There is no such thing as an "ordinary state of consciousness;" neither are there "altered states of consciousness." There only are different focuses of concentration. The deep Theta level of mind is the closest level to the Delta level of universal consciousness. It is only while operating at this level of mind that one can truly remote view and draw information from the Delta level of the universal mind operating outside of time and space. No matter what some self-proclaimed "RV experts" might assert, the reality is that if one's mind is not located at the interface with the life matrix originating from the universal consciousness and is not passively focusing on that delta level, the type of information received becomes subject to mental noise from the Beta level (full conscious awareness) and unreliable.
The Theta level is called by behavioral scientists the hypnagogic level because it corresponds to the experience, usually immediately before falling asleep, of a stream of nonlinear highly vivid visual imagery projected to one's self. Highly ego-centered individuals often fear operating at deep levels of Theta because the ego (sense of self) is on the frontier of dissolving itself at a slightly deeper level of mind (Delta). They tend to prefer the perceptually most separated level of all: The Beta level of awareness. The mind always influences mind orientations and will ultimately decide at which level it wants to operate from. Many scientific protocols were experimentally tried and compared as to their effectiveness at allowing a human subject to rapidly reach levels of deep Theta operations within a narrow band of EEG tracing (4 to 5 cycles per second) for sustained periods of time. Mental sensing (remote viewing) training methods were painstakingly devised and tried out. This culminated in the establishment of an effective methodology designed to rapidly shift one's concentration upon the deepest layers of his/her self-awareness (deep Theta). The goal being thenceforth to operate from that mental level in a passive/active manner by first sending actively out an information request and in turn taking on a passive role when one receives from the Delta level (universal mind), as an answer, a formidable steam of compressed instant (packet) nonlinear sensory and informational data ( delt a to thet a). This information needs to be reconstructed automatically by the Alpha and Beta level of mind when an individual emerges out of deep Theta.
Research projects were undertaken in order to see whether one could remote view from the Beta state (eyes opened and mind focused on external stimuli as opposed to internal one) or the Alpha state (eyes closed, or eyes opened with mind relaxed and/or daydreaming). It was found that the Beta state does not allow for any remote viewing. If an individual perceived that he/she was receiving remote viewing data whilst being fully awake, he had to be at that moment focusing on his thought processes in order to be aware of it and a cursory examination of his/her brain encephalographic tracing would always reveal that the subject had slipped into the Alpha state or very rarely even into Theta. The moment an individual focuses on internal self-reflective thought processes, he/she enters the subconscious (alpha or Theta ) levels of mind operation.
The other conclusion was that even though one could remote sense (view) from the Alpha state, too much mental noise in the form of preconceived notions (mind-sets) or external interference from the Beta level (outside sensory world) were introduced and made for often inconsistent results.
It soon became apparent that the only statistically determining factor to remote viewing abilities was not the methodology used but the level of mind achieved through the use of a particular methodology. The training protocols became therefore focused on mind techniques allowing one to rapidly and consistently reach the deep Theta state. Eventually, with specialized training, when the concentration has remained at deep Theta for long enough, one seems to span all the levels of the mind and integrate them in a single cognitive awareness. The remote viewer can then operate from the Theta level in concentration and even open his/her eyes and be aware of both his/her external and internal realities at once.
With practice, he/she might make a last perceptual jump and realized that his/her external and internal realities are but mirror expressions of each other. Nevertheless, within the mind-matter equation: matter, if concentrated too much upon and given undue importance, tilts the balance and becomes the ultimate trickster.
In the same manner as the Theta waves are the only ones that show up non-specifically and equally throughout the human brain cortex, the deep Theta level is the only state that can unify all perceptual levels of awareness.
Although all serious remote viewing operations, originating from various countries, became aware that they were collecting information from the mysterious "collective unconscious" of the mind, very few, if any, realized that this Universal Mind was within an individual and not outside of him/her. Their focus of attention in the search for an explanation targeted henceforth "external" and often creative exotic realms.
Effective remote viewing techniques should allow one to experience the reality of the Universal Mind, and not only ponder about it. Such an experience might surprise many, and disturb built-in inherited misconceptions. It is only to the daring ones that the world becomes a stepping stone. The others just vegetate.
If certain remote viewing systems do not reach for such an understanding, they are but crutches and fall short of allowing one to cross the stepping stone of ignorance. The aforementioned statements can only be proven by experiencing. Each human being on his/her own. No written theory nor external mechanical laboratory apparatus can ever bring personal proof of such assertions. Hence the ultimate challenge and paradox...