Imants Barušs is Professor of Psychology at King's University College at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

, Canada.

Background

He started out in engineering science on a scholarship at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, but then became preoccupied with existential questions, leading him into unconventional areas of study, with the result that he graduated in 1974 with an interdisciplinary BSc. After some years working as a roofer, he enrolled at the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

and, in 1983, completed an MSc in mathematics with specialization in mathematical foundations, writing his thesis about forcing in

topoi In mathematics, a topos (, ; plural topoi or , or toposes) is a category that behaves like the category of sheaves of sets on a topological space (or more generally, on a site). Topoi behave much like the category of sets and possess a notion ...

. He switched to psychology graduating in 1989 from the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

with a PhD in psychology and specialization in the study of consciousness. Since 1987 he has been teaching courses in psychology, mostly about consciousness, at King's University College, where he has risen to the rank of professor. He has served in a number of administrative roles including Chair of the Department of Psychology and member of the Senate of the

, and belongs to various professional organizations including the Society for Scientific Exploration and the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

Research interests

His interest is in all aspects of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

studies although his research has been focussed primarily on quantum consciousness,

altered states of consciousness An altered state of consciousness (ASC), also called an altered state of mind, altered mental status (AMS) or mind alteration, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking state. It describes induced changes in one's me ...

, self-transformation, mathematical modeling of consciousness, and beliefs about consciousness and reality.

Books

* ''Death as an Altered State of Consciousness: A Scientific Approach'' (American Psychological Association, 2023). This book delves into the mysteries of death, examining it as an altered state of consciousness rather than just oblivion. Exploring topics such as after-death communication, mediumship, instrumental transcommunication, near-death experiences, past-life experiences, and other anomalous phenomena related to death, the author sifts through scientific data to better understand the properties and possible continuance of consciousness. The book aims to widen the reader's perspective and address the educational gap for researchers, teachers, and practitioners working on this often-neglected subject matter. * ''Science as a Spiritual Practice'' (Imprint Academic, 2007) This book argues that there are problems with materialism and that self-transformation could lead individual scientists to more comprehensive ways of understanding reality. It also contains an analysis of the philosophy of

Franklin Merrell-Wolff Franklin Merrell-Wolff (born Franklin Fowler Wolff; 11 July 1887 – 4 October 1985) was an American mystic and esoteric philosopher. After formal education in philosophy and mathematics at Stanford and Harvard, Wolff devoted himself to the goa ...

and his mathematical approach to spirituality.Publisher's information * ''Alterations of Consciousness: An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists'' (

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...

, 2003). The book is an overview of alterations of consciousness such as

daydreaming Daydreaming is a stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when one's attention becomes focused on a more personal and internal direction. Various names of this phenomenon exist, including mind-wandering, fantasies, a ...

, sleep, dreaming,

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

, and

psychedelics Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

. * ''Authentic Knowing: The Convergence of Science and Spiritual Aspiration'' (

Purdue University Press Purdue University Press, founded in 1960, is a university press affiliated with Purdue University and overseen by Purdue University Libraries. Purdue University Press is currently a member of both the Association of University Presses, to which i ...

, 1996) This book tries to show how science and spiritual aspiration converge on fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness and reality when authentically pursued. The book includes chapters about authenticity (what it means to be true to oneself), science (what happens when science encounters the sublime), transcendence, theory (a theosophical model of reality), and self-transformation (adventures and misadventures of a spiritual aspirant). * ''The Personal Nature of Notions of Consciousness: A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of the Role of the Personal in the Understanding of Consciousness''(

University Press of America University Press of America (''UPA'') is the former name of an American Academic publishing, academic publishing company based in Lanham, Maryland, which became the parent company of Rowman & Littlefield publishing house, then was later re-intr ...

, 1990) This book is his doctoral dissertation in which Baruss and his supervisor Robert Moore tried to circumscribe the state of scientific knowledge concerning consciousness in the mid-1980s and to better understand the disparity of notions of consciousness of the scientists and academics studying it. What we found, both through theoretical and empirical investigation, was that there is a material-transcendent dimension concerning beliefs about consciousness and reality that underlies the Western intellectual tradition, which, in particular, colours the manner in which research about consciousness is conducted.

Notes and references

* Basic information fro
Author's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baruss, Imants Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian educators Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario University of Toronto alumni University of Calgary alumni University of Regina alumni