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Michael Phillip

Host and creator of the Third Eye Drops podcast (also known as Mind Meld), one of the most prominent consciousness-focused podcasts in independent media, with over one million downloads and 430+ episodes exploring the nature of reality, psychedelics, the Gateway Process, DMT, and "the other side."

FieldDetails
Full NameMichael Phillip Nelson
RolePodcaster / Writer / Philosopher / Consciousness Explorer
PlatformThird Eye Drops podcast (Mind Meld), YouTube, Patreon
NetworkSpectreVision Radio
StatusACTIVE
Current AffiliationThird Eye Drops / SpectreVision Radio
Notable WorksThird Eye Drops podcast (2016-present, 430+ episodes); Do Better Work (2019); Gateway Process full document read-throughs; Monroe Institute retreat documentation
Social Media@THIRDEYEDROPS on X; @third_eye_drops on Instagram
CategoryPodcaster / Consciousness Explorer / Writer

Assessment: EMERGING​

Michael Phillip occupies a unique position in the consciousness media landscape as a bridge figure — someone who takes the most challenging ideas about the nature of reality from researchers, scientists, experiencers, and mystics and makes them accessible to a broad audience through long-form conversation. His personal attendance at Monroe Institute Gateway Process retreats, combined with his extensive interviewing of DMT researchers, consciousness scientists, and UAP investigators, makes him one of the few media figures who both documents and personally explores the phenomena he covers. His podcast has become a significant entry point for people discovering the Gateway Process, DMT research, and interdimensional consciousness theories.

Current Situation​

Michael Phillip continues to actively produce the Third Eye Drops podcast, releasing episodes regularly that explore consciousness, psychedelics, the Gateway Process, UAP phenomena, and the nature of reality. The show is part of the SpectreVision Radio network, described as "a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny." He maintains a Patreon community and publishes on all major podcast platforms.

His podcast has evolved from general philosophical conversations into increasingly focused explorations of specific consciousness topics — particularly after his personal Gateway Process retreat experience at the Monroe Institute, which he described as the classified consciousness research that "changed his life." Following that retreat, he produced a multi-episode series reading through and analyzing the entire declassified CIA "Analysis and Assessment of Gateway Process" document, making this classified research accessible to his audience.

Background​

Michael Phillip is a writer, thinker, speaker, and self-described "polymorphous polymath" who created Third Eye Drops as what he calls "a curious conversational coven filled with novelty nuggets that nurse, nurture and nuzzle your awe and wonder muscles." The podcast launched around 2016 and has grown to over one million downloads, featuring deep conversations with scientists, artists, psychologists, authors, spiritual teachers, experiencers, and philosophers.

Phillip's intellectual influences span ancient philosophy (he has cited Socrates as a favorite philosopher), psychedelic culture (particularly the legacy of Terence McKenna), consciousness science, and contemplative traditions. He has described his vision as a "technodelic community where wonder, laughter and creation are core commandments."

His approach is distinctive in the consciousness media space: rather than presenting himself as an authority, he positions himself as a fellow seeker — someone learning alongside his audience, asking questions of experts, and then personally experimenting with the practices and technologies discussed on his show. This was most vividly demonstrated when he attended a Gateway Voyage retreat at the Monroe Institute and documented the experience for his listeners.

Their Deep State Definition​

Michael Phillip does not present a traditional political deep state thesis. His work instead addresses the consciousness dimension of institutional power: the idea that intelligence agencies and military programs have long understood that consciousness is far more than mainstream science acknowledges, and that this knowledge has been classified, weaponized, and kept from the public.

His exploration of the Gateway Process is central to this thesis. The CIA commissioned Lieutenant Colonel Wayne McDonnell to write the "Analysis and Assessment of Gateway Process" in 1983, a document that described consciousness as capable of leaving the physical body, accessing a "universal hologram," and interacting with non-corporeal energy forms. This document was classified for decades. Phillip's multi-episode read-through of this document — and his personal experiences at the Monroe Institute — represent his contribution to making this suppressed knowledge public.

His broader framework holds that:

  • Consciousness is fundamental to reality, not a byproduct of brain activity
  • The CIA and military knew this decades ago through programs like the Gateway Process and Project Stargate
  • Psychedelic compounds like DMT provide independent access to the same expanded states that the Monroe Institute's Hemi-Sync technology facilitates
  • The convergence of evidence from psychedelics, meditation, the Gateway Process, near-death experiences, and UAP encounters all point to the same underlying reality: consciousness is non-local and can access other dimensions
  • This knowledge has been systematically kept from the public through classification and institutional ridicule

Key Quotes​

"What if you could prove to yourself that you're more than your physical body?" — Michael Phillip, framing his Gateway Process retreat experience, Third Eye Drops

"The Gateway Process and the classified consciousness research that changed my life." — Michael Phillip, episode title describing his Monroe Institute retreat, Third Eye Drops

"Reality is completely f***ing strange." — Recurring theme across Third Eye Drops episodes, particularly in conversations with Dr. Andrew Gallimore about DMT and the nature of reality

Key Arguments & Evidence He Cites​

  • The declassified Gateway Process document: The 1983 CIA report by Lt. Col. Wayne McDonnell that describes consciousness as capable of transcending the physical body and accessing a "universal hologram" — Phillip produced a multi-part series reading through and analyzing the entire document for his audience
  • Personal Monroe Institute retreat experiences: Phillip attended a Gateway Voyage retreat at the Monroe Institute and reported firsthand experiences of expanded consciousness states using Hemi-Sync binaural beat technology
  • DMT research convergence: Interviews with Dr. Rick Strassman (Mind Meld 420) about breakthrough DMT studies and entity encounters, and with Dr. Andrew Gallimore (Mind Meld 434) about the overlap between DMT entity encounters and UAP abduction experiences
  • The universal hologram theory: Drawing from the Gateway Process document and physicists like David Bohm, Phillip explores the idea that reality is a holographic projection and consciousness is the fundamental substrate
  • Non-corporeal energy forms: From his Gateway retreat and document analysis, Phillip discusses the CIA document's references to interacting with non-physical entities or energy forms during expanded consciousness states
  • Cross-cultural consistency of experiences: The observation that DMT users, Gateway Process practitioners, meditation adepts, and near-death experiencers all report remarkably similar encounters with other dimensions and entities

Notable Guests and Key Episodes​

Michael Phillip has interviewed many of the leading figures in consciousness research, psychedelic science, and related fields. Notable guests and episodes include:

Consciousness Science and Philosophy​

  • Bernardo Kastrup (Mind Meld 343) — Consciousness, the nature of reality, Carl Jung, UAP phenomenon, and whether AI can become sentient
  • Dr. Andrew Gallimore (Mind Meld 159, 347, 434) — DMT, alien intelligence, entity encounters, and the overlap with UAP abduction experiences; author of Death by Astonishment
  • Michael Garfield (Mind Meld 309) — Flavors of consciousness, AI souls, and sentient ideas
  • Dr. Ido Cohen (Mind Meld 289) — Psychic gods, mythopoetic evolution, and Jungian archetypes

Psychedelics and DMT Research​

  • Dr. Rick Strassman (Mind Meld 420) — Breakthrough DMT studies, entities, consciousness, and personal mystical experiences Strassman had previously kept private
  • Alexander Beiner — DMT entities and extended-state high-dose IV DMT research at Imperial College London
  • Adam Butler (Mind Meld 421) — The Gateway Process, DMT entities, and the universal hologram; shared Gateway retreat experiences

Ethnobotany and Psychedelic History​

  • Dr. Dennis McKenna (Mind Meld 5, Mind Meld 104) — Psychedelic research, the beauty of a billion failures, and the legacy of Terence McKenna
  • Hamilton Souther (Mind Meld 140) — Ayahuasca shamanism and making everything shine

Consciousness Exploration and the Gateway Process​

  • Chris Ramsay (Mind Meld 415) — UFO disclosure breakthroughs and the magic of the Gateway Process
  • Multiple solo episodes reading through the full declassified CIA "Analysis and Assessment of Gateway Process" document (Full Documents 1, 2, and 3)

Other Notable Guests​

  • Richard Tarnas — Former program director at Esalen Institute, who worked with Terence McKenna, Ram Dass, Alan Watts, and James Hillman
  • Dr. Bruce Damer — Origin of life researcher at UC Santa Cruz
  • Ralph Abraham — Mathematician and chaos theory pioneer
  • Dr. Dan Attrell — Classicist and translator of magical texts
  • Diana Pasulka — Professor of religious studies and UAP researcher

Where He's Said It​

  • Third Eye Drops podcast (2016-present) — Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms; 430+ episodes
  • "The Gateway Process and the Classified Consciousness Research That Changed My Life" — Solo episode documenting his Monroe Institute retreat
  • CIA Gateway Process full document read-throughs — Multi-part series (Full Documents 1, 2, and 3) analyzing the declassified report
  • "The High Weirdness Portal is Opening: My Gateway Process Retreat, The UFO Hearings, Q&A" — Episode combining his retreat experiences with commentary on Congressional UFO hearings
  • Inner Truth podcast — Guest appearance discussing truth, meaning, and purpose
  • End of the Road podcast (Episode 81) — Guest appearance discussing Third Eye Drops and his philosophical framework
  • Confronting Reality podcast — Guest appearance with Robert Patton
  • Patreon — Extended content and community discussion at patreon.com/Thirdeyedrops

The Counterargument​

  • Popularizer, not researcher: Critics may note that Phillip is a podcast host and writer, not a scientist or researcher with formal credentials in consciousness studies, neuroscience, or physics. His interpretations of the Gateway Process document and DMT research are those of an enthusiastic amateur, not a peer-reviewed expert
  • Confirmation bias in guest selection: The podcast tends to feature guests who are sympathetic to expanded consciousness theories, potentially creating an echo chamber rather than a balanced investigation
  • Subjective experience as evidence: Much of what Phillip reports from his Monroe Institute retreat and his synthesis of consciousness theories relies on subjective personal experience, which is not independently verifiable
  • Over-reading the Gateway document: Some critics argue that the 1983 CIA Gateway Process document represents one analyst's speculative interpretation, not official CIA conclusions about the nature of reality, and that treating it as proof of government knowledge about consciousness is an overstatement
  • Commercial incentive: As a podcast host with a Patreon, there is an inherent commercial incentive to produce content that his audience finds exciting and paradigm-shifting, which could influence the framing of topics
  • Robert Monroe — Creator of the Monroe Institute and Hemi-Sync technology that Phillip personally experienced during his Gateway Voyage retreat. Monroe's framework of Focus Levels and out-of-body exploration is central to Phillip's consciousness thesis
  • Tom Campbell — Physicist and consciousness researcher who worked with Robert Monroe at the Monroe Institute and developed My Big TOE (Theory of Everything), proposing that reality is a virtual information system. Campbell's scientific framework for consciousness overlaps significantly with the ideas Phillip explores
  • Graham Hancock — Author and researcher whose work on ancient civilizations, psychedelics, and consciousness connects to Phillip's exploration of how altered states reveal hidden dimensions of reality
  • Terence McKenna — Ethnobotanist and psychedelic philosopher whose ideas about DMT, the transcendent object at the end of time, and the role of psychedelics in human evolution are frequently referenced on Third Eye Drops. Dennis McKenna, Terence's brother, has been a guest on the show
  • Rick Strassman — DMT researcher whose groundbreaking studies at the University of New Mexico provided the scientific foundation for much of the DMT consciousness discussion on Third Eye Drops (Mind Meld 420)
  • DMT Consciousness Travel — The thesis that DMT enables consciousness to access other dimensions; a central topic across many Third Eye Drops episodes
  • Diana Pasulka — Professor of religious studies whose research on UAP phenomena and their intersection with religious experience connects to Phillip's exploration of the overlap between UFO encounters and consciousness expansion
  • Focus Levels — The Monroe Institute's system of consciousness states (Focus 10, 12, 15, 21, etc.) that Phillip experienced during his Gateway Voyage retreat and discusses extensively in his Gateway Process episodes
  • Hemi-Sync Binaural Beats — The audio technology developed by Robert Monroe that uses binaural beat frequencies to guide consciousness into specific states; the core technology Phillip used during his Monroe Institute retreat
  • DMT Entity Encounters — The consistent reports of meeting intelligent entities during DMT experiences, explored in depth with guests like Dr. Rick Strassman, Dr. Andrew Gallimore, and Alexander Beiner across multiple Third Eye Drops episodes

Connection to Deep State / Consciousness Control​

Michael Phillip's work connects to the broader Consciousness & Deep State project in several ways:

  • Declassified program documentation: His multi-episode analysis of the CIA's Gateway Process document represents one of the most thorough public examinations of a declassified consciousness research program, making classified knowledge accessible to a general audience
  • Bridging suppressed research and public understanding: By interviewing both mainstream scientists (Bernardo Kastrup, Rick Strassman) and experiencers, Phillip creates a bridge between academically suppressed consciousness research and public awareness
  • The classification question: His work implicitly raises the question: if the CIA determined in 1983 that consciousness can leave the body and access a universal hologram, why has this knowledge not been incorporated into mainstream science or public education? The implication is that this suppression is deliberate
  • Convergence of evidence: By hosting DMT researchers, Gateway Process practitioners, UAP investigators, and consciousness philosophers on the same platform, Phillip documents the convergence of multiple independent lines of evidence pointing to the same conclusion — that consciousness is non-local and can access other dimensions

Other Coverage Worth Reading​

  • Interdimensional UAP Hypothesis: The theory that UAP phenomena — especially non-solid manifestations such as orbs, plasma, and luminous formations — are...
  • Book: Mind Wars: Brain Science and the Military in the 21st Century
  • Stephan Schwartz: Remote viewing researcher, consciousness scientist, futurist, and author who has spent over four decades studying non-local consciousness —...
  • Aubrey Marcus: Entrepreneur, podcaster, author, and psychedelic advocate who has spent over 25 years exploring consciousness through plant medicine, sensory...

Sources​

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.