Sarah’s experience—a sudden paralysis during a weekday meditation—isn’t unusual. She was listening to “The Gateway Tapes,” a set of guided meditations designed to unlock new levels of consciousness, when she found herself frozen. Sarah, who requested anonymity, recounts an unsettling journey involving out-of-body experiences, disorientation, and eventually, a sense of personal transformation. Her story reflects a larger trend: a surge of interest in the Gateway Process, a technique developed over 50 years ago that’s experiencing a modern renaissance.
What is the Gateway Process?
Developed by radio broadcasting executive Robert Monroe, the Gateway Process is presented as a “voyage of self-discovery,” aimed at accessing different dimensions of consciousness. Monroe founded the Monroe Institute in 1971 in Faber, Virginia. The institute employs in-person and virtual retreats, Spotify playlists, and self-hypnosis-style exercises—often powered by “binaural beats”—to help people leave their bodies. Proponents claim binaural beats synchronize the brain’s hemispheres and boost well-being. While scientific evidence remains limited, the military has shown considerable interest, given the process’s potential applications for manifesting and “remote viewing”—a form of clairvoyance that involves using the mind to explore the real world.
A Surge in Popularity
Since 2022, enrollment in online and in-person “Gateway Voyage” programs has soared, with 12,500 participants—a 35% increase compared to 2016-2019. The Monroe Institute now holds 80 retreats annually, each with 20 participants, and their Expand app has been downloaded 386,000 times. Paul Citarella, the institute’s executive vice president, notes, “For the first time in our history, we have reached the absolute maximum capacity of our campus retreats this year.” In-person retreats cost $2,695 while virtual programs are $1,150. The growing demand has led the institute to expand its reach, hosting retreats in the US, Romania, Italy, Switzerland, and Greece.
Research and Military Interest
Currently, the institute is conducting “the world’s first higher states of consciousness study” with neurofeedback company Neuphoria. The $897 study, involving 333 Gateway Voyage graduates, will track participants’ brain state data during meditation sessions. The initiative follows a 1983 report, declassified from the early 1980s, where US Army lieutenant Colonel Wayne McDonnell endorsed the Gateway Process as a potential defense contractor. McDonnell’s report acknowledged a “sound and rational basis,” stating that consciousness can influence reality, a concept that resonates with the military’s interest in psychic phenomena during the Cold War.
Historical Roots and Monroe’s Journey
Monroe’s interest in the subject began in the 1950s when he experimented with binaural beats—a method he later trademarked as “Hemi-Sync” technology—initially as a way to develop “sleep learning” techniques. However, a spontaneous out-of-body experience during these experiments led him to write his seminal 1971 book, Journeys Out of the Body, popularizing the term “out-of-body experience” (OBE). Monroe wrote about his initial OBE: “I smoothly floated up over the bed, and when I willed myself to stop, I did. Embarrassed and irritated at myself because of my inability to control this tide of emotion, I returned back into my physical body.”
The Science Behind the Phenomenon
Marina Weiler, an assistant professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia, specializes in OBEs and researches them through the Division of Perceptual Studies. She explains that binaural beats at frequencies like 100 hertz in one ear and 104 hertz in the other can trigger theta states—typically associated with deep relaxation and vivid dreams. “That’s usually the frequency that people choose to achieve the out-of-body experiences,” Weiler states, acknowledging the lack of extensive scientific research on binaural beats’ efficacy and safety.
Remote Viewing and Project Stargate
Joe McMoneagle, the former US Army chief warrant officer known as “Remote Viewer No. 1,” had a near-death experience in Vietnam that he attributes to developing precognitive suspicions of enemy ambushes. Recruited into Project Stargate—the US Army’s psychic intelligence unit and the inspiration for the 2009 comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats —McMoneagle’s remote viewing skills reportedly helped locate kidnapped generals and even search for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. “My success rate was around 28 percent,” he said. “We proved to be quite useful ‘spies.’”
Modern Perspectives and Skepticism
Thomas Campbell, the author of the My Big TOE trilogy, explains, “It’s a double-edged sword. All technologies and ideas and concepts typically can be used, and be abused.” He is optimistic about the effect the Monroe Institute’s methods might have on the military, believing it “is going to open their minds.” Physicist Campbell suggests that people often feel like they are looking at their bodies from another perspective during OBEs—even floating above—and that these experiences carry a greater sense of reality compared to dreams.
Potential Risks and Personal Transformation
However, engaging with the Gateway Process isn’s always a smooth journey. Sarah, like many others, experienced unsettling physical sensations and, in her case, a period of paralysis. She now emphasizes the importance of a “tether to reality,” cautioning against solitary exploration. Yet, she credits the experience with prompting a transformative shift in her life, including career changes and a deeper understanding of her purpose.
A Growing Community
The subreddit r/gatewaytapes, with 83,000 members, highlights both positive and challenging experiences. While some users share accounts of confusion and misfortune, many report profound relaxation and entry into “theta” states. Citarella acknowledges that solitary exploration can be risky, warning that “Once you’ve opened [the box], and you have some kind of undeniable experience, you can’t close the box again.”
Ultimately, the modern renaissance of consciousness—fueled by the Gateway Process and similar techniques—raises fundamental questions about the nature of reality and the potential for human exploration beyond the physical world.
