Frontiers in Psychology
May 22, 2014
Manuela Maria Marin, Joydeep eBhattacharya
Being ‘in flow’ or ‘in the zone’ is defined as an extremely focused state of consciousness which occurs during intense engagement in an activity. In general, flow has been linked to peak performances (high achievement) and feelings of intense pleasure and happiness. However, empirical research on flow in music performance is scarce, although it may offer novel insights into the question of why...
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
April 17, 2014
Benjamin Baird, Jonathan Smallwood, Antoine Lutz et al.
169 citations
The mind flows in a "stream of consciousness," which often neglects immediate sensory input in favor of focusing on intrinsic, self-generated thoughts or images. Although considerable research has documented the disruptive influences of task-unrelated thought for perceptual processing and task performance, the brain dynamics associated with these phenomena are not well understood. Here we...
April 1, 2014
T. Lomas, Trudi Edginton, T. Cartwright et al.
Traditional masculine norms around emotions (e.g., inexpressiveness) can mean men have difficulties managing their emotions, contributing to potential mental health problems. However, it is recognized that men and masculinities are diverse, and that some men can positively self-manage their mental health, although this has received little attention in the literature. Uniquely, we sought to find...
Philosophy East and West
April 1, 2014
Andrea Leonardi
In Nishida Kitarō’s An Inquiry into the Good and The Logic of Locus and the Religious Worldview , written respectively at the beginning and at the end of his philosophical career, one can find remarkably similar references to mysticism which nevertheless give opposite evaluations of the phenomenon: while mysticism is highly praised in the former, it is disparaged in the latter. This essay is a...
Sleep
March 1, 2014
Helen L. Fisher, Suzet Tanya Lereya, Andrew Thompson et al.
Study objectives: To examine associations between specific parasomnias and psychotic experiences in childhood. Design: Birth cohort study. Information on the presence of frequent nightmares in children was obtained prospectively from mothers during multiple assessments conducted when children were aged between 2.5 and 9 y. Children were interviewed at age 12 y about nightmares, night terrors,...
Spiritus
March 1, 2014
Paul C. Martin
2 citations
The Colorful Depictions of God in Mystical Consciousness1 Paul C. Martin (bio) Introduction In 1960 Walter T. Stace suggestively wrote that “[t]here are underground connections between the mystical and the aesthetic (whether in poetry or in other forms of art) which are at present obscure and unexplained.”2 Since that statement there has been tremendous work done by commentators and scholars on...
Personality and mental health
February 2014
Aurel Nirestean, Emese Lukacs, Dana Cimpan et al.
Narcissistic traits interfere in the process of self-determination and the individual motivational strategies of human beings. The grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic personality subtypes have difficulties in their education, interpersonal relationships and quality of life. The latter is also affected by ageing, whose attributes influence, above all, one's self-esteem, especially in women....
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
February 2014
Charles G Frye, Margaret C. Wardle, Greg J Norman et al.
3-4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) increases self-reported positive social feelings and decreases the ability to detect social threat in faces, but its effects on experiences of social acceptance and rejection have not been determined. We examined how an acute dose of MDMA affects subjective and autonomic responses to simulated social acceptance and rejection. We predicted that MDMA would...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
January 15, 2014
Elias Dakwar, C. Anerella, Carl L. Hart et al.
125 citations
Background Sub-anesthetic ketamine infusions may benefit a variety of psychiatric disorders, including addiction. Though ketamine engenders transient alterations in consciousness, it is not known whether these alterations influence efficacy. This analysis evaluates the mystical-type effects of ketamine, which may have therapeutic potential according to prior research, and assesses whether these...
2014
Brian T Anderson, Beatriz C. Labate, C. D. de León
Taita Juan is a Cametsa traditional healer and yagecero from the Sibundoy Valley in Colombia. As a member of the new generation of Colombian taitas traveling the world, he has acquired clients and apprentices from throughout the Americas and Europe. He is perhaps best known internationally for having been detained by United States Customs officials and charged with possession with intent to...