In the highly technical and time-pressured environment of the operating room (OR), patients may risk becoming physically present yet experientially absent and ontologically overlooked. "Experiential absence" refers to the loss of the patient's subjectivity when their voice and awareness are silenced under anesthesia, while "ontological absence" refers to the erosion of their recognition as a...
In Spiritualism, mediums ritually foreground and background their agency and that of people in the spirit world in the same act. Spiritualist mediums take responsibility for the expressions they produce for audiences: the words they formulate or convey, the healing they transmit, and the writings and paintings their hands bring into the world. Yet they deny responsibility at the same time by...
ABSTRACT This article investigates the neurophysiological basis of autonomously induced mystical states of consciousness (MSCs), with a focus on speculative mysticism, a tradition that centers on intellectual contemplation rather than emotional or sensuous experience. Drawing from historical sources, the paper explores the role of paradox and contradiction in mystical thought. It argues that...
Background: Pain, both acute and chronic, places a substantial burden on global healthcare systems. While conventional treatments may be limited in efficacy due to side effects, risk of dependency, or variable individual response, there is growing interest in mind-body complementary approaches. Yoga nidra (YGN) has emerged as a promising noninvasive intervention for pain management. However, a...
This work advances the computational account of mind and consciousness, distinguishing them from high-performance computing. We adopt the Turing-theoretic interpretation and argue that the mind is best modelled as a universal Turing machine equipped with formally unbounded memory. Physical systems, including quantum computers, von Neumann architectures, organoids, and the brain as a biological...
BMC PsychiatryNovember 3, 2025Ahmet Selim Başaran, Hande Gazey, Sena Çağlayan et al.
BACKGROUND: Politically charged public life supplies powerful symbols that can be recruited into delusional meaning-making. This study examined how political contexts shape the content and experiential structure of delusions in patients with psychotic disorders in Turkey. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, archive-based qualitative study of inpatient psychiatric records from a tertiary...
Shamanism is one of the earliest examples of mankind’s healing modalities, beginning with African bushmen such as the Kalahari Kung. Some Africans and others still use trance dancing and medicinal substances to heal themselves and their patients, whether for free or through barter. Traditional Chinese Medicine (approximately 5,000 years old) heals the body and mind through affordable herbs or...
Background: Fibromyalgia is a syndrome linked to chronic pain and biopsychosocial problems, with management limited by unclear etiology and treatments. Yoga is a mind-body practice combining movement, breathing, meditation, and coping skills that may address treatment needs. However, evidence is limited. This study aims to evaluate the effect of yoga on fibromyalgia symptoms and assess the...
In this paper, we take up the question of what happens from a psychoanalytic perspective when a patient engages in psychedelic-assisted therapy. While some writers have suggested that psychedelic agents promote regression to an earlier point in development, we argue that such states may be better understood as expanding the mind beyond ordinary consciousness. We assert that traditional models...
Peoples and Rundel argue that oceanic experiences in psychedelic-assisted treatment need not indicate regression but may reflect expansions of consciousness. I respond by examining how the self enables survival yet contributes to suffering, distinguishing expanded states from perspective, and proposing perspective as the hinge that transforms transient ego-dissolution into lasting growth. I...