Meditation research is frequently framed in terms of reduced self-referential processing, yet converging evidence suggests that this description encompasses multiple mechanistically distinct states. The present work proposes a specific subclass, termed tranquil states, defined as resting-state conditions characterized by concurrent attenuation of default mode network activity — a finding...
The scientific study of consciousness is characterized by multiple theoretical frameworks that often appear mutually incompatible. Integrated Information Theory, Global Workspace Theory, Predictive Processing, Recurrent Processing Theory, Higher Order Theory, and biological enactivism each identify different mechanisms or properties as central to consciousness. The present paper proposes that...
This component develops a constraint-based framework for the empirical specification of tranquil states in meditation research. The manuscript proposes that tranquil states are characterized by the co-attenuation of default mode network activity and salience-network baseline drive, while distinguishing this configuration from broader trait effects, altered states, or generalized reductions in...