There are five known levels of CEV perception which can be achieved either through chemical stimuli or through
meditative relaxation techniques. Levels 1 and 2 are very common and often happen every day. It is still normal to experience level 3, and even level 4; however, only a small percentage of the population does this without psychedelic drugs, meditation or extensive visualization training.
Level 1: Visual noise The most basic form of CEV perception that can be immediately experienced in the normal waking consciousness involves a seemingly random noise of pointillistic light or dark regions with no apparent shape or order. Level 1 is the most universally experienced form of CEV perception. This can be seen when the eyes are closed and looking at the back of the eyelids. In a bright room, a dark red can be seen, owing to a small amount of light penetrating the eyelids and taking on the color of the blood it has passed through. In a dark room, blackness can be seen or the object can be more colourful. In either case, it is not a flat unchanging redness/blackness. Instead, if actively observed for a few minutes, one becomes aware of an apparent disorganized motion, a random field of lightness or darkness that overlays the redness or blackness of closed eyelids. For a person who tries to actively observe this closed-eye perception on a regular basis, there comes a point where if they look at a flat-shaded object with their eyes wide open, and try to actively look for this visual noise, they will become aware of it and see the random pointillistic disorganized motion as if it were a translucent overlay on top of what is actually being seen by their open eyes. When seen overlaid onto the physical world, this CEV noise does not obscure physical vision at all, and in fact is hard to notice if the visual field is highly patterned, complex, or in motion. When active observation is stopped, it is not obvious or noticeable, and seemingly disappears from normal physical perception. Individuals suffering from
visual snow syndrome see similar noise but experience difficulty blocking it from conscious perception.
Level 2: Light or dark flashes Some mental control can be exerted over these closed-eye visualizations, but it usually requires a bit of relaxation and concentration to achieve. When properly relaxed, it is possible to cause regions of intense black, bright white or even colors such as yellow, green, or pink to appear in the noise. These regions can span the entire visual field, but seem to be fleeting in nature.
Level 3: Patterns, motion, and color This level is relatively easily accessible to people who use
psychedelic drugs such as
LSD. However, it is also accessible to people involved in deep concentration for long periods of time. When lying down at night and closing the eyes, right before sleep or just before waking up, the complex motion of these patterns can become directly visible without any great effort thanks to
hypnagogic hallucination. The patterns themselves might resemble
fractals.
Level 4: Objects and things This is a fairly deep state. At this level, thoughts visually manifest as objects or environments. When this level is reached, the CEV noise seems to calm down and fade away, leaving behind an intense flat ordered blackness. The visual field becomes a sort of active space. A side component of this is the ability to feel motion when the eyes are closed. Opening the eyes returns one to the normal physical world, but still with the CEV object field overlaid onto it and present. In this state, it is possible to see things that appear to be physical objects in the open-eye physical world, but that aren't really there.
Level 5: Overriding physical perception This level can be entered from complete
sensory deprivation, as experienced in an
isolation tank or deep
trance of
hypnosis, but even there it requires great relaxation. According to
lucid dreaming researcher
Stephen LaBerge, perceptions can come from either the senses or imagination. An inhibitory system involving the
thalamus, likely involving
serotonergic neurons, inhibits imaginary perceptions from becoming too activated so they turn into hallucinations. This system is inhibited during
REM sleep, and the imagination can freely run into the perceptual systems. What happens at level 5 is likely that this system is inhibited, just like in REM sleep, by different causes like sensory deprivation, psychedelic drugs or meditative relaxation techniques. ==What is not a CEV==