Research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has consistently framed home practice as a central therapeutic ingredient. Nevertheless, the empirical literature remains heterogeneous regarding the amount of practice participants complete, the strength and consistency of associations between practice time and outcomes, and the relative contribution of formal versus informal practice....
This article addresses David Chalmers's hard problem of consciousness by asking why information processing is accompanied by a subjective 'what it is like'. Its point of departure is the distinction between intelligence and phenomenal consciousness: the achievements of contemporary artificial intelligence show that reasoning, planning, language, and the accurate description of emotions do not...
BACKGROUND: It is often argued that training mindfulness instructors would be too expensive to be feasible within a public health system such as Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS). This essay challenges that perception by combining epidemiological estimates, cost analysis, and evidence from national and international experiences. METHODS: Using population-based planning benchmarks, we...
The recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in light of the impressive capabilities of transformer-based Large Language Models (LLMs), have reignited the discussion in cognitive science regarding whether computational devices could possess semantic understanding or whether they are merely mimicking human intelligence. Recent research has highlighted limitations in...
This paper critically examines speculative consciousness hypotheses commonly encountered in contemporary social media discourse, particularly those combining metaphysical ontology, systems theory, evolutionary reasoning, information theory, cosmology, artificial intelligence, and philosophy of mind. Using a representative composite framework as an analytic exemplar, the paper evaluates how such...
The increasing prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been attributed to multiple factors, including improved diagnosis, genetic predisposition, and environmental influences. One underexplored contributing factor is the systematic decline of manual, embodied activities in childhood. This perspective proposes that activities such as handwriting, drawing, crafting, and...
The recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in light of the impressive capabilities of transformer-based Large Language Models (LLMs), have reignited the discussion in cognitive science regarding whether computational devices could possess semantic understanding or whether they are merely mimicking human intelligence. Recent research has highlighted limitations in...
The primary intent of this paper is to identify and elucidate various consequential factors that have impeded the attainment of a consensual definition and taxonomy of consciousness. As such, the author explores several etymological, semantic, and sociolinguistic issues, including the troubling conflation of ‘conscious’ and ‘consciousness,’ the perpetual promulgation of competing descriptions...
Alcohol use disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by excessive alcohol consumption. The drugs that are used to treat it often fail to prevent relapse. At the same time, psilocybin is increasingly being investigated for the treatment of various substance use disorders. This review aims to evaluate the results of the most recent clinical trials assessing psilocybin as a treatment for...
A fundamental issue in the philosophy of mind, particularly within dualist theories, is the distinction between the mind and body as separate ‘substances.’ The challenge lies in elucidating how an immaterial or unphysical mind can causally interact with a physical body or its brain states, considering that they seemingly belong to fundamentally different ontological categories. Questions...
QeiosSeptember 7, 2025Antonio Martin, Joaquim Streicher, Martin O'dea
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This work examines what we consider to be the two main limitations in consciousness science: the reliance on subjective reporting and the assumption of a coherent self. We propose that consciousness may function more as a belief system than an empirically verifiable fact, shaped by the subjective nature of experience and constrained by how we report it. Lacking objective evidence beyond...
QeiosDecember 24, 2024David Josef Herzog, Nitsa Herzog2 citations
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Consciousness is a phenomenon that justifiably attracts pensive attention. And despite centuries of contemplation and decades of research, consciousness remains an elusive and poorly defined matter. Its nature, composition, and characteristics are hotly debated. The explanatory gap between phenomenal consciousness and the functions of neurobiological correlates is considered a hard problem....
This paper explores the Vedic foundations of secular mindfulness, particularly examining the influences of Advaita Vedānta, Patañjali Yoga, and Haṭha Yoga systems on the development of contemporary mindfulness practices, specifically as popularized by Jon Kabat-Zinn through his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. While mindfulness is often recognized for its Buddhist origins,...
This paper explores several etymological, semantic, sociolinguistic, and methodological issues that have, in my opinion, impeded the progress of consciousness research and discourse; and I offer some suggestions that are hopefully worthy of consideration and further discussion. I review the historical and extant conflation of terms in the literature; a plethora of published definitions and...
We explore the notion that consciousness may be more of a belief than an empirically verifiable fact, shaped by the subjective nature of our experiences and the inherent limitations of reporting them. Contemporary science has yet to provide definitive proof of subjective experience beyond self-reports, which even sophisticated machines could mimic under specific conditions. Philosophical...
Zen Buddhism is perceived by many Buddhists as the path to transcendent truth, and Zen meditation is considered as an effective and representative approach. This article seeks to decipher the Zen meditation experience with the latest findings from Hawkins' theory of thousand-brain intelligence and the cerebral rewarding system. According to the findings, it suggests that Zen meditation might...
This essay examines the intriguing connections between Carl G. Jung, the Sufi mystic Ibn ‘Arabi, and Jung’s engagement with the Biblical “Answer to Job,” bridging vast cultural and temporal gaps. It explores Jung’s transformative dialogue with Pueblo spirituality and his introspective challenges with Islamic concepts of divine submission, culminating in an analysis of “Answer to Job” through...
Psychoactive drugs exert profound effects on the central nervous system, influencing behavior and perception. Understanding these effects is crucial for both scientific research and clinical practice. This article provides an overview of the application of drug discrimination techniques in studying the subjective effects, pharmacological mechanisms, individual differences, and drug...
In the burgeoning field of mysticism studies, this pioneering research sheds light on the often-overlooked intersectionality of totemic mysticism and unique spiritual experiences. Departing from traditional Abrahamic perspectives, the study critically challenges normative paradigms that marginalize or pathologize these experiences. By employing an interdisciplinary methodology, which fuses...
This innovative study ventures into the less-trodden domain of mysticism studies, unveiling the complex interplay between totemic mysticism and distinctive spiritual phenomena. Moving away from the conventional confines of Abrahamic religious interpretations, it boldly questions established views that have either marginalized or misinterpreted these spiritual experiences. Through a...
The purpose of this article is to study the 'sacred' plants, diverse from those exclusively medicinal but with an unquestionable ethnobotanical value because, added to their healing properties, they develop mystical experiences and altered states of consciousness analogous to the ecstatic trance. _Psychoactive_ plants have played an important role in medicine, religion, _ritual_ life, and...
Consciousness is a natural phenomenon, familiar to every person. At the same time, it cannot be described in singular terms. The rise of Artificial Intelligence in recent years has made the topic of Artificial Consciousness highly debated. The paper discusses the main general theories of consciousness and their relationship with proposed Artificial Consciousness solutions. There are a number of...
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has produced prophets and prophecies announcing that the age of artificial consciousness is near. Not only does the mere idea that any machine could ever possess the full potential of human consciousness suggest that AI could replace the role of God in the future, it also puts into question the fundamental human right to freedom and dignity. Yet, in the...
Shamanism is an animistic religious practice characterized by belief in a metaphysical world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits that can only be understood by shamans. This work examines religious shamanism in the face of modernity to provoke laughter through comedy. While provoking laughter, it unmasks truth; rot, deceit, corruption, and megalomania in a postcolonial site. There are three...
This groundbreaking study addresses a niche area within mysticism research, exploring the confluence of totemic spiritual practices and distinct mystical experiences. Moving beyond conventional Abrahamic viewpoints, it interrogates mainstream frameworks that either marginalize or pathologize these spiritual occurrences. Utilizing a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates religious studies,...