Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are phenomena in which a person perceives their consciousness as separate from their physical body. Although these experiences have been reported for centuries in spiritual traditions, they are attracting increasing interest in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and anthropology. This study aims to take stock of the issue through a literature review by...
Interest in psychedelics has expanded beyond clinical treatment contexts, yet little empirical work has examined how users describe psychedelic use in relation to sport and physical activity. This study conducted a qualitative content analysis of Reddit discussions involving psychedelics and physical performance. A Reddit search for “sports psychedelics” returned 253 threads. After screening,...
Although sleep quality links to multiple cognitive, mental, physical, and physiological benefits, about 60% of US adults do not get enough sleep. First-line treatments for insomnia include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Given the limitations of pharmacotherapy, including cost, side effects, tolerance, and dependency, researchers have recently focused on non-pharmacological...
Background: Self-disorders, or anomalous disturbances in the basic sense of self, have been described in psychosis-risk states and may contribute to social cognitive impairment and functioning. This study examined self-disorder severity and associations with social cognition and functioning across individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and...
Abstract Many claim that there is an important relationship between consciousness and welfare. Call this general view phenomenalism . One way of fleshing out phenomenalism is to hold that consciousness is what makes one the type of entity that can be noninstrumentally better or worse off in the first place. Consciousness is at least a necessary condition on welfare subjecthood . A different...
This paper examines the Dharmatrāta-Dhyāna Sūtra as an early Chinese-translated dhyāna scripture and explores its significance in the Sinicization of Buddhism. Focusing on the Five Gates of Meditation and the distinction between the “expedient path” and the “superior path”, it shows how earlier Buddhist meditation methods were translated, reorganized, and developed within the Chinese context....
The spiritual journey in Islamic wisdom aims at reaching the highest stage of perfection, which is direct intuitive knowledge of the Divine Reality. Achieving this goal demands accurate cognition, spiritual refinement, and guidance under a qualified master. This study examines the factors underlying spiritual wayfaring by comparing the foundations of Ghiyāth al-Din Dashtaki and Ayatollah Javadi...
The nature of dissociative ıdentity disorder (DID) can be viewed holistically from developmental, neurobiological, psychophysiological, cognitive, and linguistic perspectives.DID is described as a defense and adaptive mechanism that arises in response to chronic and overwhelming trauma in childhood.It is characterized by identity changes, dissociative amnesia, and fragmented self-states.DID is...
Background Breathwork that increases ventilatory rate or depth represents an accessible non-pharmacological modality for potentially inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs). Despite gaining traction as a potential therapeutic tool, empirical controlled research on breathwork and ASCs remains limited. Methods We examined the effects of a single session of high ventilation breathwork,...
VidhyayanaJune 9, 2026M.S. Rajani Kanth, P. Gurumurthy, P. Srikanth
This paper examines how human experience, inner discipline (Understanding of the self), and cosmic order operate as a natural unity rather than as separate philosophical compartments. The study is grounded in Para Vidya, where the trinity is understood as deha (bodily self), jiva (conceptual self), and paramathma (the actual self), not as three independent possessions but as expressions of...