Tom has his own way of explaining things, and I understand why some people like his approach while others don’t. We naturally want to believe that there is something more out there — that places like Focus 27 are objectively real, or that people can actually get “stuck” in Focus 23, using Bob Monroe’s terminology. Tom tends to stay much more neutral in his explanations. Some people appreciate that, while others would rather believe there is something more out there than simply some kind of intelligent information system. Tom’s view is basically what is shown in the pictures: what you think you experience or see is, in a sense, being generated or provided by the larger system. LCS — Larger Consciousness System ---The overall consciousness system — you could roughly think of it as the larger “computer” or information system. IUOC — Individuated Unit of Consciousness ---An individual unit of consciousness — essentially, you.