PsyArXiv
June 26, 2026
preprint
Guided meditation reduced arousal and time-related thoughts compared to a control condition or a Ganzfeld (multimodal sensory stimulation) condition, indicating decreased mind wandering and enhanced relaxation. In the Ganzfeld condition, reduced body boundary salience was linked to positive emotional states. Higher trait absorption predicted diminished body boundary salience in both the control and Ganzfeld conditions, suggesting that individual differences in absorptive capacity modulate susceptibility to altered-states-of-consciousness-like experiences. The findings highlight both shared and distinct effects of different Restricted Environmental Stimulation Techniques (REST) variants on subjective experiences.
PsyArXiv
June 25, 2026
preprint
A commentary on the Relativistic Theory of Consciousness identifies two unresolved issues. First, the theory lacks a fundamental precondition for consciousness, which a Comparator Model might address. Second, the theory's biological relevance depends on its real-world applicability, as its mathematical formulation for shifting from a third-person to a first-person frame of reference may be internally consistent but does not prove biological reality. The technological requirements for such a transition and obstacles in real life are discussed.
PsyArXiv
June 21, 2026
preprint
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) during sleep involve a temporary sense of the self being outside the physical body. In an online survey of adults reporting vivid sleep-related experiences, OBEs were compared to sleep paralysis, lucid dreams, and ordinary remembered dreams. OBEs showed a distinct increase in feelings of disembodiment and ego dissolution, and a high proportion of complete mystical-type experiences. Unlike sleep paralysis, which was linked to anxiety and impaired control, OBEs were not associated with higher psychological symptoms, poorer sleep quality, or greater depersonalization. Personality differences were minimal, with lower neuroticism in the OBE group. The findings indicate sleep-related OBEs are transient alterations of bodily self-consciousness, not markers of broader clinical or dispositional issues.
PsyArXiv
June 21, 2026
preprint
A theoretical framework proposes that self-consciousness arises not from specialized brain regions but from domain-general areas dynamically deployed to meet two core computational demands: self-distinctiveness and self-renewal. Integration is a fundamental principle that unifies self-experience. Two hierarchically structured subsystems, aligned with the Action-Mode Network and Default Mode Network, underpin self-related processing. These are regulated by the insula-centered body-based self-schema and the mPFC-centered knowledge-based self-schema, supporting bodily and mental interactions with the external environment. The framework outlines open questions for future research.
PsyArXiv
June 20, 2026
preprint
Advanced meditation is defined as a distinct category of contemplative practice that goes beyond mindfulness and basic meditation, as well as other non-meditative consciousness-altering practices. The article provides a conceptual foundation for a comprehensive contemplative science that can systematically study these advanced states and stages. It argues that current research focuses too narrowly on mindfulness and beginner-level practices, leaving advanced meditative phenomena—such as non-dual awareness, cessation, and other profound alterations in consciousness—poorly understood. By establishing clear definitions and a theoretical framework, the work aims to enable rigorous empirical investigation of the full spectrum of meditative development.
PsyArXiv
June 19, 2026
preprint
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) could become a valuable methodological tool for advancing consciousness research beyond the current impasse highlighted by the Cogitate adversarial collaboration, which tested Integrated Information Theory and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory and found only partial support for both. BCIs combine recording and stimulation to monitor and influence conscious and unconscious brain mechanisms, offering an integrated approach for testing theories of consciousness and tackling philosophical conundrums like the hard problem. Clinically, BCIs already aid patients with disorders of consciousness, bridging empirical investigation and intervention to address open questions about the nature of consciousness.
PsyArXiv
June 18, 2026
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A neural measure of emotional introspection remains stable over time and is not altered by either body scan meditation or self-enquiry meditation training.
PsyArXiv
June 17, 2026
preprint
In a representative German sample, nonordinary experiences—such as altered perception, unity with surroundings, or a sense of the sacred—are common, with 84% of participants reporting at least one such experience in their lifetime. The most prevalent were aesthetic awe (74%) and flow states (70%), while mystical-type experiences (45%) and near-death-like experiences (5%) were less common. These experiences are associated with higher levels of self-transcendence, suggesting that nonordinary experiences are widespread and may play a role in personal growth and well-being.
PsyArXiv
June 16, 2026
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A brief mindfulness-based meditation training can modify empathic disequilibrium, reducing the imbalance between empathic concern and personal distress. The intervention suggests that even short mindfulness practices may help regulate emotional responses to others' suffering, potentially improving social functioning and well-being.
PsyArXiv
June 13, 2026
preprint
The article argues that certain mindfulness-based interventions may hit a ceiling because they inadvertently treat awareness itself as an object to be cultivated, which paradoxically reinforces the dualistic grasping that mindfulness aims to dissolve. Drawing on Yogācāra Buddhist philosophy, the author diagnoses this problem as a subtle form of attachment to the experience of awareness, which can become an obstacle to deeper liberative insight. The paper suggests that recognizing awareness as inherently non-dual and empty of self-nature, rather than as a skill to be perfected, may open a path beyond the plateau often reported in secular mindfulness programs.
PsyArXiv
June 13, 2026
preprint
Mindfulness-based interventions often assume that training attention reduces self-grasping, but a Yogācāra Buddhist analysis suggests that a deep, subtle layer of self-grasping called manas may remain untouched by attentional training alone. This theoretical paper argues that manas operates as a pre-reflective, continuous sense of self that persists even when attention is well-regulated. The authors contend that effectively addressing this layer requires practices that directly target self-grasping, not just attention. This account has implications for how mindfulness-based interventions are theorized and designed, suggesting that without explicit deconstructive practices, self-grasping may remain intact.
PsyArXiv
June 13, 2026
preprint
The text asks whether mindfulness practiced in virtual reality can alter food cravings, but no results or conclusions are reported.
PsyArXiv
June 4, 2026
preprint
Mindfulness research often treats mindfulness as a timeless, universal practice, overlooking its historical and cultural roots in Buddhist traditions. This conceptual paper argues that a historical perspective is essential for understanding the diversity of mindfulness practices and their ethical frameworks. Without such context, modern scientific studies risk oversimplifying mindfulness, potentially leading to misinterpretations of its mechanisms and effects. The authors contend that integrating historical scholarship can enrich research questions, improve methodological rigor, and foster more nuanced interpretations of findings. Ultimately, the paper calls for interdisciplinary collaboration between mindfulness researchers and historians to avoid presentism and to ground empirical work in the rich, evolving traditions from which mindfulness originates.
PsyArXiv
May 29, 2026
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Consciousness science is fragmented, with theories operating in isolation and accumulating anomalies. The principle of recurrency—functional and architectural feedback loops—offers a unifying, mechanistic scaffold. All theories of consciousness tacitly invoke feedback loops and can be re-expressed along a single axis of recursion. Four nested levels (cellular, local inter-areal, global, and lateral) map onto state, phenomenal content, manipulative access, and experiential similarity, tying evolved anatomy to phenomenon. The traditional phenomenal-versus-access distinction dissolves into a graded cascade where deeper recursion expands reportable variables. Recurrence is evolutionarily and ontologically favored, rebutting feed-forward objections. Brain-body and environment loops ground selfhood. Clinically, targeting recurrent pathways may yield new biomarkers and treatments for disorders of consciousness.
PsyArXiv
May 26, 2026
preprint
Advanced meditation produces three distinct levels of change in bodily awareness: interoceptive, schematic, and pacificatory. The interoceptive level involves heightened sensitivity to internal body signals. The schematic level alters the mental models or schemas through which bodily sensations are interpreted. The pacificatory level leads to a calming or quieting of bodily awareness itself. These changes are proposed as a framework for understanding how meditation transforms the sense of being embodied.
PsyArXiv
May 20, 2026
preprint
No Summary
PsyArXiv
May 18, 2026
preprint
The authors propose the Standardized Open-source Mindfulness Architecture (SOMA), a modular, equity-engineered stimulus library designed to advance mechanistic mindfulness research. SOMA aims to provide a shared, open-source framework for constructing and comparing mindfulness interventions, addressing issues of reproducibility and accessibility in the field. The architecture emphasizes modularity to allow researchers to isolate specific components of mindfulness practice and equity to ensure the tools are accessible across diverse settings and populations. The paper outlines the rationale, design principles, and potential applications of SOMA as a stimulus library for experimental studies.
PsyArXiv
May 4, 2026
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This case series explores the relationship between mystical experiences, psychosis, and psychedelics by examining instances where meditation and psychedelic use induced altered states. The authors present several cases illustrating how such experiences can be difficult to distinguish from psychotic episodes, particularly when they involve shared features like ego dissolution, altered perception, and intense emotions. They argue that while these states may appear similar, they differ in context, meaning, and outcome, with mystical experiences often being integrated positively, whereas psychosis tends to be distressing and disorganizing. The paper highlights the importance of careful assessment and context in differentiating these phenomena.
PsyArXiv
April 24, 2026
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Consciousness, understood as subjective experience, arises from the interplay between mental simulation and coupling with the environment. The text proposes that the axis of mental-simulation versus environment-coupling is central to the emergence of conscious experience.
PsyArXiv
April 18, 2026
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The authors argue that discovering the natural kind of consciousness is complicated by population shifts—variations in conscious states across different groups or contexts. They propose that standard methods for identifying natural kinds may fail when the target phenomenon varies systematically across populations. The paper contends that researchers must account for these shifts to avoid misidentifying the fundamental nature of consciousness. A revised methodological approach is suggested to align the search for natural kinds with the actual diversity of conscious experiences.
PsyArXiv
April 12, 2026
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The paper proposes a dual-self states framework for understanding consciousness and self-transcendence, arguing that the experiential self state is defined by affective salience. It suggests that shifts between self states are driven by changes in how emotionally significant stimuli are processed, offering a model that integrates affect and selfhood.
PsyArXiv
April 11, 2026
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This paper proposes a new method called 'categorical AI phenomenology' that applies phenomenological principles to study first-person experiences of interacting with artificial intelligence. The authors argue that existing approaches to understanding AI experience are inadequate because they rely on third-person behavioral or computational descriptions. Instead, they contend that a categorical phenomenological framework, drawing on Husserlian and Merleau-Pontian traditions, can systematically capture the essential structures of human-AI interaction as lived experience. The paper outlines how this method might be implemented through structured first-person reports and phenomenological reduction, aiming to provide a rigorous qualitative methodology for studying subjective encounters with AI systems.
PsyArXiv
April 10, 2026
preprint
A bioresponsive virtual-reality breathing environment with dynamic particle-driven aesthetics improves box breathing and modulates altered states of consciousness. The environment, which responds to users' breathing patterns, was empirically validated to enhance the practice of box breathing and influence subjective experiences of consciousness. The findings suggest that such bioresponsive VR systems can effectively support breathing techniques and alter conscious states.
PsyArXiv
April 9, 2026
preprint
A study evaluated four neural markers—frontal midline theta, posterior alpha, frontal alpha asymmetry, and sensorimotor rhythm—for their suitability as real-time neurofeedback targets during meditation. The goal was to close the loop between subjective experience and brain activity, enabling meditators to self-regulate their brain states. The authors assessed each marker's reliability, responsiveness to meditation, and practicality for neurofeedback. They concluded that frontal midline theta and posterior alpha show the most promise for this application, while frontal alpha asymmetry and sensorimotor rhythm have limitations. The work suggests that selecting appropriate neural markers is critical for effective neurofeedback training in meditation.
PsyArXiv
March 28, 2026
preprint
The Allostatic Reset Model (ARM) proposes that psychedelic therapy works as a staged, multi-system adaptive stress process. A psychedelic dose first disrupts homeostasis through acute sympathetic activation, psychological challenge, and increased neural entropy. This is followed by a compensatory phase of parasympathetic engagement, heightened plasticity, and integrative meaning-making, which the authors associate with the 'after glow' experience. Epigenetic changes help sustain long-term biological change. The model draws on concepts such as hormesis, rebound, supercompensation, and the 'Hero's Journey' archetype to explain how a transient pharmacological exposure can lead to enduring psychological transformation.