Modulating self-referential processing through meditation and psychedelics: is scientific investigation of self-transcendence clinically relevant?
Matthew D. Sacchet, Maurizio Fava, Eric L Garland
World Psychiatry June 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1002/wps.21214 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Meditation Psychedelics |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Mental health Consciousness |
| Citations | 35 |
| Key points | Proposes that meditation and psychedelics may modulate self-referential processing by inducing self-transcendence, and argues this could serve as a transdiagnostic mechanism of action relevant to mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, calling for further research. |
Abstract
Self-referential processing is a core feature of human experience and includes a variety of mental faculties that support conception of the self, including internal representations that associate salient information to one's identity. It is well understood that self-referential processing is important for the onset, maintenance, prevention and treatment of psychiatric conditions, including mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. Here we propose that meditation and psychedelics may modulate self-referential processing by inducing self-transcendence, and call for further research on this transdiagnostic mechanism of action.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 33
- Volitional mental absorption in meditation: Toward a scientific understanding of advanced concentrative absorption meditation and the case of jhana. Heliyon May 14, 2024
- Advanced and long-term meditation and the autonomic nervous system: A review and synthesis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 1, 2025
- Multimodal neurophenomenology of advanced concentration absorption meditation: An intensively sampled case study of Jhana. Neuroimage December 14, 2024
- The Third Wave of Meditation and Mindfulness Research and Implications for Challenging Experiences: Negative Effects, Transformative Psychological Growth, and Forms of Happiness Mindfulness June 11, 2025
- Investigating the complex cortical dynamics of an advanced concentrative absorption meditation called jhanas (ACAM-J): a geometric eigenmode analysis. Cerebral Cortex February 5, 2025
and 28 more in the library
Cites 7
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 22, 2022
- The Watts Connectedness Scale: a new scale for measuring a sense of connectedness to self, others, and world Psychopharmacology August 8, 2022
- Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study. Neuropsychologia September 28, 2023
- Endogenous theta stimulation during meditation predicts reduced opioid dosing following treatment with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement. Neuropsychopharmacology September 12, 2020
and 2 more in the library