Institute of Noetic Sciences

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The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell and investor Paul N. Temple to encourage and conduct research on noetic theory and human potentials.[1][2][3] Institute programs include "extended human capacities", "integral health and healing", and "emerging worldviews".

This research includes topics such as spontaneous remission, meditation, consciousness, alternative healing practices, consciousness-based healthcare, spirituality, human potential, psychic abilities and survival of consciousness after bodily death.[4]

Headquartered outside Petaluma, California, the organization is situated on a 200-acre (81 ha) campus that includes offices, a research laboratory, and a retreat center (originally the campus of World College West).[5] The institute does not grant educational degrees.

Contents

History [edit]

Edgar Mitchell, co-founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences

The institute was co-founded in 1973 by Edgar Mitchell, an astronaut who was part of the Apollo 14 mission, investor Paul N. Temple and some others.[6] During the three-day journey back to Earth aboard Apollo 14, Mitchell had an epiphany while looking down on the earth from space. "The presence of divinity became almost palpable, and I knew that life in the universe was not just an accident based on random processes ... The knowledge came to me directly," Mitchell said of that experience. Following his spaceflight, Mitchell and others founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences.[7] Willis Harman served as its president from 1975 until his death in 1997.[8][9][10]

The word noetic is derived from the Greek nous, for which, according to the institute's website, there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to "inner knowing," a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason.[11]

Research [edit]

The institute identifies three principal areas of interest: extended human capacities, integral health and healing, and emerging world views. [4] Projects sponsored by the institute include a bibliography on the physical and psychological effects of meditation, a spontaneous remission bibliography, and studies on the efficacy of compassionate intention on healing in AIDS patients.[12] The institute has also conducted a number of parapsychological studies into extra-sensory perception, lucid dreaming, and presentiment.[13][14]

Publications [edit]

Since 2009, the Institute has published a semi-annual bulletin, The Noetic Post.[15] From 2003 to 2009, it published a quarterly magazine, Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness.[16]

In February 2007, IONS announced a co-publishing agreement with New Harbinger Publications. Noetic Books [17] and New Harbinger partnered to publish books that incorporate science and focus on global issues, consciousness, spiritual and psychological wellness. Authors include Edmund Bourne, Charles Tart, and Marilyn Schlitz.

Institute research has also been published as papers in peer-reviewed journals, including:[18]

Criticism [edit]

Stephen Barrett, organizer of the nonprofit organization Quackwatch, whose website describes itself as a "Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions," lists the Institute of Noetic Sciences as one of the 729 organizations that he views "with considerable distrust."[19]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Paul N. Temple at the Institute of Noetic Sciences
  2. ^ Paul N. Temple biography at BioGenesis
  3. ^ Institute of Noetic Sciences. About: History of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
  4. ^ a b Institute of Noetic Sciences. Research: Programs from the Institute of Noetic Sciences
  5. ^ Institute of Noetic Sciences. About the Institute of Noetic Science
  6. ^ Mitchell, Edgar, The Way of the Explorer, GP Putnam's Sons, 1996. "I wish to thank those who had faith in an idea that led to the founding of the Institute of Noetic Sciences: Henry Rolfs (deceased) and Zoe Rolfs, Richard Davis, Judith Skutch Whitson, Paul Temple, Phillip Lukin (deceased), and John White. And to those who came a bit later to carry the idea further: Osmond Crosby, Brendan O'Regan (deceased), Diane Brown Temple, and Willis Harman."
  7. ^ Institute of Noetic Sciences. "What the Bleep do we Know?!"
  8. ^ The new business of business: sharing responsibility for a positive global
  9. ^ Willis Harman, 1918-1997
  10. ^ Weaving possibilities for a New Era
  11. ^ Ions — About: What is "noetic"?
  12. ^ Institute of Noetic Sciences. Research & Education Projects at the Institute of Noetic Sciences
  13. ^ Institute of Noetic Sciences. Research & Education Projects at the Institute of Noetic Sciences
  14. ^ "Entangled Atoms: Dean Radin's research suggests that all separation is illusory". Retrieved August 31, 2010. 
  15. ^ "Newsletters - IONS Library - Institute of Noetic Studies". Retrieved September 21, 2010. 
  16. ^ "Magazines - IONS Library - Institute of Noetic Studies". Retrieved September 21, 2010. 
  17. ^ Noetic Books web page
  18. ^ "Institute of Noetic Sciences: Research". Retrieved September 26, 2010. 
  19. ^ Stephen Barrett, M.D. "Questionable Organizations: An Overview". Quackwatch. Retrieved September 26, 2010. 

External links [edit]

Coordinates: 38°10′31″N 122°36′20″W / 38.1753°N 122.6055°W / 38.1753; -122.6055

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