In Dreaming Reality, Miskovic and Lynn connect the latest findings from neuroscience―which studies the brain from the outside in, as a purely physical object―to the insights of the world’s mystical traditions, which chart elaborate cartographies of the mind from inside out through experiences of meditation, prayer, and ecstasy. We can tackle the biggest questions surrounding the nature of consciousness when we place objective scientific research alongside the phenomenology of “altered” states.
Dreaming Reality offers a rich synthesis of brains and minds, new and old, that challenges many cherished notions of how we experience our worlds and selves. Instead of privileging the experience of waking life, Miskovic and Lynn take this only as the starting point of a progressive disentanglement of consciousness. Delving into Buddhism, Vedanta, and Christian mysticism, they find that we have much to learn from dreams, hallucinations, visionary states, ego death, mind wandering, sensory deprivation, psychedelic experimentation, meditation, and minimal phenomenal experiences of consciousness.
This book club will be a hybrid of zoom and physically at the Frontier Tower, The Human Flourishing Floor, San Francisco, CA.
Vladimir Miskovic was formerly Assistant Professor of Psychology and Integrative Neuroscience at Binghamton University (SUNY) and research scientist at X: The Moonshot Factory, previously known as Google X. Since 2023, he has been exploring monastic life in the contemplative community at New Skete Monastery in Cambridge, New York.
Steven Jay Lynn was Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Binghamton University (SUNY), where he directed the Laboratory of Consciousness, Cognition, and Psychopathology. He was Founding Editor of the journal Psychology of Consciousness. His nearly two-dozen books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
Ideal for: Philosophically curious readers, psychologists, contemplatives, and seekers
If you are interested in the intersection of the exploration of consciousness, neuroscience and embodied mysticism, come participate in our group.
Limited to 9 people.
Facilitator Welcome (2–3 min):
Brief framing of today’s focus (e.g., “How do altered states reveal the constructed nature of our waking reality?”)
Settling Practice (5 min):
A short contemplative breath or somatic check-in, inviting participants to notice their current state of awareness.
“Notice the edges of your attention—what’s clear, what’s vague, what feels dreamlike or solid.”
Session Overview (2 min):
Review session structure and highlight any key passages for today.
Prompt: