Alterations to self consciousness during mindfulness meditation and Flotation REST a comparative study
Matt P D Gwyther, Jane E. Aspell
June 30, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/8ncj6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Flotation-Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Consciousness Openness to experience Psychotherapist Psychological intervention Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Ego-dissolution and mystical-type experiences occur in both flotation-REST and mindfulness meditation, with body boundary weakening predicting these effects only in the meditation group, and openness to experience predicting altered states across both. |
Abstract
Flotation-Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) and mindfulness meditation (MM) are known to induce altered states of consciousness (ASC) and self-consciousness. In this study, we use a phenomenological and predictive processing (PP) framework to compare the interventions alongside the psychedelic experience. Ego-dissolution scores were greater than ego-inflation scores in both groups and Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) scores lay between those elicited by low and high dose psilocybin. The weakening of perceived body boundaries was predictive of increased ego-dissolution and MEQ_Total score in the MM group only. Having an existing meditation practice was associated with increased ASC in the MM group. Past psychedelic use did not predict the degree of ASC, but ‘openness to experience’ did. Our findings suggest that a combination of validated measures and phenomenological analysis proves illuminating in describing the rich phenomenological space occasioned by MM and flotation-REST, and for exploring the relationship between different aspects of consciousness.