Afterword: An Invitation

Afterword: An Invitation

This manuscript, as it stands, is a single data point. It is my provisional, metaphor-rich interpretation of what I lived through—a story-map that helped me integrate an experience that felt both utterly personal and inexplicably universal. But a single data point is not an answer; it is the beginning of a question.

If any reader—whether a neuroscientist, a physicist, a philosopher, a therapist, an artist, or a fellow traveler—finds resonance or productive disagreement in these pages, I warmly invite you to reach out. I am eager to continue this exploration, not as a solitary testifier, but as a collaborative partner. To that end, I am ready to:

• Share the raw data and detailed recollections that form the basis of this testimony.
• Collaborate on investigations, whether through informal discussions, formal research projects, or interdisciplinary workshops.

The central question of this book—delusion or breakthrough?—is not one I can answer alone. If the phenomena I describe are the product of a vivid psychotic episode, that is a truth worth pursuing with rigor, openness, and compassion. If they hint at a genuine, reproducible aspect of consciousness, that is valuable knowledge—perhaps even transformative knowledge—that is essential to explore.

Please feel free to contact me via my personal website bramdeining.com. I look forward to hearing your perspectives, critiques, and ideas for where this story might go next.

Thank you for reading, questioning, and engaging.

Bram Deining

December 2025