Breathing is a fundamental biological rhythm that operates at the unique intersection of automatic homeostatic regulation and deliberate volitional control.This paper advances an integrative, systems-level framework in which regulated breathing functions as a multi-scale coordination mechanism linking bodily physiology, neural dynamics, and subjective mental experience.Moving beyond classical...
Non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) have long been described across cultures and spiritual traditions, while contemporary research increasingly examines them through neural, physiological, and phenomenological dimensions.This narrative literature review explores nonpathological NOSC across meditation, yoga, breathwork, psychedelic experiences, near-death experiences, and mystical...
This narrative review synthesizes theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on the relationship between Buddhist beliefs and subjective well-being (SWB). Although mindfulness-based constructs derived from Buddhism have been widely studied in psychological science, the broader role of explicitly Buddhist belief systems remains conceptually fragmented and empirically underintegrated....
The ontology of consciousness in contemporary debates arises from the tension between the metaphysical paradigm of Islamic philosophy and the physicalist approach in cognitive science, particularly regarding the explanation of qualia, intentionality, and the unity of conscious experience. In Islamic philosophy, the concept of tajallī views consciousness as a hierarchical manifestation of...
The National Education Policy 2020 has a strong focus on holistic, transdisciplinary and value-based learning in India’s teacher education reform. A major reform in this context is the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) which aims to produce capable, reflective and socially aware teachers. The article deals with the Panchkosha philosophy, coming from the Taittiriya Upanishad, as a...
Hegel’s philosophy presents self-consciousness, negation, and social recognition as the driving forces of mind’s development and the pinnacle of Spirit’s self-realization. In this view, the narrative, self-relating subject is not a defect but the crowning achievement of reality coming to know itself. By contrast, contemplative traditions and certain phenomenological models treat the narrative,...
The use of mantra chanting has been an integral component of spiritual and contemplative traditions for centuries and has increasingly attracted scientific interest due to its potential effects on psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. Among these sacred texts, the Vishnu Sahasranama—a collection of one thousand names of Lord Vishnu—is widely recited for spiritual growth, mental...
On Witnessing takes Andrew Wiles's indirect proof of Fermat's Last Theorem as a method for approaching the combination problem in the philosophy of mind. Borrowing the structure of the Frey–Ribet–Wiles route — a reduction, a bridge, and a theorem proved in a far domain — the essay reframes the question of how micro-perspectives combine into a single unified subject as a question about redundant...
This paper explores the relationship between bioelectricity, consciousness, and legal personhood,using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a recurring thematic anchor. Beginning with LuigiGalvani's foundational experiments in electrophysiology and their cultural echo in Shelley's novel, the paper traces how electrical activity in the brain underlies not only basic neural communication but also...
PsyArXivJune 26, 2026Marc Wittmann, Amelia Lacassagne, Clara Koinegg et al.
preprint
This study investigates the effects of three variants of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Techniques (REST)—guided meditation, multimodal Ganzfeld (MMGF), and a control resting condition—on subjective experiences related to altered states of consciousness (ASC). Specifically, the study examines emotional responses, time perception, and perceived body boundaries, while also assessing the...