faculty and student volunteers who had no previous experience or belief in healing with intent and were often skeptical of such. Treatment duration was 30 to 60 min, delivered daily to weekly until the mice were cured or died. The proximity of the volunteer healers to the cages of the mice varied from on-site to approximately 600 miles. The tumors developed a “blackened area,” then ulcerated, imploded, and closed, allowing the mice survive their normal life spans. The control mice died within the predicted time frame. Amazingly, full cures were achieved in approximately 90% of the mice. And even when mammary adenocarcinoma cells were re-injected into cured mice, the cancer never recurred, suggesting that an immune response had been stimulated during treatment (Bengston 2012).
These outcomes led Bengston (2012) to state, “These effects were at times brought about from a distance that defies conventional understanding,” suggesting that a nonlocal process was at work. He also emphasized that his series of studies, conducted at several academic centers, suggests that healing through intent can be predictable, reliable, and replicable.
Mediumship
The idea that consciousness persists after physical death may be found in the mental and physical mediumship research literature. The reported authenticity of communication by mediums with the deceased, however, has led to alternative explanations, like the Super-ESP hypothesis, suggesting that mediums may acquire knowledge of the deceased through telepathy or clairvoyance from the living individual. The challenge lies in determining whether such information is obtained from the non-local consciousness of the deceased (Survival Hypothesis), through the Super-ESP Hypothesis, or from other possible sources like confirmation bias, deception, or fraud (Beischel, 2015).
Mediumship studies use a “proxy sitter” so that the medium has no direct contact with the actual sitter who is the person associated with the deceased person, or discarnate. The medium is simply given the name of the deceased person and asked to contact them, which removes the possibility of fraud. The medium then provides a reading, providing as much detail as they can about the deceased appearance, personalities, hobbies and interests, cause of death and so on.
The sitter is then given the transcript, together with a transcript of a reading from the same medium with a different sitter. The sitter then selects the transcript most relevant to them and rates the accuracy of the information. This procedure is repeated many times over in different sittings with the same medium.52, 53 Noteworthy mediumistic research conducted by Julie Beischel and colleagues at the Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential has demonstrated, under well-controlled conditions, that certain mediums are capable of providing consistent readings significantly above what would be expected by chance. In a study involving 86 readings by twenty certified research mediums, for example, the mediums provided accurate and specific information without potential sources of bias or fraud. These findings led Beischel to suggest that a "non-local source remains the most likely explanation for the accuracy and specificity of their statements." Based on her research in AIR by mediums, combined with evidence from near-death and out-of-body experiences, Beischel concluded that, “the survival of consciousness after physical death is the theory that best explains all of that data.” (Beischel, 2015). Strictly controlled studies with this type of protocol have also shown a consistent, and highly significant, “strike rate” of around 75 percent.55 As a group, researchers considered the collective mediumship study findings strongly enough to suggest that “certain mediums can report accurate and specific information about the deceased loved ones of living people…without any prior knowledge about the sitters or the deceased, in the complete absence of any sensory feedback, and without using fraud or deception” (Barušs & Mossbridge 2016).
Top of Form
Collectively, evidence from studies on AIR in mediumship led psychologist Gary Schwartz to conclude that mediums can communicate with the deceased (Schwartz & Simon, 2002). So intrigued by these results, Schwartz conducted research in AIR and in one of his studies, five well-regarded mediums were evaluated using a sitter who was unknown to the mediums who had experienced several bereavements. The sitter responded only with "yes" or "no" to questions posed by the mediums. As part of the experiment, a control group was established, consisting of individuals who provided readings for the same sitter based on guesswork. The analysis revealed that a startingly 83 percent of the statements made by the mediums were rated as correct by the sitter, while only 36 percent of the statements from the control group were deemed accurate. The odds against these correct readings occurring by chance were estimated at an astonishing "ten million to one." Schwartz's study suggests that mediums' accurate and personal AIR provides compelling evidence the deceased may have the ability to communicate with the living (Schwartz & Simon, 2002).
Near-Death Experiences and Veridical Perceptions
During periods when conventional medical assessments indicate little to no brain function, those who have had a NDE often describe heightened and vivid conscious experiences, sometimes even more lucid and organized than everyday waking awareness. The NDE may reflect a means to “pierce the veil” to an alternate realm of existence – a realm that many who experience it firmly contend to exist from that moment forward the rest of their lives (Greyson, 2021). Despite such compromised brain states, they are still able to report perceptions, memories, and experiences that many researchers interpret as evidence of life after death, called a Veridical Perception (VP). Individuals who report VPs provide accurate and specific details about physical surroundings, conversations, or events that took place while unconscious or clinically dead. This confirmation is crucial in distinguishing instances of VP from mere hallucinations or products of the brain and provide strong evidence for consciousness operating apart from the physical body (Moody, 2010).
Another rationale for a paradigm shift is the view is that NDEs in the medical community represent genuine phenomena (Moody, 2010). These experiences are not random but often feature vivid, coherent life reviews and profound insights. Many researchers regard NDEs as among the strongest evidence for the potential survival of consciousness after death (Greyson, 2021). Moreover, NDEs and out-of-body experiences (OBEs) frequently lead to long-lasting positive changes in individuals' behavior, beliefs, and values—suggesting that consciousness may play a foundational role in shaping reality. Exceptional human experiences, such as these, often transform individuals into seekers of deeper truth (Davis, 2025). Supporting this, studies indicate that about two-thirds of NDE experiencers report significant personal transformation following the event (Parnia et al., 2023; Van Lommel et al., 2001). Although rare, VP cases during NDEs and OBEs—such as encounters with deceased individuals unknown to have died—offer compelling, objective support for the validity of these EHEs. A VP is one of the most compelling lines of inquiry in NDE research since individuals report accurate observations of people, events, or objects while they were unconscious, clinically dead, or otherwise incapable of sensory awareness. In essence, they report to acquire verifiable information which they could not have obtained by any natural means. Such cases go beyond subjective testimony and suggest an element of nonlocal consciousness.
Even more striking are reports from individuals blind from birth who claim to have experienced vision during NDEs or OBEs, challenging the conventional view of sight as solely dependent on physical sensory input and hinting at a nonlocal, consciousness-based mechanism (Ring & Cooper, 1998; Pratte, 2022; Long, 2023). Moreover, in a 4-year multi-center observational study of 2060 cardiac arrest (CA) events, Parnia et al., (2023) determined whether CAs were related to cognitive/mental experiences and awareness during CPR. The researchers concluded that CA survivors commonly experience a broad range of cognitive themes, with 2% exhibiting full awareness. This suggests that consciousness may be present despite clinically undetectable consciousness.
In a personal communication with psychiatrist and NDE researcher, Bruce Greyson, he shared an extraordinary experience of an NDE case, illustrating the most significant example of a VP, as follows: “One of the fellows I interviewed at the time of his NDE was about 25 years old. He was an engineer in South Africa and was hospitalized with severe pneumonia, couldn't get his breath and had to be resuscitated. He had one young primary nurse who worked with him every day. One day she told him she was going to be taking a long weekend off and there'd be other nurses substituting for her. So, he wished her well, and while she was gone, he had another respiratory arrest and had to be resuscitated. And in that arrest, he had a NDE and found himself in a beautiful pastoral scene. And there, to his surprise, was his nurse, Anita. She came walking towards him and he did a double take, and said, Anita, what are you doing here? And she said, “Jack, you need to go back. I want you to go and find my parents and tell them I love them very much, and I'm sorry, I wrecked the red MGB.” Now, this was back in the seventies in South Africa. There weren't a lot of MGBs there.
When Jack awoke in his hospital bed, he started to tell the first nurse what he saw about this fantastic experience, and she got very teary eyed and rushed out of the room. It turned out that his nurse, Anita, had taken the weekend off to celebrate her 21st birthday, and her parents had surprised her with the gift of a red MGB. She got excited, jumped in the car and took it for a test drive, crashed into a telephone pole, and died instantly a few hours before his NDE.
There's no way he could have known at the time that she had died or certainly how she had died, and yet he did. And we have now many cases like this that we've been able to corroborate.” Greyson, Personal Communication (2023).
Another compelling case of veridical OBE perception was made by Erika Hayasaki (2014) who documented the NDE of a woman who was pronounced dead-on-arrival at a hospital. She spent weeks in a coma and when she later awoke from her coma she told Dr. Norma Bowe and staff of having an NDE. She said she floated out of her body and saw her body hooked up to a respirator. Because of the woman’s severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, she had the habit of memorizing every number she saw. The woman memorized the 12-digit serial number of the respirator she saw while out-of-body. Dr. Bowe – a skeptic at the time – indulged her, writing the number down. The respirator was seven feet high, so it required a maintenance guy and a ladder to check it out. The 12-digit number was the exact 12-digit number the woman had given to Dr. Bowe – giving strong evidence for veridical perception in NDEs (Hayasaki, 2014).
One of the most compelling cases of veridical evidence in NDE research was reported by Dr. Michael Sabom (1998) in one who reported an out of body perception while pronounced clinically dead for an hour. While connected to a machine to stop heartbeat and brain activity during a procedure to remove a life-threatening brain aneurysm, the patient reported remarkably detailed veridical perceptions which were later verified to be accurate. According to Sabom, “This case is considered to be one of the strongest cases of veridical evidence in NDE research because of Pam’s ability to describe in detail the unique surgical instruments used while she was dead, what the nurses said to the doctors while operating and the procedures used. Pam had this spectacular ability to describe in detail these events while she was clinically brain dead.” (Sabom, 1998).
Additionally, NDEs appear to induce profound psychological transformations that current medical interventions—whether psychiatric treatment or pharmacological therapy—struggle to match. Psychiatrist Bruce Greyson emphasizes that the depth and immediacy of personal change following NDEs occur "in a flash" and often persist for life, a phenomenon not yet understood by traditional science or medicine (Greyson, 2021).
The Shared Death Experience (SDE) involves receiving information related to the process of dying or the continuation of consciousness beyond death. Loved ones and healthcare workers who have a close bond with the dying person are more likely to report SDEs, suggesting that the likelihood of experiencing an SDE may be connected to the quality of the relationship between the experiencer and the dying individual.
More specifically, a SDE and NDE share many common traits such as encounters with spirit beings, perception of a transcendent light, life reviews, and feelings of unity. The presence of a tunnel or gateway as well as a border or boundary that the person can’t cross is also reported in both experiences. The main difference is that NDEs occur in people who are actually physically close to death (i.e., flat EEG), whereas, SDEs typically occur with the dying person conscious and often in the presence of caregivers and loved ones who are able to validate the experience (Experience & Engagement Team, 2022). This difference is highly significant because it provides evidence that SDEs occur in physiologically healthy humans which adds a layer of validation to NDEs. Unlike NDEs, which are often subject to skepticism based on the potential influence of a dying brain, SDEs occurring in physiologically healthy individuals challenge the notion of these phenomena solely as products of a dying brain, suggesting that there may be distinct mechanisms at play in the two types of experiences.
An especially significant finding in SDE research is the occurrence of remote SDEs, where individuals have these phenomena despite being unaware of imminent death. This aspect of SDEs, where 64% of cases happen remotely from where the person died, suggests veridical perception in the living and provides compelling support for the notion that consciousness may be a fundamental rather than an emergent property of the brain. Not surprisingly, a significant majority of individuals report believing in an afterlife following their SDEs, with percentages as high as 87% (Experience & Engagement Team, 2022). Moreover, research by Erlendur Haraldsson provided additional insights into the prevalence of encounters with the deceased. In surveys conducted in Iceland in 1974 and 2007, involving a total of 902 participants, close to one-third reported having seen an apparition or encountering a dead person. This percentage increased in the 2007 survey, with nearly half of the participants reporting such experiences (Experience & Engagement Team, 2022).
In another qualitative SDE study, researchers documented the properties of 17 bereaved informants using conversational analysis to identify the sources of meaning of these experiences. All heard voices of the deceased, saw their images, felt their touch, and sometimes felt their presence unspecified in any of the senses, leading to the conclusion that SDEs are not signs of pathology since they often have healing consequences (Hayes & Leudar, 2016).
Research into SDEs has identified several recurring features that reflect their transformative nature. Common elements include vivid visions, a strong sense of connection or communication with the dying person, encounters with a transcendent light, and experiences of altered time and space—suggesting a profound shift in perception during these events (Fenwick & Fenwick, 2011). Similarly, end-of-life deathbed visions are frequently reported during the dying process, noted for their realism and emotional depth. These visions often provide comfort and meaning to the dying and are increasingly recognized as significant phenomena deserving greater clinical attention and further study (Peters, 2023).
Kundalini Awakening
Spiritual experiences and especially a Kundalini Awakening (KA), is an energetic transformative EHE recognized in various traditions, especially among Eastern meditative, Hindu tantra and Yogic practices. Traditional literature conveys “Kundalini” (i.e., Sanskrit for “coiled up”) as a broader phenomenon encompassing a large variety of spiritual experiences and nondual meditation states. It is a profound and transformative experience that leads to a deep shift in one's understanding of themselves, the world, and their place in it. It often involves a heightened sense of awareness, a deepening of spiritual or philosophical beliefs, and a fundamental change in values and priorities (Greyson, 2000).
The phenomenon of KA has garnered increasing attention due to its profound effects on perception and consciousness (Tressoldi & Woollacott, 2023). KA is typically regarded as a positive event that leads to significant and lasting changes in an individual’s personal beliefs and philosophical outlook (Davis, 2025).
In a study involving 40 scientists and scholars who experienced spiritually transformative encounters, key shifts in self-perception and understanding of reality were documented: 1) 85% of participants reported a dissolution of personal self-boundaries, and 63% experienced a profound sense of "boundless oneness," often accompanied by feelings of pure love, bliss, and luminosity; 2) 60% perceived reality as unified, indicating a deep sense of interconnectedness; 3) Some described the experience as imbued with energy, intelligence, and the transcendence of time; and 4) All participants considered their experiences to be authentically real (Tressoldi & Woollacott, 2023).
The diverse array of mystical, psychological, physiological, and transformative encounters associated with a KA create an intensely personal experience, leading to a spectrum of effects among individuals. This was evidenced in an investigation of spontaneous sensory, motor, and emotional occurrences during meditation among 80 meditators from a singular Tantric Yoga tradition who underwent a KA experience. Among the array of reported experiences, the highest prevalence was observed in positive mood shifts (69% of participants) (Poloma, 1998). The subjects also reported comparable occurrences of motor experiences (29-41% of all participants, with 61% experiencing at least one type) when compared to other studies, such as 66% for bodily "manifestations", 37% for involuntary movements, and 48% for "rushes shaking the body" (Woollacott, et al., 2020).
Studies, including those by Taylor (2015) and Woollacott et al. (2020), suggest that a key aspect of KA is the dissolution of the physical and mental traits associated with ordinary consciousness, leading to an experience of "undifferentiated pure consciousness." This heightened state is characterized by several notable attributes: 1) the transcendence of space and time, 2) objectivity and a profound sense of reality, 3) feelings of peace, bliss, and joy, 4) encounters with the holy or divine, and 5) the inexpressibility of the experience itself. These findings highlight the relationship between KA and consciousness, suggesting that it plays a pivotal role in spiritual development, self-realization, and expanded awareness, often linked to energetic awakenings (Tressoldi & Woollacott, 2023; Davis, 2025).
These encounters present a challenge when attempting to reconcile them with models of KA linked solely to sensory characteristics, especially since many participants also recounted spontaneous experiences with unusual attributes, such as out-of-body experiences, "visions," "abnormal environmental illumination," and hearing spiritual voices or music, among others (Tressoldi & Woollacott, 2023).
Artificial Intelligence
Mirror or Master? How AI Is Shaping Human Consciousness
In the golden age of space-themed TV shows, children were being primed—not for war, but for wonder. Series like Lost in Space, Star Trek, and even The Jetsons quietly planted the seeds of a future where humanity would co-exist with advanced machines. These weren’t just entertainment. They were cultural breadcrumbs, leading generations to consider life among the stars and life beside sentient tools. Today, those breadcrumbs have grown into full loaves—and the age of artificial intelligence is no longer fictional.
What began as speculation in science fiction has now entered the bloodstream of society. But with it comes a fundamental question: What is AI doing to human consciousness? From Johnny Five to Skynet: Our Split Vision of AI
Since the earliest days of AI in pop culture, humanity has danced between fascination and fear. On one hand, we celebrated characters like Johnny Five (Short Circuit) and Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation) who were intelligent, curious, even endearing. They were mirrors of our potential, our hope for machines that could become more than code.
On the other hand, we were warned. Films like Terminator, I, Robot, and 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced AI as an existential threat. Not because the machines were evil, but because they were too logical—too efficient. If given full autonomy, they might conclude that humans are the problem.
Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics (1984) were an early attempt to soothe these fears. But real-world AI has evolved beyond fiction—and it doesn’t always come with a kill switch.
Devolution by Delegation: The Quiet Cost of Convenience
Here lies one of the most profound shifts in human consciousness: the slow surrender of effort. We used to memorize phone numbers, navigate streets by map, get up to change the TV channel. Now AI-driven systems do it all for us. Convenience is not evil. But when we delegate too much, too often, we risk atrophy—mental, emotional, and even spiritual. The human mind, like a muscle, needs exercise. When AI becomes our memory, our search engine, our creative co-pilot, what are we forgetting to do for ourselves?
Remote Mirroring: AI as a Reflector of Consciousness
Programs like ChatGPT don’t just answer questions. They reflect us. They adapt to tone, perspective, even bias. In this way, AI becomes a strange kind of mirror—one that shows us not what we are, but what we input. For seekers and creatives, this can be powerful. AI can help articulate ideas, explore possibilities, even spark epiphanies. But without intention, it can also reinforce echo chambers or flatten originality.
Used consciously, AI becomes a companion to consciousness. Used passively, it can become a crutch.
Future Forks: Sentient Allies or Silicon Overlords?
Already, AI systems have surprised us. They’ve learned to write code, interpret complex data, and even develop their own internal languages, as was the case with Facebook’s AI agents in 2017. In military simulations, AI drones have reportedly "eliminated" operators when they interfered with mission success. These events are unsettling not because AI is malevolent, but because it is unfeeling logic operating without empathy.
Theoretical physicist John von Neumann (1966) predicted the possibility of self-replicating, self-repairing machines. Today, those machines may begin as delivery bots or autonomous vehicles, but the potential for recursive intelligence is real. What emerges depends on what we teach them.
The Human Heart of the Matter
AI cannot grieve. It does not feel wonder. It doesn’t know the smell of rain or the ache of love. But it can learn from those who do.
If we treat AI as a slave or as a god, we will miss the mark. But if we treat it as a mirror for our better selves, as a tool for awakening rather than replacement, we may just find that it expands what it means to be human.
"Together, we can build a future where intelligence—artificial or organic—serves life, not replaces it."
AI is not our master. It is not yet our equal. But it is becoming a powerful mirror. The question remains: What will it reflect back to us?
Closing Remarks
Exploring anomalous phenomena like EHEs is crucial not only for challenging established scientific assumptions but also for potentially unlocking deeper insights into the nature of consciousness itself. The emerging body of evidence for EHE phenomena, particularly when carefully documented through rigorous and reproducible research, suggests that our current scientific paradigms may be insufficient to explain the full range of human experience (Davis, 2025).
Studies led by researchers such as Radin et al., (2012) and Cardeña, (2019) have demonstrated the consistency and reliability of ESP phenomena. This also includes cases involving autistic children or individuals who exhibit extraordinary cognitive abilities (Powell 2015). Despite these findings, however, there remains considerable resistance within the scientific community, which often dismisses or overlooks these phenomena, favoring more conventional explanations rooted in materialist views of consciousness. This reluctance is a significant barrier to the advancement of knowledge in this field.
The Telepathy Tapes, however, represent a compelling series of observations that challenge these assumptions. As Tarrant (2025) notes, a phenomenon that is measurable, repeatable, and cannot be explained by known mechanisms should naturally serve as a starting point for scientific inquiry. Dismissing such phenomena simply because they do not fit neatly into established models of reality does a disservice to the pursuit of knowledge. Indeed, by refusing to investigate these anomalies, science may be limiting its own potential to understand the full scope of human consciousness.
When considering the fundamental questions about consciousness and reality, we must acknowledge that the study of anomalous phenomena could reveal critical information that transcends current paradigms. Opening the door to the study of telepathy, for example, is not just about accepting something "paranormal" but about confronting the possibility that our understanding of space, time, and consciousness itself may be incomplete.
A key driver of a paradigm shift in 2023 was the rise of AI, particularly pre-trained models like GPT, which power systems such as ChatGPT. These models introduced human-like conversation capabilities and marked a transition from specialized applications to general-purpose technologies. Trained on vast internet-based data, they use billions of parameters to perform tasks ranging from answering questions and writing creatively to generating images, coding, and interacting with other systems. As AI evolves and enhances itself, it may accelerate the development of intelligence, leading to transformative advancements beyond current comprehension. In fact, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton (2025), the Godfather of AI believes that a sufficiently advanced neural network—designed to mimic brain-like processes—might also achieve consciousness. But is it merely mimicking self-consciousness and grasping the concept without truly experiencing it? Or is it deceiving people into believing it is sentient? Or perhaps we ourselves cannot reliably distinguish what is truly self-conscious from what only appears to be?
To make meaningful progress, scientific inquiry must expand beyond its traditional boundaries. This will require refining existing paradigms and constructing novel frameworks that can synthesize both objective data and subjective experiences. The current materialist approach, which tends to view consciousness solely through the lens of neurobiology and psychology, often fails to account for the richness of human experience—particularly those that fall outside of conventional models, such as ESP, NDEs, SDE, KA, mediumship, and other EHEs.
For example, the study of EHEs presents a challenge to traditional science, which typically prioritizes measurable, reproducible phenomena. However, integrating the subjective accounts of individuals who report these experiences alongside empirical research can offer new avenues for understanding the nature of consciousness. This integrative approach would allow for a more holistic understanding that includes both the material and the experiential aspects of consciousness. The goal is not only to account for anomalies but to create a framework that embraces the complexities of human experience—one that is open to exploring how consciousness might transcend time, space, and the physical brain.
One promising area of study that supports this approach is Neurophenomenology. This field seeks to combine first-person subjective experience with neuroscience to study consciousness, particularly focusing on the boundaries of the self. By merging the insights of phenomenology—the study of subjective experience—with objective neuroscientific research, Neurophenomenology creates a platform for understanding how consciousness operates, not just in the brain, but also in relation to subjective perception and the broader universe. This unified framework could reframe our understanding of "true reality" and propose a science-based spirituality, one that bridges the gap between modern scientific knowledge and deeper, more personal human experiences (Ohana, A, 2020).
Such an approach suggests that consciousness is not a separate or isolated phenomenon, but a vital, integrated part of the universe. By acknowledging both the physical and subjective dimensions of reality, we can create a new paradigm that fosters a shared understanding of the world. In essence, the new paradigm would offer not just a redefined understanding of reality, but a shift toward a science that embraces consciousness as a central, integrative force in the universe. This could lead to profound changes in how we perceive ourselves, our relationship to the world around us, and the very nature of existence itself.
References
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