Hand of God Digital Dose

The best way to get a solid opinion of "unusual technology" is always to try it out yourself, so I've been experimenting with the Hand of God binaural beat "dose" from I-Doser, manufacturer and purveyor of what the company calls digital drugs. With a few free doses for download and trial and several others posted here and there on the internet I've been able to acquire enough material to try the system out again. I'm not new to the system since I played with I-Doser for awhile several years ago.

Hand of God already has a mystical reputation, probably intentionally built by the company. I'm a little skeptical because it looks like a marketing strategy. The story of Hand of God reminds me of an urban legend about Ron Hubbard, author of Battlefield Earth and founder of Scientology. In his early mystical career, Hubbard was reported to have written a book about the secrets he had discovered. When he lent the draft of the book to several of his friends, just to get their opinion, those who read it went insane. So instead of publishing the book and driving the world mad, he invented a system which acclimated truthseekers gradually. That became Scientology. The legend of that mysterious book was great advertising for Scientology over the years.

Hand of God is I-Doser's pinnacle achievement so far. According to the company material, only five people have ever "gotten it." Effects could be grand and mystical, or self-revealing and shattering, if you do get it. So statistically speaking, for the rest of us it's an adventure. We go into it not knowing if the legend is real, full of doubts about ourselves, and hoping for something really cool to happen.

I started out by simply sampling the "musical dose" and not seeking any great effect from it. To get the strongest effect you'll need the MP3 download from I-Doser, an MP3 player and a good set of stereo earbuds. Well, add to that a darkened room and a couch or bed, because you should do these doses in the dark without other distractions. I was interested in the technical aspects so the first time through I just listened.

Technically I'm impressed. Instead of the minimalistic electronic beats of most mind machines and brainwave generators, there's enough art thrown in to keep a person listening. The composers use volume and balance creatively, giving the sense that the source of the sound circles within you or around you. Sudden shifts in frequency and volume level add shock value and emotional impact, and sounds so faint you're not quite sure you're hearing them form a background of what might be subliminal chants, voices or even choirs. There doesn't seem to be any real vocal message, but the nearly inaudible portions are easily interpreted as that. It's not boring. At least I'm assuming those things are part of the download, because that's what I heard. If they aren't part of the download I guess it works better than I expected even just running through it.

Hand of God did interest me, so I gave it a second try under better lab conditions, with the room darkened, stereo headphones properly set, and as relaxed as I'm ever going to get. Both times I found the experience pleasant, with trickles of creepiness and the impression at times that someone was standing behind me watching. Flooding your mind with this sound has a similar effect to sensory deprivation, because suddenly you aren't getting any other signals from the outside world. Not many people meditate these days, so the new users of Hand of God probably will be new to that experience and will find it unusual.

I didn't have any immediate psychedelic effects to report, but both times several hours after the test -- both the initial play-through and the second serious effort -- I had unusual experiences while doing my regular meditation. It isn't uncommon for the effects of artificial stimulants like these to manifest after the session when things are more relaxed. Part of the first experience was much like another user reported. I felt I was looking out into an open gray space, with my eyes open instead of closed as they actually were. In front of me I saw a large rectangular screen -- not a physical thing but something that looked as look it should display information. A few grayscale images came and went but nothing spectacular.

Several hours after the second test, the one I took seriously, I had a similar experience but this time the screen lit up with golden light, symbols appeared, and information flowed. Unfortunately it's not information I can actually use, but it was truly an unusual experience and one of a kind for me. Possibly with some practice I could get better at this, or possibly the impact will fade, but to me it was certainly worth the effort.

See the Mind Machine section here at Skinwalker Files: Bones for more information on binaural beat generators and brainwave stimulation systems.

Hand of God currently (July 21st, 2010) sells for $199.95 at I-Doser. Nearly everything else is cheap.