The CIA has conducted research on consciousness, though the extent and specific details remain largely classified. However, some information has been declassified and is available through the CIA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room. Here’s what we know:
Declassified Documents:
- Gateway Process: This program, developed in the 1970s, aimed to explore the potential of consciousness for intelligence gathering and remote viewing. Documents reveal training methods involving meditation, biofeedback, and other techniques to induce altered states of consciousness and explore “out-of-body experiences.”
- Stargate Project: This program, active from 1978 to 1995, built upon the Gateway Process and focused on using remote viewing for intelligence purposes. Declassified documents provide glimpses into the project’s methodologies and experiments, though conclusive evidence of success remains elusive.
- Analysis and Assessment of Gateway Process: This 2003 CIA document critically examines the Gateway Process, concluding that further research is needed to validate its claims and potential applications.
- Towards a Physics of Consciousness: This 2003 document explores the possibility of a physical basis for consciousness and discusses potential research avenues.
- Evidence for Consciousness-Related Anomalies in Random Physical Systems: This 2004 document investigates potential links between consciousness and quantum mechanics, suggesting further research could be fruitful.
- The Psychotronic Universe, a document that discusses the possibility of manipulating matter and energy with the power of the mind, and the implications of such abilities for science and society.
Overall Scope:
While these declassified documents offer some insight, they represent a limited glimpse into the CIA’s research on consciousness. Much remains classified, and the full extent of their investigations and findings are unknown.
Current Status:
The current status of the CIA’s research on consciousness is unclear. While some declassified documents suggest continued interest in the topic, it’s difficult to assess the extent of ongoing research or its specific focus.
Further Resources:
- CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room:
https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP96-00787R000700110013-1 - The Stargate Project: https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/stargate/