Contemplative Neuroscience Research Programme — Paper 1: The Cave as Laboratory for the Mind
Open MIND July 17, 2026 DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/np7rz (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Prolonged contemplative isolation |
| Keywords | Contemplation Isolation microbiology Intervention counseling Component thermodynamics Social neuroscience Outcome game theory Cognitive science Epistemology |
| Key points | Proposes that prolonged contemplative isolation can be studied as a convergent multivariable intervention with testable effects on neural noise and brain dynamics, organized into three separable epistemic layers. |
Abstract
This project archives Paper 1 of the Contemplative Neuroscience Research Programme. The manuscript develops a theoretical and testable framework for examining prolonged contemplative isolation as a convergent multivariable intervention capable of altering neural noise, brain dynamics, and functional dominance—and, as a bounded speculative extension, sensitivity to ordinarily masked biological signals, including quantum-sensitive molecular processes. The framework is organised into three epistemic layers with separable experimental tests, such that a null result at any one layer constrains that layer without undermining the others.