Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
August 6, 2026
Amber Bunting, Erik D. Reichle, Vince Polito
This article proposes conceptual and research design principles to identify the core neurocognitive mechanisms that support minimal self-consciousness and how this might be attenuated via computational explanations of selfless states using two different induction methods-meditation and psychedelics.As a proof-of-concept of the utility of this framework, we examine how selfless states induced by...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
July 9, 2026
Barbora Decourten, Robert Keith Wallace
Soma is a central yet enigmatic concept in Vedic literature, described as a plant or elixir associated with elevated states of consciousness such as refined perception, inner bliss, reduced fear, and a sense of unity, though its biological basis remains unresolved.In a modern reinterpretation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi proposed that Soma need not be an external substance but may reflect an...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
June 4, 2026
Andrea Taylor, Monique Woolerton, Steven J. Lynn et al.
How do people appraise their past and imagined future experiences of dissociation?Over three experiments, 1,482 people brought to mind experiences of dissociation and rated how negative, positive, and neutral those experiences were when they happened or would be in the future.People remembered their past dissociative experiences as most often neutral, and more often positive than negative.This...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
May 11, 2026
Kush V. Bhatt, Adam W. Hanley, Chantal Martin-Soelch et al.
Mindfulness-based interventions are efficacious nonpharmacologic treatments for chronic pain, yet the psychological mechanisms mediating the pain-relieving effects of mindfulness-based interventions remain incompletely understood. One potential mechanism may involve nondual awareness, a state of consciousness characterized by attenuation of the subject-object duality, reduced self-referential...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
March 30, 2026
Donna Thomas, Graeme O’Connor
In comparison to adults, little is known about children's near-death experiences (NDEs).A review of the literature shows a scarcity of studies that directly involve children and an absence of direction for this area of work.This presents challenges for researchers who want to develop studies with children and generate more knowledge around the NDE.From a phenomenological perspective, children...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
February 26, 2026
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Karalee Kothe, Michael Nahm et al.
The unanticipated occurrence of unusually enhanced mental clarity just before death has been reported across time and cultures and has come to be known by the term “terminal lucidity.” Cases that appear to be characteristic of terminal lucidity in children have been sporadically documented in historical and more recent literature, yet no studies have systematically examined the characteristics...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
June 12, 2025
Etzel Cardeña, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Katja Valli et al.
11 citations
This article presents a taxonomy of altered states of consciousness, primarily based on their central phenomenological features. Following taxonomic principles and a modified Delphi methodology, a multidisciplinary, international group identified eight distinct phenomenological/behavioral states (some with subcategories): proto and transitional, delirium, minimal to no awareness, experiential...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
June 25, 2020
Zoltan Dienes, Peter Lush, Bence Pálfi et al.
42 citations
We first review recent work from our laboratory, which construes hypnotizability as an example of a more general trait of capacity for phenomenological control, which people can use to create subjective experiences in many nonhypnotic contexts where those experiences fulfill people's goals. Second, we review recent work, which construes phenomenological control as a specifically metacognitive...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
November 8, 2018
Stan B. Klein
4 citations
Although the dream narrative, of (bio)logical necessity, originates with the dreamer, s/he typically does not know this. For the dreamer, the dream world is the real world. In this article I argue that this nightly misattribution is best explained in terms of the concept of mental ownership (e.g., Albahari, 2006; Klein, 2015a; Lane, 2012). Specifically, the exogenous nature of the dream...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
March 1, 2016
Anthony P Zanesco, Brandon G King, Katherine A Maclean et al.
61 citations
It is challenging for individuals to maintain their attention on ongoing cognitive tasks without being distracted by task-unrelated thought. The wandering mind is thus a considerable obstacle when attention must be maintained over time. Mental training through meditation has been proposed as an effective method of attenuating the ebb and flow of attention to thoughts and feelings that distract...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
September 1, 2015
Melanie G. Rosen
7 citations
To what extent do I have a sense of agency over my thoughts while I dream? The sense of agency in dreams can alter in a variety of interesting ways distinct from normal, waking experience. In fact, dreams show many similarities to the experiences of individuals with schizophrenia. In this paper I analyze these alterations with a focus on distinguishing between reduced sense of agency and other...
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
January 19, 2015
Rense Lange, Bruce Greyson, James Houran
18 citations
Latent semantic analysis—a technique to quantify qualitative data—was used on a large dataset of near death experience (NDE) accounts for which a sizable portion also had scores on Greyson’s NDE Scale. Given previous research with the NDE Scale showing there is a “core NDE” comprised of a probabilistic hierarchy of cognitive, affective, transcendental, and paranormal components, we hypothesized...