An Information-Theoretical Perspective on Consciousness: Implications for the Treatment of Death Anxiety
Yakov Shapiro, Carlos Eduardo Maldonado
Journal of Scientific Exploration July 7, 2026 DOI: 10.31275/20263747 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Consciousness Perspective graphical Normative Embodied cognition Existentialism Qualia Focus optics Duality order theory Bridging networking Cognitive psychology Epistemology Cognitive science Terror management theory Field mathematics Quantum |
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness and self-identity can be understood as coherent informational patterns that may persist in the absence of a functioning brain, supported by reports of veridical information during near-death experiences. |
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a trans-materialist information-theoretical approach to a full spectrum of conscious experience, from its normative embodied mode as part of an integrated brain/mind system to altered modes of consciousness, including nonlocal and near-death experiences (NDE). It allows for bridging the Cartesian gap and resolving the “hard problem” of non-material mind arising from material brain. The first part focuses on quantum information science, specifically an extension of the Bohmian model that re-defines brain/mind from a Cartesian duality to a unified quantum/classical system based on implicate informational dynamics that underlie both the physiological processes of the brain and phenomenological processes of the mind. In this light, consciousness, personal identity and free will are seen as informational processes that incorporate both classical matter/energy and quantum field domains. We then review reports of veridical information obtained during near-death experiences (NDEs), which support the view of consciousness and self-identity as coherent informational patterns (CIPs) that may persist in the absence of a functioning brain. The second part will focus on using the informational framework as a clinical tool in alleviating the ubiquitous experience of existential death anxiety.