Two lenses one phenomenon
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 8, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20085598 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the Default Mode Network's narrative mode and the contemplative notion of "the mind" are the same core obstacle to deeper consciousness, and proposes a model in which the right hemisphere is primary consciousness and the left constructs the narrative self, with the DMN acting as a bilateral conduit whose function depends on hemispheric dominance. The author contends this resolves the "zombie" prediction and the impracticality of permanently stilling the mind, and presents a case of spontaneous left-to-right reorganization plus testable fMRI hypotheses. |
Abstract
Abstract Two major traditions of inquiry have investigated human consciousness for centuries, yet they remain largely disconnected: the neurosciences, which study the brain from the outside, and the contemplative traditions, which investigate awareness from the inside. This paper argues that both have independently identified the same core mechanism as the obstacle to deeper consciousness — what neuroscience calls the Default Mode Network (DMN) in its narrative mode, and what contemplative traditions call the mind. Drawing on McGilchrist’s hemispheric lateralization framework, Schore’s developmental neuroscience, and Porges’ polyvagal theory, the author proposes a model in which the right hemisphere constitutes primary consciousness while the left hemisphere constructs the narrative self. The DMN is reframed not as a disruptor but as a bilateral conduit whose function depends on which hemisphere holds the lead. This model resolves two symmetrical impasses: the neuroscientific prediction that silencing the DMN produces a non-viable “zombie” state, and the contemplative prescription to permanently still the mind, which renders ordinary functioning impossible. A documented case of spontaneous, permanent reorganization from left-dominant to right-dominant functioning is presented, along with testable fMRI hypotheses. The paper invites collaboration between neuroscientists and contemplative researchers to investigate this convergence empirically.