Calculation and Collapse: How Parametric Introspection Enables Minimal-Dual Breakthrough
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 11, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19509453 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation Mysticism Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Introspection Consciousness Contemplation Relation database Intentionality Cognition Epistemology Cognitive science Cognitive psychology Practical philosophy Phenomenology philosophy Artificial intelligence Duration music |
| Key points | Proposes that non-dual consciousness can be modeled as a function of attentional intensity, introspective cycle frequency, and practice duration, rather than as an ontological revelation. |
Abstract
Contemporary accounts of mystical “non-dual” or minimal-dual consciousness often describe a state beyond the ordinary subject–object framework. In this paper we propose a novel parametric introspection framework, according to which such a breakthrough is not achieved by doctrinal affirmation or mere insight into metaphysics, but by driving specific introspective parameters to critical values. We identify three core variables – Intensity of attentional engagement, Cycle Frequency of introspective process, and total Duration of practice – and propose a simple model (I × F × D ≥ T) for when a stable reduction of the subject–object structure (“groundless” awareness) becomes likely. We situate this theory at the confluence of phenomenology, analytic philosophy of mind, contemplative science, and cognitive neuroscience. We draw on Husserl and Merleau-Ponty on intentionality and embodiment, James and Zen analyses of “pure experience,” and analytic critiques of introspection (Dennett, Metzinger) to clarify the status of the proposed framework. We also review empirical meditation research (default-mode network suppression, EEG complexity, neurophenomenology) that maps onto these parameters. We contrast our process-based, functional approach to traditional mystical metaphysics. The formal I × F × D ≥ T model is examined for its conceptual utility and limitations, and its relation to dynamical systems (attractor landscapes, complexity theory) is explored. Finally, we discuss implications for theories of selfhood, the practice of contemplation (e.g. meditation pedagogy), and the role of introspection in philosophy. In sum, we advocate a scientifically disciplined model of practical minimal-dual insight as a self-organizing cognitive event, rather than an ontological revelation.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |