1. Science and Technology of Consciousness
Transcendental Consciousness
More details on EEG, coherence, etc are in the TM and EEG power point. You don’t need to emphasize coherence, EEG etc here.
After the Maharishi picture, there are slides on how EEG is generated. It is fairly technical….

2. Waking Sleeping Yes Content No Content Yes Self No Self Dreaming
Transcendental Consciousness
Waking
Dreaming
Sleeping
1 . Wake
2. Sleep
3. Dream
4. TC

3. Content Analysis of the Description of Transcending
Absence of time, space and body sense
Peaceful
Unbounded
52 college students were asked to describe their deepest experiences during TM practice. They were asked what they experienced and how it felt to them. They were not asked to describe the experience of PC because that may have elicited biased responses based on what they knew about PC rather than their direct experience of this state.
Three themes were common in these descriptions – the absence of time, space and body sense, peacefulness, unboundedness. Time, space and body sense are the framework that gives meaning to everyday experience in waking state of consciousness. An experience occurs at at specific time, in a specific place, and in relation to the experiencer (body sense). Deep meditation experiences were described by the absence of the framework that defines waking state.
Absence of time, space and body sense suggests that PC is not an “altered” or “distorted” state of waking.
Travis and Pearson 2000

4. Transcendental Consciousness Spontaneous Breath Quiescence and Autonomic Measures
Front
Center
Back
Breath
EDA
15 leads of EEG over 40 sec.
The high amplitude regular EEG is alpha activity. Notice you see alpha EEG in the back, center and front.
Breath – inhale and exhale (exhale – line goes down)
Notice the breath quiescent period between the two arrows. It begins with an exhale and ends with an exhale suggesting a slow continous inhale throughout.
Heat rate slows momentarily at onset of apneustic breathing (slow prolonged inhalation) - orienting to TC
EDA is skin resistance, and above EDA is heart rate. Below EDA is skin conductance.
The EDA going down —this underlies greater alertness during TC.
The slowing of heart rate is increase in parasympathetic activity—this underlies greater silence during TC.
The desynchronized EEG in the middle of the slide is a hallmark of orienting—becoming aware of a significant experience.
“Notice the breath quiescent period. It begins with an exhale and ends with an exhale suggesting a slow continous inhale throughout
This line is skin conductance, and this is heart rate variability. This pattern of response is seen during orienting to significant experiences. Also, this desynchronized EEG here is a hallmark of orienting.”
Regular breathing. Then period of orienting – see EEG – then breath quiescent period where skin conductance decreases and heart rate decreases.

5. Junction Point Model Travis, 1994
The x-axis represents time, and the y-axis represents level of excitation. Transcendental consciousness, the fourth state of consciousness, is the state of least excitation of consciousness. The three relative states of consciousness are specific patterns of activity, or excited modes of this fourth state.
In the transitions between waking, NREM-sleep and REM-dreaming, bursts of similar frequency EEG – 7 to 9 HZ – are seen that do not seem generated by known sleep mechanisms.
This suggests a common experience avl at these transitions
Proposed junction pts between waking, dreaming and sleeping – the spaces between each “wave.” Junction pts are windows into the proposed underlying field.
Travis, 1994

6. Junction Point during Sleep and TM practice
EEG spectra during TM are simlar to those reported during waking to sleeping transition.
On left is EEG starting with Eyes closed, then Junction Pt, then Sleep.
On right is EEG starting with Eyes closed, then TM, then Eyes Closed.
During Junction Pt on left, you see alpha activity that is the same as during TM.

7. Junction Points Between Sleeping and Dreaming
Modern science shows what Vedic scientists knew.
Significant peaks in theta/alpha power were seen during transitions between waking, sleeping and dream. Implies a similar state underlies waking, dreaming and sleep.
Time is across the bottom – night’s sleep
Solid line is Delta activity.
Dotted line is Theta/Alpha.
Both represent different frequencies
(Delta rose during stages 3 and 4 and fell during stage 2 and REM sleep)
Delta high – during deep sleep.
Delta low – during REM dreaming
In between the two, Theta/Alpha rose – showing junction pt
Theta/Alpha rose during the waking to NREM sleep transition – shown by open bars on the x-axi.
Theta/Alpha rose during the junction pt between deep sleep and REM dreaming – look at solid bars
Travis, 1994

8. Main Points
The three commonly experienced states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, and sleeping—are each completely unique and different from one another. A junction point exists between these states.
The three states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, and sleeping—are like curtains hiding the essential nature of the unchanging continuum of pure consciousness.

9. Main Points
Scientific research into physiological changes produced during the practice of the TM technique has verified the fourth state of consciousness, transcendental pure consciousness, the source and goal of the three relative states of consciousness.

10. Main Points
In terms of the Junction Point Model, pure consciousness is the underlying “ocean” and particular conscious experiences are the changing waves.
Further testing of this model and of the nature of pure consciousness may provide a basis for fully understanding who we are, and what it means to be fully human.