The Philosophy And Science Behind Reconceptualizing Automatic Self- Transcending

The term Quiet Mind was coined by the NeuroMeditation Institute as a way to describe specific meditative styles/state that have the quality of spaciousness and quietude. In the research literature, meditations that emphasize this type of consciousness are referred to as Automatic Self-Transcending (AST). This category was created to distinguish it from meditative states such as Focused Attention or Open Monitoring, essentially creating a category to deal with practices like Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Zen.
I have generally appreciated the term, Automatic Self-Transcending as it directly implies that this type of consciousness is “automatic,” meaning it cannot be achieved through effort-it happens on its own. This is so important, as many people attempting to engage in this style of meditation try to push their thoughts away (which doesn’t work). Instead, it is a process of allowing yourself to drop below the level of normal consciousness. It is an allowing, similar to what Les Fehmi described when he discovered the Open Focus technique. Dr. Fehmi could not create these states of consciousness with any “normal” meditative strategy. Finally, giving up, his brain almost immediately shifted into a brainwave pattern characterized by Open Focus. It was in “not trying” that he was able to achieve the desired state.

The brainwave pattern characterized by AST, or Quiet Mind practices, is an increase of Alpha1 (8-10hz). This is a slow brainwave characterized by an internal, relaxed attention. It can be thought of as a resting state for the brain. While you might see this activity anywhere (and everywhere) during these practices, it tends to be strongest in the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is where a lot of our identity formation takes place. So, essentially, during these practices, this normal process of “selfing” is shut down. To be more precise, these processes are inhibited. Alpha brainwaves have an inhibitory effect, which is why their presence tends to be associated with a reduction of activity in that area.
Given this understanding, I’m not sure the second part of AST is appropriate. Is it really self-transcending? Or is it self-inhibiting? I think there is a difference that may be important. If you are inhibiting something, you are simply pausing it, putting the brakes on, so it is not able to function in the moment. In a transcendent state, you are moving beyond normal consciousness to something altogether different, beyond physicality, and often with an accompanying shift in understanding about the “self” and your relation to the larger world. This is a state of consciousness that is more often seen with increased Theta brainwaves and reflected in the 5th style of neuromeditation-Deep States.

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