Stealing Fire: Jamie Wheal on Altered States for Peak Performance

The Altered States economy is a $4 Trillion industry.

By comparison, Russia's GDP is about $2 Trillion.

In other words, Americans spend more money than Russia makes every year trying to "get out of our heads"

This practice of altering consciousness includes activities like porn, gambling, nootropics, psychedelics, and many more.

But it's nothing new...this practice dates back as far we have recorded history.

We know the ancient Greeks risked exile or even death for a single night of this experience, stealing fire, as they called it.

Hiding in plain sight is America's desire to alter states of consciousness, widen perspectives, and return

The burning (bad pun) questions are...why are we doing this, what are we seeking, can it go from "taboo" to mainstream, and how can we use it to benefit our lives?

Our guest on the Optimal Performance Podcast this week is Jamie Wheal.

Jamie is the co-founder of The Flow Genome Project and co-author (along with Steven Kotler) of The Rise of Superman and now Stealing Fire.

Already topping the NY Times best-seller list, Stealing Fire is the follow-up to their best-selling The Rise Of Superman. As you can infer from the intro it's deep dive into our pursuit of more.

Whether we're extreme sports athletes, government "spooks", hippy "kooks", Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs or somewhere in between, we're all looking for a deeper understanding, elevated states, and peak performances.

This book - and this podcast - explores the mysteries, accepted norms, and strategies to attain those pursuits.

What You'll Hear on This Special Edition of the OPP:

Why altered states is a $4 trillion industry (more than Russia's GDP)
What is "ecstasis" and how are Navy SEALs and Silicon Valley entreprenuers using it to redefine life, work, and progress
How do we bring the "taboo" non-normal states of consciousness into the accepted norm
Jamie's biggest revelation while writing Stealing Fire
The most overlooked and undervalued aspect of Stealing Fire
Why creativity is not a skill, but a state of mind
Can humans train brain hemispheres, body awareness, and ambidexterity
How can we experience more ecstasis (and flow) in our own lives?
Why nootropics, diet, and exercise don't matter...(hint: it's what you do WITH it)
The #1 mistake Jamie and Steven witness with people trying to harness flow and ecstasis
Join the Stealing Fire Pyros group for FREE & get $100 off the Flow Fundamentals course
Jamie Wheal's Top 3 Tips to #LiveOptimal