Selective reductions amid global increases in neural information dynamics jointly track self-dissolution in meditation
PsyArXiv Preprints September 16, 2026 preprint DOI: osf:yhavc_v2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study combining magnetoencephalography with phenomenology |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Long-term meditators with a mean of 3,832 practice hours |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Complexity Magnetoencephalography Mpe Neurophenomenology Pure awareness Self dissolution |
| Key findings | Meditation broadly increased entropy and information transfer, but self-dissolution was marked by selective reductions in posterior-medial high-beta entropy and within-cingulate information transfer. Information transfer reductions across occipital, cingulate, limbic, and subcortical regions and orbitofrontal entropy stabilization correlated with dissolution phenomenology; together with posterior-medial high-beta power reductions they explained 52% of dissolution depth variance, though only information transfer predicted held-out participants. The authors propose selfhood relies on distributed processes reconfigured in meditation via relaxed priors, gated bottom-up evidence, and stabilized evaluative dynamics, distinct from psychedelic ego-dissolution. |
Abstract
The sense of self is fundamental to experience, yet its neural basis remains unresolved. Contemplative traditions and empirical evidence suggest it can be voluntarily dissolved while retaining awareness, offering a window onto this question. We combined magnetoencephalography with in-depth phenomenology in long-term meditators (N=45, mean 3,832 practice hours) who reliably modulated self-boundaries across rest, self-maintenance and self-dissolution. Meditation broadly increased entropy and information transfer, yet selective reductions characterized self-dissolution. Reduced posterior-medial high-beta entropy and within-cingulate information transfer differentiated dissolution from maintenance. Information transfer reductions from occipital, cingulate, limbic, and subcortical regions, alongside orbitofrontal entropy stabilization, correlated with dissolution phenomenology. Combined with posterior-medial high-beta power reductions, these correlates explained 52% of dissolution depth variance, yet only information transfer predicted held-out participants. We propose selfhood relies on distributed processes that can be reconfigured in meditation through relaxed priors, gated bottom-up evidence, and stabilized evaluative dynamics, distinct from global disruption during psychedelic ego-dissolution.