DMT reliably induces profound experiences of immersion in other worlds and encounters with seemingly autonomous presences, yet the lived qualities and unfolding of these experiences remain poorly understood. Using micro-phenomenological interviews with twenty-three healthy participants who received DMT during fMRI scanning, this study explores how these experiences arise and develop in...
Psychedelics are hallucinogenic drugs that have the potential to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. The dominant paradigm in contemporary psychedelic-assisted therapy is non-directive; that is, participants undergo the psychedelic treatment with minimal external guidance from therapists. However, the clinical outcomes of psychedelic therapy could...
Suicide is a pressing global health issue, with alarming prevalence rates that have ledthe World Health Organization to prioritize its prevention. Traditionally, suicidality is framedwithin medicine as a delusional symptom of mental illness. Contrastingly, another perspectiveviews suicide as an expression of free will, emphasizing the legitimacy of its motivations.This paper seeks to reconcile...
This paper has three objectives, firstly to compare the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) and B-Man Stra/Tac theories of consciousness to identify areas of agreement or divergence. Secondly to consider whether B-Man Stra/Tac can fill the Orch OR functional gap. Finally, to offer some suggestions for further Orch OR research.
The B-Man Stra/Tac model is new and comprehensive and intended to replace previous theories of consciousness and the mind. I am confident it is correct, based on the model’s coherence and its explanation of so much of human behaviour. David Chalmers’ idea of the Hard Problem of Consciousness can be considered on two levels, the functional level, why are we conscious, why do we have conscious...
Objective: The aesthetic qualities of psychedelic experiences have long been documented, but their specific contribution to therapeutic outcomes remains unexplored. This study investigates the role of psychedelic-induced aesthetic experiences in predicting positive psychological outcomes. Methods: Using a cross-sectional naturalistic survey, participants who had recently used classic...
While meditation research has primarily focused on mental health outcomes and immediate cognitive and affective benefits, little is known about its influence on higher-order beliefs, such as views on free will and personal agency. Despite substantial references to free will and related concepts in Buddhist philosophy, to our knowledge, there has been no empirical work investigating the...
The consequences of chronic stress present a major public health challenge, and we are beginning to understand ways to mitigate these damaging effects. Research on mindfulness has accumulated over the past decades and suggests that it can counteract the psychological, neural, and immune effects of chronic stress, but more research is required to provide precise clinical guidelines. This article...
In a lucid dream one is aware that one is dreaming. However, the degree of awareness andcontrol someone typically possesses in their lucid dreams, summarized as an individual’s luciddreaming skills, varies. Previous research has identified both the frequency of lucid dreamsand age as predictors. In this study, we explored the relationship between lucid dreaming skillsand age, dream recall,...
This paper addresses a problem that arises from the ontological commitments of Integrated Information Theory (IIT) 4.0, particularly its stance that only conscious entities truly exist. This position leads to the "origin of consciousness problem": if non-conscious entities do not truly exist, how could consciousness have evolved from non-conscious ancestors? We explore several responses IIT...
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 in the scientific...
Active inference is a theoretical and computational framework that is producing a significant influence on how we currently think about, and conduct research on, the mind and brain. This paper discusses the fresh perspective it offers for the study of contemplative practices, where the sustained awareness to the apparent inactivity of the meditative posture may in fact enable the unfolding of a...
PsyArXivJune 14, 2024Hairong Lu, Dimitri Van der Linden, Arnold B Bakker
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The flow experience, a psychological state reflecting optimal engagement, emerges from intrinsically motivated behavior and is linked with enhanced performance and well-being. In this study, we propose and examine factors influencing flow dynamics during tasks execution, emphasizing the centrality of progress in achieving flow. Conducting a mixed-design experiment with a progress niche...
In this pilot study, we delved into the experiences of three individuals who claimed the ability to induce Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs) at will. Our primary objective was to ascertain the feasibility of replicating self-induced OBEs within a controlled laboratory setting. Additionally, we aimed to explore the potential of utilizing voluntary horizontal eye movements, monitored through...
In this interview, Timo Torsten Schmidt provides details about his efforts to compile a comprehensive database of all psychometric measures gathered from controlled experiments investigating altered states of consciousness (ASCs) induced by pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. He also introduces the paradigm of Phenomenoconnectomics which aims to systematically investigate the...
The practice of meditation consists in allocating attention on sensory stimuli. As it is commonly known, attention allocation tends to increase both the cortical and the phenomenal response to the target. Yet, in deep contemplative states practitioners often report to feel a complete dissolution of body boundaries, i.e. the state of banga (in Pali). This phenomenon creates a tension with...
Smart home systems facilitate humans’ domestic environments and enhance their quality of life. Voice control of devices is usually available right after one awakens in the morning. In this study, we tested a way to operate smart home technologies even before awakening with the help of electromyographical (EMG) signals from dreams. A software program was tuned to translate and digitally vocalize...
Here I respond to Anil Seth’s recent article on the Worth of Wild Ideas (2023). The debate on whether the integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness is pseudoscience continues, involving many authors on both sides. Here, instead of focusing on the theory, I highlight a deeper philosophical divide within the science of consciousness.
Mindfulness research began with broad hypotheses such as “Mindfulness reduces stress” or “Mindfulness drives well-being.” As research has evolved, we as a field have begun to think more in terms of individual heterogeneity, but the hypotheses still appear to be linear and fairly general, such as “more mindfulness will lead to more well-being for some.” As our process focus becomes more nuanced,...
Butlin et al. (2023) propose a rubric for evaluating AI systems based on indicator properties derived from existing theories of consciousness, suggesting that while current AIs do not possess consciousness, these indicators are pivotal for future developments towards artificial consciousness. The current paper critiques the approach by Butlin et al., arguing that the complexity of...
PsyArXivFebruary 15, 2024Lionel Alfred Newman, Ming Cao, Susanne Täuber et al.
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In our previous study (Newman et al., in press, SCAN), dyad performance in a coordination task was shown to be amenable to manipulations of processes that underpin perspective-taking, namely working memory. When we diminished resources commonly implicated in observational perspective-taking, coordination performance also diminished. In this study, we expand on these findings to test whether...
Objective. In lucid dreams (LDs), it is possible to maintain consciousness and achieve predetermined goals while in REM sleep. Since the 1980s, scientists have been searching for LD application areas. The current study is the first to demonstrate a method for controlling a car avatar with feedback from LDs. Support for this possibility could be used for personal applications and LD studies....
The study of consciousness is considered by many one of the most difficult contemporary scientific endeavours and confronts several methodological and theoretical challenges. A central issue that makes the study of consciousness so challenging is that, while the rest of science is concerned with problems that can be verified from a "third person" view (i.e., objectively), the study of...
Introduction: Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is considered a marker of autonomic nervous system activity in stress research, and atypical waking sAA responses have been reported for traumatized individuals. Lucid dreams, characterized by a dreamer's awareness of their dream state while remaining asleep, have shown promising preliminary evidence of their potential to enhance mental health. This...
PsyArXivDecember 21, 2023Victoria Amo, Nikolai Godt, Johannes Leugering et al.
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This paper introduces a novel approach to lucid dream communication, leveraging electrooculographical signals for real-time, natural language messaging within dreams. Beyond traditional horizontal eye movement techniques, our methodology incorporates vertical eye movements, enhancing the expressive range of communication. Recognizing the potential for lucid dream communication in diverse...