Reconceptualizing Altered States of Consciousness Using Network-Based Tools
Géraldine Carranante, Michiel van Elk
The Oxford Handbook of Psychedelic, Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences November 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192844064.013.39 (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 |
| Keywords | Consciousness-states Altered-states Mental-networks Interdisciplinary-research |
| Key points | Proposes that a network-based model of classification for altered states of consciousness outperforms existing conceptual approaches and offers methodological tools to organize the research field. |
Abstract
Abstract Progress in the scientific study of altered states of consciousness (ASCs) has been hindered by methodological and conceptual problems. At a methodological level there is a lack of agreement on the scales and instruments used to measure and categorize ASCs. At a conceptual level, existing typologies (such as trigger-based, phenomenology-based, attribution-based, neurobiological, and psychopathological approaches) face difficulties with demarcating different states and in organizing the field of investigation in a clear and productive way. The authors propose a new method of classification for this research field that will mitigate these problems by providing better typologies to study ASCs. In this chapter the authors lay out the epistemological foundations of such an approach, arguing that scientific progress can be made through an iterative process of conceptual refinement. On this approach, ASCs can be conceived of as a network of nodes, in which different clusters of states can be identified. At a methodological level, network-based models offer the potential to calculate network properties (e.g., centrality measures), while at a conceptual level they offer flexibility in terms of the nodes that can be included in the network (these could encompass features of experience, as well as contextual, social and biological features). The authors argue that a network-based model outperforms existing conceptual approaches for fostering current scientific research. By doing so, the authors also offer methodological tools to organize the research field of ASCs, which helps scientists to produce more precise scientific results and to foster interdisciplinary transmission of results.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altered States of Consciousness | 1966 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Hypnotic phenomena and altered states of consciousness: a multilevel framework of description and explanation | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Psychometric Evaluation of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (OAV) PLoS One August 31, 2010
- The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
and 14 more in the library