Communications Biology
September 30, 2025
Yun Zhao, Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Mario Boley et al.
Waking levels of human consciousness are known to be supported by the integrity of complex structures and processes in the brain, yet how they are exactly regulated by neurobiological mechanisms remains uncertain. Here a space-time-resolved inference-based framework is applied to estimate the neurophysiological variables of a whole-cortex model and analyze the neural mechanism correlates of...
Molecular Psychiatry
September 30, 2025
Xiubo Du, Jiantao Liu, Xiaohui Wang
2 citations
Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), have captured the attention of scientists, artists, and seekers alike for their profound ability to alter consciousness and inspire creativity. The concept of "creation" encompasses multiple interpretations-ranging from generating novel ideas to fostering personal transformation. This...
BMC Psychology
September 29, 2025
Hajar Behzadi, Mohammad Farzollah Abbasi, Sally Pezaro et al.
Background: Death is an experience that every human being faces. As such, the near-death experience (NDE) has been a topic of interest to humanity for millennia. The NDE is often understood as a subjective event of altered consciousness that can occur during life-threatening events and/or near the time of biological death. This study investigated the near-death lived experiences of coma...
Research Square
September 25, 2025
David Greguš, Jaroslav Hlinka, Filip Tylš et al.
preprint
Abstract Rationale: Individual variability in psilocybin response is a major challenge for psychedelic-assisted therapy, with structural brain features potentially serving as predictive biomarkers. Lewis et al. (2020) reported that rostral anterior cingulate cortex thickness predicted emotional experiences under psilocybin, suggesting cortical morphometry as a marker of psychedelic...
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
September 24, 2025
Jorge Villanueva
A Chaotic Life is a three-volume series in which Stanley Krippner (b.1932), a well-known American parapsychologist (and much more), recounts his life from his childhood, recalling his university years, recounting his reactions to various episodes of the Second World War and passages from his adult life.Krippner has visited more than one hundred countries and has interacted with cultures and...
Brain Disorders
September 23, 2025
Matthew Halma, R. Levy, Joseph Varón
2 citations
Clinicians and researchers are showing increased interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy for patients who don't show improvement from using conventional antidepressants. This updated review integrates recent developments, including data on lesser-studied compounds like DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, findings from large clinical trials, and evolving regulatory landscapes. In treatment-resistant depression,...
Method & Theory in the Study of Religion
September 22, 2025
Alberto Cavallarin
2 citations
I take “neo-perennialists” to share the following, minimal claim: there exists a cross-cultural category of experiences that can be defined as “mystical”. I first clarify the neo-perennialist project and defend its overall feasibility. I then criticize the narrow focus on mystical experiences that has characterized much neo-perennialist research, and research based on the above-mentioned core...
Frontiers in Psychology
September 15, 2025
Judith Hooper, Jarrod M. Ellingson, Kent E. Hutchison
2 citations
Introduction Aesthetic experiences under psychedelics are often described as vivid, emotionally powerful, and meaningful, yet they remain under-measured in psychometric research. This study aimed to refine and validate the Psychedelic Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (PAEQ), a novel instrument designed to assess the aesthetic dimensions of acute psychedelic experiences. Methods A total of 365...
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
September 12, 2025
Junjie Zhang, Xiubo Du, Xinying Li et al.
Hypoxia and psychedelics, despite their distinct origins, both induce altered states of consciousness and promote neuroplasticity, suggesting a shared underlying mechanism relevant to neuropsychiatric treatment and neurological recovery. Terminal lucidity, the transient resurgence of cognitive function in late-stage dementia, highlights the brain's latent capacity for rapid reorganization, a...
Open Secrets
September 4, 2025
Christine J. Ferguson
Abstract This chapter examines the significance of the new journalism both for the dissemination of new religious and esoteric beliefs, and for the textual poetics and visionary techniques of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century occultism. Through the work of W. T. Stead, Hannen Swaffer, Arthur Machen, and Charles Fort we trace the emergence of “journoccultism,” a mode which describes...