Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work

I really wanted to like this book. I tried. But I failed.This book is shallow and the only interesting "facts" introduced are, in fact, not facts. I happen to be a member of one of the small "flow-hacking" groups detailed in this book and, while he describes our facilities accurately enough, the claims he makes about language learning rates etc are entirely false.Don't read this. It's the book equivalent of a "peep" candy. Seems like it would be sweet, but then it dissolves without having given you an ounce of nutrition.This book was written in order to foster TED Talk invites, podcast interviews, and social media buzz. It's purely sensational and offers you, literally, nothing.

You may find the expose on the topic of flow interesting, the history and the well to dos who try to tap into this basic concept that's eligible to everyone. But if you want to learn HOW to do it, there's zero information. I've been very suspicious as to why and I was aware that the authors did sell digital and getaway events known as the "Flow Genome Project." Today my concerns were completely validated with this email:"Hey Pyros and Stealing Fire fans!Since launching Stealing Fire last February, we’ve gotten hundreds of questions on the “how-to” fine-tuned, step-by-step guidelines to the topics we wrote about in the book.Many of you have written in asking...So now that I’m all fired up about this revolution in altered states, where in the hell is the How To Manual???Well, we’ve written the manual and been testing it for the last five years. We just couldn’t put it in the book.And we’ve turned it into our newest digital training–Flow Performance: The Secrets of Stealing Fire."What follows is a pitch to sign up for their expensive training. This isn't a book it's an ad you pay for.

This book is incredibly repetitive and has no depth. Here is everything you need to know in a few short bullets- what if I told you there are famous people pushing the limits of the mind- these people take drugs- these people go to Burning Man- these people have surprising connections- sometimes these people wear "bio hacking" devices that you don't have enough money to buy(repeat)

This book is not for the average reader looking for ways to improve their capabilities. I read the whole book looking for methods and actions that were relevant to me and found none. I am not going to Burning Man or taking psychedelic drugs or have the option of implanting devices in my body by the military. It may well be cutting edge but its not accessible. Really disappointed that CNBC thought this was a must read.

A fun book to read and filled with interesting insights into man’s search for altered states of consciousness. Stealing Fire lists numerous ways people attempt to alter their brain chemistry to go beyond happy and into ecstasis or a state of extasy. This book is not just about drugs. They suggest that athletes and artists seeking flow, drug users seeking a high, or meditators seeking a higher consciousness are all different flavors of the same kool-aide as far as brain chemistry goes. They define ecstatis as having the four qualities of STER which stands for Selflessness, Timelessness, Effortlessness, and Richness. Various methods were mentioned to reach ecstasis. They discuss how governments or churches have historically tried to keep people away from such states. And then they include safety measures in the last chapter to avoid becoming a bliss junkie.Many of the things they talk about are not on the market or not easily accessible to most of us (flow dojo, illicit drugs, TMS, virtual reality). Some of the methods they mention felt commercial, and it’s no coincidence that some names mentioned in the book are involved in the for-profit Flow Genome project the authors have founded. So in some ways, this book is a 300 page commercial for Flow Genome. But it’s a fun commercial so I can forgive. I was concerned about the factual nature of some of their anecdotes and evidence. They included a caveat in the back of the book which most people will not read. But readers should know that many facts in the book are controversial. Not all experts agree. Most notable is the controversy over fMRI which much of the neuroscience in this book is based upon.I’m having a hard time choosing one snippet from the book because I highlighted hundreds – the book was that interesting. So I’ll include one that attempts to summarize what the book is about.“…harnessing altered states toward practical ends would have seemed crazy. But we now know they can heal trauma, amplify creativity and accelerate personal development.”What did I learn? The best part of Stealing Fire was the constant pings of dopamine my brain received every time I learned a new and interesting fact. I can’t pick a favorite chapter because the book was filled with revelations that I found valuable.Who would like this book? Anybody who is interested in neuroscience, popular culture or altered states of consciousness. Or anybody who wants a fun read through nonfiction because Kotler & Wheal are an enjoyable read

An extremely disappointing book that does not belong on the "best business books" lists that it seems to occupy. It is mostly superficial name-dropping and definitely NOT a guide to achieving flow.

This book was absurd. I loved the title and chose this book out of several options for a grad school class. Each chapter is worse than the one before - it’s mostly anecdotal with no real scientific basis, and there is nothing actionable or practical in the book for the reader to apply in their own life unless they want to start taking drugs or go to Burning Man.

I bought this as I have Steven Kotler's two previous books (West of Jesus and The rise of superman) and enjoyed both of those. It follows on from those two books but the issue I have with the book and to some degree it was the same problem with "The rise of Superman", is that there is a lot of detailed research into work that is happening at a very high level i.e. US military groups, Silicon Valley billionaires, and university professors etc. There is virtually no link in to how mere mortals would ever be able to tap into the ideas that are being utilised by these groups to reach higher levels of functioning and group flow. It also seems quite disconnected in that you switch from a number of areas of research like using LSD and pornography of all things to expensive neurological research facilities to trigger "ecstasis"!West of Jesus follows the authors quest to try and discover what it would take to achieve a flow state as he had once achieved whilst surfing. It was at a more personal and accessible level and was an enjoyable read. The rise of superman explored the theme but focused on extreme sportsman who routinely enter flow states through performing at the edge of human ability and although this was interesting it started to depart from what most people would do to achieve a flow state and this current book seems to have gone down a rabbit hole of enquiry useless to most folk.Well researched, lots of detail but totally useless to me and I was not hooked at all and had to plough through it to get to the end.

Group flowI am a huge fan of Steve Kotler. His book “The rise of superman” is a must read for anyone interested in flow, productivity, performance and human resource management. It was the first time I heard about the pursuit of companies to achieve group flow.BoostingConscious processing can only handle about 12033 bits of information at once. However, unconscious processing (= flow) can handle billions of bits at once. The result is 200 percent boost in creativity, a 490 percent boost in learning, a 500 percent boost in productivity.Making moneyConsciousness goes straight to the bottom line. Which is why 44 percent of all U.S. companies are offering mindfulness training to employees. Saving $2,000 per employee in health-care costs, and gaining $3,000 per employee in productivity. Yoga is now more popular than football. There is an exponential growth in the neurotech industry.Hacking consciousnessYep, looking to create group genius or a hive mind. Where groups of people synchronise their heart rates and brain waves and drive them into group flow. Merging selflessness, timelessness, effortlessness and richness. Looking for the elusive “hive-switch”.Transient hypofrontalityThe deep now (without time in the picture, we have all the time in the world), where our inner voice is quiet and where our amygdala shuts down (no fight or flight). Processing rich, deep data. An integrated, whole-system experience. The body, the gut, the senses, the immune system, the lymphatic system and the brain in complete sync.Flow dojosIt is amazing what Navy SEALS, Google, Red Bull are doing. Setting up flow-dojos. Applying techniques from psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology and technology. Combining IOT, AI, VR, sports technology and LSD.The usual:You are what you thinkYour body and mind are oneHow we move our body affect our brain and mindThe interesting:Transformational leaders not only regulated their own nervous systems better than most; they also regulated other people’s.The stomach and intestines complete this network, containing more than 500 million nerve cells, 100 million neutrons, 30 different neurotransmitters, and 90 percent of the body’s supply of serotonin.The neurobiology of emotion shows that our nonverbal cues—our tics, twitches, and tone—reveal much more about our inner experience than words typically do. Our biometrics gives us more accurate insight than our own self-reporting.The scary:Remember the movie “The Mansourian Candidate”? It has been done with an audience by researchers using bio- feedback.A collection of the world’s biggest brands—Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express, Nike, Samsung, Sony, and Ford put up $7 million to fund a study into the neuroscience of buying behaviour.Soon VR systems are going to track everything from eye gaze to vocal tone to neurochemistry, hormones, brainwaves, and cardiac coherence. If a smartphone is a surveillance device we voluntarily carry in our pocket, then VR will be a total surveillance state we voluntarily enter.Mental arms raceAs I said in my review of “The science of selling”, I am expecting and predicting an arms race between mindfulness and manipulation.

It doesn’t give any answers. It “cooks” you for something HUGE but it doesn’t really give you much to work with. Some minor stuff yeah but it basically drives you to purchase their online program (which is not cheap). I liked the book, but hated the fact that there wasn’t something there to use...

Essential reading for inquiring expansive minds. Thought provoking. Explores the historical basis and the future of the deep potential of the human brain and consciousness. Probably challenge the dogma and thinking of most? I felt the book petered out towards the end - but possibly because of the expectations of my own 'mind'! Credible reading for those interested in the fields of neuroscience and the application of 'flow states'. Be sure to research the works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi also.

Some interesting bits throughout but lacks substance. Little detail about the flow states themselves but lots of talk around it. Barely any practical advice for anyone who wanted to incorporate flow states in their lives