Altered state of consciousness has a bad rep. It is usually associated with rave parties and wild teenagers popping LS pills. However, these extra ordinary states of consciousness have also produced some of the greatest innovations and solutions to some of the most difficult problems. Kotler and Wheal, of course, do not want you to start using illegal substances that take you to this states of consciousness. In Stealing Fire book, the authors examine the scientific basis of these other states and how they fuel enhanced thinking and help you give peak performance.
Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work Hardcover
Author: Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Dey Street Books (February 21, 2017)
ISBN-10: 0062429655, 978-0062429650
Stealing Fire Review
The Stealing Fire book begins with discussing the neurological basis of enhanced states of consciousness. Eastern literature often talks of mystics who went into transcendental states and meditative states for years and narrated and predicted the unseen. People who use psychedelic drugs confess to out of body experiences where they are transported to unknown places.
Authors cite various studies and research that confirm that these enhanced states of consciousness boost human ability to process information. The heightened sensitivity boosts the rate at which our minds absorb new information and make connections at higher speeds and in a better way.
After discussing the physiological and psychological basis of these enhanced stated of consciousness, Stealing Fire book then dives into different groups and individuals who have experienced operating in the zone. The case studies cite experiences from a varied backgrounds from technology leaders in the Silicon Valley to Navy Seals team.
So can the book lift you from your stupor and make you into a super human working in this higher bandwidth? No. It is not a prescriptive book that will shoe you how you can achieve these super consciousness levels, but an exploration into a group of people from varied backgrounds who are getting amazing results and have these states as the common thread.
Stealing Fire book substantiates that there is potential in exploring the alternative states of consciousness and it is real. There are different tools that can help you unlock these states of high performance states of consciousness and that it offers real value. The book does discuss these tools that do not involve using illegal drugs.
Other Reviews of Stealing Fire
“Ultimately, the book is fine as a sampler for people interested in tuning up their consciousness, but readers will find a deeper dive into biohacking in Kara Platoni’s We Have the Technology (2015) and a more authentic story in Ayelet Waldman’s microdosing memoir A Really Good Day (2017).” ~ Kirkus Reviews
Interview with Steven Kotler on Stealing Fire
Listen to Steven Kotler in this podcast as talks about the Stealing Fire book.