The Brain as a Transducer – Neural Transduction Theory, and the Significance of Hypnosis in NTT Research

What if our thoughts aren’t generated in our brains, but rather streamed to us from a higher intelligence?

We often think of the brain as a biological computer that’s capable of storing and recalling memories and data (e.g., hard drive), solving complex problems, and programing and/or coding our unique personalities.

But Neural Transduction Theory (NTT) suggests the brain isn’t a computer at all – it’s a transducer. The implications of that discovery, if proven true, would toss nearly everything we previously thought we knew about consciousness out the window, and profoundly transform the mental health field, as well.

Hypnosis may play a part in this research, by potentially amplifying and/or modifying the brain’s transduction capabilities.  

“If transduction theory proves to be correct, our understanding of the universe and of our place in it will change profoundly. We might not only be able to make sense of dozens of odd aspects of human experience, we might also begin to unravel some of the greatest mysteries in the universe: where our universe came from, what else and who else is out there – even whether there is, in some sense, a God,” wrote Robert Epstein, Harvard Ph.D. and researcher at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology (http://AIBRT.org), in an Aug. 2021 Discover Magazine article.

“… Transduction is all around us, even in organic processes. Our bodies are completely encased by transducers,” wrote Epstein, who’s spearheading Neural Transduction Theory research. “To be clear: I am not offering transduction theory as yet another metaphor. I am suggesting that the brain is truly a bidirectional transducer and that, over time, we will find empirical support for this theory.”

A transducer, according to Wordnik.com, is a “substance or device, such as a piezoelectric crystal, microphone, or photoelectric cell, that converts input energy of one form into output energy of another.”

Is it accurate to think of a transducer as an antenna, that’s receiving and transmitting signals? Not really, Epstein says. 

“An antenna is a type of transducer (for example, when it helps to convert radio wave signals into electrical signals), but I doubt that neural transduction makes any use of antennas. The brain transduces signals that are in the form of neural activity into – well, we don't know yet, but we will find out,” he wrote in an email response to questions.

So, how does it work? Does our internal monologue, thoughts, creative ideas, etc. all depend on how well we pick up this “stream?”

“I don't think we're ‘dialed in and listening.’ That suggests that we exist independent of the transduction process. I doubt that we do. Transduction is probably essential to the illusion of ‘self,’” Epstein said.

Well, then, is it like tuning into the Akashic records, a cloud-like place, sometimes thought of as a library, where all the knowledge in the universe that ever was or will be exists?

“Maybe, but that library is static and passive, as far as I know. The higher intelligence to which we are linked is active, and the bidirectional transduction experience is interactive,” Epstein said.

More research must be done to determine if all humans stream from the same Source, or if multiple Source-channels exist. “We need to find out. I think we can,” said Epstein.

As fascinating and groundbreaking as this theory is, how can it be vetted? Would a test be like sending radio waves into deep space, hoping an extraterrestrial civilization answers the call?

“That will depend on whether we can figure out how to simulate the transduction process so that we can communicate directly with the higher intelligence,” Epstein said. “We're working on ways to test the theory. I'm assembling a conference of relevant experts, and I hope we'll all meet some time in 2025.”

What can we do to strengthen, fine-tune or change the Source stream we’re receiving? Can hypnosis, meditation, or psychedelic drugs play a role?

“Quite possibly. Yes,” said Epstein. “In fact hypnosis is probably a mental state made possible by transduction.”

The subconscious mind has has more “electromagnetic bits or quantum dots” than the conscious mind, and is the realm of “quantum mechanics and probabilities,” neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Kruse said in a podcast interview.

Further, our conscious or waking mind evolved “to make sense out that chaos,” Kruse said, the end result being what we call our physical reality.

“The primordial state is the subconscious state,” Kruse said. “In order to move through the environment, we had to evolve consciousness.”

But Epstein has a different take.

“I don't find concepts like consciousness and subconscious to have much merit,” he said, referencing his 2017 article “Decapitating Consciousness.”

Stimulating nerve cells with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may also influence the streaming signal, but more research is needed, according to Epstein.

Neural Transduction Theory would likely turn the mental health field and its current understanding of mental disorders on its head. NTT may explain “dissociative identity disorder,” “schizophrenia,” “déjà vu,” and even “demonic possession,” Epstein wrote in his May 2021 research paper.

On an existential level, NTT could totally revamp humanity’s approach to understanding the secrets of creation and the cosmos.

“What we might learn from that intelligence (while in direct communication) could change the way we understand ourselves, countless mysteries that overshadow our lives, ‘God,’ and the universe,” Epstein said.