Category Archives: Neurohacking

The term hacker has its origins in computer programming subcultures from the 60s, and was used to describe people who wanted to take on hard problems in a spirit of playful exploration and a resistance to unearned authority. Although the methods, means and intentions of hackers varied widely, all seemed to share a unique ethos that mixed a deep commitment to individual autonomy and agency with an equally deep commitment to collaboration and co-creation.

Over time, the concept of hacking has traveled far from its origins, finding its way into a number of domains like Biohacking, Consciousness Hacking, Flow Hacking and Life Hacking. Each is a kind of hacking because each shares this hackers ethos and a commitment to using it to find the most effective ways to optimize the human experience.

We call the common thread that links these hacking communities together, empowered responsibility. This notion expresses the dual recognition that we are no longer able to rely on external authorities to take care of us (in any domain) but through a combination of ubiquitous information, individual experimentation and open collaboration, we are increasingly empowered to take responsibility for ourselves.

In the Biohacking community, the spirit of empowered responsibility drives the process of optimizing ones biological health and performance. Biohackers learn from each other how they can modify their nutrition, exercise, sleep, movement, and mindset to achieve the specific kind of well-being that they individually desire.

The Consciousness Hacking community takes empowered responsibility in using technology as a catalyst for psychological, emotional and spiritual flourishing. They utilize mindfulness techniques and biofeedback tools for self-exploration, taking personal responsibility for their conscious experience in this most individual of journeys.

Emerging from within and alongside these movements, we are observing the coalescence of a new and important domain: Neurohacking.

Whereas biohacking concentrates on the body, and consciousness hacking explores the inner experience, neurohacking is somewhere in the middle, focusing on the mind-brain interface the intersection of neurology and consciousness. Specifically, neurohacking involves applying science and technology to influence the brain and body in order to optimize subjective experience.

The desired outcomes of neurohacking cover everything from focused productivity, to expanded creativity, more restful sleep, reduced anxiety, enhanced empathy, and anything else that contributes to the psychological well-being and emotional health of whole, thriving human beings.

The technologies of neurohacking run the gamut from chemical technologies like nootropics and entheogens, probiotics to support the gut-brain connection, bioelectrical technologies like neurofeedback and transcranial stimulation, photic therapies like low level laser therapy and all the way to embodied practices like somatics and meditation. So long as there is a scientifically accessible biological mechanism for effecting subjective experience, it belongs in the domain of neurohacking.

Of course, like all emergent phenomena, neurohacking didnt just come from nowhere. For years there have been many movements and communities out there, playing in and pioneering some aspect of the neurohacking space.

Some of these domains include:

We propose that it is now timely and useful to perceive the commonality among these different movements and communities as shared aspects of Neurohacking. And in an effort to make these commonalities more visible and legible to each other, in the upcoming weeks we will take a deeper dive into each, highlight some notable people and projects in each space and explore the frontiers of the community from the point of view of Neurohacking.

In our next post, we will begin this exploration with the domain of Nootropics.

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What is Neurohacking? - NEUROHACKER COLLECTIVE

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Click Here ForOur Review of Qualia

While I was at Paleo f(x), one of my good friends TJ mentioned a new brain supplement that had just come to market. Knowing that I love nootropics and all things cognitive enhancing, he offered me some. Thaddeus also received a stack of pills to pop the next day and try out. This isnt just one little pill trying to do all things and failing because you just cant stick enough nutrients into one little pill. No. This is a stack of capsules and tablets, 8 in all, to be taken at two different times. Part A and Part B.

After taking Qualia one time, Thaddeus and I were both thoroughly impressed and excited to try it on a more long term basis because of its reported ability to detoxify and positively influence more brain functions with longer use.

This article will look at why Neurohacker Collective created Qualia, the reported benefits and science behindit, and also what Thaddeus and I experienced from the one time we supplemented with it.

First off The threebiggest issues that I have with nootropics are:

Neurohacker Collective seems to address all three of these issues and much more with The most advanced nootropics stack in the world. They do make some bold claims, but they seem to be able to back them up with TONS of research and are very open about all of their ingredients and the science behind them.

To understand the why, we first have to look at the who:

We are Neurohackers. We come from a variety of backgrounds some scientific, some entrepreneurial, some formal, a lot learned through direct experience and trial and error. What we have in common is a shared understanding of the potential of Neurohacking and a shared commitment to the principle of Empowered Responsibility.

No, Neurohacker Collective isnt some offshoot of the hacker group Anonymous, even though Im sure many of them would love this product.

They are essentially a group of people that are passionate about understanding and upgrading the mind and body to a point where we can truly experience optimal performance at the highest levels.

Neurohacking is described as the

intentional use of technical means (including practices like meditation) to change the physical layer of subjective experience (e.g. our brains, our neurology, our bodies) in desired directions.

We have all heard that we only use a small portion of our brains, but there is quite a bit of variation of views on this. What I believe is that we have only learned to harness a small part of our brains potential and capacity. If we could unlock even a little bit more,there is no telling what could be accomplished. That is the goal of neurohacking and why Qualia was created. To begin taking our consciousness to the next level!

The era we live in has so much potential and at the same time, so much danger. We have access to unlimited amounts of information and the ability to instantly learn about anything we can imagine. The bad side of this is that we have so much going on inside of our brains and throughout our daily activities that we become overloaded, subject to chronic stress and ultimately disconnected from reality. With all of the wonderful things technology has given us, the side effects are increasing amounts of oxidative damage, negative chemicals, pollution, stress and exposure to things that can cause major damage tothe brain and body.

Mass marketed products promise this or that, but its very hard to distinguish the good from the bullshit. Qualia seems to approach this issue full steam ahead with their transparency and attention to detail on every one of their claims and ingredients.

Here are the promises that they make.

We strive to provide the most accurate information in an open and honest fashion for the purpose of empowering our community.

We bias only towards truthfulness and clarity. If someone does a better job than we do at anything, we will not only defer to them, we will actively help them achieve success.

We only provide products where we can deliver a categorically superior solution to anything currently in the market.

We strive to provide the highest quality possible in every aspect of our products: the best science, the highest quality ingredient sourcing, the best delivery mechanisms, the highest quality information and customer service, etc.

We strive to create a healthy, mutualistic, long-term relationship with our community, based on real value, care, honesty, respect and an enduring commitment to our promises.

With over 40 different ingredients there are way too many benefits to talk about in this article but we will touch on a few of the ones I feel separate this supplement from the rest.

The firstissue with nootropics that I mentioned earlier was that they can be great when you need them, but once you stop taking them, you lose the effects. They dont affect your cognitive function long term. Qualia attempts toaddress this issue in three different ways.

It is through this process that we are able to permanently improve and repair our brain. This not only helps us during day to day life, but could have wonderful effects on cognitive decline related conditions like Alzheimers, Parkinsons and dementia.

The second issue I mentioned was that with most nootropics, you are essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul when it comes to the functions and nutrients in the brain. You take something that creates a spike in a certain type of neurotransmitter or function, which in turn can create a potentially harmful imbalance or reduction in other necessary aspects.

Qualia addresses this by including multiple different compounds that together work synergistically to improve your cognitive function as a whole. This increases the neural processes across the board so you gain the maximum benefit without neglecting any other aspects.

As much as I hate to use the term multi-vitamin, this is essentially a multi-vitamin for your brain. It provides almost all of the nutrients your brain needs to operate at more than optimal levels.

Many of the ingredients are things that I take in single supplements, so that cuts down on how many separate things I have to buy.

Mostsupplement companies use less effective forms of certain nutrients because they are so much cheaper. This is not the case with Qualia.

Take for example magnesium. Magnesium must be bound to something else before it can be adequately absorbed. One of these binders is oxygen, which produces magnesium oxide, which is the most common for of magnesium sold, but has been shown to have one of the lowest amount of bioavailability.

The form of magnesium used in Qualia is one of my favorite. It is also the most expensive. Magnesium threonate effectively crosses the blood brain barrier and has been shown to improve learning abilities, working memory and both short and long term memory.

The most common type of B12 in supplements is cyanocobalamin. There are a few problems with this form though. Besides not being as easily absorbed, it alsocontains the cyanide molecule. While from a toxicity standpoint, the amount is small and from a toxicology point, viewed as insignificant, your body will still need to remove and eliminate this compound.

Id rather not put something toxic in my body, even if I know it will be able to eliminate it easily. Id rather save my liver and detox systems for things that I cant avoid.

Methylcobalamin is absorbed better and stored in higher amounts in your tissues than cyanocobalamin. It is also the form of B12 that you find in nature and is not bound to a known toxic substance like cyanide.

These are just a couple of the high quality ingredients in Qualia. If you want to take a look atthe rest of the ingredients and the reasons why those ingredients are included, check out their formula page.

This is only a review of taking it for one day. We will be writing a larger review once we both take it for a complete month so stay tuned for that.

Thaddeus and I both tried it when we were at Paleo f(x) and definitely felt the effects.

For reference, this supplement is taken in two parts. For a maximum dose, you take 3 capsules on an empty stomach, and then 5 tablets with food afterwards. If you are new to some of these ingredients or nootropics in general, we recommend taking a smaller dose and seeing how you feel from that.

I took the first step right before we left our AirBnb to head to the conference. Once at the conference, I grabbed some free Bulletproof coffee and a few snacks from the vendors so that I could take step two.

I started to feel the effects about 30 minutes after taking step two. I dont know if this was when step one was kicking in or if they both started kicking in at the same time.

The immediate thing that was noticed was a lessening of anxiety related to social interactions. I started to talk to complete strangers and felt I was much more present and aware while having conversations with people. I ended up having a really deep conversation with twoof the vendors there and sharing our own personal journeys to where we are today.

This was a constant thing I felt all throughout the day. Many people even mentioned how much they enjoyed our conversation and that they looked forward to staying in touch in the future.

Another big thing that I noticed was how easily I was able to focus onthings. Whether I was talking to someone, watching a speaker, or when I just picked up a book to scan a few pages, I felt and almost tunnel vision like focus that nothing could distract me from. At the same time, I also seemed to have a much larger area of awareness. It was almost as if my senses had been slightly increased so that I was aware of things much quicker than usual and my peripheral vision even seemed to increase a little bit.

Im quite used to nootropics having a positive effect on these things, but not to this level. I found it much easier to remember the names of people that I met briefly in passing and also quite vividly remember their faces and the content of the conversations I had with them.

I also had much easier time speaking about complicated topics and was able to better articulate what I was trying to say. While engaged in a discussion with a few different people about the function of our three brains one woman asked if I ever did any public speaking because I was doing a great job of explaining it. This has never happened to me before. In the past, when talking about something fairly complicated, I have struggled to be able to describe or explain the concept. I usually have a lot of those instances where I know what I was to say, but have a hard time putting it in to words.

There are many other things that seemed enhancedthroughout the day, but I will wait to mention them until I can be sure that they were in fact a result of Qualia and not from some of the other great foods and supplements that I tried later that day.

Part 1 I downed the supplements with some water at the Air BnB. We headed out the door to the conference. Rolling up to the Bulletproof booth, I pulled out Part 2, filled up my large travel mug with Bulletproof coffee and downed part 2. Bam. A half hour later my mind exploded.

Actually, it felt like I had downed 5 strong cups of coffee and I was a but jittery. I dont take a lot of nootropics and have only recently started experimenting with them. This stack seemed almost too much for me. I decided to take part in the fitness competition and banged off some medicine ball throws and jumps. After the exercise I felt amazing. Jitteryness gone I moved on to the biofeedback session I had signed up for. During the training session in the classroom and in the hands on session afterward I felt amazing. My mind was firing on all cylinders. I was calm and felt comfortable and outgoing.

After the biofeedback session I headed over to the fitSCORE area to do some deadlifts. The record was 71 deadlifts in 2 minutes lifting your own body weight. I had tried this the day before and made 49 in the time allowed. I was determined to hit 71 today. Qualia flowing though my mind and body, I set up and went for it. 72 deadlifts later I had set the new Paleo f(x) record!!! I dont know if that was due to the supplements or all my training or both. But I can say that I felt amazing the whole day and cant wait to use this supplement on a more long term basis.

As I mentioned before, after trying Qualia for a month, Thaddeus and I will do a complete review of our experience. If you want to dig deeper in to the science behind this product and its ingredients, check out their formulation and science page.

I am looking forward to experimenting with this supplement and the possibility of, as the creators put it

Upgrading the Hardware Consciousness Runs On

The conceptsof neurogenesis (the ability the brain has to grow new cells) and neuroplasticity (the ability the brain has to rewire itself to adapt and overcome problems) are still in their infancy stages, and I think products like these, combined with a large amount of citizen scientists like Neurohacker Collective and you and Iwill be fundamental in increasing our understanding of consciousness and the brain.

If you have any comments or questions about Qualia for us or the creators of it, leave a comment below.

Happy Neurohacking!

Disclaimer We weregiven a free months supply of Qualia to try out and will use this gift to tell you all about ourexperience 4 weeks in.

Make sure to check out the rest of the posts in our nootropics series.

What Are Nootropics?

Natural Nootropics Plants As Smart Drugs

Racetams A Whole Family of Nootropics

Mental Clarity To Focus On What Matters TruBrain Review

Check Out These Nootropics Tips Guide To Using Nootropics

Favorite Nootropics of Top Entrepreneurs and Executives

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Qualia - More than a Nootropic - All In One Supplement for ...

Jonathan Robinson has made a career of uncovering hacks that increase happiness & bliss in peoples lives. We introduced him to the concept of neurohacking and gave him some Qualia to try. He liked it so much, hes added it to his morning protocol. Below are a... Supplement Police is a rank and review nutritional supplement website. They base their reviews off 6 elements they believe will tell you whether the product youre searching for will be a worthwhile investment. Theyve taken the time to review Qualia, and were... Thaddeus and Chris at ERISFIT are consummate biohackers. They focus on how they can modify their nutrition, exercise, sleep, movement, and mindset to maximize performance and achieve greater levels of wellbeing. Their goal is to bring these tools and practices into... In a previous post, we discussed the value of nootropics as a tool in the neurohackers toolbox. They can help get us dialed in with laser focus and get things done. They can aid with concentration, learning, and memory. But productivity isnt the only context for the... Lets face it as anyone who is paying attention knows, we humans are in a bit of an emergence through emergency scenario. Every day the people and institutions that we used to be able to rely on are falling apart; failing to do even a little part of their... Neurohacking is all about using the right tool for the job. While racetams and transcranial stimulators more directly interface with our brain and neurochemistry, there are other less obvious ways to impact our psychological well-being and subjective experience.... Nootropics. You might have heard of them. The limitless pill that keeps Billionaires richer than you. The smart drugs that students are taking to help jack up their hyperfocus (Vice). The cognitive enhancers that give corporate executives an unfair advantage.... The term hacker has its origins in computer programming subcultures from the 60s, and was used to describe people who wanted to take on hard problems in a spirit of playful exploration and a resistance to unearned authority. Although the methods, means and...

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Blog - NEUROHACKER COLLECTIVE

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Neurohacking is the colloquial term for (usually personal or 'DIY') neuroengineering. It is a form of biohacking focusing on the brain and CNS. Strictly speaking it is any method of manipulating or interfering with the structure and/or function of neurons for improvement or repair.

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Transcript of What is Neurohacking

What is Neurohacking Neurohacking is the colloquial term for neuroengineering. It is a form of biohacking focusing on the brain and CNS. Strictly speaking it is any method of manipulating or interfering with the structure and/or function of neurons for improvement or repair. Neurohacking To observe, effect, manipulate and control the brains process with technology The technology ranges Chemicals pharmaceuticals sound of light electronic devices Electroencephalography (EEG) This Technology allows us to record and monitor the electrical actives of the brain, produced from the firing of neurons EEG is very useful in Biofeedback and can help people control their minds, focus better, relax and much more Brain Waves What the Brain waves mean Delta 0-4 Deep sleep, females show the most Theta 4-7 Drowsy or meditative and sleeping state Alpha 8-12 Closed eyes, relaxed Beta 12-30 Awake, concentrated Gamma 30-100 active and thinking William Grey Walter Wrote the book the living brain Hans berger Inspired Brion Gysin, Ian Sommerville, and William Burroughs to invent the Dream Machine "Anything that can be done chemically, can be done with our minds." -William S. Burroughs Neurofeedback and Biofeedback Refers us to technology where we can see what is happening in the body in real time How it Works

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What is Neurohacking by Gabrielle Porter on Prezi

Community Forum

Were part of a robust community of neurohackers with backgrounds in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, smart drugs and nootropics, integrative medicine, bioethics, and private laboratory experimentation.

Aligned with our mission of curating the most meaningful neurohacks, were developing an online hub for our peers to answer questions, give input, and share experiential research on the most promising technologies currently available.

Many incredible technologies exist for enhancing our subjective experience, but most people have never heard about them and likely wouldnt stumble upon them through a typical google search. We want to change that.

We are taking on the challenge of curating a directory of the most effective and promising neurohacking technologies and tools out there. That includes anything that influences the neurologic hardware responsible for mediating our conscious experience and performative capabilities: chemical technologies like nootropics and smart drugs, bioelectrical technologies like transcranial stimulation, photic therapies like low level laser therapy, all the way to neurofeedback techniques, meditation training, or embodied practices like somatics.

Our goal is to broadly cover the various categories of technologies that meet our criteria for neurohacks, then hone in on a vetted list of tools and practices weve discovered that produce the most significant positive results. As new discoveries and breakthroughs are made, well work with the community to keep this resource continually updated.

Citizen science and the quantified self movement have opened new portals for discovery, empowering us to collect and analyze data about ourselves, and share what works and what doesnt with each other.

In that spirit, were developing an app to help track changes in psychological states and cognitive capacities, as a function of using our products or any other neurohacking technologies. The data generated will help us better understand the most effective ways to positively influence our neurology to experience a higher quality of life.

Lets just say, cognitive enhancement is only the beginning.

Originally posted here:

Ethos - NEUROHACKER COLLECTIVE

Neurohacking is the colloquial term for (usually personal or 'DIY') neuroengineering. It is a form of biohacking (qv) focusing on the brain and CNS. Strictly speaking it is any method of manipulating or interfering with the structure and/or function of neurons for improvement or repair.

The main goal of neurohacking is optimal mental health. Other goals include damage repair, simulated reality, prevention of disease and augmentation of abilities or of intelligence overall. It utilises information and technology mainly from the fields of epigenetics, bio/neurofeedback, psychopharmacology, biological psychology and functional analysis, but many practitioners also employ physical exercise, nutritional guidelines, vitamins & supplements, meditation and/or self-hypnosis. Some avoid all neuroactive substances including caffeine, alcohol, food additives and fast-release sugars. Current research focus on the nature and development of intelligence and how to increase or improve it. The works of Dr. Herman Epstein, Joseph LeDoux, Alex Ramonsky, Frederick Starr and David Barker are influential. The ethical basis of Neurohacking for health is that it should be practiced strictly with informed consent.

There are numerous examples of the use of neural implants for therapy, however the only experiments involving hacking into the nervous system for enhancement appear to be those conducted by Kevin Warwick. In a series of experiments at the University of Reading, Warwick became the first human recipient of a BrainGate electrode array implant on 14 March 2002, into the median nerve of his left arm. With this in place he was able to control a robot arm to copy his own hand movements.[1] Warwick's nervous system was also connected with the internet in Columbia University, New York to enable him to control the robot arm in the University of Reading, also receiving feedback from sensors in the finger tips. A simpler array was implanted into the arm of Warwick's wife. With this in place they were able to achieve the first direct electronic communication between the nervous systems of two humans.[2]

The term neurohacking is also used for a method of attempting to retrieve information from the brain (such as passwords, locations, etc..) without consent; presently no technology exists for such a tactic. The concept has been used much in science fiction (e.g. the film "The Matrix"). In data retrieval, some sort of braincomputer interface (BCI) is typically used, where the brains neuron synapses are somehow captured or recorded to be processed for information. Promoters of this concept generally refer to the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or MEG (magnetoencephalography) to support the plausibility of this concept. Although some sort of neuroimaging could someday be used, the accuracy of any present day method is not nearly close enough. For instance, it is assumed that neurohacking requires detection of the state of individual neurons (approximately 1 micrometer diameter) while the resolution of the MEG is several thousand neurons and other imaging systems may be even larger. It is estimated that usable neurohacking of this type is still many decades away.

Caffeine, alcohol, over the counter medicine, and other drugs are all forms of neurohacking. Every one of these substances alters or "tricks" the brain into desirable conditions. When ingesting caffeine, the brain is fooled into thinking the body has energy and keeps the consumer awake. The brain's neurons naturally produce adenosine as a byproduct which is monitored by the nervous system. Once the level of adenosine is at a certain point, the body will feel tired. Caffeine acts as fake adenosine and binds to the body's receptors. However, instead of disappearing, it blocks the adenosine receptors so the brain's stimulants, dopamine and glutamate, can work more freely. Since neurohacking is the interference with the structure and function of neurons, caffeine consumption is in fact a neurohack. Similarly, other substances that affect the brain and functions of neurons are also neurohacks. Alcohol is the most interesting form of neurohacking because it affects multiple neurotransmitters instead of just one. This is because alcohol is a fat soluble molecule. Since lipids are a major component of cell membranes, alcohol is able to enter the membranes of neurons and change their properties. Specifically, alcohol inhibits the glutamate receptor function, enhances GABA receptor function, as well as raises dopamine and endorphin levels. This causes all sorts of reactions, including liveliness and excitement. Alcohol also causes one to lose their anxieties, because of the effect of alcohol on GABA receptors. After alcohol affects the system, it causes the body to go through what is called neurotransmitter rebound. This is because when alcohol takes effect, it overuses the GABA system so when it wears off, the GABA system makes the body feel restless.

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Neurohacking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's another new year; that's another new chance To remake our lives, you and me; A world without borders or barriers or bounds

A world some don't want us to see...

Each year I resolve with the strongest intent To go farther this year than the last. And to look back and see how far last year I went, Though distractions distract me so fast!

I did meditation and lay on my bed,

I just started to feel where its at,

With a wonderful warmth round the top of my head,

Then I looked up and saw its the cat.

I threw out my TV! My girlfriend went too,

But that's a good lesson you see;

It was 50 wide, and I think on the side

She was living with it, not with me.

I went low GI and I've lost lots of weight

And now eating whatever I please,

But last night I dreamed I had antlers and wings,

So I really must lay off the cheese.

My new GSR made an interesting noise,

Which I hoped was my mind rearranging,

Then I read the instructions; my genius it seems

Was just that the batteries need changing.

But with this new year I just know Ill win out, Just watch how I do and youll see! Im not going to head for another blowout; Ill be cool as I know I can be.

Cos when stupid things beckon, and Im not so strong, When I snapback and fall on my ass, Ill be thankful again you folks help me along As you have during all the years past.

Im so grateful that youre all here! Happy New Year!

potmouse

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The Neurohacking Association

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Seeking a Definition for Neurohacking...?

Rather than giving you one strict definition, which is never the truth for everyone, we asked group members: How would you explain what neurohacking is, and why do you do it? The comments below are their replies:

I see neurohacking simply as neuroscience-based self-improvement, and I do it to narrow the gap between the life I have and the life I want.

***

Neurohacking teaches you how your brain works and how you can improve your mood and health. For me it was a way to repair some problems because I got rid of migraine and backaches by learning one of the first things, the relaxation response. Then I got into biofeedback because that way I didnt need tablets for blood pressure because I can control it. I notice that my confidence has got better as well.

***

Neurohacking is about ways of keeping your mind healthy and your brain performing at its best. I do it for maintaining and improving my mental health and partly to avoid decline with age, the same reasons I go to the gym for health of my body.

Why have a fit healthy body and a weak confused mind?

***

Neurohacking helps you to understand yourself. When doing NH you can go beyond "I must have got out of bed on the wrong side" way of thinking and figure out which side exactly is better to get out of bed on.

***

The Matrix had me. Neurohacking was the Red pill.

***

Neurohacking is changing your mind by changing your brain chemistry and learning how to control these states and work with them. Sometimes we humans do this just for fun, but it is what shamans have been doing since ages past. I like experimenting with drugs and methods of changing perception. Im also interested in intelligence augmentation or as I would call it the pursuit of Wisdom and enhancing our creativity and imagination, basically expanding all the frontiers of our minds, working with nature and our biology.

***

"Neurohacking is The act of evolving from a simple lab-rat to a pandimensional being."

"Self-Help gone right."

"Trying to keep the fragile balance required to be a sturdy human being."

***

To me, neurohacking begins with the acknowledgement that you are your bodybrain. From there, it's just a system of practical advice designed to reground yourself in the physical and mental capabilities that you were born with. It's not 'hacking' in the sense of overclocking, but in the sense of 'lifting the hood, understanding what's going on, and making obvious and natural improvements'. It's open-source and voluntary.

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"The culmination of millenia old philosophy, psychology, physiology and more, in one little red pill. The fastest means to achieve the most valuable human resource: Freedom. Why do I do it? There is no way not to do it, I only get it (right)." (Marcos Rojas)

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For me, neurohacking (the concept as it has evolved for me, as a part of this forum), is simply having some knowledge and techniques for improving the functioning of my body/mind/emotions, to improve the overall quality of my life, including longevity, health/vitality, mental functioning, emotional balance, as well as interpersonal communication, cooperative ventures, including art, music, poetry/prose/ songwriting, etc., and even on-line discussion.

For me, knowing things and learning things are not the ultimate achievements in my life, however theycan help me to create a much better foundation and framework, (or matrix) for what I dovalue most. ( a synergy of physical emotional, mental and spiritualgrowth or evolution ofconsciousness, interaction/communication, and expression.)

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Neurohacking is the 'practical' to the 'theory' of neuroscience. Neuroscience gives you knowledge as facts about the brain and mind and intelligence. Neurohacking gives you knowledge as ability to use that information to improve yourself.

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Neurohacking is another word for 'entelechy' for me that means learning how to do the most beneficial things for the good of intelligence, and that has fulfilled me personally as well. I have always been interested in how intelligence works. The more I learn, the more interested I get. I now see NH as a path to imaginative creativity in all things, interactions and relationships. I am hoping to learn enough to start running workshops and courses in the future.

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I would say that neurohacking is having a conscious awareness of the forces shaping your consciousness, and consciously altering those forces in order to improve the interaction between your consciousness and the outside world. Neurohacking is inherently recursive, since the system doing the altering is also the system being altered, and I would say that any form of 'self-improvement' that has that feature probably qualifies as a neurohacking technique.

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Neurohacking is just like computer hacking you change the system to do something better, to perform better, or sometimes to stop someone doing something nasty to you. Im interested in "Artificial Intelligence" and biotechnology stuff like mind/brain-computer interface and uploading, virtual reality. Intelligence is like the most important thing that humans (and machines) have access to, but most of them dont really even have a clue what it is and what it can do.

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"Hacking is often associated with the quest for efficiency, expanding the concept to the ultimate machine, our own brains, seems toencompass much more than just brain efficiency, since the brain can assimilate the real world and expand its domain overit. True freedom of choice is impossible without knowing the full spectrum of your choices.

Expanding your mind is arequirement to fit that spectrum in, and start to glance its magnificence.

NGI = Natural General Intelligence. (contrasting with the search for AGI)

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"Neurohacking is any act of intentionally altering/modifying your bodybrain state resulting in eithertemporary or long-term effects. The primary goal of NH is developing a bodybrain in full health with access to all it's functions in all networks, and in the process repairing any pre-existing damage and building the potential for experiencing an extraordinary life."

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Theres a formal definition of Neurohacking (NH) here:

Wiki Page

I like being able to learn the latest discoveries about intelligence and discuss it. My reasons are various: intellectually & scientific interest, improving my intelligence and to keep my mind sharp as I get older, personally because the relief at being free from anxiety and really feeling personal power in my life has made me a much happier person and my life much happier (and much better organized!) I can only describe the process as like stepping out of a cloud and its a clear day.

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Neurohacking for me is used for a spiritual path, but I know it can be used for many more purposes. The Dalai Lamas talks got me interested in neuroscience. I use some biofeedback to aid my meditation progress and I plan my diet and things like Tai Chi exercises. I also do NH techniques to support emotional stability and clarity of perception. My goal is I seek wisdom, understanding, and unity.

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Neurohacking is any ability distilled by knowledge that deliberately seeks to promote the growth of co
mplexity in any intelligent system."

A Couple of Personal Accounts:

To be completely honest, neurohacking is the story of my life; as long as I can remember I've been fighting those dragons: beings, institutions and ideas that wanted to implant in my head the seeds of their controlled universe. Yes, way back to the times when even the word "hacking" was not part of my vocabulary, I remember... I remember the terrible shock of their blades, I remember the dry sound of their shields blocking my sword, I remember the smell of my skin burning under the repeated assaults of their fire-breathing steeds, and I remember the loneliness. I remember how I could have felt so alone in this never ending struggle, desperately seeking to meet some other brave knights out there, ready to stand and fight at my side. It took me 34 long years to find the first one, his name was Sir Alexander Ramonsky...

So yeah, maybe you can now better understand what kind of relief it was for me to find a neuroscientist who actually confirmed the righteousness of my holy war. And it might explain why, at first, I was rather focused on the will to build something like the New Camelot, reforming the old Round Table, and living in that golden stronghold with young and strong and brave knights, patiently furbishing our weapons, preparing for the day of revenge... I was so hurt, so weary, I needed a place for retreat. Although the quest for a 100% hassle-free zone was like another unattainable Holy Grail unworthy of our - quite limited - time. Avalon is the resting place of the dead, it is not made for the living.

So these days are over now. Today, my own neurohacking practice have led me to the land where Voltaire spent his late years, or as Candide himself did put it: "we must cultivate our garden". And then I understood that even if I spent so many years wondering what was my true mission on this planet, still I've always fulfilled it by being true to myself, by being the living example that one can refuse all the bullshit they pretend to seriously care about. What has changed, though, is that today I know why by cultivating my own garden I'm doing precisely the only best thing I can do to utterly slain all the dragons...

That's what neurohacking has done in my case, that's what neurohacking does anyway, because it simply allows Intelligence to blossom naturally; and if Intelligence speaks many languages, it speaks only in one voice. Hence the delicious feeling of unity in which my mind is increasingly wandering these days.

So from now on, my focus will simply be on participating in this wide movement which - somehow - will consist in offering to the Spirit of Candide, of Voltaire and of the Enlightenment philosophers, but above all to any living dude who'll be smart enough to really care about it, a 'Science of Gardening'..." - Scalino Corleone di Napoli

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I work in Biological Psychology and I got into Neurohacking as part of a search for the truth about what intelligence really is and whats happened to most peoples minds. I searched because I had to; I was driven, because for my life to have personal meaning it has to make sense to me, and the way my society was structured and the way that most people behaved did not make sense to me.

I searched because I knew there was something wrong, and that it was hidden from our eyes, like a computer virus running in the undercurrents of society, running in the unconscious minds of people going about their conscious business, living out their lives like duped slaves in a mindless soap-opera-in-the-matrix existence, oblivious to any real truth or any real satisfaction, and because I knew that whatever was wrong was going wrong in epidemic proportions.

I searched because I knew there was something more. Along the way I met others, potential explorers driven by their own needs, people baffled by their own experiences that did not make sense, thrown off balance by sentiments and anxieties that should not exist in healthy human intelligence (and to be truly human, or truly intelligent, I have now come to believe is the very thing humans may have to fight for). Chronic anxiety rules the world, creating the very problem that makes people unable to face it.

I went looking for the causes of humanitys dysfunctional state and my own, and I found them, in the hard, undeniable evidence of human science. The truth is way too much to swallow, for the many. Trying to think intelligently with anxiety is like trying to swim in quicksand. You can get out if you stop struggling and let intelligence save you, but most people really do not want to be unplugged. Most people are too busy hiding from, rather than looking for, the answers.

But nevertheless, Im here because its in biological psychology that I found my answers, and through neurohacking I managed to change my mind.

I am not MorpheusIf people want to be unplugged, seek to understand the truth about intelligence, and want to free their minds, Im here to work with them, but if they want to 'stay in the matrix', they can stay by all means. Neurohacking is not for wimps. It's Red Pillsville, buckle your seatbelt, and Kansas is about to go bye bye. There are lots of potentials (the many) but very few actuals (the few').

And now its a part of my life to work with the few, wherever I can. Mend the wires. Stop the virus. Make healthy intelligence 'software' and mental health information open source. Create a space for intelligent people to get on with real things. I make no predictions about what Ill be doing next, because from my point of view its as simple as "whatever's necessary".

Why are we here? "Because there is still some good in the world, Mr Frodo, and its worth fighting for"."

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Now Perhaps you can empathize with some of the views above or perhaps you will discover your own definitions and reasons; whatever they are you are welcome aboard

We hope you now have a clearer idea of what NH is about and what we are doing here.

Go here to see the original:

For Newbies - The Basics (What is Neurohacking)