Following a near-death experience (NDE) at 28, a woman began to have visions of an apparent past life in the region of southern Norway where she lives presently but set toward the end of the pre-Christian era, in the 900s CE. Altogether, she had five flashbacks triggered by places or views, six memory dreams that may also have been triggered, and two related experiences, all pertaining to the...
Abstract The chapter explores the concept of compound consciousness by using ‘cringe’ as a contemporary example. It outlines how complex experiences like cringe unify emotion, perception, and internal sensations. The author introduces the Neural Binding and Coherence (NBC) theory, which uses neural representation, binding, and coherence, to explain diverse conscious phenomena. These mechanisms...
Abstract Emotional processing is a crucial adaptive function. Research suggests that sleep, particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, may have a role in processing the emotional load of past events. Notably, dream experiences may offer insight into this nighttime process. Some studies have reported increased emotionality in dreams as the night progresses, possibly reflecting ongoing...
Worsening adolescent mental health is a significant social issue. Although dreams may reflect one's mental state, few studies have focused on adolescents. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between dream content and mental health, specifically anxiety disorder and depressive symptoms, among Japanese adolescents. This cross-sectional study obtained data on gender, grade, age,...
Even though anecdotal evidence reveals them as ubiquitous phenomena, the performance anxiety dreams of music performers have not been studied systematically to date in scholarly research. This is all the more surprising given the large research literature on music performance anxiety as a wakeful experience, and the widely accepted “continuity hypothesis” in dream research that asserts...
This chapter provides a summary analysis of the diverse entheogenic traditions examined here, considering the model of the evolved psychology of ritual healing presented in Chapter 22. Key elements of this framework involve: Collective ritual involving a night-time group reunification Preparation through sexual abstinence and diet Performances of singing, drumming, and music Visions from...
The chapter presents an intercultural dialogue of knowledge production regarding psilocybin mushroom use among the Mazatec, a highly significant entheogenic practice of Mexico. The Chota Chjine, the wise ones, use Psilocybe mushrooms to mediate connections with the world of spirits to determine what disruptions of balance have led to illness and how to restore health and well-being. The Chjota...
This chapter examines the use of psilocybin mushrooms (known as teonanacatl or “the flesh of gods”) and Mexican tarragon (yauhtli, Tagetes lucida) for therapeutic purposes in Nahua medicine. These entheogenic substances are associated with thunderbolt and rain deities, part of a symbolic complex known as “the healing of the thunderbolt,” reflecting the influence of Tlaloc, the god of rain and...
Abstract Background: Visual input is thought to influence spatial cognition and language. While blind individuals often rely on egocentric spatial representations, it remains unclear whether and how visual deprivation affects dream-related language. This study applied speech graph analysis (SGA) to investigate linguistic differences in dream reports from congenitally blind (CB), late blind...
ExploreJune 4, 2025Jenny Moix, Samantha Baldaccini, Marta Isern
Despite the growing body of scientific research on Out of Body Experiences (OBEs), a scoping review has not yet been conducted. A search was conducted across six databases. Studies published between 1987 and 2024 were included, resulting in the selection of 87 publications. The analyzed factors included deliberate inducing, predisposing, precipitating, consequential, phenomenological, and...