Brain Topography
September 2, 2026
Shiva Khoshnoud, Federico Alvarez Igarzábal, Marc Wittmann
Flow, as defined by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1975), is a holistic experience in which individuals are fully immersed in an activity, resulting in a diminished sense of self and an altered perception of time. To investigate the global neural dynamics underlying flow, we employed EEG microstate analysis, which capture the spatial and temporal properties of dominant transient global brain states...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
May 14, 2026
Shiva Khoshnoud, Federico Alvarez Igarzábal, Marc Wittmann
Flow, as defined by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1975), is a holistic sensation experienced when individuals are fully immersed in an activity, resulting in a mental state characterized by a diminished sense of self and altered perception of time. To investigate the global neural dynamics underlying flow, we employed EEG microstate analysis to capture the spatial and temporal properties of...
Psychophysiology
April 1, 2026
Sura Genc, Elif Surer, Marc Wittmann et al.
Flow experience is characterized by becoming deeply absorbed in a task, by losing track of time, and diminished self-awareness. Psychological flow research typically involves the qualitative or quantitative assessment of flow states after the experience with questionnaires. This approach is limited, as post-task reports provide an overall assessment of the whole experience, but lack the...
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
November 6, 2025
Helena Hruby, Marc Wittmann, Stefan Schmidt et al.
This micro-phenomenological study examines altered states of consciousness (ASC) during Floatation-REST, a sensory isolation method where individuals lie in a tank filled with Epsom salt-saturated water in complete silence and darkness. Salubrious effects of Floatation-REST have been shown in persons suffering from mental health conditions; these positive outcomes might be related to the...
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
August 1, 2025
Larry Douglas Fort, Cyril Costines, Marc Wittmann et al.
14 citations
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the conceptual and empirical study of altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced pharmacologically or otherwise, driven by their potential clinical applications. To draw attention to the rich history of research in this domain, we review prominent classification schemes that have been proposed to introduce systematicity into the...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
July 25, 2025
Alan N Simmons, Marc Wittmann, Irian A Strigo
This chapter is dedicated to the intellectual legacy of A.D. Bud Craig and advancing the understanding of interoception. The chapter is organized into three critical domains of interoceptive research: Bodily Self, Emotion, and Subjective Time. Beginning with foundational neuroanatomical research on temperature and pain processing, the volume progresses to explore how interoceptive signals...
Consciousness and Cognition
April 1, 2025
Iraklis Pantazis, Marc Wittmann
5 citations
The term "afterglow" originally described the heightened mood and relaxation following psychedelics and later extended to other altered states. Despite anecdotal reports, little research has explored this effect, especially in Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Technique). In this method, individuals float in thermoneutral, supersaturated salt water in a dark, quiet tank. Using...
Frontiers in Psychology
2025
Marc Wittmann, Carlos Montemayor, Mauro Dorato
1 citation
Building on the Stoic notion of self-regulation, we explore philosophical conceptualizations in relation to empirical evidence from psychology and cognitive neuroscience. We challenge the mainstream account that dismisses the possibility of free will based on contemporary scientific findings. Instead, we argue that these findings actually support and refine the Stoic view of free will,...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
2025
Marc Wittmann, Sylvie Droit-Volet
In accordance with Bud (A.D.) Craig's theories, we maintain that ascending physiological signals in their temporal dynamics are a necessary prerequisite for human time judgments. Functional neuroimaging and psychophysiological evidence have increasingly demonstrated that the subjective judgment of time is based on the physical and emotional self. The psychological literature reveals how...
Scientific Reports
April 23, 2024
Helena Hruby, Stefan Schmidt, Justin S. Feinstein et al.
Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) minimizes stimulation of the nervous system by immersing subjects in an environment without sound or light while they effortlessly float in thermoneutral water supersaturated with Epsom salt. Here we investigated the relationship between altered states of consciousness (ASC) and its association with the affective changes induced by...
Progress in Brain Research
2024
Christine Flatten, Damisela Linares Gutierrez, Sebastian L. Kübel et al.
1 citation
We tested and validated the German version of a new instrument for measuring "wakefulness," defined as "an expansive, higher-functioning, and stable state of being in which a person's vision of and relationship to the world are transformed, along with their subjective experience, their sense of identity and their conceptual outlook" (Taylor, 2017, p. 22). In order to test the construct validity...
Phanês Journal For Jung History
November 30, 2021
Uwe Schellinger, Andreas Anton, Marc Wittmann
1 citation
Hans Bender, German parapsychologist and professor at the Freiburg University, met with C. G. Jung on December 8, 1960. The discussion was recorded, and the transcribed version is available here for the first time in English. A key aspect of our article is a description of the phenomenon of synchronicity based on Hans Bender’s concrete experiences during a drive through Switzerland to an Eranos...
Journal of Cognitive Enhancement
October 11, 2021
Mark A. Elliott, Monika Zalewska, Marc Wittmann
5 citations
Abstract In the meditative state time appears to slow down and in the present moment it expands. However, to date, there is no investigation of the effect of meditative state on the structure of the “psychological moment”; this is the measurable, minimal duration of the moment “now.” In this study, we examined the effect on the psychological moment of a mindfulness intervention against an...
PLoS One
2021
Rui Miguel Costa, Arlindo Madeira, Matilde Barata et al.
There is lack of research on effects of red wine on consciousness when drank in wine bars designed to enhance the pleasurableness of the wine drinking experience. Effects of a moderate dose of red wine (≈ 40.98 g of ethanol) on consciousness were examined in a naturalistic study taking place in a wine bar located in one of the most touristic areas of Lisbon, Portugal. One hundred two...
Frontiers in Psychology
February 18, 2020
Ulf Winter, Pierre Levan, Tilmann Lhündrup Borghardt et al.
68 citations
The minimal neural correlate of the conscious state, regardless of the neural activity correlated with the ever-changing contents of experience, has still not been identified. Different attempts have been made, mainly by comparing the normal waking state to seemingly unconscious states, such as deep sleep or general anesthesia. A more direct approach would be the neuroscientific investigation...
Behavioral Sciences
May 16, 2019
Damisela Linares Gutierrez, Sebastian L. Kübel, Anne Giersch et al.
This study is based on the relationship between meditation, the present moment, and psychophysiology. We employed the metronome task to operationalize the extension of the present moment. A pre-post longitudinal study was conducted. The performance in the metronome task was compared before and after the interventions (meditation, story). The aim was to assess whether physiological changes...
Consciousness and Cognition
May 1, 2014
Han-Gue Jo, Marc Wittmann, Tilmann Lhündrup Borghardt et al.
43 citations
The belief in free will has been frequently challenged since Benjamin Libet published his famous experiment in 1983. Although Libet's experiment is highly dependent upon subjective reports, no study has been conducted that focused on a first-person or introspective perspective of the task. We took a neurophenomenological approach in an N=1 study providing reliable and valid measures of the...
Frontiers in Psychology
2014
Brice Martin, Marc Wittmann, Nicolas Franck et al.
87 citations
The concept of the minimal self refers to the consciousness of oneself as an immediate subject of experience. According to recent studies, disturbances of the minimal self may be a core feature of schizophrenia. They are emphasized in classical psychiatry literature and in phenomenological work. Impaired minimal self-experience may be defined as a distortion of one's first-person experiential...
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
2011
Marc Wittmann
160 citations
It has been suggested that perception and action can be understood as evolving in temporal epochs or sequential processing units. Successive events are fused into units forming a unitary experience or "psychological present." Studies have identified several temporal integration levels on different time scales which are fundamental for our understanding of behavior and subjective experience. In...
Neuroscience Letters
February 13, 2008
Jiřı́ Wackermann, Marc Wittmann, Felix Hasler et al.
95 citations
Action of a hallucinogenic substance, psilocybin, on internal time representation was investigated in two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies: Experiment 1 with 12 subjects and graded doses, and Experiment 2 with 9 subjects and a very low dose. The task consisted in repeated reproductions of time intervals in the range from 1.5 to 5s. The effects were assessed by parameter kappa of the...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 20, 2006
Marc Wittmann, Olivia Carter, Felix Hasler et al.
245 citations
Hallucinogenic psilocybin is known to alter the subjective experience of time. However, there is no study that systematically investigated objective measures of time perception under psilocybin. Therefore, we studied dose-dependent effects of the serotonin (5-HT) 2A/1A receptor agonist psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) on temporal processing, employing tasks of temporal...