Annie Browning

Altered temporal experience, changes in self-boundaries, and internally generated imagery are commonly described in contemplative and mystical states, but reproducible non-pharmacological procedures for studying these phenomena remain limited. This exploratory program evaluation examined GAZE, a structured oculorespiratory practice combining high-ventilation cyclic breathing with sequential, multidirectional closed-eye oculomotor sequences and attentional-broadening procedures. During a seven-day residential program, 10 adults completed six facilitated sessions. Aggregated, de-identified data were collected for program improvement rather than individual-level human-subjects research. Pre-post program measures assessed intolerance of uncertainty, cognitive agility, and expanded awareness. Session reports were examined descriptively for changes in temporal experience, self-boundaries, meaning-making, and internally generated imagery. Exploratory Muse Athena EEG and prefrontal fNIRS recordings were collected to assess measurement feasibility. Reports included temporal slowing or spaciousness, softened self-world boundaries, emotionally salient imagery, and heightened meaning-making. Pre-post measures descriptively indicated lower intolerance of uncertainty and higher self-reported cognitive agility and expanded awareness. Because high ventilation can alter carbon dioxide, cerebral blood flow, movement artifact, and signal quality, biosignal data were treated as exploratory and were not interpreted as evidence of specific neural mechanisms or neural correlates of mystical consciousness. The evaluation supports the feasibility of using a standardized oculorespiratory protocol to investigate altered temporal and imagery-related phenomenology. It does not establish causation or isolate the effects of breathing, eye movements, expectancy, group context, or repeated practice. Controlled studies using objective timing tasks, standardized state measures, comparison conditions, and preregistered signal processing are warranted. This presentation describes a practice-based program evaluation conducted to assess participant experience, safety, implementation, and measurement feasibility. Participants completed a written informed-consent process addressing procedures, foreseeable risks, voluntary participation, confidentiality, and data collection. Findings are reported only in aggregated, de-identified form and are presented as descriptive and hypothesis-generating rather than as evidence of efficacy, causation, or neural mechanism.

Annie L. Browning, PhD, LCSW, MDiv, is a psychotherapist, consciousness researcher, and co-owner of Emergenetics International. Her doctoral research examined altered temporality and embodied experience in non-ordinary states. With nearly two decades of clinical and transpersonal practice, she developed GAZE, a non-pharmacological method integrating respiratory, oculomotor, and attentional procedures. Her work combines phenomenology, psychometrics, EEG, and fNIRS to investigate contemplative and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Through Emergenetics International, she also applies psychological research to cognitive diversity, leadership development, and organizational behavior.