Tiny Blue Dot

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Oregon titled "Neural and Psychological Evidence to Shift Mindsets from "Me" to "We" Using a Scalable Decentering Curriculum." This project aims to develop an entry-level college course on positive psychology and neuroscience focused on transforming students' mindset from a self-centered perspective to one that emphasizes a collective and pro-social focus.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study at Massachusetts General Hospital titled "Examining the Impact of Heated Yoga on Rumination and Mindfulness." The project aims to examine how doing yoga in a heated room can expand an individual's mindfulness and decrease rumination.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Haifa titled "The Self, Unbound: Neurofeedback-Assisted Meditation for Eliciting Transformative Self-Dissolution Experiences." This study utilizes meditation and neuro-imaging, and seeks to better understand altered states of consciousness and the potential for promoting well-being.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Wisconsin- Madison titled "Expanding the Perception Box Through Neuromodulation-Assisted Ego-Disengagement." Which will use meditation and noninvasive tools, to seek to help people open their minds and let go of their self-centered thoughts, allowing them to see things in a new and broader way.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study at FSU titled "Pointing Beyond the Pain Perception Box: Treating Chronic Pain by Modulating Phenomenological and Psycho-Physiological Indices of Self-Transcendence." The project aims to determine if mindfulness training designed to encourage self-transcendence can lead to long-term pain relief.

Grant supports the construction of a retreat center aimed to be a hub for research and the exploration of consciousness expansion, quality of awareness, healing and reconciliation, self-transformation, and personal development.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study at National Central University titled "Why Do We Feel That Way: Elucidating the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Emotion Perception and Enhancing a Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Intervention." The project aims to investigate the nature of emotion consciousness and develop potential methods to benefit individuals with conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and autism.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Zurich titled "Do Psychedelics Increase Pro-social Behavior? - A Comparative Pharmacological Study in Humans." The aim of the proposed project is to test whether different pharmacological challenges have lasting effects on pro-sociality.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by UCSB titled "Testing the conjecture that quantum processes are necessary to create conscious experience" in which aims to support the role of quantum processes in consciousness that challenge existing paradigms, opening new avenues of research in neuroscience, quantum physics, and beyond.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study at Ernst Strungmann Institute titled "Exhaling the Past: A Comprehensive Neuropsychological Test of Breathwork as a Tool for Trauma Processing and Mental Well-Being." The project aims to explore the potential of circular breathwork as a tool for therapeutic trauma processing.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of California, Riverside titled "Effects of High-Quality Listening on Psychological and Biological Well-Being Through the Expansion of the Perception Box" which studies how attentive and supportive listening can improve well-being and health for both the speaker and listener, potentially even broadening their perspectives and creating a stronger sense of connection.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by Universidad De Santiago titled "Testing the conjecture that quantum processes are necessary to create conscious experience." In this study researchers are using virtual reality to simulate near-death experiences in order to study their potential to reduce death anxiety and improve mental health in terminally ill patients and their loved ones.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by The University of Melbourne titled "A Computational Psychiatry Approach to Understanding the Brain Mechanism Underpinning Altered Perception in Psychosis" in which researchers will use brain scans and decision-making tasks to determine if people with psychosis have a different balance of prior beliefs and sensory information when forming perceptions, which could lead to new treatments.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box studies at UCLA by Dr. Rebecca Gotlieb titled "Does Narrative Skill Training Increase Transcendent Thinking and Social-Emotional Wellbeing Among Minoritized Adolescents?"

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by UCSB titled "Numadelic VR Experiences for Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Patients Facing Life-Threatening Illness" in which aims to support the role of quantum processes in consciousness that challenge existing paradigms, opening new avenues of research in neuroscience, quantum physics, and beyond.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Wisconsin- Madison titled "Activating Neuroplasticity to Enhance the Perception Box Expanding Effects of Psilocybin." This study will seek to link the effects experienced during the psychedelic state, such as mystical experiences, to long-term changes in Perception Box-related areas.

Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by Maastricht University titled "Breathe Hard to Breathe Easy: High-Intensity Online Breathwork-Assisted Psychotherapy for Social Anxiety" which examines if a new type of online therapy that combines high-intensity breathing exercises with traditional psychotherapy that can reduce social anxiety better than slow-paced breathing exercises.

Grant supports a Science of Consciousness Conference. The conference emphasizes broad and rigorous approaches to all aspects of the study and understanding of consciousness. Topical areas include neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, biology, quantum physics, cosmology, meditation and altered states, AI/machine consciousness, culture and experiential phenomenology.

Grant supports the final payment of a Science of Perception Box study being conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison titled "Identify the electrophysiological correlates of ego disengagement." The ultimate goal of this project was to facilitate the achievement of positive ego disengaged states to expand the limits of individual perception box and improve well-being in a large number of subjects with diverse socioeconomical and cultural backgrounds.

Support clinical research on psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT and their potential ability to help treat patients with mental health conditions, providing alternative forms of treatment for currently difficult to treat conditions.

Support the clinical development of MDMA assisted therapy as a potential breakthrough treatment for PTSD, an often intractable condition that causes significant suffering.

Support the IACS research into novel methods for achieving deep meditation and self-transcendence to understand and gain agency over our mental states and responses. By exploring and enhancing these states, the research seeks to expand our perception box, potentially leading to increased empathy and well-being.

Recipient of the 2023 Science of Perception Box RFP: This project aims to see whether it is possible to elicit "ego disengagement" through the combination of non-invasive brain stimulation and basic meditation. If successful, this could help enable broader access to these states, which can lead to increased compassion and improved overall well-being.

This project examines how different mental states-expanded or contracted-affect brain activity in the network associated with self-thoughts and anxiety. It aims to test whether mindfulness practices, through the Unwinding Anxiety app, can improve anxiety symptoms and alter brain function in anxious individuals.

Support Floresta Project's the completion of the Guananshe Sanctuary, a retreat center located in Bahia, Brazil. The sanctuary is designed to be a unique confluence of nature, indigenous wisdom, and self-discovery to shape perceptions. This sanctuary supports education, fosters economic opportunities and promotes inclusion for multiple indigenous tribes in Brazil.

Support research on psilocybin aimed at understanding how this substance alters consciousness at the cellular level, which is crucial for developing targeted and effective mental health treatments. This project aligns with Perception Box principles by exploring how all changes in brain cell activity can transform our perceptions and experiences.

Recipient of the 2023 Science of Perception Box RFP: Support neuroscientific research that is using brain studies and stimulation to understand and potentially alter how emotions are perceived and experienced, shaping an individual's Perception Box. This research has the potential to help further our knowledge of how emotions work, as well as help those who struggle with emotional processing.

This project explores whether psychedelics can induce lasting pro-social behavior changes, potentially offering new therapeutic avenues for disorders characterized by social difficulties. By examining the enduring effects of serotonergic psychedelics, researchers aim to understand how these substances might fundamentally shift social interactions and engagement.

Recipient of the 2023 Science of Perception Box RFP: This project explores how Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT), a 5-minute breathing practice, can improve mental and physical health by potentially shifting stress responses and overall well-being.

Recipient of the 2023 Science of Perception Box RFP: Support neuroscientific research addressing the broken trust and violent encounters between police officers and Black community members in the U.S. by developing mindfulness-based interventions. By fostering empathy and understanding through all shared experiences, the project aims to reshape perceptions and forge stronger bonds, promoting mental well-being, safety, and an improved quality of life for all.

Recipient of the 2023 Science of Perception Box RFP: This project aims to develop an entry-level college course on positive psychology and neuroscience to cultivate a healthy, decentered mindset. The course will use psychological, linguistic, and neuroimaging measures to ensure effectiveness, with materials made available worldwide to promote stress-resilience, empathy, and compassion.

This project supports a study that aims to enhance the positive effects of psychedelic assisted therapy by strengthening memories of the psychedelic experience through transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). The goal is to make the benefits of psychedelics longer lasting and more durable, allowing individuals to see and understand the world in new ways.

Support Neuroscience School of Advanced Studies Conference on Consciousness furthering research that contributes to breakthroughs that can reshape our understanding of human cognition and perception, further democratizing neuroscience education globally.

GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT

Supporting preclinical and clinical studies of 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin (two consciousness-expanding medicines) for treating mental health disorders

Supporting research to understand the neural correlates and physical substrate of consciousness in the brain; Supporting research to help people open their minds and let go of their self-centered thoughts using meditation and noninvasive neuromodulation tools and also, research to enhance the consciousness-expanding effect of psilocybin

Supporting clinical studies for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in patients with drug-resistant PTSD

SUPPORTING NEUROSCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE NEURAL BASIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHEDELICS ON THE HUMAN BRAIN

Supporting research for a novel technique to detect consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) and a new therapy based on focused ultrasound to regain consciousness in DoC patients.

Supporting neuroscientific research for understanding neural correlates of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Supporting research to enhance meditative states by using non-invasive technology based on focused ultrasound and imaging-assisted neurofeedback

Supporting research for a novel technique based on transcranial magnetic stimulation to detect consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness and testing a new method based on focused ultrasound to treat anxiety

Supporting neuroscientific research for understating the neural correlates of consciousness and detecting consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness

Supporting neuroscientific research for understanding brain mechanisms involved with anxiety and treating it.

Supporting for establishing an ethnobotanical research and retreat center dedicated to indigenous traditional medicine from the Amazon rainforest with the ultimate goal of expanding awareness, creating a new bioeconomic alternative, empowering indigenous communities, providing cultural exchange, and supporting plant medicine schools in indigenous lands.