Toward a neurophysiological foundation for altered states of consciousness.
Shadab Tabatabaeian, Carolyn Dicey Jennings
The Behavioral and brain sciences 2018 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002187 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key points | Argues that altered states of consciousness induced by different shamanic methods share neurophysiological features and cause shared cognitive and behavioral effects, enabling cross-cultural comparison left out of Singh's theory. |
Abstract
Singh's cultural evolutionary theory posits that methods of inducing shamanic altered states of consciousness differ, resulting in profoundly different cognitive states. We argue that, despite different methods of induction, altered states of consciousness share neurophysiological features and cause shared cognitive and behavioral effects. This common foundation enables further cross-cultural comparison of shamanic activities that is currently left out of Singh's theory.