Background: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is a promising treatment for various psychiatric disorders. However, the exact biological and psychological mechanisms of action of PAP remain to be determined. Examining predictors of PAP outcomes may help identify necessary processes for positive treatment outcomes. Mystical experiences are considered a key aspect of the subjective effects...
Dissociative states, characterized by discontinuities in awareness and perception, occur in a diverse array of psychiatric disorders and contexts. These states have been experimentally modeled in the laboratory through various induction methods, but relatively little is known about the efficacy and comparability of different experimental methods. In this meta-analysis, we quantified...
This study aimed to validate and culturally adapt the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (OAV) and Five Dimensional-Altered States of Consciousness Questionnaire (5D-ASC) for Brazilian Portuguese to measure altered states of consciousness in the context of psychedelic research. A parallel back-translation model was employed with expert reviews to ensure linguistic and cultural...
Vaporized N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) has a short duration and simple application, prompting this technique as a new approach for psychedelics' clinical use. Building on our initial dose-ascending studies and addressing potential confounding effects of dosing order, this study is the first to evaluate inhaled DMT in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design. Given DMT's therapeutic...
This paper examines the visionary experiences of Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) as described in The Life of Teresa of Jesus, through the lens of contemporary phenomenology and the six-phase taxonomy of meditation-induced phosphenes. Special attention is given to Chapters 27–38, including her iconic vision of pure inner light and the Transverberation experience. We argue that Teresa’s...
ExploreJune 4, 2025Jenny Moix, Samantha Baldaccini, Marta Isern
Despite the growing body of scientific research on Out of Body Experiences (OBEs), a scoping review has not yet been conducted. A search was conducted across six databases. Studies published between 1987 and 2024 were included, resulting in the selection of 87 publications. The analyzed factors included deliberate inducing, predisposing, precipitating, consequential, phenomenological, and...
Abstract: The intersection of criminal liability and altered states of consciousness presents unique jurisprudential challenges. Crimes allegedly committed during sleep or dream states raise profound questions about culpability, intent, and free will. This paper explores the legal dilemmas surrounding criminal acts committed in dreams, analyzing jurisprudence, neuroscience, and comparative...
Chanting is a universal practice with deep ethnocultural roots. More recently, chanting has become popular on online platforms and meditation apps which have extended chanting practices beyond their original cultural, sacred, and healing traditions. The aim of the current study was to determine if online chanting meditation promotes altered states of consciousness and psychosocial benefits when...
Abstract Background and aims Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent acute and marked deviations from normal waking consciousness. Investigations into ASC are significant to problems in medicine, science, and philosophy, including the structure of conscious experience. Here, we conducted a preliminary investigation into the structure of ASC while addressing the role of psychedelics,...
To evaluate the ability of median nerve stimulation (MNS)-induced high gamma band (HGB) activity in mapping the hand motor cortex at different states of consciousness. Five patients undergoing awake craniotomy were recruited. MNS-induced electrocorticographic signals were recorded from awake to anesthetic states, with the loss of consciousness (LOC) session divided into three stages (LOC1,...
Abstract N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic, known to rapidly induce short-lasting alterations in conscious experience, characterized by a profound and immersive sense of physical transcendence alongside rich and vivid auditory distortions and visual imagery. Multimodal neuroimaging data paired with dynamic analysis techniques offer a valuable approach for identifying...
Abstract Altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced e.g. during psychedelic-assisted therapy, show potential to treat prevalent mental health disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, access to such treatments is restricted by legal, medical, and financial barriers. Circular breathwork may present a non-pharmacological and hence more accessible alternative to...
bioRxivMarch 24, 2025Kenneth Shinozuka, Mattia Rosso, Clayton R. Coleman et al.3 citations
preprint
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and other psychedelic substances profoundly alter human consciousness. While several studies have demonstrated changes in brain function and connectivity associated with psychedelics, we still have a limited understanding of how LSD reshapes brain networks operating across different frequency bands. In this study, we applied the recently developed...
This paper introduces the hypothesis of Psychedelic Iatrogenic Structural Dissociation (PISD), proposing that psychedelics may reactivate dissociated traumatic material, increasing the risk of psychological destabilization in trauma-exposed individuals. Grounded in structural dissociation theory, this framework suggests that psychedelics can disrupt the balance between daily functioning (the...
Chapter 15, “Working with Dreams and Other Non-Ordinary States,” explores gestalt dream work, breathwork, and psychedelic integration. Dream work is the most common non-ordinary state, and by bringing a dream to life in the here and now, we can create space for a client to become each element of the dream. This is a deeply integrative approach to working with dreams that can reveal a client&s;s...
The scientific study of lucid sleep, defined as the ability to retain critical self-awareness during ongoing sleep, has traditionally focused on lucid dreaming and induction techniques that specifically target REM sleep. Recently, interest has grown to include other forms of lucid sleep, such as out-of-body experiences, sleep paralysis, and “witnessing-sleep” episodes described in Indian...
In accordance with Bud (A.D.) Craig's theories, we maintain that ascending physiological signals in their temporal dynamics are a necessary prerequisite for human time judgments. Functional neuroimaging and psychophysiological evidence have increasingly demonstrated that the subjective judgment of time is based on the physical and emotional self. The psychological literature reveals how...
Background: The Altered States of Consciousness Scale (3/5D-ASC or 11-ASC) is widely used to assess non-ordinary states of consciousness, particularly for psychedelic research. However, its original dimensional model (3D-ASC within 5D-ASC) and later 11-subscale structure (11-ASC) have a hierarchically incompatible higher/lower-order structure. Although the 11-ASC offers superior model fit, the...
Aberrant thalamocortical connectivity occurs together with visual hallucinations in various pathologies and drug-induced states, highlighting the need to better understand how thalamocortical interactions may contribute to hallucinatory phenomena. Flicker light stimulation (FLS) at 10-Hz reliably and selectively induces transient visual hallucinations in healthy participants. Arrhythmic flicker...
Non-ordinary states of consciousness offer a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between phenomenological experiences and physiological processes. This study investigated individual differences in phenomenological and autonomic nervous system changes between a resting state condition and a non-ordinary state of consciousness (auto-induced cognitive trance, AICT). Specifically, it...