This chapter challenges the binary view of consciousness, proposing a nonbinary framework that sees consciousness as a continuum. Drawing from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, it explores states like dreaming, meditation, blindsight, and near-death experiences to illustrate the limitations of binary thinking. The discussion extends to artificial intelligence, questioning its...
Reports of near-death experiences (NDEs), end-of-life visions (ELVs), and culturally embedded afterlife narratives frequently describe profoundly positive or distressing states. Traditional interpretations treat these phenomena as evidence of external metaphysical realms. The Dying-Moment Dream Hypothesis proposes an alternative, neurobiologically grounded explanation: that culturally...
This article proposes a reflection on listening as a practice of decolonizing the body and thought. Drawing from a near-death experience in which sound and vibration manifested as the final forms of consciousness, the study investigates listening not merely as a perceptual act, but as a mode of existence, a way of relating to the world that transcends the dichotomy between body and mind,...
Al-AasarDecember 27, 2025Adeel Riaz, Muhammad Irfan Ahsan Pasha
Intizar Hussain is a distinguished novelist and short story virtuoso. In this seminal autobiography, he undertakes a profound exegesis of the human psyche through the prism of Carl Jung theory collective unconscious, interrogating the intricate dialectic between consciousness and unconsciousness wherein memories, affective experiences, and existential trajectories are hermeneutically...
Palliative & Supportive CareDecember 26, 2025Taís Oliveira Silva, Bruno Angeli-Faez, Lorena Cândida Ferreira Paixão et al.
End-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) and delirium frequently occur near death but differ in core features. Clinical differentiation becomes challenging when they co-occur. This case report illustrates the interplay between ELDVs and delirium, examines the limits of current diagnostic criteria in mixed cases, and outlines a nuanced approach to distinction. We report the case of an elderly...
This is a companion review article to a narrative medicine story in this issue of the journal. “In The Ring” is a true story of a patient’s father’s near-death experience of Hell and the history of its follow up impact on the patient and her doctor. This article explores the medical perspective on NDE’s. How are NDE’s different from other altered mental states? What about deep anesthesia...
The text analyzes the personification of concepts and abstract ideas in ancient culture; it examines the status of Hypnos and his relation to Asclepius within the framework of incubation practices; it explores the place of sleep as well as the general lack of interest shown toward Hypnos and related personifications in both Presocratic and systematic philosophy; finally, it offers a synthesis...
This article addresses the relationship between dreams and memory and focuses on the hypothesis that the process of dreaming contributes to memory consolidation. To understand this mechanism, the study considers dreams experienced in various stages of sleep and so-called "waking dreams," or reverie. Pro and con arguments, both enthusiastic and skeptical, are presented on the ability of dreams...
According to Freud, the human mind is characterised by a dynamic component, which he refers to as the “censoring agency”. This concept is also perceived by some to symbolise a certain authority. This agency is responsible for determining whether an emerging desire is suitable for entry into consciousness. It excludes anything that could potentially cause discomfort if the desire were to be...
According to ancient principles of Sanatana(eternal) dharma, the four Purusharthas include Dharma (righteous), Artha(just means for acquiring wealth), Kama (fulfilling basic desires and needs of human life), and Moksha i.e enlightenment, be one with the Paramatma. The ultimate goal for human birth is described as Moksha or being one with Paramatma in Adi Shankaracharya's VivekaChudamani. One...