Accessing “the Noetic” Through a Relaxed Mind and Body

As a curriculum designer at IONS, I have learned how powerful experiential practices are to support people in tapping into noetic information and energy (also referred to as the interconnected whole, the unified field, the interconnected whole, higher consciousness, “the Noetic,” etc). So, I want to share my own experience with a mind-body practice that changed my life in a very dramatic and positive way and allowed me to connect more deeply to noetic information and energy. I’ve included a recording below so you too can experience this practice — I hope you’ll find it useful!

In my twenties, I experienced a tremendous amount of anxiety, almost to a debilitating point. I did all the things I could think of to reduce my anxiety, like running daily, eating certain foods and taking supplements to support my mood, but it was actually a simple form of meditation that changed it all for me. I went to a class in which the teacher guided us through a process called Autogenic Training in which you direct/request that each part of our body relax. We started at our feet, repeating phrases such as “my feet are heavy and warm,” silently to ourselves and moved our attention up our bodies, repeating those phrases with each body part until we reached the top of our heads. It was the first time I had felt that kind of deep peace in my body and that, in itself, was transformative.

Autogenic Training is a relaxation technique that was first introduced by a German psychiatrist named Johannes Heinrich Schultz in the 1930s. He discovered that during hypnosis, people entered a relaxed state in which they experienced feelings of heaviness and warmth and he sought to recreate that state in people to reduce tension and anxiety. Autogenic Training works through a series of self-statements about heaviness, warmth, and calm relaxation in different parts of the body. Through this process, the autonomic nervous system switches on the “Relaxation Response.”

I began practicing Autogenic Training daily and while it consistently relaxed my body at a deep level, I still felt that something was missing; my mind was still full of thoughts, sometimes racing, preparing for the day, thinking about the past and the future and often still anxious. So, I decided to incorporate my mind into this process and I began to ask my mind to be calm and relaxed, the same way I had with my body, and that created a huge shift in my life. Once my rational mind began to quiet down, I suddenly began to feel a sense of oneness, not only between my mind and my body, but also with the world around me. I felt a calm, spacious openness and the capacity to connect with and receive information and energy that was more expansive than what I had ever experienced through my rational mind.

The more I practiced my version of this mind-body technique, the more I realized I was able to tap into my own intuition and allow myself to connect with higher consciousness or the interconnected whole. This practice actually inspired me to take a Mind-Body Medicine facilitator training and then become a professor, teaching Mind-Body techniques like this one to health educators. Now, 20 years later, I still use this same, simple practice regularly when I need to calm my body and my mind, and when I want to be more open to noetic information and energy — and it works for me, every time. So, I would like to share my adapted version of the Autogenic Training practice with you in the (11 min) audio below.

Before you start:

• Find a quiet, comfortable place, free of distractions, to lie down or recline
• If you feel cold, grab a blanket or put on a sweater or socks so that you feel comfortable and cozy

And then press play!

We’d love to hear from you about what you found helpful in this in relaxation meditation or anything you’d like to share about your experience. Leave a comment below to connect with us about your experience!