Did Our Ancestors Benefit from a Fourth State of Consciousness?

Leading American psychiatrist identifies ‘lost’ human experience that could be the key to health and happiness – and reveals how we can rediscover it, in his book Transcendence.

We experience life within the realm of three changing states: waking, dreaming and sleeping. Yet in every culture mystics, poets or sages have alluded to a ‘higher’ or greater state of consciousness that has transformative qualities.

Dr Norman Rosenthal, the clinical psychiatrist renowned for identifying Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and pioneering light box treatment, claims this ‘fourth’ state of consciousness, far from being a poetic flight of fancy, is a distinct state with its own physiological signature and brain pattern; a state that was once an ordinary part of human existence, experienced by all and not just a priestly elite.

In his book Transcendence, Dr Rosenthal describes this lost state as ‘transcendence', and weaves testimonies from history and scripture together with modern scientific evidence from numerous studies on Transcendental Meditation to reveal the unique and beneficial characteristics of this fourth state of consciousness.

He explores the function of transcendence, and reveals how it can be easily experienced through regular practice of the TM technique, which has wide-ranging scientifically-proven benefits for health and well-being.

Transcendence is described as a state of 'restful alertness'.  Typically, thoughts subside and the mind settles down to a state of inner wakefulness with no object of thought or perception; just silent awareness.

Dr Rosenthal first encountered ‘transcendence’ in the early 90s when involved in sleep studies as a senior researcher at the USA’s National Institute of Mental Health. A study to explore how the advent of modern lighting had affected our sleep patterns revealed that if participants slept for a period of 14 hours of darkness – equivalent to a full winter's night – every night for a period of several weeks, their sleep would typically divide into two periods, with a waking period of, on average, two hours in between. Participants would experience a feeling of ‘tranquil awareness’ or ‘crystal clear consciousness’ during this time.

'The Watch'

This period of wakefulness corresponded with ‘The Watch’ as described in past centuries. Rosenthal draws on a rich array of literary and poetic descriptions of this ‘mystical experience’ from Homer through to Robert Louis Stevenson. What was the function of The Watch?

One evolutionary function of The Watch, says Rosenthal, was a restorative and transformational one, as, fresh from REM sleep, our ancestors were able to access their dreams and process this valuable information and experience clearer sight, improving decision-making.

In the late 90s, Dr Rosenthal began comparing scientific research on The Watch with research on Transcendental Meditation, which he had learned decades before. He found they ‘shared a common physiology’.

Transcendence is not unique to The Watch or TM, Dr Rosenthal says, but “most modern-day Westerners will seldom experience much, if any, transcendence”. With practice of Transcendental Meditation, however, research has shown that novice meditators very quickly experience the increased brain alpha-wave power and coherence associated with transcendence – within a few months of learning, practising twice a day for 20 minutes. Indeed, their EEG brain measurements are often indistinguishable from that of long-term meditators during practice of TM.

This experience of transcendence, therefore, as with The Watch in pre-historic times, is accessible to all people, and not just the poets and priests among us.