top of page

The experience of time in expanded states of consciousness

Writer's picture: Carla AspesbergerCarla Aspesberger


Have you ever noticed that time backward spells emit?

I find this fascinating as time and space go hand in hand and some go as far as to say that it is time that creates/ emits space... Time is the very prison for experience. Experience can never happen outside of time as it always has a beginning and an end. Which might be why we endlessly fail to "find" ourselves. The deeper conscious awareness we are at our core is known as the unborn Buddha mind.

Unborn because it is not a thing, and yet it exists.


In the upward spiral of knowledge, a broader perspective of our knowledge is revealed. This revelation is facilitated by the utilization of increasingly sophisticated instruments, allowing the measurement of magnetic fields surrounding our heads, courtesy of the minute electric currents within the brain. These refined instruments enable intricate measurements, wherein even the slightest perturbation in one system of the body reverberates through all others, dispelling the notion of the body as a mere collection of separate organs, each isolated and unaffected by the rest.


Just as the body's interconnectedness becomes evident, so does the profound interconnection of society, the entire planet, and the cosmos. As we ponder the concept of time, the conventional notion of clock time emerges, orchestrating the synchronization of actions worldwide – from the schedules of trains, buses, and airplanes to the precise navigation of celestial bodies. The pursuit of more accurate communication necessitates an evolution in timekeeping standards, moving away from mechanical clocks to atomic timepieces, reliant on the stable oscillations of atoms. These clocks continue to divide days into twenty-four hours, minutes, and seconds, a realm known as objective time.



Yet, the perception of time varies in different circumstances.

In the midst of engrossing activities, time races by, while in moments of anticipation or anxiety, it appears to slow to a crawl.


Einstein observed the fluidity of psychological time, where two hours with a delightful companion feels like a minute, but a minute on a scorching stove feels like two hours. This is the concept of subjective time experience was birthed.

Psychedelics (sacred plant medicine) and meditation/ breathwork offer direct experience in this matter.

As they appear to alter the very fabric of time or pierce the perception of the construct of time.


How then can we harness subjective time to our advantage?


Sleep studies unveil the phenomenon of time dilation during dreaming, wherein brief dream episodes yield lengthy narratives. Similarly, hypnosis and certain psychedelic substances, such as Ayahuasca, LSD, Psilocybin, and cannabis, manifest time dilation. Under their influence, reports suggest that speakers articulate their words at a sluggish pace, marked by extended pauses, even though the pitch and tone of their voices remain unchanged. This discrepancy implies an expansion of subjective time while objective time remains constant, affording a more intricate examination of the act of speech. Do our mental processes accelerate in relation to the speaker's, or do they simply possess more time to scrutinize the event?


In rare instances, individuals trained to enter deep theta states and observe a clock may witness the second hand momentarily freeze. The initial reaction is one of shock, prompting a return to ordinary time. However, those who maintain the deep meditative state without direct focus on the clock find the second hand remains motionless, contingent upon their adept control of consciousness states.


It is important to note that this phenomenon does not alter the actual movement of the clock, which continues to measure time in its customary fashion. Instead, it extends the subjective experience of time, analogous to the relativistic theory's revelation that two observers in relative motion will not concur on the rate of their respective clocks.


The common thread among all these scenarios is the presence of an altered or expanded state of consciousness. It is postulated that the observing mind, the awareness that correlates and interprets information provided by the brain, may temporarily vacate the body. This occurrence is akin to daydreaming, where sensory organs and the brain continue to process information, while the 'observer' temporarily diverts its attention elsewhere (potentially into the 4D realm of linear time - past or future).


In one hypothetical scenario, the absent observer might visit some mountains. Such an astray observer could conceivably be sensed by a clairvoyant under specific circumstances. While the observer is engrossed in processing mountain-related information, the input from physical eyes goes unattended. From the moment the watch stops until it restarts, the observer resides beyond the body. In cases where the watch merely slows down, the observer remains partially tethered to the body, processing information at a reduced pace.


When the watch stops, the eyes act as cameras, capturing the last visual input before the observer's departure. This resembles a calculator's screen displaying the most recent data entered. Analogously, when a pendulum reaches an extreme position, there is a region where the connection between time and space becomes uncertain, leading to infinite or near-infinite velocities, owing to the quantum uncertainty principle.

Our bodies exhibit pendulum-like behavior (as explained in previous blogs), suggesting that the observer, devoid of physical mass, may traverse high velocities during the body's oscillations. In such cases, the observer's destination remains a mystery.


Could this potentially explain the phenomena of people on ketamine visiting places on the other side of the globe or even universe?

Does it add a potential pointer to what is occurring when blasting off on a 5-Meo-DMT journey?


The diagram below portrays 4D time, with vertical representing time and horizontal denoting space. The upward movement signifies the passage of time into the future, while the past resides beneath the line. The intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines marks the present, the starting point for any event.





For a photon, the speed of light particles, their journey on this diagram unfolds rapidly. As light travels at approximately 300,000 km/s, the vertical line marks seconds, and the horizontal line denotes distances. These points are connected, forming diagonal lines that extend into the past and future, illustrating the creation of mini "nows" as the present point advances into the future.

The fastest motion in the physical realm is constrained by the speed of light, defining the concept of "time-like." Nevertheless, research delves into hypothetical particles called "tachyons," capable of surpassing the speed of light. Tachyons exhibit behavior labeled "space-like," as they traverse space with minimal temporal consumption. When an entity moves so swiftly that time scarcely elapses during its journey, it appears nearly omnipresent.

Imagine a vehicle capable of light-speed travel, circling the globe seven times in one second, creating a shell of presence around Earth. If this vehicle could approach nearly infinite speeds, it could explore the universe in a heartbeat, effectively achieving omnipresence.




In summary, the interplay between subjective and objective time, the mysteries of altered states of consciousness, and the intriguing nature of tachyons lead us to ponder the fascinating relationship between time and perception in our universe.


Once we've acclimated to the marvel of omnipresence, our thirst for knowledge propels us further. The fast-paced journey, however, leaves us desiring to explore our solar system. To bridge this gap, we conceive a lightning-fast mental computer, conjured swiftly and inexpensively in the theater of our minds. We absorb the cosmos' wisdom as it flows in, evolving from mere omnipresence to omniscience. In this transformation, we spread ourselves across the solar system in a shimmering, vibrating halo – all-seeing and all-knowing.

Infinite speeds turn commonplace, and we delve inward, contemplating our state. Surprisingly, going so fast equates to being at rest in all spaces simultaneously. This paradox urges us to expand our consciousness, allowing our observing mind to encompass all of existence. Consequently, we no longer need to race at breakneck speeds; instead, we comprehend that achieving such velocity corresponds to reaching elevated states of tranquility and being. The circle closes here.


Also, allow me to circle this back to the zero-dimensional point and sphere I mentioned in a previous blog post. Once either of them vanishes - both of them vanish. Taking with them location, comparison, and duality. This could be understood that everything is everywhere and that there is no more center, or in that context speed.


Space and time remain objective as we understand them, but alongside, there exist dotted lines of subjective coordinates, symbolizing subjective time and space. In our usual waking state, these two systems run in parallel and sometimes overlap, pulsating every 90 minutes.


However, during altered or expanded states of consciousness, the subjective coordinates disengage from the objective coordinates and orbit around a shared center.

Let's pivot these subjective coordinates at an arbitrary angle, which we'll call "sigh."




A line, parallel to the space axis, is drawn through the one-second mark, symbolizing the projection of an objective second onto our subjective time. We discover the intersection of subjective time, named "subjective." By measuring the diagonal line's length from "now" to this intersection, we observe that the subjective time unit surpasses its objective counterpart. In essence, it appears we have more time to engage with life's tapestry. In our diagram, we possess four subjective seconds for every objective second.



This concept can be understood through a simple analogy. Imagine a pole with knots, thrust into the earth at a 90-degree angle. When the sun casts a low-angle shadow, the pole's elongated shadow allows us to scrutinize the knots and spaces between them in finer detail.




Yet, this doesn't imply that our mental processes grow swifter or sharper. Rather, any increase in the "sigh" angle extends subjective time. As the subjective time axis leans closer to the horizontal, we might realize that we have, figuratively speaking, a million subjective seconds within every objective second.


Have you ever heard people say that 1 Ayahuasca ceremony can unpack 10 years of therapy? When we look at objective vs subjective time and how altered states of consciousness tilt subjective time on that axis then it becomes clear (to me at least) how one can feel like you worked through a lifetime of trauma and healing in a few hours.


On the other side of the spectrum, I have had personal experience and a lot of clients tell me that a breathwork session that was longer than an hour felt like a few minutes.


So whether time exists or is just a construct of the mind projected outward to allow for logical sense, it sure is fascinating to look at and contemplate.

Recent Posts

See All

1 commento

Valutazione 0 stelle su 5.
Non ci sono ancora valutazioni

Aggiungi una valutazione
Ospite
24 ott 2023
Valutazione 5 stelle su 5.

Fascinating indeed! Thank you so much for this well described information, as well as lots to think about - I will never look at time the same again...


Mi piace
bottom of page