Here he reviews research findings in parapsychology related to phenomena such as out of body experiences, telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, survival of consciousness after death, and reincarnation. He notes that mainstream academic researchers often treat these subjects disparagingly. He argues that such a dismissive attitude is both arrogant and foolish. He maintains that the [...]

Here he describes the “anthropic principle” in cosmology, based on the notion that the physical constants discovered by cosmologists suggest that the universe in which we live is uniquely designed to support human consciousness as we know it. This principle has both a strong and weak form. Hameroff points out that his theory is consistent [...]

Here he focuses on the idea that consciousness is an orchestrated whole. This, he maintains, is accomplished through quantum coherence unifying the various activities of the brain. The orchestra of consciousness occurs at various, specific frequency resonances. He also describes how our experience of time is related to the rate at which we process information [...]

Here he points out that, while under anesthesia, the nervous systems of patients – albeit somewhat quiescent – is, nevertheless, active in many ways. Nerve signals are still conducted throughout the body. Furthermore, the variety of anesthetic gases are capable of inducing anesthesia is virtually all species, without engaging in chemical reactions. Hameroff’s search for [...]

Here he describes his collaboration with Sir Roger Penrose in the development of the “Orch OR” theory of consciousness. Penrose is a highly respected mathematician and theoretical physicist who worked with Stephen Hawking to develop the theory of black holes. In the 1990s, he wrote a book about consciousness called The Emporer’s New Mind. In [...]

Here he describes his intellectual journey as an anesthesiologist, taking people out of normal waking consciousness and then restoring it on a routine basis. He describes how microtubules, tiny structures within each neuron, can function as molecular computers underlying the electrical spikes normally associated with mental processes. As such, each neuron is capable of processing, [...]