I realize that it may seem a contradiction to say that faith is entirely a function of the mind and then to say it is more than a function of the mind. So, we have form and function and in this system-level approach we are discussing it is an aspect of mind that functions to produce a desired effect. It is also not a contradiction when viewed from the perspective of ultimate reality, emptiness, rather than conventional reality which is where most people get stuck with this concept.

There isn't enough pot at High Times headquarters to make me understand this.

Dear Blue-j,

I'm familiar with disassociation from body through trauma. I have to admit, I grew lived under the Iran/Iraq war for the first ten years of my life. It was daily routine of collecting bullet shells from the Iraqi air planes from our play ground. It was daily experience during bombing to run under the stair case, and then clean up all the shuddered windows. I was also raised in a Catholic family, being the only Christian in my school, in a very Muslim country. Repression of sexuality was to an extreme. Heavily co-dependent emotional bonds to family were also a norm. Since I was a child, I would sit by myself, and spontaneous meditation was my "escape" fortunately. Fortunately because it wasn't drugs. In school I was an over achiever; I went to San Jose State University when I was just 12 years old after my psychotherapist at the time gave me an I/Q test and requested of my school that I need to be challenged more. I was an over achiever in school, and business. I started my own companies since I was 12. I would read 500 page books in one day-night without stop. I would stay up and play chess tournaments online for up to three days straight without sleep. I didn't know how to relate to people and how to be happy. I was deeply pained and thoughts which were suicidal began to surface when I moved out of my parents home after my first girl friend cheated on me. At that point, I promised myself that instead of suicide I would devote all my life to personal transformation. I would sit in meditation 5 to 7 hours since I was 15 and began to become aware of the astral body, began feeling connection to nature, trees, animals, the sun and earth in ways that life began to feel like a joy again. Around when I was 20 I met a South Indian Yogi master who took me on as one of his two students and he began to train me. I lived with him for 3 months, he would even cook for me after work. I spent 3 years as a brahmacharya monk under him and went through extensive training in many esoteric practices that I've yet to read in any books. He also suggested to me that after our training I should proceed to enter Native American, and Sufi teachings. I met many teachers since him, and occasionally still keep in contact with him. Regarding the traumas, I went to many trauma-healing workshops such as workshops based on the work of Bert Hellinger somtimes called "Family Constellations" or "Movements of the Soul". For a 2 year period I went almost every other week to a somatic trauma based body-work session with Sabine at RadiantEmbodiment.com in San Rafael which healed a great deal of trauma and allowed me to embody my body senses. I spent a lot of time with a number of Tantrica women and learned to consciously enter orgasmic expanded states of consciousness; I have testimonial letters from some of these tantricas.

Yes, trauma was a motivating factor in my journey. Though it's not the cause. I was trained to consciously practice these out of body practices amongst many others from my first teacher. They are standard practices in Kundalini, Yoga, and Tantra that are widely known. Their subtleties though I feel can only be taught by a real teacher which I had the fortune of learning.

I also live a very "grounded" life. I have a stable life partner in a happy non-drama relationship for over 5 years. We have two young children. I also operate now 3 different technology companies with over 14 people that report to me, and over 400 customers which include hedge funds, mutual funds, SaaS companies, top-100 e-retailers, etc.

I'm living the full expression of life with no limitations. As of 2008 I tried cannabis for the first time just to learn about it. Since 2007 I've also explored poly relationships with the consent of my life partner. I do not know how more I can clearly show that I am a fully "life-engaged" and not exhibiting a trauma "flight" syndrome.

Regarding family genetics:
Paternal Grandfather: Would occasionally faint when he was very stressed out while he was in his 90's. He also had very thick eye glasses. He lived a very difficult and poor life. No other health issues. He died in his sleep around 94 years old.
Paternal Grandmother: High Cholestral, though she ate a lot of heavy animal fat. She needed to eye glasses and had no other issues. She died around 88.
Maternal Grandmother: Still alive. She's in her 70's now. She uses reading glasses for only reading. Has rheumatism in her legs. That's it. However, one of her sisters had an issue with her bone marrow not creating blood cells and she died from this while she was in her later 60's.
Maternal Grandfather: Died last month in his upper 80's. Had enlarged prostate and difficulty breathing due to heavy tobacco smoking his entire life. No other health issues, he also didn't need to wear any glasses.
Maternal Great Grandmother: I was told she was healthy and lived in the village, though she died from a brain hemorage in her late 70's.
Maternal Great Grandfather: In his 80's he was told his heart was becoming larger, though he continued to live till over a 100 years old. He still had full set of hair and having original teeth. Had no other issues, didn't wear glasses for reading either; he spoke many languages and was highly educated as well.

Expanding out to other extended family members I do not know of any other family things. I know my family quiet well and probably personally know well over 100 family members.

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Traumatic events can cause the consciousness of a person to step out and get a new perspective.
Drugs can do similar things.
Near death experiences also same.
Mastering any art form such as music, painting, martial arts and some sports can also cause people to enter a very "focused zone" to begin experiencing reality differently.

Though, meditation in my experience is healing towards all manners of our being. Physical, emotional, psychological.

Not everyone experiences these realities not because effort is needed but because we use so much effort to avoid. We buy into beliefs, religions, logic, sciences, identity, society, etc. In Zen they tried to make this journey simpler, by just putting all that aside and allowing an "emptiness" or "pure consciousness" to remain, and from there, the Universe can begin to be explored. Suzuki Roshi who wrote "Zen mind, beginers mind" demonstrates this path.

There are many "paths" that fit different people. But I subscribe to those which bring about a human transformation, not a technological innovation. Often technological innovations come from an intuitive spark within consciousness, science, logic, etc are to me by-products of consciousness.

Yes... "i think the most pivotal insight regarding your experiences is to recognize how much experience itself is a prepared dish, so to speak" Through meditation it can also be seen the types of thoughts we have, the way which we respond to our environment and thoughts coming our way has a lot to do with the type of eating, diet, rest, life style we live. That's why it's important in meditation to reach a level of consciousness which is free from body-consciousness through practices like Pratyahara (total sense withdrawal) so that we perform a gradual rolling black-out and witness what remains of Self as these are shut off. Pratyahara is only one stage in the Raja Yoga system. By with drawing of the outer-senses we come to directly experience the inner-mind where the "senses" are still there. In the inner-mind like you said, you can hear sounds, create experiences fully and easily believe in them. You are right in all of this. In here the training and danger is around "Maya" i.e. delusion/illusion, and in this inner level through dhyana and dharana (meditation/contemplation) we come to see we are not any of these thoughts, and all the illusions and delusions fade to a thought-less awareness. In that thought-less awareness the "space of mind" is reached. Here we gradually come to the awareness of the various stages of mind, i.e. manas, chitta, and budhi. Essentially, we continue removing the layers to see what is under neath step by step. Once we hit the inner core, emptiness, then our sense of identity is lost, all beliefs and ideas are lost, a total freedom is experienced. The body/mind often experience states of bliss such as total calmness, pervasive peace, etc. And our attention becomes very subtle. We notice things in our awareness that we never did before. We can focus our attention to very very subtle aspects of the world outer and inner, and through this we begin gaining a very subtle awareness of reality and ourselves of which I've written some of my experiences.

I do not mean to caricature science; I have great respect for it. It's just that often I find "scientific community" to have a very strange energetic configuration where it looks like they are only willing to see and accept that which can exist in the box of science and nothing else. It's like there is a great blindness which to me is the same that I've seen with the fanatical religious groups.

When I refer to "realms" I'm talking about different manners we can experience and interact with the world/reality. We can interact through the Internet, by use of language, by use of physical touch and body gestures, by sound, etc. We can also interact directly by energy, thoughts, and consciousness; this is the less known fact. We can use the imaginal realm for example to interact with very subtle energies/entitites within the universe which with our normal senses we have no context or interpreter. We are still using our will, energy, and generated thoughts to interact, the imaginal realm is only used as an interpreter. In this way, the human being can begin learning the "language of the universe". The Hindu's have long known this, hence why they have created Deities for everything, there is a Deity for the Sun who rides a chariot with 7 horses (each horse is a different color). There is a Deity for the Moon who happens to have 28 wives. They created a form that the human being could use in the imaginal realm to interact with the energy and consciousness of the Universe and that which lays beyond.

There are many many many ways to experience the world, science isn't the only manner that is true. I feel in our current time too much is relied on it at the expense of loosing site to the other aspects.

Fortunately, I see a great movement in energy workers/healers who are incorporating into psychotherapy, bod-work, art, music, science now more than the last 1,000 years at least.

I have to get back to work... I don't feel I put enough attention to respond to you on this post... this will have to suffice for now.

p.s. thanks for your response.