Extending the Scientific Study of Advanced Meditation Across Contemplative Traditions to Sufism within Islam: A Comparison Case of Self-Attenuation including Theravāda Buddhism and Tibetan Dzogchen
Asiya Gul, Sebastian Ehmann, Catherine Prueitt, Terje Sparby, Matthew D. Sacchet
PsyArXiv May 27, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/wjnuc_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Contemplative practice Theravāda-derived practices Dzogchen |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes a multidimensional framework in which contemplative practices attenuate or reconfigure the self through partially dissociable pathways, with Theravāda-derived practices reducing experiential content, Dzogchen altering subject-object structure, and Sufi dhikr reorganizing affective salience via possible delta-theta entrainment, while distinguishing these from extended cessation. |
Abstract
Abstract Understanding how the sense of self can be attenuated or reconfigured without loss of consciousness remains a central challenge in contemporary consciousness science. We propose a multidimensional framework of graded self-attenuation, in which the self is conceptualized as a dynamic configuration of distributed neural processes. Within this framework, contemplative practice attenuates egoic self-features while preserving awareness across multiple, partially dissociable pathways. In Theravāda-derived practices, attenuation involves a progressive reduction in the salience and complexity of experiential content. In contrast, Dzogchen reconfigure subject-object structure, preserving perceptual and affective content while altering its organization. We introduce Islamic Sufism as a complementary pathway emphasizing reorganization of affective salience and motivation through rhythmic devotional remembrance (dhikr). We propose a mechanistic pathway in which rhythmic repetition may engage delta-theta neural entrainment, with downstream effects on large-scale network stability, self-referential processing, and affect regulation. Within this framework, fanāʾ is interpreted as a transient transition marked by profound attenuation of self-related processing, while baqāʾ reflects its stabilization in ongoing experience. Across these pathways, we link phenomenological changes to reconfigurations of large-scale brain dynamics, including altered interactions among default mode, salience, and frontoparietal control networks, as well as changes in oscillatory coordination. We distinguish these processes from extended cessation, in which experience is temporarily absent despite preserved neural complexity. This framework provides a mechanistic account of self-transformation and generates testable predictions, expanding the scope of advanced meditation and consciousness research and their relevance for mental health.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |