The Short Path to Oneness
Everyone has experienced a “flow” state of feeling deeply content and happy. Watching the orange and turquoise hues of a glorious sunset, hearing the ocean waves crashing on the shore, or marveling at the nighttime stars can put us in flow. So can playing a game with close friends, losing yourself in your favorite hobby, holding a baby, or being carried away by inspiring music.
During these brief moments of flow, our attention is in the present moment. We feel a profound sense of happiness, wellbeing, peace and awe. Our brain function changes. We go into “Bliss Brain,” a state with lots of calm alpha brainwaves. Beta waves, the signature frequency of stress, disappear.
Yet these states of flow are temporary. They’re accidental and fleeting. We can’t control them, or make them last. All too soon, Bliss Brain ends and we’re back to ordinary consciousness.
But for one group of people, Bliss Brain is their normal everyday state.
Those people are the mystics. In their poetry and scripture, they describe states of bliss far beyond ordinary experience. These altered states of consciousness include a vast sense of stillness, deep inner peace, ecstatic joy, and a sense of oneness with the universe.
The Short Path to Oneness
Everyone has experienced a “flow” state of feeling deeply content and happy. Watching the orange and turquoise hues of a glorious sunset, hearing the ocean waves crashing on the shore, or marveling at the nighttime stars can put us in flow. So can playing a game with close friends, losing yourself in your favorite hobby, holding a baby, or being carried away by inspiring music.
During these brief moments of flow, our attention is in the present moment. We feel a profound sense of happiness, wellbeing, peace and awe. Our brain function changes. We go into “Bliss Brain,” a state with lots of calm alpha brainwaves. Beta waves, the signature frequency of stress, disappear.
Yet these states of flow are temporary. They’re accidental and fleeting. We can’t control them, or make them last. All too soon, Bliss Brain ends and we’re back to ordinary consciousness.
But for one group of people, Bliss Brain is their normal everyday state.
Those people are the mystics. In their poetry and scripture, they describe states of bliss far beyond ordinary experience. These altered states of consciousness include a vast sense of stillness, deep inner peace, ecstatic joy, and a sense of oneness with the universe.
To describe the experience of continuous happy flow they use words like:
For the mystics, Bliss Brain is their default setting. It’s not a temporary state that happens occasionally and accidentally. It’s the normal configuration of their brains.
These continuous states of elevated emotion are so unlike day-to-day human experience that it’s hard for most of us to relate to them. While we have occasional moments of flow, most of the time we’re in everyday consciousness, doing the best we can amidst the turmoil and confusion of the world.
What separates the ongoing Bliss Brain of the mystic from the ordinary consciousness of everyone else? Why can’t everyone reach and maintain this continuous happy state? Three problems have stood in the way.
The 3 Problems
Problem #1:
Curation and initiation problem
For thousands of years, the knowledge required to attain these altered states has been locked behind the walls of monasteries, temples and secret societies. These secrets were carefully curated by monks and nuns. Reaching these high plateaus of human consciousness and potential required elaborate initiations and more than 10,000 hours of sustained practice. Only the most worthy of aspirants were allowed to even start on the path. Aspirants had to go through a long series of initiations, purifying their awareness and proving their character before being shown how to enter Bliss Brain.
Problem #2:
Measurement problem
You can measure the distance between Paris and Moscow, or the number of petals on a flower, or the boiling point of water, and everyone will agree on the result. The numbers are objective. But how do you measure the “unity consciousness” described by the mystics? It seems to be a purely subjective state, not one that can be measured objectively.
Problem #3:
Replication problem
Even if a seeker went through all the initiations, and broke through to enlightenment, the way Buddha or Jesus did, how do you replicate the experience in others?
The great Masters had dozens of disciples. These fortunate initiates walked, talked, and ate with the Masters daily — yet few of them broke through. Replicating these states in just one other person has proved to be a challenge. Replicating them in large numbers of people seems impossible.
But what if we could solve these 3 problems? What if we could take Bliss Brain out of the monastery, and get it to anyone who wanted to experience the same enlightened consciousness as the Masters? What would your life look like if — day after day — you lived in consistent ecstatic flow?
Science and the 3 Problems
In the past century, science has tackled all 3 problems. A series of remarkable scientific breakthroughs has allowed scientists to understand these extraordinary mental states.
In 1929 Hans Berger, a German doctor, invented the EEG or electroencephalogram. For the first time, researchers could look inside a person’s skull and see how the brain was functioning.
Berger’s contemporary, Dr. Paul Brunton, spent decades traveling the world. He studied with all the great Masters in whose lineages all the world’s spiritual traditions were recorded. He systematically recorded the wisdom of Hindu sages, Christian mystics, Buddhist monks, Catholic nuns, Native American shamans, Egyptian priests, and Taoist masters.
Brunton identified the keys to mystical experience common to all religions. He broke them down into 36 “milestones” along the journey. He synthesized the practices used by many of the Masters into 30 “exercises” that advance you from milestone to milestone. For the first time in history, we had a structure based on the steps common to all the great traditions.
In the 1950s British engineer Max Cade developed a special EEG to measure the brain states of the Masters. He identified a brainwave pattern common to people in these altered states of consciousness. For the first time, enlightenment could be measured.
Researchers extending Cade’s work realized that people in flow states had an identical pattern to those of the Masters. Peak performers, whether in art, science or athletics, also exhibited the brainwaves of flow. But while these states were temporary in peak performers, Masters had crossed an invisible boundary, and were in Bliss Brain most of the time.
Today, high-resolution MRI machines can map the brains of Masters down to a single neuron. Laboratories study monks and nuns with thousands of hours of spiritual practice, providing a neural map of their brain function.
Brain regions associated with happiness are highly developed, while those involved in stress and suffering are dark. The Masters can go into Bliss Brain whenever they choose. For the temporary periods when they’re in flow, peak performers get there too. By mapping Bliss Brain, science has solved the measurement problem.
Measuring these brainwave patterns has also solved the curation and initiation problem. With the correct training, people can be taught to acquire Bliss Brain without going through 10,000 hours of initiation. They skip the monastery, pilgrimage, vows and penances. Science directs them straight to the flow states of the Masters, and using the 30 exercises and 36 milestones, they learn to stay there.
This has in turn solved the replication problem. Guided by science, thousands of people have now been trained to acquire these enlightened states. A research-based training program is now available that allows anyone to experience Bliss Brain, then rewire their brains to make it their default setting.
It’s called The Short Path to Oneness. It provides you with the training to develop the deep and lasting inner peace characteristic of flow, and stay there consistently.
The Short Path to Oneness
The Short Path to Oneness combines the latest insights from neuroscience with the core practices of ancient traditions to rewire your brain for elevated emotional states. In this advanced training, you practice attaining the Bliss Brain pattern of a meditation Master.
As your brain function stabilizes, neural plasticity kicks in, turning temporary states of wellbeing into permanent personality traits. Those temporary glimpses of flow you’ve so enjoyed in the past? The Short Path to Oneness turns them into pervasive daily experiences. “Life flow” becomes your “new normal.”
The course is based on a 10-year research program at the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare. It has identified techniques that allow novices to duplicate the brain states of Masters. This releases familiar patterns of suffering, and unlocks the full range of human potential. The Short Path to Oneness applies these breakthroughs in a structured 9-month program.
This program takes you through each of the 36 stages of personal development distilled by Paul Brunton from the teaches of the ancient lineages. But rather than taking 10,000 hours, it applies the discoveries of modern neuroscience to accelerate the process. The goal is to guide you to an ongoing daily experience of Bliss Brain in just 9 months. You spend 15-30 minutes each day doing the exercises.
The 7 Neurochemicals of Bliss Brain
When you start the The Short Path to Oneness, you first learn special meditations that unlock the synthesis of seven specific neurotransmitters and hormones in your brain.
These neurochemicals — such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and anandamide — produce pleasurable states in the brain. While these molecules occur naturally in everyone’s brain, research has shown that certain practices boost their levels.
The first module in The Short Path to Oneness trains your brain to synthesize the highly pleasurable neurochemicals found in Bliss Brain. Brunton called this experience “a glimpse of enlightenment.”
The second phase of the training uses EFT tapping to clear childhood trauma. Our personalities are formed early in childhood, and traumatic incidents that occur during this phase of life leave a lasting impression.
These memories are more than abstract thoughts. They’re hardwired into our neural network. It’s essential to heal them, because otherwise they remain in our “shadow self” and sabotage our transformational journey.
As well as the trauma-clearing exercises included in the course, you receive a personalized series of one-on-one healing sessions from a trained and certified practitioner.
Randomized controlled trials show that these methods produce changes in the brain, quieting the regions associated with stress and negative emotion.
Mentorship
Through each phase of the course you’re guided by a personal mentor. Mentorship is an essential part of The Short Path to Oneness. You meet your mentor at the beginning of the course and share your experiences with your mentor each step of the way.
You begin the journey with a Retreat which prepares you for the journey ahead. You meet and get to know your mentor, and the other people sharing the journey with you.
Having a mentor with whom to share your obstacles, epiphanies and breakthroughs is an essential part of the journey. Having a wise and compassionate guide, who has walked the path that lies before you, accelerates your progress.
The Community of Practice
You also receive warmhearted, well-informed and caring support from a small group of likeminded people going through the course. In the Celtic tradition, there is a concept called “soul friend.” This is a person with whom you have a bond based in spiritual growth. The Celtic word for a soul friend is “Anamcharya.”
You’ll have around 12 members in your Anamcharya group. You’ll have both one-on-one meetings with these soul friends, as well as group meetings guided by your mentor.
Together you’ll form a tight-knit community of practice. This keeps you on track and provides you with the wisdom and inspiration required to move steadily through the process.
Here's What You Get in the Course
The exercises in The Short Path to Oneness move you steadily through the 36 milestones. You’ll learn the practices of the masters, and use science-based practices to boost your happiness levels and regulate negative emotion. The course includes:
A Systematic Curriculum
Organized into 36 milestones of consciousness common to the world great spiritual traditions.30 Exercises
Carefully designed to move you from milestone to milestone.The Alpha Retreat
A live virtual weekend retreat with Dawson at which you’ll get to know your Anamcharyas and your mentor.A Unique 21 Day Program of Special Meditations
7 different techniques designed to shift you into altered states of consciousness.A Personal Mentor
To guide you along each step of the journey.A Group of Fellow Anamcharyas
Who provide support and community.Regular Virtual Group Video Meetings
Where you can ask questions and share your experiences.Personal Sessions
With a certified practitioner trained to help you clear childhood trauma.The Omega Retreat
In which you celebrate the progress you’ve made and prepare your mind for the final part of the journey.Integration Exercises
Which train you to incorporate the extraordinary states of states of consciousness you’ve mastered into everyday life.A Graduation Completion
In which you evaluate your future path in life.Enrollment Opening Soon!
Sign up for the wait list and we will notify you when enrollment opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Studies show that over 73% of people who practice the methods developed for this course jump to a significantly higher level of self-transcendence. MRI scans show that within a month, these methods reduce activity in brain regions associated with suffering, and increase activity in regions associated with compassion, gratitude and happiness. Science shows that over 71% of practitioners remain in a self-transcendent state long-term, so most but not all participants experience these results.
The course requires 15-20 minutes each morning for about 9 months. It is self-paced so it is possible to complete it sooner. However experience has shown that people rarely want to rush through because the experiences they have in the course are so rewarding that they savor them.
Yes. It is best to practice in the morning to set your day up with a positive mood. Most participants find the exercises so pleasurable that they build this period into their mornings even after the course ends.
Mentoring is essential to the course. Most participants experience altered states of consciousness, and having a mentor guide you through these is vital. Mentoring provides support and feedback for your Short Path journey.
You meet with your mentor via zoom or phone about once a month, and check in via email in between.
They are set after the start of each of the two enrollment periods, based on the dates convenient to the maximum number of participants.
The retreats are virtual though live. You attend virtually from your home or office.
Yes. You will receive a link to the recording a few days after the event.
Participants go through the course as a cohort, and your presence makes an important contribution to the group. From the beginning, your mentor and instructors make a commitment to facilitating your growth, and the same degree of commitment is required from you. We ask that you carefully consider the commitment needed to complete this course before registering. Once you register, cancellations will not be accepted and refunds will not be provided.
Certainly. We invite you to have a conversation with a mentor prior to enrolling. Schedule this by emailing our support team.
We assign you a mentor at the start of the course. During many of the experiences, such as the retreats and live calls, you benefit from the insights of several mentors.
We have kept the cost of course as low as possible given the intense personal mentoring you receive, as well as the years of research and development the course required. Consequently, no further discounts or scholarships are available. However for those for whom the cost of a personally mentored course is an obstacle, a brief self-guided course is available.
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Once you’re linked to your Higher Power you have access to sources of wisdom and inspiration that transcend your circumstances. You have a sense of connection with something greater than yourself.
Each day of the course builds on the previous step. You’ll start by preparing your mind, heart and emotions for this all-important relationship. You’ll learn the feelings in your body that are present when you’re in touch with your Higher Power. You will learn to shift your perception of reality to align your mind with your Higher Power. You will turn the connection with your Higher Power from an occasional flash of insight into a source of daily guidance.
Despite our advances in the last 100 years being beyond the dreams of our predecessors, we find humanity at the brink of a mental health crisis, physical health crisis, and much chaos worldwide. Why?
