Frontiers in PsychologySeptember 28, 2026Andrea Signorelli, Francesco Tormen, Bruna Dal Bianco et al.
IntroductionLucid dreaming (LD) involves awareness of being in a dream during REM sleep and depends on the reactivation of metacognitive and reality-monitoring processes. This study tested whether a virtual reality (VR) intervention designed to rehearse lucid-dream-relevant metacognitive routines increases LD rates beyond baseline training, and whether generic VR exposure produces similar...
Lucid dreaming, defined as the experience of becoming aware of dreaming while dreaming, offers a unique window into a state of consciousness characterised by a blending of the sensory vividness of REM sleep with the self-awareness of wakefulness. While past functional imaging has shed light on the neural activity supporting lucid dreaming, the structural brain correlates of lucid dream...
This essay explores the possibility of an integrative dialogue between contemporary cognitive neuroscience and the philosophical thought of Antonio Rosmini, focusing on the nature of consciousness. Drawing from neurophenomenology and theories of subjective experience, the analysis highlights conceptual parallels with Rosmini’s notion of fundamental feeling, proposing a non-reductionist,...
Immersive virtual environments are increasingly investigated as tools capable of modulating conscious experience, yet the specific contribution of graded immersion to altered states of consciousness (ASC), time perception, and cognition remains unclear. The present study examined how different levels of immersion during videogame play influence subjective experience and post-experience...
Consciousness science has made substantial progress in studying how perceptual contents become conscious, yet it has paid comparatively little attention to a broader question: what makes an experiential world feel real? This article treats the sense of reality as a distinct explanandum, understood as the pre-reflective way in which a current world is experienced as present, coherent,...
Immersive virtual environments are increasingly investigated as tools capable of modulating conscious experience, yet the specific contribution of graded immersion to altered states of consciousness (ASC), time perception, and cognition remains unclear. The present study examined how different levels of immersion during videogame play influence subjective experience and post-experience...
Mindfulness refers to a family of contemplative practices and states related to the cultivation of awareness, presence, and equanimity. Originally rooted in Buddhist traditions, mindfulness has undergone a significant transformation as it entered Western psychological discourse, particularly within cognitive, neuroscientific, educational, and clinical frameworks. This chapter explores the...
Introduction Considering the increasing evidence supporting psilocybin’s efficacy in therapeutic settings, it is essential to deepen our understanding of its subjective meanings and effects to enhance its integration into psychotherapy. Current knowledge is primarily based on psychometric assessments or unstructured personal reports, leaving a gap in the qualitative analysis of subjective...
This study took place in a high-level educational framework; it evaluated the effects of four contemplative practices: Focused Attention Meditation (FAM), Open Monitoring Meditation (OMM), Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM), and Self-Loving Kindness Meditation (self-LKM). The focus was on their impact on teamwork competencies, as well as how they were influenced by both the individual and the...
This study explores the use of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) cave environments to investigate hypotheses concerning altered states of consciousness, creativity, and flexible thinking in archaeological contexts. Building on the premise that ancient humans used caves as sites for rituals involving altered consciousness, we recreated a virtual cave environment to simulate these experiences and...
Hypnosis and meditation share phenomenological and neurophysiological features, and their comparison is a topic of growing interest in the scientific literature. In this article, we review a classification of these two kinds of non-ordinary states of consciousness, and discuss the studies that directly compare them. Some findings seem to suggest that hypnosis and meditation are distinct...
Examination of conscience (EC) is a contemplative practice that consists in examining daily the actions performed during the day (evening examination, immediately before going to bed) and the actions to be performed on the coming day (morning examination, immediately after sleep). While research on contemplative practices such as mindfulness has seen a large increase of studies in recent years,...
In recent decades, psychological research on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions has greatly developed and demonstrated a range of beneficial outcomes in a variety of populations and contexts. Yet, the question of how to foster subjective well-being and happiness remains open. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of an integrated mental training program The Art of Happiness on...
The default mode network (DMN) is a complex dynamic network that is critical for understanding cognitive function. However, whether dynamic topological reconfiguration of the DMN occurs across different brain states, and whether this potential reorganization is associated with prior learning or experience is unclear. To better understand the temporally changing topology of the DMN, we...
Nicola De Pisapia, Maria Laura Mencaroni, Giulio Velardo et al.
preprint
Rhythmic auditory stimulation has long been used across cultures to induce altered states of consciousness (ASC), yet its phenomenological and physiological correlates remain incompletely characterized under controlled laboratory conditions. Here, we investigated whether drumming-derived rhythmic auditory stimulation reliably induces ASC and how stimulus structure and individual expertise shape...