Abstract Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, DMT, or mescaline, when employed with knowledge and skill, can sometimes lead to profoundly meaningful and transformative subjective experiences. This chapter discusses how the predictive processing theory can further our understanding of these deeply meaningful spiritual psychedelic experience. It makes a more specific...
The nature of the soul has long divided philosophy, with Platonic dualism affirming an immaterial, enduring soul and modern physicalism reducing consciousness to brain activity. This paper proposes a functional framework based on the teachings of Dharma Master Jun Hong Lu in the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. It presents the soul as an invisible “governor” that directs thought, behavior, moral...
Neural tissue contains no single executive that inspects every available action, yet an organism can maintain alternatives, commit to one action, monitor its consequences, and alter later behavior. This paper proposes a multiscale model in which learned synaptic and dendritic states make cellular transitions criterion-sensitive; excitation, inhibition, and disinhibition change time-varying...
Mental imagery is viewed as a fundamental component of human cognition, supporting memory, emotional processing, future simulation, and conscious experience. Although mental imagery vividness has traditionally been attributed to differences in sensory processing, emerging evidence suggests that internally generated images are also shaped by ongoing bodily and interoceptive signals. Here, we...
Introduction Auto-Induced Cognitive Trance (AICT) is a non-ordinary state of consciousness (NOSC) that can be accessed by will alone once a standardised self-induction procedure has been learnt. The first research publication on AICT dates back only ten years, meaning that research on this phenomenon is still in its infancy. Previous reports concerning the phenomenology and neurophysiology of...
INTRODUCTION: Zolpidem is a widely used non-benzodiazepine hypnotic that is used as a treatment for insomnia due to its rapid onset and perceived safety. Nevertheless, rising clinical reports and post-marketing surveillance have identified serious neuropsychiatric adverse effects, such as hallucinations, perceptual disturbances, and complex sleep-related behaviors, such as sleep-driving and...
Background: When administered alongside monitoring and support, psilocybin has shown promise in the treatment of multiple psychiatric conditions. However, the contribution and nature of participant support in the context of psychedelic trials are much debated. Aims: We sought to further illustrate the structure and format of the monitoring and support used in Compass Pathfinder Ltd (Compass)...
This study aims to examine the phenomenon of njanthur in the Kuda Lumping performance of Cahyo Kumolo Art Group in Ambalkumolo Village, Kebumen Regency. The research employed a qualitative method using a phenomenological approach and a case study design. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, then analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion...
Dissociative psychoactive substances (such as ketamine and PCP) present a challenge to standard models of altered states of consciousness. Unlike classical hallucinogens which enrich or distort conscious content, dissociatives induce a peculiar fragility in the construction of one’s world-model – a breakdown of the high-level coherence that ordinarily binds perception, selfhood, and meaning....
This article focuses primarily on a synthetic presentation of the global process of pentecostalization as well as the analysis of the selected religious abuses that occur in Christian communities on the grounds of emotional and syncretic Pentecostal religiosity. Over the last two decades, the interest in the problem of psychomanipulation and religious abuses has grown significantly in the...