By Link Daniel
Original Publication Date: January 21, 2021
Another invisible frontier that is emerging is the journey inwards. With the advent of brain computer interfaces, we will create a novel kind of internet bridging brains and computers. It will enable us to cure all kinds of diseases and enable physical and mental mobility in ways that would seem magical to us today. Neuroscience has already made so much progress in the last couple of decades and yet we still know so little about this mighty little organ that the brain represents. Naturally we welcome the rise of brain computers, which will increase our understanding of the brain. And ultimately this frontier goes far beyond the brain and extends into exploring the mind itself in order to answer the important questions of consciousness.
If we think about brain computer applications in general, the possibilities are endless. From helping the blind to see, or the deaf to hear, we can imagine any disability that originates from the brain to be fixed by brain computers. We are opening up a whole avenue of possibilities that will allow us to cure diseases that were previously considered incurable. So many of our diseases originate from the brain or mind and if we can go to the root of the problem then we might eliminate them long before they manifest in our body. Or if they have already manifested in our body we might be able to revert any negative changes.
If virtual dreams exists in the future, let us imagine what brain computer applications could be developed on top of this medium that would go toward the mission of empowering individuals to break through infinite loops. We can see algorithms being created to heal people from mental patterns that they are stuck with. We could say that any mental disorder is an infinite loop with certain properties and characteristics. As we enter into a virtual dream that someone created to help us resolve a specific mental pattern, we could be guided to gain awareness around that pattern and shown what blocks us from resolving the pattern.
Given that virtual dreams will be a safe environment similar to lucid dreams, individuals could be trained to overcome fears or blockages that they have developed that perpetuate their mental pattern or loop. They could build brain computer applications to target a specific infinite loop. Individuals could learn to overcome specific fears that they would have a hard time resolving during waking reality.
We could imagine meditation, yoga, tai chi or similar applications for daily mindfulness practice. In a fully virtual environment, these applications would still be similar in nature as to what they do now on our smart phones or virtual reality headsets, but they would feel so much more immerse. Our ability to focus and concentrate could be increased as we are teleported into an environment that helps us to disconnect from the endless loops of thought that keep us hostage during waking life.
We could create synthetic virtual psychedelics giving the dreamer the same psychedelic experience without having to worry about some of the drawdowns. As the psychedelic would be experienced in a much safer environment, it could unlock many benefits. And when the environment is safer, governments could be more open to support its development.
We could imagine an application developed by healers in which they install themselves as a guide and lead individuals through a scenario that replays their nightmare. As they go through the scenario, the guide would be there to help them and assist them to overcome their fear or mental pattern that blocks them. They could also make them aware of something that remains in the shadow of their conscious mind. We could create realities that would be difficult to re-create in waking reality. And even if they could, many people would be unwilling to face those situations in waking reality as they would strongly identify with their old sense of self.
The network will strive to integrate with other protocols to leverage its capabilities. We already established our connections to Bitcoin and Ethereum. Chainlink, which reliably and truthfully connects smart contracts to the real world, could help secure the authenticity and truthfulness of virtual dreams as they are shared with the world.
An open brain computer network would enable all kinds of innovation to spring up as individuals and teams from all over the world could tinker and experiment with finding ways to heal people. We could build tools to actually heal people. We could create healing algorithms that would resurrect individuals and give them a new sense of identity.