Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft
September 1, 2026
Edward Bever
Abstract: Magic is a useful term because it references something real: a set of phenomena stemming from alterations of neural functioning that facilitate heightened access to knowledge and manifestation of human powers. Witchcraft anthropologically defined centers on the potential for one person's ill-will to be communicated and trigger another's illness or accident spontaneously through the...
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
September 1, 2026
Raluca BilacoRusu
Empirical and philosophical interest in psychedelic substances has expanded substantially in recent years, extending beyond clinical applications to questions concerning altered states of consciousness and their possible effects on beliefs about reality. This paper reviews recent empirical research on psychedelic-associated changes in metaphysical belief, focusing on the prospective survey...
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
September 1, 2026
Anatolii Belousov, Joseph Macey, Mila Bujić et al.
As technologies increasingly converge with users’ psychophysiology and mental states, perception and mind-altering are emerging as plausibly designable components of user experience. This gives rise to emergent phenomena of digitally induced altered states of consciousness (DIAL) that find application not only in therapeutic and mental health contexts but also in communication and leisure....
Research in Developmental Disabilities
September 2026
Tundi Loftus, Shu H. Yau, Sophia Soares et al.
Autistic children experience disproportionately high rates of anxiety, yet common interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy and traditional mindfulness practices may be less effective due to their cognitive and abstract demands. Yoga nidra, a form of guided meditation using concrete visualisations and breath awareness, may offer a more accessible alternative. This mixed methods study...
Communications Biology
August 31, 2026
Niloufar Pouyan, Chelsea M Kaplan, Tony E. Larkin et al.
Pharmacological agents that alter consciousness, including classic psychedelics and non-classic agents such as nitrous oxide, are known to affect multiple domains of conscious experience, including visual perception. While most neuroimaging studies rely on resting-state data to characterize altered states of consciousness, task-based approaches enable investigation of specific perceptual...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
August 30, 2026
Zen Revista, 10 Philosophy
preprint
Phenomenology---the philosophy that describes experience from within---rebuilt European thought around consciousness's structures, and its century runs from Husserl's transcendental turn through Heidegger's being-in-the-world to Merleau-Ponty's embodiment. This article presents a narrative review of that tradition's canonical line: Husserl's 1913 Ideas I and 1931 Cartesian Meditations,...
Neuroscience of Consciousness
August 26, 2026
H. Sid-Ahmed, J. Alayrangues, L. Langar et al.
Abstract Hypnosis is increasingly used in a medical context. However, the hypnotic process is dynamic, and we currently lack specific and reliable biomarkers to diagnose and rigorously monitor the patient’s response to hypnotic suggestions. Here, we aimed to identify physiological biomarkers by investigating cerebral event-related responses in an oddball paradigm using a...
Voice of History
August 25, 2026
Ram Kumar Rai
Shamanism generally refers to indigenous ritual systems involving relationships between humans and spiritual or non-human realms, often associated with healing, spirit mediation, trance, and altered states of consciousness. In the Khambu worldview of eastern Nepal, Dowang refers to an indigenous ritual institution associated with ancestral calling, sacred knowledge, and the transmission of...
Psychoanalytic Inquiry
August 25, 2026
Nathan Gorelick
This article revisits Lacan’s skepticism toward the psychoanalytic value of drug-induced altered states of consciousness in light of the contemporary surge of scientific, therapeutic, and pharmacological investment in psychedelics. Beyond any prescription, interdiction, or theoretical insight, the author shows how Lacan offers a necessary ethical corrective to the use of psychedelics within the...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 25, 2026
Wolfgang Emanuel Zürrer, Johann Liesner, David Brüschweiler et al.
, is a highly selective κ-opioid receptor agonist and a rare example of a κ-opioid receptor-mediated psychedelic drug. Preclinical work of salvinorin A has shown promising effects in neuropsychiatric animal models. However, human studies remain heterogeneous and fragmented, highlighting the need for synthesis. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to synthesize available human studies of...