During the preparation stage the creative scientist spends an enormous amount of his time and effort storing away isolated facts and concepts (information), which in the illumination stage (most often a moment of hyperconsciousness) cascade together in a fusion process that produces a new higher-order concept.

The higher one's state of consciousness at any particular time, the greater the chance of conceiving a new thought, idea or concept, and the greater the number of new ideas that one will conceive per unit of time. The overall quality of any new higher-order thought will probably depend very greatly on the stored information in one's unconscious mind. If one has carefully scrutinized all of the input data consciously put into his one's mind-brain computer, then any new concept that might be conceived will have a better chance of being correct than if one had been careless; "garbage in, garbage out."

In a peak experience, whatever prior life experiences or perceptions of reality are stored in the unconscious will definitely influence the types of phenomena and insights gained. One who believes in archetypal beings (angels, demons, etc.) might experience their presence in one's altered state. My own peak experience was influenced by all of the previously stored scientific data acquired over many years, along with all other memories. It suddenly allowed their integration into a new higher-order synthesis. A chain reaction of associations occurred.

During a peak experience stored information is being integrated much more efficiently and effectively. One can process unconscious bits of information and integrate them with conscious thoughts. As our understanding of all processes occurring around us increases in a growing aggregate of stored bits of information, so does our consciousness increase. The greater the amount of stored bits of information in any organism or animal, the higher the potential level of consciousness or protoconsciousness present. The more effectively any animal can integrate the stored bits of information, the higher is its actual consciousness and the more creative its thinking process. New ideas are generated when stored bits of extraneous information merge to form a higher-order concept.

Any state of enhanced awareness allows one to be more creative and whole-seeing, and risk-taking is no longer as intimidating. We have greater access to unconscious material, and we are capable of focusing our attention in whatever direction interests us.⁴²...Certain individuals do appear to have the capacity to be more creative than others. Although the attribute of creative potential must to a certain extent have a genetic predisposition--just like any other facet of intelligence--it can unquestionably be cultivated as well.

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