Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work Hardcover – February 21, 2017

Interesting read and insightful comments. Seems psychedelics and/or the Burning Man is needed for the maximum (fast acting!) “ecstasis.” Unfortunately psychedelics and the Burning Man event is beyond the reach for most people (cost/ time). Would have liked more real life examples and ways to apply STER (selfishness, timeliness, effortlessness and richness) of than take u meditation. Currently I do long distance motorcycle riding (Iron Butt - 1000 miles in a day), 4 Corners (of the USA) and Ladakh’s Chisumle-Demchok Road (highest motorable road in the world at 19,000 feet) to name a few (considered “extreme” sport by author?). I have viewed these rides differently (and the reasons why I pursue them) since reading Stealing Fire. I will re-read (especially the last chapter re application) and with the hope of discovering new adventures to experience “the flow.”

This is a great book about how "flow states" can revolutionize how you interact with the world. I see a lot of complaints that this book is too simple, that there's not enough detail in it. This is one case where I totally disagree. This isn't just a self-help book that can be summarized in one page - it actually earns its page count.The plot: Stealing is an attempt to demystify and scientifically quantify what it means when an athlete or a soldier says they feel "in the zone". We've known for a long time that professionals in any field - from manufacturing workers on a production line to soldiers in a war zone - enter an odd brain state where a mixture of training and instinct seem to put their body on autopilot. Their reflexes are sharper, their movements seem choreographed even when encountering complex challenges, yet if you ask them what they're feeling at the time they may very well tell you they just "zoned out" and weren't really thinking about what they were doing. Stealing Fire poses and answers a simple question - what can we learn about these states, and can we reliably create them in our own lives to enhance our own performance? (The answers are "a lot" and "yes").Why it's a good book: A mixture of engaging narrative and research, this book contains as many anecdotes and personal testimonies as it does footnotes to peer-reviewed literature. A lot of people complain in equal parts that the book "doesn't contain practical tips" and also that it "just tells you to do drugs to achieve this state" - that's contradictory. The truth is that this is a good book for getting your brain going. It will help you think differently about performance and accomplishment, and give you some ideas about how to get started, without giving you a diet or workout regimen.The only catch: Yes, these guys are salesmen. Like many self-help books, there are some subtle and not-so-subtle hits given throughout the book that the reader could choose to purchase other materials and courses now that the authors have set up their own training camps to help clients learn about flow states. However, they don't "black box" much of the information. This isn't like the opening pamphlet of a meditation retreat that gives you two sentences about how nice the view is without telling you what an actual day looks like. Stealing Fire is full of plenty of practical advice, and you don't have to buy into any of the sales pitch at all. To be completely fair as well, the authors and their business partners really are on the cutting edge with these studies and - at the time of writing - their courses were some of the only ways out there to get up on the latest information.Overall: Almost every critic of this book complains that they "just tell you do to do drugs". This is silly. Most of the examples in the book - especially from the military - deal with people who've never touched drugs in their life. One of the main points in the book is that although psychadelic drugs are a (frankly very safe when done correctly) way to get acquainted with altered brain states, almost everyone gets to a flow state through completely natural - though extreme - circumstances. Maybe your flow comes from putting on earbuds and running a 5k. Maybe your flow comes from lighting some incense and concentrating on your laptop for work. However you get there - the point is to go there, because that's where your creativity and your peak performance are waiting for you.

The book highlights some very interesting things and ideas, especially how navy seals use sensory deprivation tanks to become fluent in any language in just 6 weeks.Unfortunately I quickly lost interest as the author seemed to keep going deeper into abstracts, and leaving me confused on what he was actually trying to say. Maybe I'm not smart enough, or I just don't have the prior knowledge required, but I did not finish this book and don't have any urge to.

A fun book to read and filled with interesting insights into man’s search for altered states of consciousness. Stealing Fire lists numerous ways people attempt to alter their brain chemistry to go beyond happy and into ecstasis or a state of extasy. This book is not just about drugs. They suggest that athletes and artists seeking flow, drug users seeking a high, or meditators seeking a higher consciousness are all different flavors of the same kool-aide as far as brain chemistry goes. They define ecstatis as having the four qualities of STER which stands for Selflessness, Timelessness, Effortlessness, and Richness. Various methods were mentioned to reach ecstasis. They discuss how governments or churches have historically tried to keep people away from such states. And then they include safety measures in the last chapter to avoid becoming a bliss junkie.Many of the things they talk about are not on the market or not easily accessible to most of us (flow dojo, illicit drugs, TMS, virtual reality). Some of the methods they mention felt commercial, and it’s no coincidence that some names mentioned in the book are involved in the for-profit Flow Genome project the authors have founded. So in some ways, this book is a 300 page commercial for Flow Genome. But it’s a fun commercial so I can forgive. I was concerned about the factual nature of some of their anecdotes and evidence. They included a caveat in the back of the book which most people will not read. But readers should know that many facts in the book are controversial. Not all experts agree. Most notable is the controversy over fMRI which much of the neuroscience in this book is based upon.I’m having a hard time choosing one snippet from the book because I highlighted hundreds – the book was that interesting. So I’ll include one that attempts to summarize what the book is about.“…harnessing altered states toward practical ends would have seemed crazy. But we now know they can heal trauma, amplify creativity and accelerate personal development.”What did I learn? The best part of Stealing Fire was the constant pings of dopamine my brain received every time I learned a new and interesting fact. I can’t pick a favorite chapter because the book was filled with revelations that I found valuable.Who would like this book? Anybody who is interested in neuroscience, popular culture or altered states of consciousness. Or anybody who wants a fun read through nonfiction because Kotler & Wheal are an enjoyable read

This is one of the best books I read this year. As a RIM facilitator and Coach I truly believe altered states of consciousness can take us to self awareness and healing.

For the second time this week a book has not been at all what I expected. This book is about ecstasis, or non-normal states of consciousness, what they are, what they give us, how to achieve them, and who is already doing this/using them. I had never heard of ecstasis.What the authors are referring to are different states of consciousness achieved through things Nike being “in flow”, under the influence of drugs (eg mdma, psylocibin, etc) or meditating. What I didn’t know is the benefits which this can yield in terms of happiness and performance.So it’s a very interesting book and I’m glad I didn’t give up on it, though I was tempted a couple of times when the authors went on at length about Burning Man and some other points.The reason for 4 stars is they don’t really give any actionable ways that most people can access these states. What I mean is this …- I’m not planning to take mdma or psylocibin, magic mushrooms or anything like that any time soon- I’m not going to take up BASE jumping or free diving- I’m not going to take up meditation to the point of doing it for hours… so it’s not impossible, I might get into flow while skiing or something like that, but it’s not the same as some of the other routes. I would have liked to see a more complete answer as to how the “regular person” might access / experiment with some of this. That was missing, for me.But, that shouldn’t detract from the an otherwise interesting book. That said, if you’re strongly anti-drugs then this book is going to challenge your world view I think. Just a warning.

Group flowI am a huge fan of Steve Kotler. His book “The rise of superman” is a must read for anyone interested in flow, productivity, performance and human resource management. It was the first time I heard about the pursuit of companies to achieve group flow.BoostingConscious processing can only handle about 12033 bits of information at once. However, unconscious processing (= flow) can handle billions of bits at once. The result is 200 percent boost in creativity, a 490 percent boost in learning, a 500 percent boost in productivity.Making moneyConsciousness goes straight to the bottom line. Which is why 44 percent of all U.S. companies are offering mindfulness training to employees. Saving $2,000 per employee in health-care costs, and gaining $3,000 per employee in productivity. Yoga is now more popular than football. There is an exponential growth in the neurotech industry.Hacking consciousnessYep, looking to create group genius or a hive mind. Where groups of people synchronise their heart rates and brain waves and drive them into group flow. Merging selflessness, timelessness, effortlessness and richness. Looking for the elusive “hive-switch”.Transient hypofrontalityThe deep now (without time in the picture, we have all the time in the world), where our inner voice is quiet and where our amygdala shuts down (no fight or flight). Processing rich, deep data. An integrated, whole-system experience. The body, the gut, the senses, the immune system, the lymphatic system and the brain in complete sync.Flow dojosIt is amazing what Navy SEALS, Google, Red Bull are doing. Setting up flow-dojos. Applying techniques from psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology and technology. Combining IOT, AI, VR, sports technology and LSD.The usual:You are what you thinkYour body and mind are oneHow we move our body affect our brain and mindThe interesting:Transformational leaders not only regulated their own nervous systems better than most; they also regulated other people’s.The stomach and intestines complete this network, containing more than 500 million nerve cells, 100 million neutrons, 30 different neurotransmitters, and 90 percent of the body’s supply of serotonin.The neurobiology of emotion shows that our nonverbal cues—our tics, twitches, and tone—reveal much more about our inner experience than words typically do. Our biometrics gives us more accurate insight than our own self-reporting.The scary:Remember the movie “The Mansourian Candidate”? It has been done with an audience by researchers using bio- feedback.A collection of the world’s biggest brands—Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express, Nike, Samsung, Sony, and Ford put up $7 million to fund a study into the neuroscience of buying behaviour.Soon VR systems are going to track everything from eye gaze to vocal tone to neurochemistry, hormones, brainwaves, and cardiac coherence. If a smartphone is a surveillance device we voluntarily carry in our pocket, then VR will be a total surveillance state we voluntarily enter.Mental arms raceAs I said in my review of “The science of selling”, I am expecting and predicting an arms race between mindfulness and manipulation.

STEALING FIRE ist ein fraglos hochinteressantes Buch über ein wirklich faszinierendes Gebiet – nämlich „andere Bewusstseinszustände“, ihren Nutzen und die Möglichkeiten, derartige Zustände der Extase herbeizuführen… sei es über Rituale, Meditation, Drogen und Hightech.Kernaussage des Buches ist, dass es nicht nur in allen Zeiten und allen Kulturen zur Norm gehörte, derartige Zustände zu suchen, sondern das es mittlerweile eine Milliarden-Dollar-Industrie gibt, welche bemüht ist, derartige Zustände nutzbar zu vermarken.Wohlgemerkt: man spricht hierbei nicht von Junkies und Partydrogen (wenn es natürlich auch klare Überschneidungen gibt), sondern vom Umstand, dass längst entdeckt wurde, dass psychodelische Zustände und das Erlebnis von Extase eben auch sehr hilfreich sind, in Stresssituationen über Leben und Tod entscheiden können und z.B. für einige wichtige Innovationen und „Geistesblitze“ verantwortlich sind... schlichtweg, weil andere Bewusstseinszustände eine andere, nichtlineare Form des Denkens erzeugen.Ich muss sagen, mir hat STEALING FIRE gut gefallen – allerdings behandelt das Buch natürlich ein enorm weitreichendes, kontroverses und facettenreiches Gebiet, in vielen Punkten geht STEALING FIRE nicht so sehr in Detail, wie man es sich gewünscht hätte, wohingegen andere Themen (z.B. das „Burning Man“ Festival) meiner Ansicht nach etwas zu ausführlich thematisiert werden. Nichts gegen „Burning Man“, dessen Bedeutung für die in STEALING FIRE behandelte Thematik ich durchaus erkenne, allerdings sei bemerkt, dass man hier auch noch zig andere Events, Bräuche und Rituale nennen könnte, welche letztlich ähnliche Resultate haben dürften.Ob man sich den Schlussfolgerungen des Autors in jedem Punkt anschließen muss sei mal dahingestellt – STEALING FIRE enthält allerdings ohne Frage zahlreiche interessante und für mich oftmals neue Sichtweisen.Fakt ist jedenfalls, dass das Buch spannend geschrieben ist. Die Schwerpunktsetzung fand ich manchmal etwas befremdlich, was aber der Tatsache, dass ich STEALING FIRE mit großem Interesse gelesen habe, definitiv nicht entgegenstand.Alles in allem ein hochinteressantes Buch, welches ich durchaus empfehlen kann.

Steven's work on flow state is an outstanding read a great insight into peak performance and the making the art of impossible sound possible.