Transhumanist Mind Control, Part Two
This is not your father's MK-Ultra
“You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension.”
~ Nikola Tesla
All Roads Lead to BRAIN
It was only three years ago that Stanford scientists, led by Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, identified the brain circuitry behind the phenomenon of dissociation.
Brain Circuitry Underlying Dissociative Experiences
That discovery was just part of the tip of a very large iceberg. Dr. Deisseroth is one of the world’s leading researchers in optogenetics, and one of the original advisors for the White House BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies), announced in 2013 during the Obama administration.
The BRAIN Initiative, proposed by the Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), is a “Grand Challenge” on the scale of the Space Race, to mobilize public and private resources in a collaborative effort to achieve neuroscientific breakthroughs. The current OSTP director, Dr. Arati Prabhakar, was the director of DARPA when the BRAIN Initiative was developed.
The participants in this multipronged campaign to unlock the mysteries of the brain and its disorders have grown in number, but this partial list gives an idea of who’s who:
Government Agencies: NIH, NSF, FDA, DARPA, IARPA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Academia: Stanford, Caltech, MIT; Boston, Brown, Rice, and Rockefeller Universities; Universities of California, Pittsburgh, Texas, Arizona, and Utah
Research Institutes: Simons Foundation, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pediatric Brain Institute, Salk Institute, Kavli Foundation (its first president was a former Bell Labs scientist), Neurotechnology Architecting Network, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Corporations: GlaxoSmithKline, Boston Scientific, General Electric, Google, Blackrock Neurotech, NeuroNexus, NeuroPace
Other Countries: Australian National Health & Medical Research Council; Brain Canada Foundation; Lundbeck Foundation (Denmark)
I only recently learned the distinction between DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), founded as ARPA in 1958 under the Department of Defense, and IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity), formed in 2006 within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In case you’re curious, their mission statements may be illuminating:
DARPA: “To make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security.”
IARPA: “To envision and lead high-risk, high-payoff research that delivers innovative technology for future overwhelming intelligence advantage.”
So yeah, I don’t think the BRAIN Initiative is just a make-work program for nerds. The cutting-edge research now in progress was made possible by the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003 and the invention of CRISPR gene editing, which made mRNA vaccines a reality.
NIH News Release on the BRAIN Initiative
While there is naturally a pipeline of data and talent from the publicly known research efforts to Deep State black projects, we plebs can follow at least four major paths of brain mapping research that could radically alter the human condition in our lifetimes:
The Human Connectome Project (HCP)
Launched in 2009, the HCP has its work cut out for it: to create a comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain. Scanning by electron microscopy requires focused ion beam milling (ablation) to create 30-nanometer thick slices of brain tissue, plus an AI algorithm to align and compile the 2D images into a single 3D map.
Two years ago the Harvard-Google project released its 3D rendering of one cubic millimeter of the human cerebral cortex (~50,000 neurons and 130 million synapses). The dataset takes up 1.4 petabytes of disk space and represents one-millionth of the total volume of the human brain. Note that this type of structural map can only depict one (quite dead) brain. Meanwhile, mapping on the functional level, i.e., charting the activities of neural networks and correlating them to specific mental states, can only be done with live brains whose structures differ from one another much more than the differences between individual genomes.
Optogenetics
The technique of optogenetics, developed over the last 20 years, uses gene editing to add light-sensitive proteins from green algae to neurons, giving researchers the ability to switch neurons on & off instantly with certain wavelengths of light. Experiments on mice have shown that their perceptions and behavior can be altered at will by this method. So far (we are told) the only human experimental subjects had the retinal cells of their eyes modified to partially restore their sight. Another version of optogenetics adds a calcium sensor to neurons so that their activity makes them flash. Then, using wireless head-mounted microscopes, all kinds of brain activity can be recorded and correlated with specific memories, behaviors, or interactions.
This method is highly valued as a tool for real-time functional brain mapping, but in its present form it is unlikely to be adopted by the masses. The main drawback is that the only way to shine light onto specific parts of a living brain is with a fiber-optic implant, which requires invasive surgery. However, advances in nanorobotics could one day lead to an injectable self-assembling implant that grows inside the brain, rather like a parasite, except of course it should be harmless to the host.
Who would’ve guessed that the World Economic Forum at Davos would take such a keen interest in this technology?
Chemogenetics
Like optogenetics, this method depends on genetic modification of the neurons. In this case the neurons are given novel receptors, aka DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs), which means that targeted neurons can be switched on/off to map brain function and potentially treat conditions. The advantage here is that no invasive surgery is needed, though the gene mod has to be installed somehow; injection of a genetically engineered virus is the current preferred method. Big Pharma would benefit from the development of new drugs with more precise effects. Chemogenetics, applied in a mind-controlled society, would require everyone to take their meds, as in the film “THX 1138”.
Though it might appear that optogenetics and chemogenetics would be rivals, in fact these methods complement each other in functional brain mapping.
Magnetogenetics
This relatively new approach differs from its siblings in that the modification to the neurons makes them responsive to magnetic fields. The modification methods in development involve adding a magnetoreceptor to the neurons and introducing magnetic nanoparticles that enable activation of the neurons through either heating or torsion effects from external magnetic fields. Even though magnetic drug delivery is already a thing, there are still numerous technical obstacles to be overcome before wireless magnetic deep brain stimulation can be practiced on humans.
Given the Deep State’s decades of research in psychotronic mind control, you can see how attractive magnetogenetics would be, especially when coupled with a deeper understanding of the correlation of neural activity with perception and cognition. Among the questions I would be asking (as the director of the Mad Science Dept.):
Does the subject need to stay at a constant distance from the magnetic field emitter to produce the desired effects? How long will the effects last if the subject moves beyond the field’s effective range? Must the field emitter be bulky and stationary, or can it be miniaturized so that the subject will not recognize its presence or its function?
Flipping a Switch Inside the Head
Dr. Robinson has become one of the leading lights in nano-neurotechnology and is on the research team for the MOANA Project, funded by DARPA. Small world, eh?
Brainiac Needs an Upgrade
I could go on till the cows come home about related developments in brain mapping, for ex., the “Brainbow” technique, i.e., adding fluorescent proteins to neurons to give them distinctive colors (red, green, or blue); or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), that tracks water molecules moving through nerve fibers. Ultimately what these methods share in common is the need for massive computing power. Just to create a full-size 3D brain simulator with neuron-level granularity, computers thousands of times faster than any in service today will have to be built.
The advanced computer research now underway is being carried out by heavy-hitters much like those committed to the BRAIN Initiative: IBM, MIT, GE, Google, Harvard, Hewlett Packard Labs, HRL Laboratories, AMD, Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA, IARPA, Georgia Tech, Intel, Max Planck Society, Penn State, Portland State, Princeton, Qualcomm, Accenture, Rutgers, Samsung, Hitachi, Stanford, Caltech, Universities of California, Chicago, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, not to mention the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science & Technology of China, and University of Tokyo. (I’m not even getting into the EU’s Human Brain Project and its high-tech partners — we’d be here all night.)
Completion of the Human Connectome Project within any practical timeframe (like before we all die) will depend on the synergistic relationship between neuroscientists and leading-edge computer designers. The three main paths of development towards computers fast enough for human brain simulators are: Quantum, Neuromorphic, and Biological — which, if they reach fruition, will have to interface with our standard microchip computers until a direct brain-computer interface is perfected. Just like the BRAIN Initiative projects, the computer design paths have their own formidable challenges that require dedicated world-class talent and billions in funding.
Quantum: This type has garnered the most attention and seems the closest to being operational in the real world. The need for extreme refrigeration may soon be a thing of the past, depending on which alternative design (for ex., photonic chips of silicon carbide, synthetic diamond, or other materials) takes the lead, assuming they work as advertised. Error correction remains one of the biggest hurdles; if the correcting can’t be done at a rate that gives us a huge net speed increase over conventional processors, why bother? Given quantum computing’s potential to disrupt cryptography (not to mention the world at large), it goes without saying that the intelligence community needs this technology to succeed — on their terms.
Breakthroughs in Quantum Computing
Neuromorphic: This approach to redesigning computer architecture, on both hardware and software levels, to mimic our brain structure for greater speed and energy efficiency is gaining steam in the field of computer research. A prime example of neuromorphic design is the Spiking Neural Network (SNN), in which memristors act like neurons that communicate via synapses, thus opening the door to machines learning more like humans. Yes, DARPA and IARPA are also keenly interested in the development of these systems. And now it appears neuromorphic computers can also perform quantum operations: a quantum photonic memristor was experimentally demonstrated last year.
Artificial Brain Synapses on a Chip
Neuromorphic Chips and Deep Learning
Biological: This is the most radically different computing concept, which will take the longest to reach fruition. This differs from computational biology, which is about using computers to solve problems in biological research. A biocomputer would use biologically-derived molecules such as DNA &/or proteins to perform calculations. Variations on the theme include molecular computers and “wetware” (an artificial organic brain) — the nearest thing to a Cronenberg sci-fi movie like “eXistenZ”.
Though biological computers won’t play a role in the current brain mapping projects, eventually they could be suitable platforms for brain simulators, and their organoid relatives will be useful for developing treatments made possible by BRAIN Initiative research. In any event, within a few decades simpler biomolecular machines &/or biorobots will become part of our everyday lives (hopefully only in positive ways).
Dissociation: The Secret Sauce
Where trauma, mind control, mental illness, hypnosis, psychedelics, meditation, ritualized trance states, possession, channeling, and missing time overlap, at the center of the Venn diagram you will find Dissociation. This is Grand Central Station for non-ordinary states of consciousness and the paranormal.
Dissociative states range from the mild (daydreaming or spacing out) to the severe: dissociative identity disorder (DID), psychogenic amnesia or fugue, depersonalization or derealization. The lack of connection to one’s thoughts, emotions, memory, sense of identity, or awareness of one’s surroundings is often in response to trauma from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, war, extreme violence, natural disasters, or childhood trauma. One may think of it as a coping skill that kicks in when “fight or flight” is not an option, and the only escape is detachment from reality.
Dissociation can also occur alongside a number of conditions: PTSD, depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, phobic disorders, and migraines. As dissociative disorders are linked with hypnotic suggestibility, this has been a subject of great interest to the mad doctors of mind control research. Heaven forbid you should think I’m referring to people like Deisseroth or Robinson! They’ve been very careful not to give off Delgado vibes and to eschew the sordid Nazi experimental style. Why, they have ethicists (real experts!) seriously discussing how to minimize the risk of harm to subjects, not to mention the risk of liability. As to how other parties might use the results of their ethically conducted research, well…
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Psychedelic Transhumanism
Though it may look like I’m shifting gears, the new wave of psychedelic research and therapy dovetails neatly with the synergistic brain/computer research and adds a new dimension to the mind-control picture. It’s not pareidolia to see transhumanism in these diverse manifestations as the ideology seeking dominance in the 21st Century.
Once again all the big names are on board for psychedelic research: Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, NIH, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCSF Medical Center, Columbia, NYU, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Ohio State, Purdue, Imperial College London, Queen’s University; Universities of Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Toronto, Melbourne, New South Wales, Zurich; Chinese Academy of Sciences, ShanghaiTech University.
With VC money pouring in, psychedelic startups have been sprouting like (no, I won’t say it): Compass Pathways, Mindstate Design Labs, Viridia Life Sciences, Tactogen, Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, Eleusis, Delix Therapeutics, Mimosa Therapeutics, Onsero Therapeutics, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), host of the annual Psychedelic Sciences Conference, which recently drew 12,000 attendees in Denver.
The drugs now in the limelight for use in therapy are psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, ibogaine, ayahuasca, LSD, DMT, and mescaline. Unlike mainstream psychiatric drugs, which suppress symptoms in an often neverending regimen, psychedelic-assisted therapy appears to be more efficacious with fewer side-effects, esp. for depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, eating disorders, and end-of-life care. Further development will include testing the many designer drugs that were synthesized years ago (for ex., by Alexander Shulgin) and creating new drugs with all the benefits of psychedelics, minus the trippy special effects.
And who might be among those eager to invest millions in such research? One guess.
The official story is that the military urgently needs better psych meds due to the enormous number of veterans stricken with PTSD. Whether it’s even possible to create an effective non-psychedelic drug based on psychedelics remains to be seen. With this sort of military-funded research, one can see the dual-use potential. For ex., in addition to dissociation (a well-known effect of ketamine, the “K-hole”) the quality of neuroplasticity, which assists in healing from trauma, can also be exploited for mind-control purposes. Certain drugs increase neuroplasticity by increasing levels of neurotransmitters or by stimulating the growth of neurons and blood vessels in the brain (neurogenesis), for ex., MDMA.
Psychology Today: Neuroplasticity
Delix Therapeutics: The Science of Neuroplastogens
Like the scientists modifying neurons to make them respond to designer drugs or magnetic fields, the psychedelic researchers and startups have distanced themselves from the bad old days of MK-Ultra. (MK-what?) Techno-optimism is the attitude — altruism is the motivation. They’re only interested in finding cures for intractable neurological and mental illnesses, which sure seem to be multiplying lately. Would you stand in the way of a cure for Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s, or chronic depression? How about stroke paralysis or blindness? This won’t be a simple choice — it’ll be sold as a package deal, like when you install an app and see the list of permissions. I could not in good conscience stop anyone from making that choice, if it becomes available.
Why Psychedelics Are Therapy's Next Frontier
I fully expect in the near future that the research correlating subjective drug effects of psychedelics to specific brain circuitry will be integrated into the functional 3D brain map being created, especially if one of the unspoken goals is to devise new methods of inducing non-ordinary states of consciousness at will. (Somehow I predicted this in my 2016 screenplay “Epiphany” long before I knew this research was happening.)
This Is Your AI Neural Network on Drugs
If it seems odd to you that the 1960s psychedelic counterculture got mixed up with transhumanism, you’re not alone. But on closer examination it becomes clear that philosophically they were always compatible; witness the billionaire tech bros flying to Burning Man, microdosing psilocybin, and supporting psychedelic legalization. From my POV, the transhumanist movement has both materialist and spiritual/occult factions that share a common ethos: that we must take charge of our evolution and upgrade ourselves physically and mentally, steal the Promethean (or is it Luciferean?) fire, and redefine reality itself as we see fit. If you listen to them, it’s plain as day.
Silicon Valley Is Microdosing Magic Mushrooms
The Psychedelic Transhumanists
Coming Soon: Speculations and Hot Takes
Just when I thought I'd heard about all the brain control modalities in development: https://sarahconstantin.substack.com/p/ultrasound-neuromodulation