This study proposes an operational estimate of the tangent space of states of consciousness based on the analysis of transitions between electroencephalographic (EEG) microstates. As a measurable parameter, we use connectivity — the average probability of microstate switching — which reflects the dynamical flexibility of the system. Using data from the open longitudinal Dortmund Vital Study...
Human NatureJuly 8, 2026J. Verbe, Raphael H. Gautier, Marianne Latinus et al.
The embodied self emerges from dynamic interactions between internal bodily signals and external sensory inputs, including those of social origin. Interoception (the perception and interpretation of internal bodily states) plays a central role in bodily self-consciousness and social cognition. Although socially salient contexts have been shown to modulate interoceptive accuracy (IAcc), the...
When is an affective state hostile? This chapter aims to show how a phenomenological approach focused on the first-person perspective and the concept of experience can shed light on the main features of hostile affective states (HAS). In particular, the chapter explores the role of the lived body in the definition of HAS, an issue which is not usually addressed in analytical accounts. The...
Mental health has emerged as a major concern in contemporary education due to the increasing prevalence of stress, anxiety, emotional disturbances, and psychosocial challenges among schoolgoing adolescents.Educational institutions are therefore expected to adopt holistic approaches that promote not only academic achievement but also the physical, emotional, social, and psychological well-being...
Abstract This chapter chronicles a personal journey of transforming suffering (dukkha) into healing through the application of Buddhist-informed contemplative practice and pedagogical engagement. Following a period of the author’s personal hardship, this narrative explores how Buddhist teachings—particularly those of Thich Nhat Hanh on mindfulness and loving-kindness—became instrumental in his...
Noninvasive methods are making it possible to study neural replay in humans. Although focused on alignment with rodent findings, human research often tacitly assumes that replay is linked to conscious, deliberate thought. This assumption represents a missed opportunity to investigate the links between replay and consciousness, as well as cross-species differences more broadly.
A unifying theory of both human consciousness and memory is presented that is based on neuronal microtubules (MTs) being central to both, and different populations of pyramidal cells in neocortex and hippocampus being responsible for consciousness or memory. First, two quantum theories of consciousness are presented-the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) theory of Penrose/Hameroff and...
This study examined thematic correspondence between two independently sourced corpora: trance-channeled communications attributed to extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs) and a large-scale archival ufological dataset (UFODex). A curated sample of 52 channeled submissions was collected and processed into a structured dataset, while UFODex, an evolving corpus of books, periodicals, and archival...
This paper introduces the Projected Stabilization Thesis, a conceptual and methodological framework for reinterpreting consciousness as a biologically constrained stabilization of organismic regulation. Rather than treating consciousness as an inner foundation, metaphysical origin, or detached observer, the paper argues that consciousness may be understood as an access-field in which bodily...
While contemporary psychology focuses on developing a cohesive self for wellbeing, Indian philosophical traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti provide a critique of the notion of a fixed self-identity. This conceptual paper compares them at a phenomenological and functional level and relates these comparisons to contemplative neuroscience, particularly...