CONSCIOUSNESS

5. Experiential Approaches 195
lepathy, clairvoyance or psychokinesis published in peer reviewed journals) (reviewed, Perry
and Laws, in press). Evidence for these apparently anomalous effects is provided by data
obtained in controlled studies (over 100 published on telepathy in the last 30 years), deviating
from chance to only a small extent (presumably reflecting if they do exist the function of the
normal brain to filter incoming information), but with extraordinarily high levels of statistical
significance. As neither sceptics nor believers we suggest such evidence is worth considering
as potentially contributing to much needed paradigm shifts in theories of consciousness
(parallel to ‘thinking the impossible’ in current theories in the field of quantum physics).
Thirdly and more speculatively, but potentially clinically important, shamanic claims for ‘ectopic’
influences on mental health (‘spirit invasion’ or ‘soul loss’) are so far supported by
only occasional scientific reports. Brain pathologies in disorders such as dementia, including
cholinergic deficits with relative serotonergic hyperactivity, are similar to pharmacological
effects of many ‘plants of the gods’ and could, by reducing normal filter mechanisms, expose
a minority of individuals to confusing or disturbing experiences of consciousness beyond
the brain (Perry, 1995; Perry and Perry, 1995). While evidence for consciousness beyond the
brain is lacking for most paranormal phenomena, it is in some specific instances convincing
enough to provoke consideration by mainstream neuroscientists, and stimulate further
controlled investigation towards the goal of generating new testable theories of the science
of consciousness. Perry EK (2002) Plants of the gods, in ‘Neurochemistry of Consciousness’
(Ed Perry E, Ashton H and Young A) John Benjamins, pp 205-28 Perry EK, Laws V (in press)
From plants of the gods to shamanic consciousness, in ‘Exploring the boundaries of consciousness’
(Ed Perry E, Collerton D, Lebeau F, Ashton C) John Benjamins. Perry E (1995)
Conscious awareness and neurotransmitter signaling: possible non-local interactions? Int J
Geriatric Psychiat 10:1093-4 Perry EK and Perry RH (1995) Acetylcholine and hallucinations:
disease-related compared with drug-induced alterations in human consciousness. Brain
and Cognition 28:240-58 C7
293 Visions of Quantum Superposition in William James’ “Subjective Effects of
Nitrous Oxide” Keith Turausky ([STUDENT], University of
Arizona, Tucson, AZ)
The reputation of William James as the Great American Philosopher remains a commonplace
in consciousness studies, even a century after his death. It is no doubt a sign of how
much society has since changed that an intellect of James’ eminence could ever get away
with publishing an essay entitled “Subjective Effects of Nitrous Oxide” – much less with
data consisting entirely of anecdotal evidence collected during his own recreational use of
the anesthetic! It is just as much a sign of James’ truly *phenomenal* genius, however, that
even these now-risque explorations bear out history’s glowing remembrance of his prognostic
abilities. When he published “Subjective Effects of Nitrous Oxide” in 1882, James obviously
could know nothing of relativity, much less quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, an informed
modern reading suggests that James caught a glimpse of the forces at work in the quantum
model of consciousness known as Penrose-Hameroff Orch OR. In this paper, I will argue that
the subjective effects of nitrous oxide correlate with the objective mechanism of nitrous oxide’s
influence on the brain – specifically the accelerated state of superposition it forces upon
certain neural proteins via quantum-mechanical forces. Using a framework of six discrete
phenomenological themes, I will argue that the experiences, sensations, and thoughts (i.e.,
“visions”) induced by sub-anesthetic amounts of nitrous oxide could rightly be called *subjective
quantum effects*. In addition to James’ observations on the subject – which extend well
beyond his 1882 essay – I will consider earlier writings from nitrous oxide’s discoverers and
first enthusiasts. It is my belief that modern science and philosophy can shed significant new
light on these often cryptic texts. Whether or not Penrose-Hameroff Orch OR entirely explains
consciousness, it is backed by solid evidence that anesthetic gases like nitrous oxide (N2O)
affect the physical brain at the quantum level. If one accepts this much, it stands to reason that
the phenomenology of nitrous oxide-induced conscious states would likewise involve quantum
strangeness. One with the intellectual stamina to *take notes* on the scene thus revealed
would be a rare genius indeed, but such an accolade would come as nothing new to the great
William James. C7