DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN INTEGRAL NOETIC SCIENCES

We find ourselves in a multidimensional multiverse that is full of mystery and wonder. Come be part of the next generation of scholar-practitioners, thought-leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators exploring the frothy edges of this Wild Kosmos and help us discover some of its pearls of wisdom. There has never been a greater sense of urgency on this planet than right now for a bigger more complete vision of Reality and its relationship to consciousness – in its human and more-than-human expressions.

The Integral Noetic Sciences (INS) graduate program is truly a one-of-a-kind program. You are not going to find another program that uses an integral approach to include so many seemingly divergent schools of thought and approaches in order to explore the big questions around Reality—Consciousness, such as “What happens after we die?”, “Are we alone in the universe?”, “Do bees really have culture?”, “Is there a God – or Goddess, or Supreme Ground of Being?”, “Is magic real?”, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to see it does it make a sound?”, “Do some animal species have an awareness of death?”, and “Is matter derivative of consciousness?”. So, as you can see, we take on the big questions in INS!

In short, the Integral Noetic Sciences program is dedicated to the scientific study of the relationship between consciousness and reality through the use of integral mixed methods with a focus on anomalous and noetic experiences. As our name applies there are three major areas of focus in this program:

• Integral perspectives: This includes integrative metatheories such as Ken Wilber’s integral theory, Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism, and Edgar Morin’s complex thought as well as integral visions such as Karan Barad’s posthumanist cosmology, Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga, Hiroshi Motoyama’s synthetic “East-West” subtle energy science, and the various schools of metamodernism that have emerged in the last decade. A variety of transdisciplinary methods and models are used alongside integrative maps and frameworks. 
• Noetic perspectives: This includes philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, plant & animal consciousness, ecosomatics & ecopsychology, parapsychology, transpersonal psychology, anomalous experiences, phenomenology, contemplative science, esoteric practices, the magickal traditions, psychedelics, neurophenomenology, paranormal studies, cognitive science, shamanic traditions, and the study of post-autonomous ego development. Students and faculty are engaged in their own practices (somatic, esoteric, contemplative) of self-transformation and classes regularly include experiential exercises and meditations. Also, students and faculty often share their own anomalous and noetic experiences with each other to foster a grounded space of first-person inquiry making links between topics studied and our own direct experiences. 
• Science perspectives: This includes the use of integral mixed methods that combine first-person, second-person, and third-person data collection approaches. There is an emphasis on pioneering new methodologies informed by emerging feminist, indigenous, post-materialist, ecological, posthumanist, transpersonal, anomalous, esoteric and subtle energy approaches. There is also an emphasis on philosophy of science and the ontological turns that are occurring in philosophy, anthropology, and science and technology studies. Quantum models of reality and consciousness are also a focus along with feminist and post-colonial critiques of science. 

This integral trifecta of transdisciplinary big picture perspectives create a potent educational space that is extremely unique and will transform you at a deep level so that you can help transform the world!

There are a number of research centers* at CIHS associated with the Integral Noetic Sciences (INS) graduate including:

• Center for Anomalous and Noetic Studies (CANS)
• Center for Applied Integrative Metatheories (CAIM)
• Laboratory for Consciousness Science
• Subtle Energy Research Laboratory

*See the Research Centers page for additional details

These research centers provide platforms, equipment, and resources for INS students to showcase their own projects and research or participate in already existing initiatives such as the Worldwide Initiative for Super Experiencer Research (WISER).

The PhD program in Integral Noetic Sciences provides advanced coursework in a scholarly field that resides at the intersection of integrative metatheory, consciousness studies, and the philosophy of science. Students enjoy advanced training in spiritual, esoteric, and contemplative practices; gain expertise in relevant mixed methods research, and can expand their overall understanding of the discipline by taking elective courses from CIHS’s other programs.