Anomalous Cognition and the Search for Non-Human Intelligence

Introduction

Recent events and disclosures about UAP have brought into focus the concept of anomalous cognition and its role in connecting with potential non-human intelligences. This is because there is a direct relationship between the UFO and the profound changes in how the witnesses see themselves and the “reality” around them - which is well documented. As we move through this article, we'll explore the deep and often controversial relationships between human cognition and its relationship to anomalous mental phenomena. We will look at historical accounts, modern case studies, and cutting edge research and examine some of the mechanisms and implications of these extraordinary experiences.

Edwin C. May, an author and physicist, uses the term “Anomalous Cognition” in the context of the Stargate remote viewing studies, but for the purposes of this article I’m using it to mean a series of processes within the human mind that people can be subjected to or initiate themselves. Most often these are spontaneous events that are outside of normal experience and include telepathic-like events and intuitive insights into things without having significant prior knowledge of the topic and its conclusions. These abilities suggest that there are untapped potentials in the human mind that we’re only just starting to discover. As we go through this article you’ll see that not only are there historical accounts similar to modern descriptions but also scientific research being done to quantify and validate people’s experiences.

This isn’t a new area of study, historical records are full of accounts of people experiencing anomalous events. These are present and well documented in both modern and ancient times. While we can’t prove those ancient events, we can view them with a modern perspective and align them to more recent events. The remarkable similarity can’t be ignored. Adding credence to the recent cases. As we go through some case studies we’ll see how people are using these experiences to enhance their own scientific advancements

We don’t know the source of these anomalous communications, I’m not yet convinced they’re “extraterrestrial” - evidence in this direction is severely lacking. We can add value to the idea that these events happened by looking at the historical cases and comparing them to the scientific evidence being prepared. Whether those working on the white papers have information we don’t have remains to be seen. Until physical evidence or proven scientifically we can only conclude “something” is interacting with aspects of humanity. Since we know witnesses to anomalous events change their behavior and outlook on reality then can can safely assume that this is an integral part of the message from the associated experiences.

Human consciousness is a tricky subject, with accepted mainstream science undecided on how it manifests. Also, our current models are still trying to catch up with discoveries made nearly a century ago in quantum mechanics. Any new research in this area is therefore a frontier science, pushing the edges of what we know about the mind and its capabilities. This field looks at how advanced states of consciousness might allow us to interact with non-human intelligences, and what that says about reality and the possibility of communication beyond the senses. These then feed into broader scientific inquiry into consciousness and reality. Questions about cognitive anomalies and non-local awareness challenge the conventional scientific paradigm. So we’ll be combining surface level insights from psychology, neuroscience, physics and even ancient spiritual traditions.

If we do the science correctly then we can start to map the uncharted territories of the mind and uncover the deep and mysterious capabilities of human consciousness. We may find parts of ourselves that modernity has forgotten about and use that to develop the mind and its capabilities. As we dip into some of the science that lightly touches on the edges of fringe concepts, but is entirely based on scientific principles then we may start to reveal new aspects of reality and expand our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

This article will look at the science that has been done on anomalous cognition and see if we can predict some of the future research also whether communications have actually occurred between humans and non-human intelligences. Given all the studies and papers, the historical cases and the philosophical implications - it seems increasingly likely that some anomalous communications have indeed occurred. Providing we accept them at face value. The evidence and history will be presented and you can decide for yourselves if you think it has any basis in accepted reality.

Recent Historical Context

There have been many strange events throughout history, as we’ll see in the examples within this section of the article, we’ll look at the reports and use them to see if there are any patterns and commonalities in how anomalies show up. By looking at both historical and modern cases we can get a better understanding of these events and what it means for our current scientific expectations. We’ll start with some recent history in four case studies. We’re mentioning these in particular because the witnesses have nothing to gain financially from describing the events. They’re all successful in their fields and not looking for exposure or attention from their descriptions.

Several of these people have completely changed their outlook on life because of what they witnessed. Causing the development of entirely new technologies or the creation of a remarkable and extremely large series of journals that were prompted entirely because of events associated with anomalous cognition.

 

Case Study #1: Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick, the science fiction writer, who wrote many novels between the 1950s and 1980s, had a series of weird and profound experiences. They started around the time he separated from his wife and not long after he lost a close friend. The main events began in early 1974 - he called these his “2-3-74” experiences (“2-3” being February to March and “74” being 1974) and wrote about them in his journals and in his semi-autobiographical novel VALIS. They had a big impact on his life and work and involved various forms of anomalous communication and perception that went on until he died in 1982 of a stroke aged just 53. Recent publications of his journals reveal more of these anomalous events, especially the impact on his religious and philosophical views, but they’re also somewhat described in his book VALIS. Dick referring to himself as “horselover fat” in the novel, one insightful Wikipedia edit states that this is a “schizophrenic modality of Phil himself”.

The most transformative anomalous event that happened to Dick is when he claimed that he was struck by a beam of pink light that he'd believed poured vast amounts of information directly into his mind. He states that the beam seemed to convey knowledge and understanding outside of ordinary perceptions. This started after he saw a Christian fish symbol pendant after a visit from a delivery person. After he saw the symbol he was hit with the pink light and it seemed to provide the knowledge to him. This ignited his interests in gnosticism and he’d later believe the communications were divine. Symbolism plays a big role in anomalous experiences, some witnesses create new symbols that relate to the anomalous. Dick’s own experience ties symbolism as a possible key to how communications occur; these symbols may contain anomalous information that can be interpreted by parts of the human population.

During the 2-3-74 period he reported having telepathic-like communications with an entity he believed was either an extraterrestrial or some divine intelligence that could transmit information directly to his consciousness. He experienced these communications as sudden clear insights of information (as we'll explore in other case reports) that gave him profound knowledge of reality, history and existence. Dick then went on to have vivid visions and strange dreams that he considered prophetic. These visions apparently contained detailed and symbolic messages that were very important to him. He states that he received knowledge about an undiagnosed medical condition that his son had. After receiving the knowledge, and consulting medical professionals, it led to the discovery of his son's life-threatening hernia - which was subsequently treated. He believed that the information was conveyed to him by the intelligence that communicated through the pink beam of light.

After going through the experience of the pink light affecting his perceptions, Dick then went on to dedicate a large part of his life trying to make sense of his encounters. He wrote an extensive series of diaries, now published under the title Exegesis. These diaries delved into the philosophical and metaphysical implications of the unusual anomalies he experienced. He tended to switch between different ideas as to the source of the intelligences he was interacting with; thinking it could be extraterrestrial, divine in nature and even keeping humanity trapped in a “black iron prison”. Very much a normal gnostic trope. Dick's journals often swim between incredible insight and the outright absurd.

Dick tried to self-diagnose the reasons why he was having these unique cognitive experiences by assuming it could be related to the extensive “uppers” he was using, because of some form of schizophrenia, or even combinations therein. He knew that they were unique experiences and he also understood the significance of having knowledge beyond established sensory retrieval. His descriptions in VALIS and Exegesis provide an incredible narrative insight into how anomalous cognition may occur, while also showing the psychological impact on the recipient, since Dick’s perception of reality was fundamentally and permanently altered.

Case Study #2: Philip J. Corso

Philip J. Corso worked in the US military and ended with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was deeply embedded within the army and he claimed to have been a witness to events around the infamous Roswell “crash” in the 1940s. While this author has severe reservations about this being an extraterrestrial issue, the details will still be conveyed exactly as Corso himself states. 

He’d written a book called “The Day After Roswell" and then later created an unpublished manuscript called “Dawn of a New Age” that is accessible on the internet. This manuscript provides intriguing insights into the intersection of advanced brain functions and anomalous cognitive phenomena, while also legitimising the topic by showing how the military have interests in these areas.

Corso describes discovering a report on how the brain emitted long, low frequency waves, suggesting a form of electromagnetic integration of brain lobes rather than interference. Parts of Corso’s work refers to a life threatening event where his pure instinct apparently saved his life, which directly relates to an article published in Time magazine back in 2017. According to Time, the “Office of Naval Research embarked on a four-year, $3.85 million research program to explore the phenomena it calls premonition and intuition, or “Spidey sense.” Stating that the military were trying to understand the processes and hopefully “accelerate it” for military use. A spectacular admission.

So we know that the military have recently been spending money trying to both understand intuition and also improve on people’s abilities, but what about the past? According to Corso he has spoken to a “learned professor” about his experiences and that the professor had replied stating that “instinct came about in layers from another dimension”. He’d also discussed these topics with a general, who apparently had agreed, stating they were beginning “research in another dimension, and we often speculated if this dimension could be in the realm of the so-called UFOs”. So not only do we have confirmation that the military are currently researching intuition, but also there are suggestions that this had been ongoing for quite some time, if we take Corso’s comments as factually correct. And really, recent military admissions help to confirm Corso’s earlier comments and suspicions. 

We find some associated information by studying the text from Corso's manuscript:

“The sequence of events leading to this meeting began over a year back. I was looking through my 'Nut File' and what the General called my 'Junk Pile'. I found a report on a brain different but similar to ours. This seemed to me like a conclusion which canceled itself. However, there were some words and observations which were most interesting and aroused in my mind some of my past experiences in Italy. One was a weak signal given off by the brain which was similar to what I had learned and typed [sic] long, low frequency waves. There also was a mention of EMI, not electromagnetic interference, but electromagnetic integration of brain lobes.”

The General and I during one of our sessions sat down and discussed this problem. We concluded that abrupt and quick, tight maneuvers could only be done by thought control, which in our thinking was the beginning of research in another dimension, and we often speculated if this dimension could be in the realm of the so-called UFOs. I also told the General of my bout with the Gestapo hitman in Rome. Pure instinct saved my life and one of the learned professors that I previously discussed, told me that instinct came about in layers from another dimension. At the time, because of my youth, I didn't pay much attention to his words, but now the meaning of their knowledge, to put it in clear wording, had taken on a different meaning or another dimension.”

These statements imply that the military were aware of anomalous brain function more than half a century ago. And considering Annie Jacobsen’s article for Time, we have a growing amount of evidence that the military have been long aware of anomalous cognition and continue to fund further research. It’s impossible to ignore these confirmatory and harmonious facts and evidence.

Case Study #3: Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo, the actor known for his role as Hulk in the recent Marvel Universe films, has recently been interviewed as part of a podcast titled Smartless and he had some incredible and relevant disclosures. In the interview, he’d stated that he had experienced a profound and life-changing event when a dream led him to discover he had a brain tumor. This was back in 2001, Ruffalo states that he had a vivid and unusual dream that “wasn’t like any other dream I had had”, he states that he was woken up at 3am and gave the following description; “[the anomalous knowledge] was just like ‘You have a brain tumor.’ It wasn’t even a voice, it was just pure knowledge: ‘You have a brain tumor, and you have to deal with it immediately.’” Not a usual voice, it was received as a type of information or knowledge transfer that just came to him.

This description is fantastically similar to the Philip K Dick experience mentioned earlier. A voice giving details specifically on health conditions. A point that we’ll get back to later.

Prompted by this dream, Ruffalo consulted a doctor on the set of a film he was working on. Unsurprisingly, the doctor had initial skepticism, but Ruffalo, spurred by the strangeness of the dream, insisted on having a CAT scan regardless. The dream was entirely correct, Ruffalo had a benign mass the size of a golf ball behind his left ear. It was later diagnosed as being a benign tumour.

So Ruffalo's dream had led to the discovery of this tumour and it also encouraged him to take an immediate action. Likely saving his life. This is another remarkable experience that explains the mysterious ways in which the human mind can perform a type of anomalous cognition. The relationship to Dick’s experiences cannot be ignored, since they share a fundamentally similar correlation. Anomalous information retrieval from something outside of our usual scientific understanding. 

Case Study #4: Timothy Taylor (“Tyler” from Diana Pasulka's book American Cosmic)

Pasulka’s book includes “Tyler” as one of the main anonymous protagonists referenced in American Cosmic (we’ll get to “James”, the other one, later in this article). Within the book it states that Pasulka had visited the Vatican Apostolic Archive with Tyler. A man who was able to access everything without apparently having the necessary credentials to enter the archives. Pasulka mentions in her book that he was initially refused entry and had asked Pasulka if he “should tell them who I am”, which he then did, and was then, mysteriously, given access.

Now that we have confirmed that Tyler had access to the Vatican archives along with Pasulka, we’re able to check associated Vatican documentation for clues. It doesn’t take very long searching through Google to find references to Pasulka and associated with a man named Timothy Taylor, who was listed as working for NASA - confirming that Tyler was indeed Timothy Taylor. This is present within the Vatican Observatory Annual Report of 2017 - see page 65:

Since we now have his name confirmed, we can find other associated information. While searching around the internet we’re able to find references to him as being a member of the board of directors at a company called Vivex Biologics. Here’s a screenshot from the company’s website:

An image from Vivex Biologics, giving some descriptions of Timothy Taylor's past work and includes a photo showing him at what appears to be a NASA launch site.

We now have confirmation that Timothy Taylor had worked at NASA, also continuing to perform work from companies like SpaceX. His time at NASA includes working on critical projects related to launch operations. While on these space operations, he has also worked at biomedical companies like Vivex Biologics and Endius, Inc, a company that he was cofounder of.

Within Pasulka’s book, it’s explained that Taylor claims he’s able to receive telepathic communications from some kind of anomalous intelligence. In the book, he directly refers to them as “off-planet”, so he presumably at the time of the comments believed that these communications had come from an extraterrestrial intelligence. Taylor states that these messages had significantly influenced his work in biotechnology. We also have references to Taylor’s own “protocol” for contacting these intelligences. 

“[Taylor] explained that he had a specific protocol for connecting with off-planet intelligence. It was a physical and mental protocol, and as [Taylor] explained the details of it, Jeff and I nodded in recognition. Many religious traditions advocate a physical protocol, like yoga, meditation, or contemplation, that involves the body and the mind. These traditions, it is believed, help practitioners connect with the sacred. [Taylor’s] description of his own protocol reminded us of religious practitioners and these traditions. “I basically believe, and there is evidence for this, that our DNA is a receptor and transmitter. It works at a certain frequency—the same frequency, in fact, that we use to communicate with our satellites in deep space. Humans are a type of satellite, in fact. So, in order to receive the signals and to transmit the signals, we have to tune our physical bodies and DNA. Because of this, I make sure I sleep really well. I use the eight plus one rule. That is, I sleep for eight hours, wake up, and then make myself go back to bed for an hour. That one hour, the top-off, really makes or breaks my day. I barely drink alcohol, as it interferes with sleep, and I never drink coffee. Coffee really messes up the signal.””

Taylor's apparent anomalous insights had a profound impact on his professional achievements; in American Cosmic, Pasulka describes how these communications guided him in developing new medical devices and technologies to aid in solving complex scientific problems.

“Tyler worked with venture capitalists and with surgeons and medical researchers to implement his visions. He explained that he owns more than forty patents, and that he mostly works from home, on his deck, in the sun.” 

“My mentor explained that mysticism, religion, and consciousness is where I need to go to learn what’s next. That the mind–machine interface is the next frontier”

It appears that Taylor made use of a kind of anomalous insight in developing scientific devices. While it's not entirely clear if he's using purely insights or actual manifested mental visualisations, Pasulka writes that Taylor used “mental landscapes—which included the creation of alien-based technologies”. These experiences challenge conventional scientific understanding by suggesting that human cognition might extend beyond traditional five senses and accepted intellectual boundaries. His story highlights the potential for extraordinary states of consciousness to facilitate some unusual knowledge bases that can then drive innovation and discovery.

As per American Cosmic, “[Taylor’s] mental landscapes”; these could be literal landscapes created within the psyche. Taylor apparently uses these environments, after following his protocol, to connect with anomalous intelligences. These experiences underscore the importance of exploring anomalous cognition as a legitimate field of scientific inquiry, capable of yielding significant advancements and understanding in both technology and unrecognised human potential.

One wonders the breadth of these communications within agencies like NASA, are they unique to Taylor or more widely adopted? Perhaps it's shared with small groups. Let's hope that time reveals all.

Summary of the Case Studies

We have four examples of quite unusual mental phenomena from very respectable individuals, some of which are decades apart with strikingly similar reports. Particularly between Ruffalo and Dick. The experiences from these two as being recipients of anomalous cognition, while the descriptions from TImothy Taylor take it a step further into receive and send territory, allowing him to solve complex problems in biotechnology. Apparently having some kind of feedback loop with the anomalous intelligences. Then we have Corso who is describing much more conventional intuitive responses, by having some level of foresight to prevent himself from having problems with “Gestapo hitman in Rome.”

Each of these descriptions reference experiences with some type of anomalous information transfer between the recipient and either a non-human intelligence, some kind of informational field, or foresight into the future…

…unless there’s some type of mundane reason these people are able to witness some future information. We should move on to see if there are similar narratives from any more ancient populations.

 

The Celts: Practices of Anomalous Cognition

The ancient Celtic peoples, including similar branches of people (like Gaels, the Picts, etc.) had rich traditions in anomalous cognition that were well embedded within their cultures. They had spiritual beliefs that were aligned with one another and had been established for many years before the Romans introduced Christianity to the regions, their beliefs and practices had widespread engagement with extraordinary perceptual abilities.

Druidic practices would have played a dominant role within these cultures and the druids had similar practices to shamanic groups elsewhere in the world. They were seen as intermediaries between the physical and the spiritual worlds, by following their practices like drumming, chanting, and possible use of psychoactive substances; each allowing the Druids to enter altered states of consciousness. While present in these altered states, these ancient people believed that they could communicate with spirits and gain anomalous insights.

The Gaelic peoples also had some within the community that were called “seers”, the definition being “a person of supposed supernatural insight who sees visions of the future.” In the absolutely literal sense, these people “see” via some anomalous means. They're compatible with those in the “Case Studies” above. These people were well regarded within their communities and had established roles in society. Only after the introduction of Christianity were these practices broadly wiped out. The roles of the seers and the druidic peoples were well regarded for their non-conventional thought processes in decision making.

The tri-spiral symbol at Newgrange can be seen to represent a sense of balance, continuity, and connection to celestial or spiritual concepts

Celtic mythology has a multitude of tales about heroes and deities possessing supernatural or otherworldly abilities. These stories reflect broad cultural acceptance and reverence for the anomalous, integrating it into the fabric of their everyday life and spiritual practice. These unusual cognitive behaviours weren't considered with disdain within their cultures, as it can be with modern people.

Second Sight

One of the most relevant aspects of Celtic culture, and anomalous cognition, is the phenomenon of Second Sight, which is mostly prevalent in Scottish tradition. One should not overlook this strange occurrence as it’s been written about in multiple scientific studies, an example presented here:

• Second Sight and Family History: Pedigree and Segregation Analyses, by Shari A. Cohn

Second Sight, or "an dà shealladh" in Gaelic, refers to the ability to perceive events at a distance or retrieve information beyond normal sensory contact. Individuals with Second Sight were often believed to be born with this gift, making it hereditary therefore running through family lines. While the name and context has changed over the years, these types of experiences directly equate to modern interpretations only with a different framework.

Historical records from folklore in Scotland have a wealth of examples of people possessing this strange ability. The associated stories highlight a widespread belief in this phenomenon:

• One of the most famous seers in Scottish history, the Brahan Seer, or otherwise known as Coinneach Odhar is renowned for his accurate predictions. He was born in the early 17th century, he was believed to have a stone with a hole in the middle through which he could see various visions. His predictions included the Battle of Culloden and the downfall of the Seaforth Mackenzies. As always with these types of stories, there is some controversy as to whether he truly existed beyond the legend.

• Another notable figure, the Lady of Lawers, made numerous predictions in the 17th century. She foresaw the construction of a road and a bridge near her home, the advent of railways, and the prosperity and decline of local families.

Second Sight had been deeply integrated into ancient Scottish subcultures. The seers may have at times been respected for their abilities, but they’d also experienced ostracisation from society due to people believing that they were connected to the unnatural or evil elements of an unseen reality. The cultural history of Second Sight illustrates a broader belief in and respect for anomalous cognition within parts of Scottish society.

The phenomenon of Second Sight demonstrates a Scottish spiritual belief, particularly those related to the afterlife and the supernatural. These connections reinforced the cultural belief in a multi-layered reality. While the belief in Second Sight has diminished in contemporary times, it directly links to our topic of anomalous cognition. 

From our contemporary perspective and simultaneously while carrying the idea that anomalous cognition may have a real basis in existence, we can start to understand Second Sight through the lens of psychology and neuroscience, which we'll approach in the coming sections. These experiences may be related to heightened intuition, as stated by Corso, or it could be some subconscious processing of information in the same manner as Dick or Ruffalo. Scientific research into altered states of consciousness, such as those induced by meditation or trance, may also provide new insights into the mechanisms behind Second Sight.

The practices and beliefs of the Druids, Celts, Gaels, and Picts, along with the phenomenon of Second Sight in Scotland, provide a rich tapestry of cultural perspectives on anomalous mental phenomena. These traditions highlight the ancient understanding and cultivation of extraordinary cognitive abilities, suggesting that such phenomena have long been a part of human experience. By examining these cultural contexts, we gain deeper insights into the historical and spiritual dimensions, enriching our exploration of these fascinating capabilities.

Psychological Perspectives: Carl Jung and The Red Book

Carl Jung is one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century having founded the ideas of “analytical psychology”, he had made significant contributions in our understanding of the human psyche through his explorations of the subconscious mind. He had created the oft referenced (and regularly misunderstood) idea of “synchronicity”. He had also suggested that the human mind had connections to a “collective unconscious” and included shared mental concepts of things like the personification of the mind. Quite literally the mind having its own archetypes represented by personalities with physical-like characteristics. 

One of his most incredible works, “The Red Book” (otherwise known as “Liber Novus”) has Jung’s descriptions of his dives into his own psyche. It serves as both a personal journal and a detailed exploration of his personal inner world. Jung deliberately engaged with his unconscious mind through a process he called "active imagination". This technique involved entering a meditative state and allowing his unconscious to present images and narratives, which he then documented. Jung describes how he encountered and interacted with various aspects of his psyche. These personifications are symbolic representations of different elements of his unconscious mind, each with its distinct personality.

This shows two of many images contained within Carl Jung’s Red Book. He used these types of images to aid meditation

Implications for Anomalous Cognition

Jung’s experiences documented within The Red Book offer valuable insight into the nature of anomalous cognition. He used different meditative techniques to what’s usually discussed in these types of practices, since he preferred to use an “active imagination”, rather than the usual passive techniques. This means that he’d use visualisation techniques to initiate the meditation sessions, then see where his imagination connects to the subconscious. When he arrives at the subconscious, the meditation becomes more creative and potentially connects him to the collective unconscious or anomalous transfers of information.

These are all speculative ideas having read his material, I’m not aware of him describing the series of events in quite those terms and really all of these ideas are quite outrageous when considering that modern science has little room for these types of anomalies. Still, Jung’s experiences offer potential invaluable insights in anomalous cognition and these are similar to the modern descriptions.

Interestingly, from the little information we have about Timothy Taylor, it appears that he may use quite similar techniques to Jung, as he also references “mental landscapes” in conversations to Diana Pasulka. Jung's, and potentially Taylor’s, interactions with the personified elements of their psyches highlight the potential for the human mind to generate complex, autonomous characters that can provide guidance, wisdom, and information that should otherwise be completely unknown to the recipient. Maybe accessing Jung’s proposed collective unconscious. 

The Science of Anomalous Cognition

This topic challenges our conventional understanding of human perception and requires us to question unsolved problems like the source of consciousness. As we learn more about the most fundamental aspect of what makes us, us; we may start to broaden our entire understanding of the universe and the nature of reality itself.

Understanding anomalous mental phenomena requires a dive into various scientific domains, there are many disparate scientific research papers that could have some relationship to one another, but haven’t been expressed as related in any kind of direct way. As we move through this section of the article we’re going to explore some frontiers in scientific research and see if they’re beginning to suggest there is more validity to anomalous phenomena, rather than just self-expressed stories - which have plagued this subject for so long. Could there really be a relationship between consciousness and quantum theory? Do humans have biological markers that may indicate some function of thought that can access indirect information, or is it all just nonsense and lies that we tell to ourselves?

The Garry Nolan Connection

Dr. Garry Nolan was also mentioned, alongside Timothy Taylor, in Diana Pasulka's book and given the pseudonym “James”, presumably to protect his identity. Nolan has since confirmed that the book was indeed referring to him. It provides some fascinating speculative insights into areas of cognition, including descriptions of people having dreams about the anomalous material that were supposedly collected from an anomalous object's “crash” site.

Nolan’s recent work has been about identifying markers within the people’s bodies that may indicate that what’s commonly referred to as “experiencers”. Nolan hasn't been quiet about his interests in these topics, since he was quite open about it across Twitter. He’s also been present in some associated documentaries. This inspired research into any scientific papers that Nolan had written, this was back in 2018. During this search the author came across Nolan’s work on biological markers of “novel cognitive abilities”. It was just an abstract, but it contained some astounding information:

• Incidental MRI and Genomic Findings in Human Striatum: Implications for Behavioral/Cognitive Research

This was written alongside Christoper “Kit” Green. The paper states that there “implications for behavioral / cognitive research” within the basal ganglia area within the brain that influence “executive, rapid action/reaction decision-making, and information processing of massively parallel afferent sensorimotor data” and ends by stating that it’s “worth speculating said connections might afford affected individuals with novel cognitive or intellectual abilities”. It further states that neuronal connectivity between the caudate and putamen indicate these “novel” abilities. There’s no real mention of anomalous insights or such, but it was enough to prompt action. After finding it, the author directly replied an unrelated tweet from Nolan to confront him about on the issue:

Needless to say, there was no direct reply to the tweet and it went largely unnoticed by the wider community, except perhaps with Nolan, since within ~two months, the author was in London meeting him in person. He’d shared that only a month earlier that he had given a presentation at Harvard Medical School during their 2018 Space Genetics Symposium titled “Can genetic differences in intuition and cognition drive success in space?”. He unfortunately was unable to share the full content of the slides, but gave a little snippet and later agreed for me to write an article about their content.

The subset of the slides indicated Nolan had been making significant efforts to highlight the unique neural connectivity between the caudate and the putamen. Suggesting a biological basis for a subset of the population that have heightened intuitive capabilities.

• Experiencers, Unique Intuition, and Biomarkers

At the same time, Nolan had shared the same slides with James Iandoli and he wrote an article that was released in conjunction with my own:

• Is the Caudate-Putamen an Antenna for Anomalous Information?

Nolan’s studies have identified that some individuals with extraordinary cognitive abilities, often referred to as “experiencers”, show an the increased neural connectivity in the caudate nucleus region of the brain. The enhanced connectivity is thought to facilitate processing of complex information and could indicate an evolutionary adaptation by the human species, making it a crucial area in understanding how anomalous cognition functions

Nolan is also exploring the genetic underpinnings of these neural anomalies by comparing the brain structures of individuals with autism and schizophrenia to those with reported anomalous experiences. This comparative research aims to determine whether these conditions share common neural traits that could explain their unique cognitive capabilities. His studies hint that these brain anomalies might represent an evolutionary step in human cognition, enhancing specific cognitive functions that enable individuals to perceive and interpret information from deeper dimensions of reality. Tying back to the comments made by Corso.

My SilvaRecord article also details how Nolan, in collaboration with Dr. Christopher “Kit” Green, observed physical injuries and cognitive changes in individuals exposed to anomalous phenomena. Suggesting a biological explanation for some of the reported effects. This approach utilises forensic technology to study the biological consequences of these encounters, moving beyond anecdotal evidence to more scientific analyses of these phenomena.

Nolan’s extensive research has been vital in advancing our understanding of anomalous cognition, particularly through his detailed study of the brain structures of individuals who report extraordinary perceptual abilities.

Most recently in a paper, published on ScienceDirect, Nolan has specifically associated autism and schizophrenia with neurological changes in the brain, including the aforementioned connectivity with the caudate nucleus:

• Subcortical-cortical white matter connectivity in adults with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia patients

This information directly ties back to Dick’s own self-assessment as having a basis or correlation with schizophrenia, or schizophrenia-like conditions.

The above paper is directly building on Nolan's ideas of anomalous cognition having a biophysical correlate within the brain. So far, in the published paper, he is aiming to define the associations with neurological disorders. One can imagine that this is a step towards further studies relating these conditions, or similar disorders, to intuition or anomalous mental processes. Specifically in relation to the increased connectivity between different brain regions.

Interestingly, Nolan has directly referred to this stepwise approach to the study of these brain areas in an interview he conducted on the Behind Greatness YouTube channel. Some of his comments are as follows:

“To study that, I couldn’t publish a paper or I couldn’t get a grant that said “I’m looking at the potential of psi”. No, what I do is go out and collect all of the raw data, map all of the regions, see if the initial assumption is true about caudate-putamen relationships. Low and behold, we found in an independent cohort in a fully controlled manner – age/sex matched controls, that it indeed was the case that this area was associated with higher intelligence. We pitched it against looking at schizophrenics and autists, both of whom have different kinds of abilities. Schizophrenics may be seeing things that aren’t there, but maybe they have a little more access to something, if you want to go into the woo side, and maybe they can’t turn it off. That’s why they end of with mental health problems. Then on the other side you have autists that have remarkable savant abilities, like math and things that can’t be explained. It doesn’t require psychic powers, but as it turned out, in both those classification types they had deficits in the formation and structure of their basal ganglia and in particularly the caudate.

We were mapping larger brain regions because we know it’s not going to be one thing, it’s going to be all kinds of other systems/changes. And so it was just getting the baseline. The lab that I was working with fully understood what my side interests were, but they saw the values of what we could bring in terms of the mapping, etc. that satisfied their need for mainstream science. It gives me a paper trail that I can point to when I want to go to other stuff, to say look “I’m not just jumping into the field out of the blue, I’ve actually done some work in it”. That’s the idea, how to couch what you’re doing in standard science that is validatible and unassailable.”

It’s worth noting at this stage that it’s very well defined in the scientific literature that there are relationships between intuition and the caudate nucleus. An example (of many) is present here:

• Intuition: a social cognitive neuroscience approach, by M D Lieberman

Aligning Nolan's findings to the historical accounts show the clear relationships between them and helps to broaden our understanding of anomalous cognition. Historical records have long documented individuals with extraordinary perceptual abilities, they’re often associated and viewed as being spiritual or mystical experiences, as explored earlier with the ancient cultural populations of people. Nolan’s work now provides a strictly scientific framework that helps explain these abilities. Suggesting what was once considered “mystical” might have a real biological basis in human physiology.

The earlier reported case studies of individuals can be reexamined in the context of Nolan’s studies. Dick’s telepathic communications and Ruffalo’s life saving dream could be manifestations of the same heightened intuitive capabilities that can now be associated with increased neuronal connectivity in the caudate nucleus. This framework offers a plausible explanation for their extraordinary experiences by grounding them in a scientific reality rather than just purely speculative domains. 

Nolan’s research then opens new avenues for scientific inquiry into neurological deviations from the norm. By identifying specific neural markers and exploring their genetic links, his work encourages an approach that combines neuroscience and genetics. The comprehensive perspective can demystify anomalous cognition and integrate it into broader scientific research; this could greatly advance our understanding of human potential and possible cognitive evolution. Hopefully Nolan is further able to move into the area of identifying any markers contained specifically within DNA of those experiencing anomalous events. Perhaps determining specific groups of single nucleotide polymorphisms or genes that imply an elevated likelihood of having the increased connectivity within different neurological areas. Whether or not there are traits associated with different groups of people, like the previously explored celts and their subsets.

Nolan's contributions in the study of the caudate nucleus and its associated psychological deficits helps significantly enhance and legitimise the discussion of intuition and anomalous cognition by providing a solid scientific foundation for understanding these unusual phenomena. Incorporating his findings, we're able to bridge the gap between historical accounts and personal experiences into modern scientific research - offering a more rounded view of human consciousness and its untapped potential. His studies and papers then pave the way for future research into the profound capabilities of the human mind.

Christopher "Kit" Green’s Research on the Anomalous

Dr. Christopher “Kit” Green has contributed significantly to the study of anomalous phenomena over many decades, originally working on the “Stargate” remote viewing programmes of the 1970s and 1980s. His work on these topics are numerous and far too extensive to cover in their entirety here. He has more recently turned his attention to forensic investigations of injuries and conditions resulting from human exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Specifically in relation to the study of unexplained aerial phenomena. Green’s investigations have revealed that some of these individuals exhibit unique neurological and physiological changes, such as brain damage and radiation burns, which he attributes to powerful radio or electromagnetic frequency emissions from anomalous objects.

These injuries often include symptoms such as multiple sclerosis, brain damage, and radiation burns. His previously classified 2009/2010 research paper, commissioned by the Department of Defense under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (repeated under the Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program), explores the acute and subacute field effects on human dermal and neurological tissues. This study highlights how exposure to high-powered radio or electromagnetic frequencies from anomalous objects’ emissions or propulsion systems can lead to significant health issues.

• Anomalous Acute and Subacute Field Effects on Human Biological Tissues

For the purposes of full disclosure, the author had looked into this paper when a draft was released; Green refers to a particular event where radio engineers experienced an event that was “irregular, incongruous and inconsistent with their domain” and were exposed to an “aerospace-related event”. Quite a profound statement and obviously requires further research. The referenced paper is as follows:

• Effects of acute exposure to ultrahigh radiofrequency radiation on three antenna engineers

There are no related aerospace or anomalous events listed within it, so I contacted the author and their email reply stated that the original paper was “scrupulously accurate and there was no aerospace event”. Contradicting the statements made within Green’s paper.

Elsewhere within Green's paper are numerous references to how the brain can be affected by electromagnetic radiation, which links back to statements made by Corso where he states there's “electromagnetic integration of brain lobes”. 

Green has been working closely with Nolan on the aforementioned neurological brain identifiers within the caudate nucleus, as Nolan specifically mentioned the patient population being suggested by Green. One wonders whether the research into electromagnetic radiation has correlates to the same regions of the brain. People being exposed to anomalous objects often refer to themselves as “experiencers” and quite often state that they hear voices or buzzing sounds, as covered in Green’s paper:

Interestingly, Green also states that these people are “at first, at least” considered to be schizophrenic, which neatly relates back to Nolan’s own scientific papers stating additional fibre connections in the caudate-putamen have schizophrenia-like correlates. Also, of course, the comments from Philip K. Dick who makes the same initial assessments of his own extraordinary cognitive abilities.

The apparent damage that's caused to people in close proximity to anomalous phenomena could also relate back to Havana Syndrome, since the reported adverse events are similar between the two. Buzzing, tinnitus, possible communications, etc. It makes you wonder whether Green, and perhaps Nolan, have even studied these people in relation to one another. Conclusions and open outcomes are not yet defined if they're indeed studying these relationships.

In addition to his collaborative work with Nolan, Dr. Green has also engaged in research involving psychic phenomena. This includes a fascinating conversation with Cay Randall-May, a psychic and medical intuitive. Recommended reading is a transcription by UFO researcher Joe Murgia (UFO Joe), these conversations delve into the use of altered states of consciousness to access detailed information about events and individuals, further exploring the potential mechanisms behind intuition. A piecemeal version of the original audio is present under the anonymous account of “project333” on Soundcloud, although seemingly devoid of some of the original audio.

Other Scientists’ Work

Beyond the obvious connections between Green/Nolan and anomalous cognition, there are other threads within the wider scientific community that link to these topics. I’ve written about some of these associations in the following article on my blog:

• COMMUNICATION WITH NON-HUMAN INTELLIGENCE, VISIONARY EXPERIENCES, & PROPULSION SCIENCE IN SPACE

It describes how a Canadian scientist, named George Hathaway, has written a paper on communication specifically with extraterrestrial intelligences and using the mind as a means of communication with those intelligences. While the author has some personal doubts as to whether we're dealing directly with an “extraterrestrial” intelligence - evidence of this is certainly a glaring omission in the public sphere - the detail within the paper certainly demands attention and is directly related back to the discussions we’re having here; communication with non-human intelligences being a mental process.

Another scientist that the author had previously looked into is Bruce Towe and how he’d written a paper with the aforementioned Cay Randall-May. The psychic that had worked with Christopher “Kit” Green and recorded the audio mentioned earlier. In the paper, Randall-May and Towe give descriptions of dream-like imagery that are able to be received in an intentional altered state. This, again, ties to the descriptions from American Cosmic and Timothy Taylor’s protocol on his own anomalous communications.

Randall-May has a frankly miraculous ability to observe physiological and neurological attributes about people and having previously very little knowledge about the subjects. She, too, must presumably have “hyper” connections within the caudate nucleus, or other regions, of her brain. A full assessment of her would make a wonderful study in the future.

Then we have the very well documented Stargate Project that the Central Intelligence Agency conducted back in the 1970s. The idea that some people have a clairvoyant capacity to view at a distance. The project which must have had significant military spending.

Quantum Entanglement and Potential Associations to the Anomalous

Drs Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff have proposed the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch—OR) theory, which suggests that consciousness may arise from “non-computable quantum processing performed by qubits formed collectively on cellular microtubules”. Essentially suggesting, in my limited understanding, that consciousness is a quantum process rather than strictly an epiphenomenon of the brain. Their suggestions are highly controversial within the scientific community, since consciousness is widely believed to be caused by interactions of neurons, thereby being an entirely physical process – not at the quantum level. The suggestion of Orch-OR would be utterly profound, if ever deemed to be accurate. In the context of consciousness being a product of interactions at the quantum level, we can open up substantial other realisations about cognition. If consciousness operates at the quantum level, then it opens up the possibility that quantum entanglement, a phenomenon where particles become interconnected in such a way that the state of one particle immediately influences the state of another, could be a process that allows thought-like interactions to some level of access to. The theory may provide a potential framework for understanding telepathy and other forms of anomalous cognition.

This isn’t a new idea, since others have speculated these concepts before. Halil I. Demir’s article in Fountain Magazine also explores the possibility that quantum entanglement could explain forms of telepathy – suggesting that the human mind, at the quantum level, might be capable of similar instantaneous connections, facilitating some level of telepathic communication. Researchers have observed quantum entanglement in biological systems at, or near, room temperature , indicating that such processes might be more common in nature than previously thoughts. This opens up the possibility that the human brain could utilise quantum entanglement for cognitive functions.

If indeed the human mind can harness entangled particles, then thoughts and feelings could be transferred instantaneously between individuals – transcending physical and sensory limitations. The correlation between consciousness and quantum processes, as suggested by Penrose and Hameroff, alongside potential explanations provided by entanglement, offers a compelling framework for understanding telepathy and other forms of anomalous cognition. These theories would enormously expand our understanding of consciousness but also open new avenues for scientific exploration into the largely unrecognised capabilities of the human mind.

The Value of Skepticism  

Considering the problematic areas of discussion and the considerable history of misinformation in this field it's a valid argument that hard skepticism is a necessary discomfort to move these topics into any kind of mainstream belief. Their concerns will have to be addressed objectively and without question, there needs to be the necessary data analyses backing up any claims, otherwise there will be no acceptance by broader populations.

Easy enough to convince the true believers or those that have legitimate experiences with anomalous cognition. It will then be necessary to present the information to a crowd of people that show an interest in these areas, but do not believe. The Mick Wests of the world. We shouldn't feel like we can simply put them on ignore, as the rest of humanity will return the favour to those presenting the information and not addressing the concerns.

There have been numeral instances of absurd claims being made by people on the internet and the people legitimately debunking these claims have provided an excellent service to everyone, providing people are searching for the truth and not some financial benefit to themselves. And let’s be perfectly honest, there is currently no real tangible evidence (other than self-reporting) of advanced technology in relation to these events. It’s scarce to non-existent. If those “in the know” have evidence of technologies, then the data should be presented for evaluation. While it's understood that some are providing a drip-drip release of scientific papers or information, the current data is insufficient and the wider population just won't care until undeniable evidence is provided.

Another valid concern that has been raised is related to the people that are releasing the information. Lots of the same names have popped up over the years, and still, the evidence is insufficient. If any of these folks have undeniable evidence of technology, then again, present that for evaluation. 

People anomalously hiding from view, behind anomalous accounts, and releasing information is also insufficient and only helps to delegitimise the subject. While the topic of anomalous cognition is replete with evidence and an overwhelming amount of scientific research, wider conclusions as to the source of those communications is extraordinary only by its omission. 

We should welcome the skeptics providing their intentions in truth finding are honest and they don't have some ulterior motive.

Conclusions

These explorations demonstrate that there has been a longstanding belief in anomalous cognition, with people having experienced strange insights that they firmly believe are disassociated from themselves. If we’re to trust the descriptions given by people like Ruffalo, Dick and Randall-May, then they’re expressing knowledge about things they shouldn’t ordinarily know by any kind of conventional means. The historical accounts of ancient celts and later the Scottish descriptions of Second Sight show that there’s a large belief structure that goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years into these unusual experiences. These descriptions are not just limited to the explored Celts, by the way, as these types of abilities are present in many, if not all, of historical cultures – from the peoples of Europe to the natives in the Americas and Asia. Wherever we find culture, we also find ancient traditions of people within their communities experiencing strange mental phenomena. All of these perspectives provide a valuable base for understanding modern experiences of anomalous cognition, suggesting deep-rooted connections to human heritage. 

These people are recipients of a profound insight and may be examples of the extraordinary cognitive abilities of the human mind. They have reported experiences that suggest human consciousness can access information beyond the ordinary, accepted, sensory spectrum. The experiences have enormously influenced creative processes and technological advancements, as described by Taylor, indicating that anomalous cognition can have significant practical implications when applied appropriately.

The breadth of these anomalies appears undefined; we see that people like Jung and those with Second Sight have them manifested as visions, lot of other descriptions are given as a type of strange insight that comes to them in trance-like to sleep-like states, then we have people like Timothy Taylor who appears to be trying to develop protocols to initiate communication and aid the development of medical devices. The intentional communications with these anomalies are being performed by military and aerospace companies. While the outputs and scope of these communications are not publicly available, we can only assume that there are significant further studies hidden from view and most likely way outside of the purview of freedom of information acts. Whether or not these are simply fantasies dreamed up by their witnesses, or a true connection to something outside of our reality windows depends somewhat on how much we trust their words and the frontier science that’s exploring these concepts.

The work of legitimate scientists like Dr. Garry Nolan and Dr. Christopher Green provides a solid scientific foundation for understanding these unusual phenomena. Their research into the neural and genetic basis of extraordinary cognitive abilities suggests that these experiences might have a biological foundation, offering a new perspective on human potential. Additionally, the Orchestrated Objective Reduction theory proposed by Penrose and Hameroff, alongside the concept of quantum entanglement, offers a theoretical framework for understanding how consciousness might operate at the quantum level. Combining these ideas opens new avenues for exploring the potential connections between human cognition and even the fundamental processes of the universe - considering concepts like idealism or panpsychism. What was once in the realms of pseudoscience, largely due to the lack of scientific proficiency and confirmation, is now moving into legitimate areas of inquiry. With the unarguable quantifiable science backing it up. 

It now takes a spectacular willful act of ignorance to overlook the increasing evidence that’s being laid out ahead of us.