Attention and consciousness process information differently, and no current theory adequately explains this distinction in informational terms. Information processed through attention is algorithmic, while conscious information processing involves neurobiological homeostatic processes. Subjectivity in consciousness can be understood through unique informational properties such as irreproducible or biologically encrypted information. These proposals could help resolve conflicting accounts of the neural correlates of consciousness and move toward a more unified theoretical framework.
Mindfulness training increased both decentering and self-transcendence in novice practitioners compared with an active listening condition. Greater decentering midway through five training sessions predicted greater self-transcendence at the end, suggesting that becoming better able to non-reactively observe thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations during meditation facilitates self-transcendent experiences. This provides initial empirical evidence that mindfulness can cultivate self-transcendence through decentering.
A virtual reality setup simulating out-of-body experiences significantly increased acute dissociation, especially depersonalization, in 25 healthy participants. Participants wore an Oculus Rift headset connected to a camera showing their own body and surroundings, and completed exercises before and after the VR exposure. Dissociation was measured with the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale. The authors present this as the first study to use VR to induce acute dissociation and offer preliminary support for VR as a viable method to study dissociative states in healthy subjects.