The Phenomenology of Advanced Meditation Experiences and Interpretation of the Nature of Human Consciousness
Patrizio Tressoldi, Fabio Mattiussi
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Long-term meditators with at least five years of continuous daily practice |
| Intervention | meditation |
| Topics | Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Long-term meditators consistently reported profound, stable experiences of body and identity transcendence, often describing non-dual states and a pervasive sense of unity, and they interpreted consciousness as universal rather than a brain byproduct. |
Abstract
Objectives: To analyze the subjective experiences reported by long-term meditators, focusing on their highest meditative experiences and their personal interpretations of consciousness.Methods: Forty-five long-term meditators with a minimum of five years of continuous daily practice were requested to describe their highest meditative experiences using an adaptation of the self-inquiry micro-phenomenology interview and to provide their interpretation of the nature of human consciousness.Results: The first-person accounts of meditators consistently reported profound and stable experiences of body and identity transcendence, often describing non-dual states and a pervasive sense of unity. Their understanding of consciousness was largely universal and not a brain byproduct.Conclusions: These first-person accounts offer novel insights into the characteristics of advanced meditation experiences and the fundamental nature of consciousness. This highlights the crucial role of qualitative research in the comprehensive study of advanced meditation and consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |