This study theoretically explores the psychotherapeutic mechanisms of Holotropic Breathwork, an experiential technique developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof, by employing Charles T. Tart's model of altered states of consciousness as a theoretical framework. Through literature review and conceptual analysis, Tart's three conditions of state transition (set, setting, and trigger) and his...
Brain Research BulletinMay 1, 2026Ladina Philomena Gubser, Anna Stefania Trippel, Niklaus Zoelch et al.
Ketamine has been shown to modulate glutamate signaling in animals and may therefore have the potential to restore glutamate imbalances in the brain. Impaired glutamate homeostasis has been implicated in mental health disorders such as substance use disorders (SUDs). Thus, we investigated ketamine's potential to increase glutamate levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key region for the...
PsyArXivApril 10, 2026George Fejer, Till Holzapfel, Anestis Lalidis Mateo et al.
preprint
Breath-based interactions in virtual reality typically map breathing onto discrete visual objects or downstream physiological proxies. Viscereality takes a different approach, mapping lung volume onto a surrounding space composed of particles arranged in an orb enclosing the participant through interoceptive-exteroceptive sensory substitution, such that inhalation expands the environment...
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent a universal human capacity for accessing and transforming the subconscious mind, employed across cultures and millennia through diverse contemplative, somatic, pharmacological, ritual, and technological modalities. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence from over 25 distinct disciplines spanning five clusters: (A) contemplative and...
ABSTRACT In 1868 eminent Australian author Marcus Clarke wrote a gothic tale for his own Colonial Monthly Magazine titled “Cannabis Indica”, purportedly under the influence of hashish. Contemporaneous reviewers discussed this little-known short story as merely a curio, and modern scholars have followed suit. However, the experimental short story is distinguished as one of the first fictional...
Scientific ReportsMarch 26, 2026Y. J. Gordon, Golan Karvat, Noa Dagan et al.
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) involve shifts in perception, cognition, and awareness, offering a unique lens on the nature of consciousness. Across cultures, rhythmic drumming in the theta range (4-7 Hz) is often used to induce such states, but it remains unclear whether actively enhancing brain rhythms in this range can cause ASC. We tested whether theta-frequency drumming (4 beats per...
Non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSCs), whether entered via psychedelics, breathwork, hypnosis or other means, show striking therapeutic promise by improving well-being and reducing psychopathology across diverse conditions. While the neuronal dynamics underpinning such therapeutic shifts in consciousness have to some extent been mapped, research has mainly focused on the central nervous...
This theoretical paper proposes a Jamesian framework for clinically informed work with non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) and develops three practical contributions. (1) It reinterprets William James’s “religious experiences” through radical empiricism as a disciplined method of describing lived meaning, value, affect, and relations as data, while bracketing metaphysical claims; on...
Pharos Journal of TheologyFebruary 14, 2026Manat Kanagatov, Tatyana Seryozhkina, Zukhra Ismagambetova et al.
The purpose of this study was to identify the ontological and cultural foundations of the shamanic tradition in the Turkic culture of Kazakhstan through the concept of altered states of consciousness (ASC). The research focused on how ASC structured the shamanic worldview, shaped ritual practices, and transformed under post-traditional social conditions. The methodological framework combined...