Previous research has found supernatural beliefs about sleep paralysis (SP) to be very prevalent in Italy, with over one third of SP sufferers believing that their SP might have been caused by a supernatural creature known locally as the Pandafeche. The current study further examined features of SP in Italy. All participants had experienced SP at least once in their lifetime. Participants were...
Abstract Purpose of Review The theory of consciousness is a subject that has kept scholars and researchers challenged for centuries. Even today it is not possible to define what consciousness is. This has led to the theorization of different models of consciousness. Starting from Baars’ Global Workspace Theory, this paper examines the models of cognitive architectures that are inspired by it...
In philosophy of mind, zombies are imaginary creatures that are exact physical duplicates of conscious subjects for whom there is no first-personal experience. Zombies are meant to show that physicalism-the theory that the universe is made up entirely out of physical components-is false. In this paper, I apply the zombie thought experiment to the realm of morality to assess whether moral agency...
Jane Loevinger’s theory of adult development, termed ego development (1966) and more recently maturity development, provides a useful framework for understanding the development of the self throughout the lifespan. However, few studies have investigated its neural correlates. In the present study, we use structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the neural...
Abstract Background and aims This article presents a mixed methods study of challenging psychedelic experiences or “bad trips”, with the aim of exploring the nature and characteristics of such experiences. While challenging psychedelic experiences have been studied in previous research, the article posits that the focus of this research has been overly narrow in terms of the characteristics and...
Music and meditation offer an immersive experience in human life. The immersive continuity of meditation with music has a long history in meditation practice. Today, in modern urban life, there is an increasing interest in meditation practices that aim to be spiritual, relaxing, focusing, well-being enhancing, or stress reducing. The growing trend toward meditation practices focused on music...
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classic psychedelic substance that is used recreationally and investigated in psychiatric research. There are no pharmacogenetic studies on LSD. In vitro metabolic studies indicate that several cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms (e.g., CYP2D6, CYP1A2, and CYP2C9) are involved in LSD metabolism, but in vivo data are scarce. The present study examined the...
This paper assesses two different theories for explaining consciousness, a phenomenon that is widely considered amenable to scientific investigation despite its puzzling subjective aspects. I focus on Integrated Information Theory (IIT), which says that consciousness is integrated information (as ϕMax) and says even simple systems with interacting parts possess some consciousness. First, I...
Yoga is an umbrella term that refers to a series of activities including different holistic exercises (e.g., balance, stretching, breathing exercises) and diverse styles of practice (Cramer et al., 2016). Regarding styles, yoga can vary from a more physical practice, such as ashtanga yoga, to a more meditation-based practice, such as Yoga Nidra (YN; literally yoga sleep). YN was developed in...
Background: Meditation is gaining recognition as a tool to impact health and well-being. Samyama is an 8-day intensive residential meditation experience conducted by Isha Foundation requiring several months of extensive preparation and vegan diet. The health effects of Samyama have not been previously studied. The objective was to assess physical and emotional well-being before and after...