Dissociative symptoms and disorders of dissociation are characterised by disturbances in the experience of the self and the surrounding world, manifesting as a breakdown in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, and perception. This paper aims to provide insights into dissociative symptoms from the perspective of interoception, the sense of the body's internal...
Possession state is a disorder of consciousness with substitution of the personality, which is claimed to be a spirit, a deity, a dead person or some other power. In rural Nepal these experiences are normalised and Hindu communities often attribute psychological conditions to a supernatural cause. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented with acute-onset symptoms characterised by...
The potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic, mystical experiences, and peak spiritual experiences are of increasing interest among clinicians, researchers, and the public. Several studies have proposed potential parallels between the altered states of consciousness associated with psychedelics and hypnosis. Although there has been increased interest in psychedelics, mystical experiences,...
Cannabis use represents a significant environmental risk factor for psychotic disorders, with emerging evidence suggesting complex interactions between cannabinoid exposure, dissociative experiences, and fundamental disturbances of self-experience (self-disorders) in early psychosis. This systematic review examines the phenomenological and neurobiological relationships among dissociation,...
Mindfulness meditation is a systematic training in equanimity, sensory clarity, and concentration rooted in ancient contemplative traditions. Here, we synthesized cognitive-behavioral outcomes in long-term meditators (LTMs) resulting from diverse, prolonged meditation practices. Preliminary evidence suggests that LTMs exhibit increased cognitive-sensory integration and decoupling of affective...
Buddhist meditation, encompassing practices such as Samatha (focused attention), Vipassana (open monitoring), and Metta (loving-kindness), offers unique pathways for transforming consciousness beyond conventional mindfulness. In this article, we review the studies that explore how these distinct meditative techniques systematically cultivate meta-cognitive insight, emotional regulation, and...
Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that cause changes in perception, state of consciousness, mood and numerous cognitive processes. The best known are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin and mescaline. The main mechanism of action of psychedelics is agonism towards serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. In the middle of the 20th century, interest in the use of...
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and near-death experiences (NDEs) represent profound disruptions in brain function, often associated with dramatic changes in consciousness, self-perception, and behavior. While these events are typically studied for their pathological consequences, a growing body of evidence suggests they may also trigger unexpected cognitive and creative enhancements in a subset...
Psilocybin containing mushrooms have been utilized for ceremonial, medicinal, and spiritual purposes for millennia. Recently there has been a surge of scientific interest in the therapeutic potential and mechanistic understanding of serotonergic psychedelics, including psilocybin. Psilocybin is classified as a serotonergic psychedelic because the non-ordinary state of consciousness that it...
Abstract Psychedelic compounds significantly reshape conscious perception, yet the implications of these alterations for complex visual-guided behaviors remain poorly understood. We investigated how psilocybin modulates visual salience processing during natural scene perception. Twenty-three participants completed eye-tracking tasks under self-blinded low and high doses of psilocybin, in a...