Front Hum Neurosci
April 10, 2026
Joachim Keppler
This article addresses the question of which metaphysical paradigm is most suitable for gaining a deeper understanding of our conscious inner life and bringing us closer to a powerful theory of consciousness (TOC). To answer this question, the key characteristics of a strong theory, namely, predictive and explanatory power, are used to evaluate various paradigms. The predictive power of a TOC...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2025
Joachim Keppler
Empirical findings indicate that conscious states are inextricably linked to long-range synchronized activity patterns that result from phase transitions and exhibit the key features of self-organized criticality. This article builds a bridge between these neurophysiological characteristics of consciousness and the framework of quantum electrodynamics (QED), which provides the appropriate...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2024
Joachim Keppler
Empirical evidence indicates that conscious states, distinguished by the presence of phenomenal qualities, are closely linked to synchronized neural activity patterns whose dynamical characteristics can be attributed to self-organized criticality and phase transitions. These findings imply that insight into the mechanism by which the brain controls phase transitions will provide a deeper...
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
March 17, 2022
Edward James, Joachim Keppler, Thomas L Robertshaw et al.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
February 17, 2022
Edward James, Joachim Keppler, Ben Sessa et al.
41 citations
Abstract Objective Reports have indicated possible uses of ayahuasca for the treatment of conditions including depression, addictions, post‐traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and specific psychoneuroendocrine immune system pathologies. The article assesses potential ayahuasca and N,N‐dimethyltryptamine (DMT) integration with contemporary healthcare. The review also seeks to provide a summary of...
Frontiers in Psychology
March 5, 2020
Joachim Keppler, Itay Shani
29 citations
Despite the progress made in studying the observable exteriors of conscious processes, which are reflected in the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), there are still no satisfactory answers to two closely related core questions. These are the question of the origin of the subjective, phenomenal aspects of consciousness, and the question of the causal mechanisms underlying the generation...
Frontiers in Psychology
January 10, 2020
Joachim Keppler
The main goal of this article consists in addressing two fundamental issues of consciousness research and cognitive science, namely, the question of why declarative memory functions are inextricably linked with phenomenal awareness and the question of the physical basis of memory traces. The presented approach proposes that high-level cognitive processes involving consciousness employ a...
Frontiers in Psychology
August 3, 2018
Joachim Keppler
31 citations
This article presents a new interpretation of the consciousness-related neuroscientific findings using the framework of stochastic electrodynamics (SED), a branch of physics that sheds light on the basic principles underlying quantum systems. It is propounded that SED supplemented by two well-founded hypotheses leads to a satisfying explanation of the neural correlates of consciousness. The...
Journal of the American Philosophical Association
2018
Itay Shani, Joachim Keppler
88 citations
Abstract The aim of this paper is twofold. First, our purpose is to propose and motivate a novel and scientifically informed variant of cosmopsychism, namely, the view that the experiences of ordinary subjects are ultimately grounded in an all-pervading cosmic consciousness. Second, we will demonstrate that this approach generates promising avenues for addressing familiar problems of phenomenal...
Annals of Palliative Medicine
2018
Joachim Keppler
Owing to the increasing importance of clinical hypnosis in pain therapy and palliative care, there is a growing interest in uncovering the mechanism underlying hypnotic analgesia. The neurophysiological findings suggest that the hypnotic state is associated with an altered operating mode of the brain that is clearly different from the normal operating mode. While in the normal operating mode a...