Lilly - The Deep Self

As one proceeds from outer or external projection analysis to internal projection analysis, one moves from the excitation of projection systems by external energies to a lack of such excitation in these systems. For example, in the profound blackness and darkness of the floatation room there is no visual stimulus coming to the eyes or the visual systems. Similarly in the profound silence there are no sounds coming into the acoustic apparatus, and similarly the other systems are at a very low level of stimulation from the external world.

One might expect then that these systems would appear to be absolutely quiet, dark and empty. This is not so. This is the area in which most subjects begin to get into trouble. It is also the area in which psychiatric and clinical judgments may interfere with the natural development of the phenomena. In the absence of external excitations coming through the natural end organs the perception systems maintain this activity. The excitation for this activity comes from other parts of the computer, i.e., from program storage and from internal body sources of excitation. The selfprogrammer interprets the resultant filling of these perceptual spaces at first as if this excitation were coming from outside. In other words, the sources of the excitation are interpreted by the self as if coming from the real world. For certain kinds of persons and personalities this is a very disturbing experience in one sphere or another; for them it is explicable only with telepathy.

We have been taught from babyhood that this kind of phenomena in a totally conscious individual is somehow forbidden, antisocial and possibly even psychotic.

One must analyze this metaprogram that has been implanted in one from childhood, examine its rationality or lack of same and proceed in spite of this kind of an interpretation of the phenomena that occur. Once one has analyzed this as an evasion or a defensive maneuver against seeing the true state of affairs one can allow oneself to go on andexperience the deeper set of phenomena without interfering with the natural metaprograms. After achieving this level of freedom from anxiety, one can then go on to the next stages. (The programming orders for these inner happenings to take place are worked out in advance of the session, at first written down or spoken into a recorder. Later such orders can be programmed without external aids.)

The following phenomenological description has been experienced by one subject under these special conditions. One experiences an immediate internal reality which is postulated by the self. It is apparent to me that ones own assumptions about this experience generate the whole experience. The experienced affects, the apparent appearance of other persons, the appearance of other beings not human, ones own past phantasies, ones own selfanalysis, each can be programmed to happen in interaction with those parts of ones self beyond ones conscious awareness.

The content experienced under these conditions lacks strong reality clues. Externally real displays are not furnished; the excitation from the reality outside does not pattern the displays. Therefore the projections which do occur are from those systems at the next inward level from the operations of the perception apparatus devoted to external reality.

The phenomena that ensue are described by one subject as follows: the visualization is immersed in darkness in three dimensions at times but only when one evades the emerging multidimensional cognitive and conative space. One is aware of the silence in the hearing sphere; this too gives way to the new space which is developing. The body image fluctuates, appearing and disappearing, as fear or other need builds up. As with the darkness and the silence so with the presence or absence of the body image. Progress in using these projection spaces is measured by ones ability to neither project external reality data from storage into these spaces nor to project into these spaces the absence of external reality stimuli.