The Hindu bhakti traditions are traditionally significant psychological, social, and spiritual assets of the South Asian society. Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in academic interest in the connection between devotional practices and psychological well-being, especially regarding the topics of resilience, emotional regulation, coping, and meaning-making. This...
Open Minds International JournalJuly 6, 2026Juliana Leite Haubman, João Octávio Celante da Silva, Bruno Horta Leonardo Machado de Moura et al.
Intravenous esketamine represents a significant therapeutic innovation in the field of psychiatry, particularly in the management of treatment-resistant depression and severe psychiatric conditions associated with suicidal ideation.Derived from the S-enantiomer of ketamine, esketamine acts primarily as an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, promoting rapid glutamatergic modulation...
Longevity science has increasingly shifted its focus from extending lifespan to improving healthspan, the years lived in good physical, cognitive, and social health. While much research targets biological hallmarks of aging, emerging frameworks emphasize upstream psychosocial drivers such as chronic stress, trauma, social isolation, and health behavior. In parallel, research on psychedelic...
July 3, 2026Nikhat Jahan, Mohammad Aves, Rahul Kumar
This chapter will discuss the relationship between the esoteric mind in modern science and medicine. The discussion will be on where ancient esoteric thought is converging with contemporary scientific understanding of the mind and body. This will include looking at how traditional concepts of vital energy, subtle bodies and symbolic healing can relate to modern theories of consciousness,...
Most research on meditation and mental health has focused on short-term interventions in novice populations, leaving the cumulative effects of long-term and advanced practice underexplored. Advanced meditation is defined as states, stages, and endpoints that arise with the maturation and mastery of mental-activity skills. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 52 studies across four...
Background Prenatal cannabidiol (CBD) consumption is increasing, driven by a perception of safety relative to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, the neurodevelopmental risks of gestational CBD remain largely uncharacterized. Methods Using a sex-disaggregated framework, we investigated adult (P100–140) mouse offspring following in utero exposure (GD5-18; 3 mg/kg) to THC or CBD. Behavioral...
This paper argues that fungal mycelial networks exhibit minimal cognition through memory-integrated adaptive regulation. Drawing on cybernetic and enactivist frameworks, I develop a non-representational account of memory as the organism's capacity to modulate behavior based on temporally extended environmental coupling. I propose four operational criteria for minimal cognition: feedback-guided...
Background Racism and discrimination are pervasive social determinants of health, yet mainstream mental health care often fails to address the psychological sequelae of racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS). While psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has re-entered the scientific mainstream, empirical guidance for culturally attuned, integrative care is limited. This study explores...
Mindfulness meditation has been studied for its many health benefits, yet the neural mechanisms that facilitate these benefits are still opaque. The present review examines adaptive attention processes and associated dynamic brain networks (e.g., executive control network, default mode network) that are engaged during mindfulness meditation, demonstrating emerging evidence of durable...
Psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) are emerging as novel combination treatments for selected stress- and trauma-related psychiatric conditions, particularly in cases where existing pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic approaches have provided limited benefit. Although current mechanistic models emphasize neuroplasticity, large-scale network changes, and modulation of neurotransmitter systems,...