Overview

Steven Kotler’s research spans neuroscience, psychology, technology, creativity, altered states, and human performance. As founder and executive director of the Flow Research Collective, a nonprofit R&D organization, his research focuses on the neurobiology of flow, intuition, creativity, and performance under uncertainty. This work has been expanded into trainings that have reached over a million people in 156 countries and across 28 industries.

That work has also been expanded into the study of trauma, depression, addiction, and neurodegenerative disorders, where many of the same neural mechanisms that facilitate peak performance collapse under chronic stress.

The organization’s research maps these dynamics across large-scale brain networks and neuromodulatory systems, then translates the findings into practical protocols designed to improve both performance and well-being—particularly for the populations that need them most, including combat veterans, first responders, and the general public.

Beyond neuroscience, Kotler has written extensively about science, technology, altered states, creativity, environmental issues, animal behavior, and the future of human potential.