This article proposes a methodology and theoretical foundation for practice-based transpersonal research in the arts, which involves an immersive engagement with place and matter. This kind of engagement allows the artist-researcher to move beyond their conscious mind, to let work emerge directly from the felt experience of being in an outdoor location and from the interaction of the place’s...
In this presentation, I will explore the idea that [receptive] psi emerges in the context of healthy mind-body-other systems that are open, porous, sensitive, and strongly interconnected.Such systems may also be associated with richer fractal signatures.Syncretic tendencies (including synesthesia) contribute to facilitating the conscious awareness of some usually invisible or intangible...
I focus on an early article by Francisco Varela, 'Not One, Not Two' (1976), to argue that his non-dualistic epistemology entails a paradigm shift towards a fundamentally co-embodied, and thus social, view of self. Varela argued that the mind–body duality could be resolved by understanding the mind as embodied. Both Varela and Evan Thompson have later elaborated on this and suggested an...
Dissociative disorders have been present in our society since time immemorial, with culture, society, and spiritual beliefs playing a major part. It went through many changes from its name and what it constituted. Diagnosis can be made based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5, and now the current International...
Antiviral therapyDecember 1, 2023Jeff Berko, Peter Mazonson, Duncan Short et al.6 citations
Background: Older people living with HIV (PLWH) often experience elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.Methods: This waitlist-controlled trial examined the effectiveness of online audio mindfulness lessons in impacting these feelings among older PLWH.Results: Among 214 participants, the mean (SD) age was 60.4 (5.9) years, 89% were male, and 69% were white. After 25 days, the...
In recent decades, there has been more significant implementation and research of yoga programs in prisons and correctional facilities. Existing literature suggests that adult and juvenile prison-based yoga programs may improve stress-management and self-regulation skills; reduce depression, anxiety, aggression, and addictive behaviors; and increase prosocial behaviors. However, yoga in...
Wakefulness, non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep differ from each other along three dimensions: behavioral, phenomenological, physiological. Although these dimensions often fluctuate in step, they can also dissociate. The current paradigm that views sleep as made of global NREM and REM states fail to account for these dissociations. This conundrum can be dissolved...
The Wim Hof method (WHM) is a behavioral intervention technique that consists of deep breathing exercises, cold exposure and meditation. In light of the crucial role of the cannabinoid system in modulating neurotransmitter release through a negative feedback mechanism that aims at the maintenance of network homeostasis, our study investigated changes in cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor binding...
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has produced prophets and prophecies announcing that the age of artificial consciousness is near. Not only does the mere idea that any machine could ever possess the full potential of human consciousness suggest that AI could replace the role of God in the future, it also puts into question the fundamental human right to freedom and dignity. Yet, in the...
Several areas of application for virtual reality technologies have seen significant growth recently, including mindfulness practice. This paper investigates the relationship between the mindfulness-related construct of decentering, i.e., detaching oneself from automatic thinking and observing one's thoughts and emotions, and body representation within virtual reality. Using a within-subjects...