Depression is a common disorder around the world, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) about 350 million people worldwide suffer from the disease, a number that is growing every day. Brazil is the second country in the Americas with the highest number of depressive people, where about 5.8% of the population has been diagnosed with the pathology. Depression is a chronic and recurrent...
The Thracians are present in the historiography of closed societies with some of the earliest records of aristocratic male communities inaccessible to the entire society. The origins of closed societies are rooted in their religious beliefs and initiation rites. This study focuses on the scarce sources of Thracian closed societies: they were built on a clan and social principle, with initiated...
This study aimed to investigate the practical effects of symbolic imagery on shamanic religious rituals, emotional modulation, belief deepening, and alterations in the state of consciousness. Thirty participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group for comparative investigation. The results indicated that participants in the experimental group...
Background: Classic serotonergic psychedelics are 5-HT2A partial agonists that induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. Many have demonstrated anti-addictive properties; however, their impact on smoking behaviors remains under-researched. This review provides a synthesis of the therapeutic potential of these compounds in promoting smoking cessation and reduction. Methods: A systematic...
Serotonergic psychedelics are remarkable for their capacity to induce variable yet reproducible modifications to human consciousness. The acute effects of these compounds include perceptual alterations, predominantly in the visual domain, yet these alterations have been mostly documented only by subjective reports. We used eye-tracking to quantify the effects of low vs. high doses of psilocybin...
This study investigates the neural signatures of consciousness through non-linear dynamics in EEG responses elicited by auditory stimuli. We recorded high-density EEG data from healthy participants during passive listening tasks. Using advanced non-linear analysis methods—such as entropy measures, recurrence quantification analysis, and fractal dimension estimation—we quantified complexity in...
Awe-inspiring experiences and aesthetic rituals can induce profound epistemic transformations while also intersecting with structures of power. This review examines diverse case studies – from Amazonian shamanic rituals to ancient Egyptian temple arts, Surrealist dream experiments, transpersonal psychology, and science-fiction cyberculture – to understand how designed experiences of awe and...
Lucid dreaming, a state in which people become aware that they are dreaming, is known for its many mental and physical health benefits. However, most lucid dream induction techniques, such as reality testing, require significant time and effort to master, creating a barrier for people seeking these experiences. We designed LuciEntry, a portable interactive prototype aimed at helping people...
Andeanists have long acknowledged a shamanic component in Formative ceramic art on what is today the north coast of Peru, but disagree about the overall subject of the iconography. In this paper, I argue the primary theme in north coast Middle Formative iconography is altered states of consciousness (ASC). I present evidence for more varied, more prevalent, and much more far-reaching use of...
This study explores Khafif Makhfi ki Khwab Beeti, a groundbreaking Urdu novel by Mirza Athar Baig, through the lenses of parapsychology, altered states of consciousness, and postmodern narrative theory. Baig’s experimental narrative blends elements of metafiction, philosophical inquiry, and linguistic hybridity to challenge traditional literary forms. The protagonist, Khafif Makhfi, is not only...