Ethnic CultureDecember 24, 2025V. Koroleva, Ahmad Abosovich Utsiev
Using the example of Stephen King's short story “Crouch End”, the article examines verbal and non-verbal means (their linguistic representation), reflecting the state of altered consciousness in the text. An analysis of the heroine’s behavior based on the work showed the following typical signs of altered states of consciousness: changes in thinking and speech, the appearance of a non-standard...
ARTECHNovember 26, 2025Emília Simão, João Martinho Moura, Daniel Brandão
This article proposes a theoretical and practical reflection on the capacity of generative audiovisual installations to represent and evoke altered states of consciousness, based on the artistic project Liminal Landscapes. In a historical moment marked by crises of meaning, technological alienation, and symbolic disintegration, a new sensibility emerges that seeks to resume ecstatic and...
Consciousness does not always fade during sleep. Instead, it can re-emerge in the form of non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC), such as lucid dreams (LDs), sleep paralysis (SP), out-of-body experiences (OBEs), and false awakenings (FAs). While some of these states have been studied phenomenologically, their neurophysiological underpinnings remain unclear. In this exploratory study, we...
Non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOC) provide an opportunity to experience highly intense, unique, and perceptually rich subjective states. The neural mechanisms supporting these experiences remain poorly understood. This study examined brain activity associated with a self-induced, substance-free NOC known as Auto-Induced Cognitive Trance (AICT). Twenty-seven trained participants...
PLoS OneAugust 27, 2025Amy Kartar, Toru Horinouchi, Balázs Örzsik et al.1 citation
The popularity of breathwork as a therapeutic tool for psychological distress is rapidly expanding. Breathwork practices that increase ventilatory rate or depth, facilitated by music, can evoke subjective experiential states analogous to altered states of consciousness (ASCs) evoked by psychedelic substances. These states include components such as euphoria, bliss, and perceptual differences....
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the conceptual and empirical study of altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced pharmacologically or otherwise, driven by their potential clinical applications. To draw attention to the rich history of research in this domain, we review prominent classification schemes that have been proposed to introduce systematicity into the...
This paper focuses on understanding how cultural influences, social expectancy, and personal beliefs shape the perception of altered states of consciousness and how these mental states have been interpreted as a way to communicate with the spiritual world. Altered states of consciousness are commonly encountered in religious, spiritual, and therapeutic (e.g., hypnosis) practices. While...
Humans have long sought to alter their mental states through various cultural practices, with rhythmic sounds emerging as a prominent and enduring method. However, altered states of consciousness induced by rhythmic auditory stimulation have not been comprehensively addressed in academic research, and the associated cognitive and neural underpinnings remain enigmatic. This narrative review...
The article addresses the issue of altered states of consciousness from the perspective of the philosophy of law. In the 20th century, interest in human consciousness grew significantly. Alongside traditional issues, philosophers began to explore entirely new topics such as artificial intelligence, altered states of consciousness induced by new psychoactive substances, and other related...
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...