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As far as we're aware, superheroes aren't walking among us, and unless this is the Bruce Willis-led Unbreakable, we're waiting to be proven wrong. That's not to say that 'superhumans' aren't real, and away from the various World's Strongest Man shows you might've watched, some amazing Homo sapiens can run ultra-marathons without muscle fatigue, are unable to feel pain, process oxygen at extreme altitudes, and develop photographic memories.
Advancements in science mean researchers are also looking into gene editing with Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and biological enhancements by integrating tardigrade proteins into human cells, while cybernetics already has us feeling like we're living in the world of tomorrow.
Apparently, becoming your own (temporary) superhuman is easier than you might think, with declassified CIA files listing five simple steps that could help you 'supercharge' your body.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Virginia's Monroe Institute of Applied Sciences created a 21-page 'workbook' in 1977, with the aim of teaching us advanced mental skills. Supposed to help expand awareness and develop skills in remote perception and problem-solving, some of the more bizarre aspects include an apparent ability to relieve pain through the power of the mind, or also build energy to become your own real-life Superman.
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Page 14 of the workbook was declassified and released by the CIA in 2003, teaching humans how to 'charge the body from great speed and strength' in just five steps.
You're supposed to practise this routine before intense activity like lifting a heavy object or sprinting, doing what it says on the tin by 'charging' your body.
This meditation appeared as part of a series of secret programs that were funded by the CIA between 1972 and 1995. The general idea was to expand consciousness and the potential for these skills to be used for spies and special ops teams alike.
It also fell under the CIA's larger Stargate Project that hoped to train 'psychic spies'.
First of all, we'd like to reiterate that the workbook states that the steps shouldn't be attempted without completing "the first Session of the Gateway Program." The Gateway Program used a special sound technology known as Hemi-Sync, which was developed by Monroe Institute founder, Robert Monroe.
Hemi-Sync is said to synchronize the left and right sides of the human brain as a way to trigger a relaxed but highly focused mental state.
In terms of charging ourselves, the manual tells users to close their eyes and take a deep breath in. As you continue breathing in, you're supposed to mentally focus on two things at once, which sounds hard enough for us at it is. As well as the exact physical action that needs to be done, you’re told to picture a 'strong energy of red' filling your body.
When you breathe out, you have to open your eyes and immediately do the action.
Apparently, this gives you a notable physical boost and better reflexes.
The workbook states: "You will be able immediately to perform the physical act you have pictured – with far greater strength, much more rapidly and with smooth total coordination of your physical body."
Elsewhere in the manual, there's a claim that repeating the number 55515 while looking at a specific body part can reduce pain signals being sent from there.
We'd again advise against trying any of the above, as the Munroe Institute reiterated: "The attempted application by others may result in undesirable and uncontrolled effects detrimental to any such unauthorized user."
Still, with the Munroe Institute's workbork also including methods on how to hopefully enter a restful sleep on command, we wouldn't mind the pros helping us get 40 winks.
