The study of meditation has grown considerably in academic research, including robust findings demonstrating its positive impact on several domains of psychological well-being. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have provided evidence for neural correlates underlying these effects; however, there has not yet been a comprehensive whole-brain meta-analytic synthesis across...
Positive affect during exercise is a key predictor of continued participation, yet the mechanisms through which mindfulness-based exercise influences affect remain largely inferred from retrospective, outcome-focused designs. This study used a think-aloud (TA) methodology to capture consciously accessible, moment-to-moment experience during exercise and to test whether a single bout of...
In this paper, the authors explore the application of Yogācāra consciousness theory, a highly advanced Buddhist cognitive system, to help develop and improve contemporary second language acquisition (SLA) models. Through conceptual analysis, the study relates Yogācāra concepts the eight consciousness’s, manas, ālaya‑vijñāna, and the seed manifestation mechanism to major SLA processes such as...
This paper investigates the concept of perception (Pratyakṣa) and perceptual error in Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta. Though both the systems recognise perception as primary means of valid knowledge they vary conceptually in understanding the nature of object, self and consciousness, and the kind of knowledge perception reveals. Nyāya’s realism explains perception in terms of sannikarṣa:...
Psychedelics are a broad category of compounds that induce altered states of consciousness. These drugs have shown remarkable promise for the treatment of debilitating disorders ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder to depression and addiction. Although early studies focused on linking binding targets of psychedelics to their therapeutic effects, these pharmacological and biochemical...
PNAS NexusJuly 1, 2026David S Jin, Oumayma Agdali, Taruna Yadav et al.
Awareness of action (AoA), or conscious awareness of an action just performed, is an important part of daily experience with major practical and ethical relevance, yet the neural mechanisms of AoA remain largely unknown. The main barrier to studying AoA is a lack of experimental paradigms to directly compare neural activity in aware versus unaware actions. Borrowing from the field of perceptual...
Over the past two decades, ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant, especially among patients with treatment-resistant depression. As an N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine has reshaped the understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of depression treatment. Ketamine induces a transient state of enhanced neuroplasticity and likely...
Abstract Western ontology, from Parmenides to Heidegger, has been persistently fixated on the question of "Being" (Was ist das Seiende?), thereby neglecting the formal mechanisms governing the survival and collapse of meaning-systems. This paper argues for a fundamental reorientation: the foundational question of philosophy should shift from "What is Being?" to "What conditions make the...
The psychedelic renaissance has now lasted longer than the first wave of medical research in the 1950s and 60 s. Despite growing scientific and cultural interest, fundamental questions remain regarding the nature of subjective experience and its role in therapeutic outcomes. This article revisits a neglected yet significant aspect of psychedelic phenomenology: birth—or rebirth—experiences....
Early-onset psychosis and anorexia nervosa, while traditionally conceptualised as distinct disorders, demonstrate significant clinical overlap, particularly during adolescence. This period of profound bodily and identity transformation is a critical window where both conditions can emerge, sometimes with complex, overlapping symptoms. However, existing explanatory frameworks often fail to...