How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator.
Yochai Ataria, Yair Dor-Ziderman, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana
Consciousness and Cognition December 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.09.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in Satipathana and Theravada Vipassana traditions |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness meditation Neurophenomenology Sense of agency Sense of boundaries Sense of ownership |
| Citations | 158 |
| Key findings | Seven categories of experience (internal/external, time, location, self, agency, ownership, and first-person perspective) change as the sense of boundaries dissolves, while the touching/touched structure and bodily feelings remain even when boundaries disappear. |
Abstract
This paper discusses the phenomenological nature of the sense of boundaries (SB), based on the case of S, who has practiced mindfulness in the Satipathana and Theravada Vipassana traditions for about 40years and accumulated around 20,000h of meditative practice. S's unique abilities enable him to describe his inner lived experience with great precision and clarity. S was asked to shift between three different stages: (a) the default state, (b) the dissolving of the SB, and (c) the disappearance of the SB. Based on his descriptions, we identified seven categories (with some overlap) that alter during the shifts between these stages, including the senses of: (1) internal versus external, (2) time, (3) location, (4) self, (5) agency (control), (6) ownership, and (7) center (first-person-egocentric-bodily perspective). Two other categories, the touching/touched structure and one's bodily feelings, do not fade away completely even when the sense-of-boundaries disappears.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: a Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation Head teachers, senior leadership team members, and staff involved in or exposed to... | 2018 | Qualitative case study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 92
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2018
- Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 23, 2017
- From many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2021
- Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat. Scientific Reports October 24, 2019
and 87 more in the library
Cites 15
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Mindfulness-induced changes in gamma band activity – Implications for the default mode network, self-reference and attention Clinical Neurophysiology September 21, 2011
- Mindfulness-induced selflessness: a MEG neurophenomenological study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
and 10 more in the library