The problem of altered states of consciousness from linguistic angle is relevant. Attention is focused on the ways in which altered states of consciousness are reflected in a literary piece. The research is delivered on the basis of Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”. Different types of non-verbal behavior of the main character and the language correlates are discussed. It is...
Altered states of consciousness (ASCs) induced by psychological practices (mindfulness meditation, hypnosis, self-induced trance) and pharmacological agents (classical and atypical psychedelics) are increasingly linked to therapeutic change, yet their shared and unique neural signatures remain uncertain. We conducted three preregistered, coordinate-based meta-analyses using SDM-PSI, mindfulness...
Sync × Coverage: A Cross-Dataset EEG Signature for Deep Meditative States Author: Qiao Ou (ORCID 0009-0008-4540-1381)Date: 2026-10-08Version: 1.0 --- Abstract We report a two-dimensional EEG signature — Sync × Coverage — that separates deep meditative states from sleep, anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness. The signature is validated across six independent public datasets totaling 328...
October 3, 2026Juliana Estévez, David Lameiras, Giancarlo Allocca et al.
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This paper addresses a methodological disparity between meditation research and research involving psychoactive substances. Studies of meditation routinely apply established criteria to distinguish expert practitioners from novices, while research with psychoactive substances screens for safety rather than classifying expertise. We analyze current benchmarking practice in meditation research,...
The intensity of altered states of consciousness (ASC) induced by a psychedelic represents a key mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). However, growing evidence suggests that expectations may contribute significantly to therapeutic effects of PAT. The present study examined whether a psychedelic placebo could induce an ASC in a PAT- analogous...
This research essay/article argues that cannabis can reasonably be described as psychedelic in a phenomenological sense, even though it is not pharmacologically classified as a classic serotonergic psychedelic such as LSD or psilocybin. The central distinction is between pharmacology and phenomenology: THC acts primarily through the endocannabinoid system, especially CB1 receptor signaling, yet...
The aim of this article is to analyze the notion of movement in the conceptualizations of some altered states of consciousness, such as: sleeping (sonno), dreaming (sogno), meditation (meditazione) and hypnosis (ipnosi) in the Italian language. The research presented is based on the following theories: thematic proto-roles by D. Dowty (1991) and Kinesthetic Image Schemas by G. L akoff (1987),...
Abstract As mental health challenges continue to rise, there is increasing interest in interventions that promote psychological change through emotionally and experientially rich states. One well-studied example involves mystical-type experiences, typically reported in psychedelic-assisted interventions. Virtual reality (VR), with its immersive and embodied qualities, has emerged as a promising...
ExploreAugust 23, 2026Siddhant Nikam, Nimisha S Narayan
Patients undergoing Still Point induction via compression of the fourth ventricle (CV4) in cranial osteopathy commonly report a distinctive quality of profound mental quiet, described as qualitatively different from ordinary relaxation. Cranial osteopathy, however, entered a prolonged crisis of scientific credibility once controlled work indicated that its founding construct, the Primary...
Abstract The scholarly, legal, and regulatory discourse on deliberately altered states of consciousness lacks a neutral vocabulary: its inherited terms — hallucinogen, psychedelic, entheogen — each embed a verdict on the nature of the states they name, forcing a position before argument begins. This essay proposes two process-oriented terms to close the gap. Noopoietics (from νοῦς and ποίησις)...
The precise neuromodulatory mechanisms underlying consciousness and its disorders, despite growing evidence in both animals and humans, remain poorly understood at the subcortical level. The basal ganglia, a key component of the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop, are known to play a crucial role in mediating consciousness and behavioural responsiveness to the environment. Here, we...
BackgroundResearch suggests that high ventilation breathwork (HVB) improves mental health by reducing experiential avoidance (EA) through altered states of consciousness (ASCs). The present study examined whether EA during participants’ most recent breathwork session predicted mental well-being afterward. Additionally, the study examined the relationships between EA, ASCs, emotional...
This paper proposes a theoretical framework for interpreting immersive neurogastronomic experiences as a form of ambient cognitive modulation. The framework originates in the direct, informal observation of approximately 6,000 guests conducted by the first author over more than six years of operation at Sensorium — an eleven-seat neurogastronomic restaurant with a controlled multisensory...
This review integrates anthropological and neuroscientific perspectives to elucidate music-induced trance processes and their relevance to non-ordinary states of consciousness (NSCs). The objectives are to deepen the understanding of trance phenomena, delineate links across diverse trance expressions, and inform future neuroscientific research. Drawing on anthropological insights, we examine...
Non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) have long been described across cultures and spiritual traditions, while contemporary research increasingly examines them through neural, physiological, and phenomenological dimensions.This narrative literature review explores nonpathological NOSC across meditation, yoga, breathwork, psychedelic experiences, near-death experiences, and mystical...
PsyArXivJune 26, 2026Marc Wittmann, Amelia Lacassagne, Clara Koinegg et al.
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This study investigates the effects of three variants of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Techniques (REST)—guided meditation, multimodal Ganzfeld (MMGF), and a control resting condition—on subjective experiences related to altered states of consciousness (ASC). Specifically, the study examines emotional responses, time perception, and perceived body boundaries, while also assessing the...
Immersive virtual environments are increasingly investigated as tools capable of modulating conscious experience, yet the specific contribution of graded immersion to altered states of consciousness (ASC), time perception, and cognition remains unclear. The present study examined how different levels of immersion during videogame play influence subjective experience and post-experience...
Sleep-related out-of-body experiences (OBEs) occupy an ambiguous position between sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming. OBEs are often considered part of the vestibular-motor component of sleep paralysis, but they also share features with lucid dreaming, including vivid internally generated experience, heightened awareness, and perceived agency. Here, we examined whether the emotional composition...