What is O.N.E.?

O.N.E., or “Ongoing, Non-Symbolic Experience” is a research term that describes a spectrum of experiences. Words and phrases like “enlightenment,” “mystical experiences,” “nondual consciousness,” “awakening,” “transcendence” and “transcendent states,” “unity consciousness,” and many others fit under the umbrella of “Non-Symbolic Experience.”

There are four most common varieties of O.N.E., which we call “Locations.” People in all Locations report high well-being in all life situations, reduced mental chatter, greater love and compassion, freedom from thought, an increased focus on the present, increased mental capacity decision making, a deep sense of connectedness, and an ongoing state of flow.

Location 1

Location One is a very subtle shift from everyday experience, and your experience of just how different it is from day-to-day life can depend on what your life looked like beforehand. If you suffer emotionally, or from anxiety or depression, it can be a dramatic difference. If not, you may only notice that negative emotions tend to clear much more quickly, and that your mood is generally brighter. Nevertheless, below your experience at Location One you will find an underlying sense of peace and well-being when you look, forming the core of your experience.

Location 2

In Location Two, your personal sense of self moves even further into the background, and your emotional state becomes almost always positive. Negative emotions, when they occur, are gone almost as soon as they arrive. The constant and underlying sense of well-being at the core of Location One becomes even more present at Location Two, though it still may be in the background of your experience depending on what your attention is on at the moment, and what is happening around you.

Location 3

In Location 3, almost all emotional experience relaxes into one consistent emotion of love, gratitude, and compassion. Negative mental and emotional states are extremely rare, and the sense of self becomes even further transparent, revealing a complete well-being as the foreground of your experience. If you believe in a God, you will experience a profound unity with the divine in this Location, and if not, you will still experience a Oneness with Life, the Universe, Nature, etc.

Location 4

Location 4 can be difficult to understand without experiencing it, as it is even more different than our day-to-day experience–though it is likely that if you are experiencing Location 4, you recognize that the pure, neutral and naked experiencing that you are now one with has somehow always been at the core of your life. The sense of connection largely disappears, as there’s no longer any separation between you and the world to connect through. Largely without emotion, you now experience a total sense of wellness, peace, and contentment.