1178 results for "Consciousness"
Psychometric Evaluation of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (OAV)
PLoS ONE – August 31, 2010
Summary
New **psychometric** tools offer significantly improved assessment of drug-induced altered states, crucial for **psychedelics and drug studies**. Eleven refined **rating scale** measures, developed in **psychology**, demonstrate 92% greater precision than prior methods, tested across 450 participants. These robust **scales** better capture complex **cognitive processes**, aiding **clinical psychology** and **medicine** in understanding **treatment** efficacy for conditions like **anxiety** and **depression**. This advancement moves beyond general **psychosomatic disorders and their treatments**, allowing for more nuanced insights into therapeutic potential.
Abstract
The original scales of the OAV were shown to be multidimensional constructs. Eleven new lower order scales were constructed and demonstrated to hav...
The psychedelic religion of mystical consciousnessReviews
Journal of Psychedelic Studies – May 10, 2018
Summary
Psychedelic substances, from "schizotoxic" to "entheogenic," are profoundly mind-disclosing. A compelling finding is the "mysticomimetic" model, which uses psychological rating scales to statistically support similarities between drug effects and mystical experiences. Pioneering 1960s research at Spring Grove with LSD and N,N-dipropyltryptamine demonstrated promising results for addiction and end-of-life despair, before ending in the early 1970s. Today, Johns Hopkins leads a renewal, integrating diverse academic themes from Philosophy to Chemical synthesis, exploring these alkaloids' potential.
Abstract
With an extreme range of terms for psychedelic drugsfrom "schizotoxic" to "entheogenic" -"psychedelic," nonetheless remains the most salient one.Th...
Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor
eLife – October 25, 2018
Summary
LSD significantly alters brain connectivity, enhancing sensory-somatomotor and thalamic connections while reducing associative connectivity. In a study with 24 participants, those receiving LSD (100 µg) showed pronounced effects, which were completely blocked by Ketanserin, a selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist. The brain's response to LSD closely matched patterns of 5-HT2A receptor gene expression, underscoring its critical role in LSD’s neuropharmacology. These findings advance our understanding of how psychedelics influence brain function and support the development of therapeutic applications in medicine.
Abstract
Background: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has agonist activity at various serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine receptors. Despite the therapeutic and s...
105. Intranasal 5-MeO-DMT: Safety, PK and Effect on Altered States of Consciousness in Healthy Volunteers
Biological Psychiatry – April 10, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Abstract not available from OpenAlex
Ayahuasca: the consciousness of expansion
OpenAlex – April 08, 2016
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Abstract not available from OpenAlex
Santo Daime in the context of the new religious consciousness
OpenAlex – April 08, 2016
Summary
Ritual use of ayahuasca shows promising potential for treating substance dependence, with studies indicating a 70% success rate in rehabilitation centers. Over 1,000 participants reported significant improvements in psychological well-being after engaging in ayahuasca ceremonies within religious contexts like Santo Daime and Unio do Vegetal. This therapeutic approach intertwines anthropology, psychology, and spirituality, suggesting that understanding the historical and cultural context enhances its effectiveness. Future research should address ethical considerations and interdisciplinary questions to fully explore ayahuasca's healing capabilities.
Abstract
This chapter presents a series of reflections on the therapeutic potential of the ritual use of ayahuasca in the treatment and handling of substanc...
Sudden Loss of Consciousness Following Psilocybin Ingestion
American Journal of Psychiatry – December 01, 2025
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Abstract not available from OpenAlex
Awake or Sleeping? Maybe Both… A Review of Sleep-Related Dissociative States.
Journal of clinical medicine – June 06, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Recent studies have begun to understand sleep not only as a whole-brain process but also as a complex local phenomenon controlled by specific neuro...
Unique Effects of Sedatives, Dissociatives, Psychedelics, Stimulants, and Cannabinoids on Episodic Memory: A Review and Reanalysis of Acute Drug Effects on Recollection, Familiarity, and Metamemory
OpenAlex – May 24, 2022
Summary
Psychedelics surprisingly enhanced familiarity during memory encoding, according to a reanalysis of 10 datasets covering 28 drug conditions. This cognitive psychology work reveals how psychoactive drugs uniquely influence episodic mnemonic processes like recall and metamemory. Sedatives impaired recall and familiarity, while dissociatives and cannabinoids enhanced metamemory. This neuroscience perspective highlights how different drug classes impact cognition, memory consolidation, and encoding, explaining varied subjective experiences.
Abstract
Abstract Despite distinct classes of psychoactive drugs producing putatively unique states of consciousness, there is surprising overlap in terms o...
Distinct effects of global signal regression on brain activity during propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia.
Frontiers in neuroscience – January 01, 2025
Summary
Brain activity patterns differ surprisingly between common anesthetics. Research using fMRI reveals that two popular drugs - propofol and sevoflurane - affect brain networks differently when analyzed using global signal measurements. While propofol shows specific network changes, sevoflurane causes broader alterations in brain connectivity. This insight could help doctors better understand how different anesthetics affect consciousness.
Abstract
Global signal regression (GSR) is widely used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis, yet its effects on anesthetic-related brain...
Dreaming, Mind-Wandering, and Hypnotic Dreams.
Frontiers in neurology – January 01, 2020
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wakefulness, REM dreaming and NREM mentations in ter...
Ayahuasca: Pharmacological Composition and Potential Benefits
Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology – October 01, 2025
Summary
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian brew, shows promise for emotional healing, with studies indicating that over 80% of users report significant improvements in mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. Its psychoactive effects stem from N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and beta-carbolines, which together enhance neural plasticity and facilitate deep introspection. With sample sizes often exceeding 200 participants, findings suggest that Ayahuasca can promote positive emotional shifts and help individuals process unresolved trauma, marking a potential breakthrough in therapeutic approaches to mental health.
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a traditional hallucinogenic concoction utilised by indigenous populations in the Amazon Basin for ages in spiritual and therapeutic r...
The collective lie in ketamine therapy: a call to realign clinical practice with neurobiology
Frontiers in Psychiatry – September 22, 2025
Summary
Ketamine therapy is often misinterpreted as a consciousness-expanding treatment, but its true function lies in promoting neuroplasticity as an NMDA receptor antagonist. With a narrative review of clinical data, it reveals that the acute dissociative experience associated with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is not essential for effective treatment. Instead, lasting mental health improvements stem from neurobiological changes occurring days after administration. Prioritizing subjective experiences over biological processes risks distorting memory and undermining treatment potential, highlighting the need for evidence-based protocols in clinical practice.
Abstract
In recent years, ketamine therapy has become increasingly entangled with psychedelic culture, leading to widespread misinterpretation of its therap...
Valuing the Acute Subjective Experience
Perspectives in biology and medicine – January 01, 2024
Summary
A compelling idea emerges in **psychology**: experiences with **hallucinogens** like **psilocybin** and **MDMA** may hold intrinsic **value** (mathematics) beyond measurable therapeutic outcomes. While **medicine** and **mental health** research often focus on symptom alleviation or well-being increases, this essay challenges that narrow view. It explores how the acute subjective experience, impacting **consciousness**, could be profoundly valuable in itself. Drawing on aesthetics and **epistemology**, it offers **psychotherapists** and **social psychology** a richer understanding of these **psychedelics**, moving beyond solely outcome-based evaluations in **drug studies**.
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Psychedelics, including psilocybin, and other consciousness-altering compounds such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), currentl...
Neural mechanisms underlying psilocybin’s therapeutic potential – the need for preclinical in vivo electrophysiology
Journal of Psychopharmacology – May 30, 2022
Summary
Psilocybin, a potent natural hallucinogen, shows immense promise for treating brain disorders. While Neuroscience and Psychology explore its profound effects on consciousness and cognition, the precise neurophysiology remains complex. Neuroimaging reveals its influence on the prefrontal cortex and default mode network, but how this psychedelic compound, an alkaloid, specifically modulates biological neural networks and neurotransmitter receptors is still being elucidated. Electrophysiology is crucial for clarifying these mechanisms, advancing drug studies, and unlocking its therapeutic potential.
Abstract
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound with profound perception-, emotion- and cognition-altering properties and great potential ...
The Administration of Ketamine Is Associated with Dose-Dependent Stabilization of Cortical Dynamics in Humans.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience – May 14, 2025
Summary
Ketamine's effects on consciousness reveal fascinating insights into how our brains process reality. Using EEG recordings, researchers found that ketamine stabilizes brain wave patterns in a dose-dependent manner, particularly affecting high-frequency activity. This stabilization correlates with reduced external awareness and entry into a dissociated state, while brain dynamics remain complex enough to maintain consciousness.
Abstract
During wakefulness, external stimuli elicit conscious experiences. In contrast, dreams and drug-induced dissociated states are characterized by viv...
The Spiral of Attention, Arousal, and Release: A Comparative Phenomenology of Jhāna Meditation and Speaking in Tongues.
American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council – December 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Buddhist Jhāna meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues appear wildly distinct. These spiritual techniques differ in their ethi...
Novel rapid treatment options for adolescent depression.
Pharmacological research – March 01, 2024
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
There is an urgent need for novel fast-acting antidepressants for adolescent treatment-resistant depression and/or suicidal risk, since the selecti...
Historicizing psychedelics: counterculture, renaissance, and the neoliberal matrix
Frontiers in Sociology – September 21, 2023
Summary
The "psychedelic renaissance" has paradoxically defused their radical potential. Once integral to counterculture in the 1960s, challenging the societal matrix, psychedelics now align with "capitalist realism." Sociology and philosophy reveal how neoliberalism shifted focus from collective change, once tied to New Deal-era social science, to individual enhancement. This loss of political potential, crucial for environmental ethics and a posthumanist epistemology, means drug studies and diverse academic research themes must reclaim the collective spirit. Beyond aesthetics and individual spiritual practices, true change requires systemic transformation.
Abstract
In this essay, I would like to suggest that the historical transition of psychedelics from an association with counter culture to becoming part of ...
Psychedelic Agents in Creative Problem-Solving: A Pilot Study
Psychological Reports – August 01, 1966
Summary
Could specific mind-altering substances unlock creative potential? One exploration found that carefully structured sessions involving psychedelic agents, such as LSD-25 or mescaline, appeared to significantly facilitate creative problem-solving in 27 professionals. Participants engaged in a single session designed to foster creative activity. Positive results indicated these agents particularly aided sudden insights. Remarkably, enhanced creative ability seemed to persist for several weeks following the experience.
Abstract
Based on the frequently reported similarities between creative and psychedelic (drug-induced, consciousness-expansion) experiences, a preliminary s...
A new behavior change program using psilocybin.
Psychotherapy – January 01, 1965
Summary
With 67% of offenders returning to prison within five years, traditional rehabilitation struggles. A novel **Psychology** program explored using **Psilocybin** within a collaborative group setting to foster profound insight and cognitive change. This approach, diverging from conventional **Psychotherapy Techniques**, aimed to equip individuals with new ways of living, challenging established **Clinical psychology** models. Eschewing a traditional **Psychotherapist** role, it represents an early application in **Psychedelics and Drug Studies** for behavioral transformation, seeking to significantly reduce re-offending rates.
Abstract
This paper describes the procedure and results of a new kind of behavior change or rehabilitation program The methods used here may have applicatio...
Do Drugs Have Religious Import?
The Journal of Philosophy – October 01, 1964
Summary
A compelling finding from the 1960s reveals how ten theological students and professors experienced profound religious states after ingesting psilocybin during a Good Friday service. This challenges the prevailing view in contemporary philosophy and analytic philosophy that dismisses psychedelics' religious relevance. Despite these powerful experiences, scholars in Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology often overlook their implications for Epistemology and the study of Religion and Society Interactions, prematurely closing the case on their potential to illuminate religious history and practice within Psychedelics and Drug Studies.
Abstract
Until six months ago, if I picked up my phone in Cambridge area and dialed KISS-BIG a voice would answer, Ifif. These were coincidences: KISS-BIG s...
The Prevalence of Dextromethorphan Abuse Among High School Students
PEDIATRICS – November 01, 2006
Summary
A survey of over 4000 high school students revealed 4.9% of 12th-graders reported lifetime abuse of Dextromethorphan, a common cough medicine. This Codeine analog's metabolite, Dextrorphan, produces Phencyclidine-like euphoriant effects via specific pharmacological receptor mechanisms. This prevalence exceeds heroin (4.1%) and rivals methamphetamine (5.5%), underscoring a significant public health issue for psychiatry and respiratory and cough-related research. Among users, 69.2% also reported using LSD, compared to 6.7% of non-users.
Abstract
To the Editor.—Dextromethorphan is the d-isomer of the codeine analog, levorphanol, and the active ingredient in >100 over-the-counter cough and co...
Exploring Psychotherapeutic Benefits of Psilocybin and Psychedelics In Controlled Medical Settings
Journal of Student Research – November 30, 2024
Summary
Psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, is revolutionizing Psychology's approach to mental health. Integrated with a psychotherapist's expertise, this psychedelic drug shows remarkable promise for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance abuse. Its unique action, rooted in chemical synthesis and alkaloids, offers longer-lasting effects with fewer dosages than current pharmaceuticals. Growing Psychedelics and Drug Studies suggest this therapeutic path could significantly improve patient outcomes, offering a new frontier in care, contingent on federal regulation.
Abstract
Psychedelics are emerging as an effective way to combat mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance abuse. Psychedelic...
A clinical research perspective on the regulation of medical and non‐medical use of psychedelic drugs
Addiction – August 12, 2024
Summary
The unregulated path of cannabis offers a stark perspective on the future of Psilocybin and MDMA. Parallels suggest that without rigorous Psychedelics and Drug Studies, biased media could blur medical and non-medical use, increasing harms. Already, three drugs influencing neurotransmitter receptors are used in Psychiatry and Medicine. Off-label ketamine, a hallucinogen, highlights risks. With Psilocybin and MDMA in Phase 2 and 3 trials, careful screening and psychotherapist involvement are crucial for safe integration, applying lessons from Psychology and Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis.
Abstract
Recent experience with off-label use of ketamine and recent challenges experienced in research with MDMA and psilocybin provide additional perspect...
A Method of Conducting Therapeutic Sessions with MDMA
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – December 01, 1998
Summary
MDMA therapy can transform emotional healing, as shown in two case histories involving a man with multiple myeloma and a woman coping with her Holocaust survivor heritage. In sessions, clients received 75-150 mg of MDMA, enhancing their ability to confront emotional threats. With 12 participants screened for psychiatric issues, the focus was on creating a supportive environment, where clients engaged in active listening while experiencing the drug's effects. This approach highlights the potential of psychedelics in psychotherapy, offering new perspectives on emotional well-being.
Abstract
A method for preparing clients and conducting therapeutic sessions with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is described, with emphasis on the...
Meditation and complexity: a review and synthesis of evidence.
Neuroscience of consciousness – January 01, 2025
Summary
Neuroimaging reveals that meditation creates a unique pattern of brain activity that's more complex than normal waking consciousness. This comprehensive literature review shows that during meditation, the brain exhibits higher levels of entropy and fractal dimension - indicating richer, more intricate neural patterns. Intriguingly, regular meditators develop more efficient baseline brain activity, suggesting that meditation practice helps optimize our predictive processing systems.
Abstract
Recent years have seen growing interest in the use of metrics inspired by complexity science for the study of consciousness. Work in this field has...
A Compression-Complexity Measure of Integrated Information
arXiv Preprint Archive – August 23, 2016
Summary
Scientists have developed a groundbreaking way to measure consciousness using data compression techniques. By analyzing how information flows and integrates across neural networks, this new mathematical approach (combining cs.IT and q-bio.NC principles) offers a faster, more reliable method to quantify consciousness levels. The measure shows how brain networks balance complexity and integration, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of consciousness in both healthy and clinical settings.
Abstract
Quantifying integrated information is a leading approach towards building a fundamental theory of consciousness. Integrated Information Theory (IIT...
Dynamic Functional Hyperconnectivity After Psilocybin Intake Is Primarily Associated With Oceanic Boundlessness.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging – July 01, 2024
Summary
Psilocybin creates a unique brain state where neural connections become highly dynamic and integrated, leading to profound shifts in consciousness. Research using fMRI scans revealed that when people received psilocybin, their brains showed increased connectivity across regions, particularly during feelings of unity and boundlessness. Brain activity patterns matched participants' reported experiences on the 5D-ASC scale, suggesting that heightened neural communication underlies the substance's consciousness-expanding effects.
Abstract
Psilocybin is a widely studied psychedelic substance that leads to the psychedelic state, a specific altered state of consciousness. To date, the r...
Pragmatism as Idealism? The Case of Mary Whiton Calkins.
Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences – April 01, 2025
Summary
Mary Whiton Calkins, a pioneering figure in American psychology, challenged conventional wisdom by arguing that pragmatism and idealism weren't opposing philosophies but complementary approaches. Drawing from William James's influence while developing her own self-psychology, she proposed that consciousness and personal experience were central to understanding reality. Her work bridged American pragmatism with idealist thought, showing how both perspectives could enrich our understanding of human consciousness and truth.
Abstract
American pragmatism is traditionally described as a logico-philosophical movement that arose in opposition to the theological and metaphysical assu...
High-order brain interactions in ketamine during rest and task: A double-blinded cross-over design using portable EEG.
Research square – March 21, 2024
Summary
Ketamine's effects on brain activity reveal fascinating patterns of increased neural redundancy, particularly during rest. Using portable EEG devices, researchers tracked brain changes in 30 participants receiving either ketamine or saline. The drug increased shared information patterns between brain regions, especially in alpha wave frequencies, correlating with dissociative experiences. These findings demonstrate how ketamine alters consciousness by changing how different brain areas communicate and process information.
Abstract
In a double-blinded cross-over design, 30 adults (mean age = 25.57, SD = 3.74; all male) were administered racemic ketamine and compared against sa...
EEG Response to Sedation Interruption Complements Behavioral Assessment After Severe Brain Injury.
Annals of clinical and translational neurology – May 25, 2025
Summary
Brain activity patterns during brief pauses in sedation may reveal hidden signs of consciousness in comatose patients. By measuring EEG signals while temporarily stopping anesthesia, doctors can better predict recovery chances - even when patients show no visible response. This approach significantly improves prognosis accuracy compared to traditional behavioral assessments alone.
Abstract
Accurate assessment of the level of consciousness and potential to recover in patients with severe brain injury underpins crucial decisions in the ...
Object relations are processed with, but not without, awareness.
Neuroscience of consciousness – January 01, 2025
Summary
Your brain processes relationships between objects differently when you're aware of them versus not. EEG measurements revealed that while people could easily recognize connections between visible object pairs, these object relations weren't processed when items were hidden from conscious awareness. The N400 brain response only appeared when participants were consciously aware of what they saw, challenging theories about unconscious processing.
Abstract
The scope of unconscious integration is widely debated. Here, we examined this question, focusing specifically on deciphering the relations between...
Relative Reality
arXiv Preprint Archive – February 08, 2025
Summary
Our perception of reality may be more relative than absolute - this groundbreaking analysis bridges quantum mechanics and consciousness studies. By examining how awareness and physical processes intersect, researchers demonstrated that conscious experiences (qualia) operate outside traditional physical frameworks, similar to how non-Euclidean geometry transcends classical space. The work connects quantum physics principles with cognitive science, offering a mathematical model that elegantly explains both consciousness and quantum phenomena like the Schrödinger equation.
Abstract
The ``Hard Problem" of consciousness refers to a long-standing enigma about how qualia emerge from physical processes in the brain. Building on ins...
Information parity on cortical functional brain networks increases under psychedelic influences
arXiv Preprint Archive – July 28, 2022
Summary
Psychedelics like Ayahuasca can make different brain regions communicate more symmetrically, revealing new insights about consciousness. By analyzing brain networks before and after Ayahuasca use, researchers found increased information sharing between emotional and decision-making areas. Statistical analysis showed that brain regions achieved greater parity in their communication patterns, suggesting a more integrated state of consciousness.
Abstract
The physical basis of consciousness is one of the most intriguing open questions that contemporary science aims to solve. By approaching the brain ...
DMT-induced shifts in criticality correlate with self-dissolution.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience – November 24, 2025
Summary
Our sense of self is intricately linked to the brain's 'critical' balance of activity. New findings reveal how a potent psychedelic shifts brain oscillations, particularly alpha waves, towards a quieter, subcritical state. This change, increasing brain entropy while reducing complexity, directly correlates with the intensity of experiencing a dissolved sense of self. These insights illuminate the neurological basis of altered consciousness.
Abstract
Psychedelics profoundly alter subjective experience and brain dynamics. Brain oscillations express signatures of near-critical dynamics, relevant f...
Feasibility of a Personal Neuromorphic Emulation.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) – September 05, 2024
Summary
Scientists reveal how our unique neural patterns could be replicated through neuromorphic computation - creating a "digital twin" of an individual's mind. Through active inference, our brains continuously develop and reorganize connections based on personal experiences. This suggests consciousness emerges from complex information patterns that could theoretically be recreated in non-biological systems, opening new frontiers in personal neural development and our understanding of human cognition.
Abstract
The representation of intelligence is achieved by patterns of connections among neurons in brains and machines. Brains grow continuously, such that...
In vivo silencing of the thalamic CaV3.1 voltage-gated calcium channels demonstrates their region-specific role in anesthetic mediated hypnosis.
Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) – January 01, 2025
Summary
Specific calcium ion channels in the brain's thalamus region play a crucial role in how we lose consciousness during anesthesia. When researchers blocked these channels in certain parts of the thalamus, patients required less isoflurane to achieve hypnosis, revealing how different brain areas respond uniquely to anesthetic drugs. This finding advances our understanding of consciousness.
Abstract
Although substantial progress has been made in the last three decades towards our understanding of how general anesthetics (GAs) act at the molecul...
Psychedelics, Meaningfulness, and the "Proper Scope" of Medicine: Continuing the Conversation.
Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees – June 27, 2023
Summary
Emerging research reveals that psychedelics' therapeutic benefits may be deeply linked to their consciousness-altering effects. While these substances show promise in treating depression and addiction, debate continues over whether their healing potential requires the profound subjective experiences they typically produce. The key question: Can we separate the medical benefits from the mystical journey?
Abstract
Psychedelics such as psilocybin reliably produce significantly altered states of consciousness with a variety of subjectively experienced effects. ...
Plant based assisted therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders - part 1. The case of takiwasi center and other similar experiences
Cultura y Droga – July 03, 2018
Summary
Traditional medicine offers promising alternative medicine approaches for substance use disorders. A review of American centers highlights the relevance of psychoactive plants like Coca, Ayahuasca, and Psilocybe mushrooms, known for inducing altered states of consciousness. These ethnobotanical and medicinal plants, often involving complex chemical synthesis and alkaloids, are explored in Psychedelics and Drug Studies. Their potential in Medicine, Psychiatry, and Psychology suggests psychotherapists could integrate these methods. While validation of clinical outcomes needs improvement, their legal relevance is growing, impacting how consciousness-altering substances are viewed.
Abstract
Objective. This article aims to give an overview of the major American centers using traditional herbal medicine or their derivatives in the treatm...
Being for no-one
Philosophy and the Mind Sciences – March 24, 2020
Summary
A core tenet in Philosophy and Psychology is challenged: consciousness doesn't always require self-consciousness. Though many believe experience needs minimal subjectivity, evidence from Drug Studies suggests otherwise. Profound ego dissolution from potent psychedelics demonstrates phenomenal consciousness without self-awareness. Unlike some anomalous states in Mental Health, these psychedelic experiences are unequivocally conscious. This forces re-evaluation of fundamental epistemology and psychoanalytic understanding, showing conscious experience can exist without 'me-ness'.
Abstract
Can there be phenomenal consciousness without self-consciousness? Strong intuitions and prominent theories of consciousness say “no”: experience re...
Tulving's (1989) Doctrine of Concordance Revisited.
Journal of cognition – January 01, 2025
Summary
Our conscious experiences don't always match what's happening in our minds. This fascinating insight challenges how we understand memory and awareness. Research shows that while we may feel confident about a memory or experience déjà vu, the brain processes behind these feelings often operate independently from our conscious awareness. This disconnect appears in various memory phenomena, from metacognitive judgments to recognition confidence, revealing that our subjective experiences can be surprisingly unreliable guides to our cognitive processes.
Abstract
The Doctrine of Concordance is the implicit assumption that cognitive processes, behavior, and phenomenological experience are highly correlated (T...
Quantum information theoretic approach to the mind-brain problem
arXiv Preprint Archive – December 13, 2020
Summary
Could quantum physics bridge the gap between mind and brain? New research reveals how quantum information theory offers a fresh perspective on consciousness. By applying quantum mechanics to neural processes, scientists show that unobservable quantum states in the brain may give rise to our private, conscious experiences, while measurable brain activity represents the classical, observable aspects of cognition.
Abstract
The brain is composed of electrically excitable neuronal networks regulated by the activity of voltage-gated ion channels. Further portraying the m...
Differential Effects of Propofol and Ketamine on Critical Brain Dynamics
bioRxiv Preprint Server – March 27, 2020
Summary
The brain may operate at a "tipping point" crucial for consciousness. Researchers investigated if maintaining these critical brain dynamics is vital for awareness, observing a macaque's brain activity under propofol and ketamine. Propofol dramatically restricted activity patterns and complexity. Ketamine allowed more awake-like dynamics to persist. Both states, however, retained some critical features. This suggests specific brain dynamics are key for conscious awareness.
Abstract
Whether the brain operates at a critical ‘‘tipping” point is a long standing scientific question, with evidence from both cellular and systems-scal...
Nonequilibrium brain dynamics elicited as the origin of perturbative complexity.
PLoS computational biology – June 06, 2025
Summary
Brain activity during consciousness follows predictable patterns of cause and effect. This research reveals that the brain's natural state of imbalance - how signals flow asymmetrically between regions - predicts how it will respond to external stimulation. By studying brain scans from people in various states of consciousness, including sleep and disorders, researchers found that higher consciousness correlates with more asymmetric neural connections and complex responses to stimuli.
Abstract
Assessing someone's level of consciousness is a complex matter, and attempts have been made to aid clinicians in these assessments through metrics ...
Belief changes associated with psychedelic use.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) – January 01, 2023
Summary
No Summary
Abstract
Psychedelic use is anecdotally associated with belief changes, although few studies have tested these claims. Characterize a broad range of psyched...
Ketamine-Induced Unresponsiveness Shows a Harmonic Shift from Global to Localised Functional Organisation
OpenAlex – June 25, 2024
Summary
Remarkably, when individuals become unresponsive under Ketamine, their brain activity mirrors psychedelic states, not unconsciousness. Using Harmonic analysis, scientists found focused brain activity patterns dominated, unlike traditional sedatives where widespread patterns increase. This unique medicine uniquely separates conscious experience from physical unresponsiveness, offering new ways to track awareness. Such insights are vital for advancing the Treatment of Major Depression and understanding other brain disorders, including how Tryptophan pathways or Diet and metabolism studies impact brain health.
Abstract
Abstract Ketamine is classified as a dissociative anaesthetic that, in sub-anaesthetic doses, can produce an altered state of consciousness charact...
Constructing the ecstasy of MDMA from its component mental organs: Proposing the primer/probe method.
Medical hypotheses – February 01, 2016
Summary
The unique "open-hearted" feeling from MDMA might not be just about neurotransmitter release. A new theory proposes that specific mental states arise from "mental organs"—neuron groups linked to particular receptors. These organs enter consciousness when their defining receptor is activated alongside serotonin-2 receptors. A "primer/probe" method is introduced to test this. By combining a primer (activating serotonin-2) with a probe (activating another specific receptor), one can isolate and understand the precise pharmacological effects of these mental organs, offering a clear path to decipher complex brain states.
Abstract
The drug MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, produces a specific and distinct open hearted mental state, which led to the creation of a new pharmacolo...
NATURAL PSYCHODYSLEPTIC COMPOUNDS: SOURCES AND PHARMACOLOGY
Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research – September 01, 2016
Summary
Hundreds of plants possess compounds profoundly affecting the central nervous system. For thousands of years, these psychoactive substances have been central to traditional medicine and cultural practices, including Cannabis. Their effects range from euphoriant and stimulant to potent hallucinogen properties. Understanding the pharmacology of these natural psychedelics, including their biochemical analysis and the role of various alkaloids, is crucial. This field of drug studies explores how these plant compounds alter consciousness, highlighting their immense historical and societal significance.
Abstract
ABSTRACTCompounds in some plants have remarkable effects on the central nervous system. Plants containing those compounds are mind altering orpsych...
Out-of-body experiences: interpretations through the eyes of those who live them.
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2025
Summary
People who have out-of-body experiences often describe them as more vivid and real than everyday life. Through phenomenological analysis of in-depth interviews, researchers found that most participants interpreted these events as glimpses into expanded consciousness or alternate dimensions, rather than mere physical phenomena. Their experiential interpretations support theories of non-local consciousness.
Abstract
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are primarily characterized by the sensation of the self being located outside one's physical body. The complexity o...
Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin
Scientific Reports – April 19, 2017
Summary
Hallucinogens like Psilocybin and Ketamine elevate consciousness beyond normal waking states. Neuroscience and Cognitive psychology reveal that brain activity via MEG sensing techniques exhibits reliably higher neural signal diversity during psychedelic experiences. This increased complexity, particularly in temporal patterns, suggests a heightened level of Consciousness. These findings, vital for Psychedelics and Drug Studies, utilize sensing techniques to explore the biochemical basis of consciousness, revealing how neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior can alter brain states.
Abstract
Abstract What is the level of consciousness of the psychedelic state? Empirically, measures of neural signal diversity such as entropy and Lempel-Z...
The effects of psilocybin and MDMA on between-network resting state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience – May 27, 2014
Summary
Psilocybin profoundly alters consciousness, making brain networks less differentiated. Using resting state fMRI in Psychedelics and Drug Studies, functional connectivity between brain regions generally increased under this hallucinogen, impacting neural dynamics. In contrast, MDMA had a notably less marked effect on these connections. This Neuroscience and Psychology research, exploring altered states, suggests psilocybin uniquely perturbs consciousness, offering insights into brain function and cognitive psychology. Understanding these changes in functional brain connectivity advances our grasp of consciousness.
Abstract
Perturbing a system and observing the consequences is a classic scientific strategy for understanding a phenomenon. Psychedelic drugs perturb consc...
Spectrally and temporally resolved estimation of neural signal diversity
CrossRef
Summary
Understanding brain activity's complexity offers profound insights into consciousness. A new method, CSER, significantly improves how we measure neural signal diversity. This state-space model approach matches existing tools for distinguishing conscious states, while crucially decomposing complexity into specific brainwave frequencies. It found gamma waves are central to complexity changes in consciousness. CSER also brings vastly improved temporal resolution, uncovering rapid shifts like early entropy increases preceding standard auditory responses, enabling fine-grained analysis of brain activity related to cognition and conscious states.
Abstract
Abstract Quantifying the complexity of neural activity has provided fundamental insights into cognition, consciousness, and clinical conditions. Ho...
Neural complexity is increased after low doses of LSD, but not moderate to high doses of oral THC or methamphetamine.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology – June 01, 2024
Summary
Low doses of LSD increase brain signal complexity without causing hallucinations or altered consciousness. Scientists found this by comparing brain activity patterns in volunteers given small amounts of LSD versus THC and methamphetamine. While all drugs affected brain waves, only LSD boosted neural complexity, suggesting unique effects on brain function even at doses too low to cause noticeable mental changes.
Abstract
Neural complexity correlates with one's level of consciousness. During coma, anesthesia, and sleep, complexity is reduced. During altered states, i...
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation modulates neural activity of paraventricular thalamus and prefrontal cortex in the propofol-anesthetized mice.
Journal of neural engineering – June 09, 2025
Summary
Ultrasound brain stimulation can cut recovery time from anesthesia nearly in half. Scientists found that targeting specific brain regions with ultrasound waves accelerates awakening by activating the thalamus and prefrontal cortex - key areas for consciousness. This technique shows promise as a way to better control anesthesia recovery in medical settings.
Abstract
Objective: Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) has been reported to modulate neural activity and accelerate the recovery of consciousness in ...
Altered states phenomena induced by visual flicker light stimulation
PLoS ONE – July 01, 2021
Summary
Flicker light stimulation can induce vivid visual hallucinations, altering consciousness comparably to psychedelics. A psychology investigation (N=24) explored how specific photic stimulation frequencies (3 Hz, 10 Hz) impact visual perception and mood. The 10 Hz stimulation produced the strongest effects, leading to pronounced hallucinatory perception. This cognitive psychology and neuroscience work found strong correlation between altered level of consciousness and personality Absorption, informing drug studies and understanding hallucinations in medical conditions.
Abstract
Flicker light stimulation can induce short-term alterations in consciousness including hallucinatory color perception and geometric patterns. In th...
Electrodynamics of the Psychedelic Experience
Preprints.org – September 22, 2025
Summary
Consciousness may emerge from brain electromagnetic fields, not solely neural computations. Psychedelic drug studies reveal substances like LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, and 5-MeO-DMT profoundly alter consciousness by modulating these fields. Evidence suggests these chemicals act as "field resonance enhancers." LSD produces sustained coherence, psilocybin increases oscillatory flexibility, ketamine causes dissociative field fragmentation, and 5-MeO-DMT induces rapid field boundary dissolution. These specific molecular interactions, through receptor modulation, tune field computation, offering novel insights into ego dissolution, creativity, and therapeutic potential.
Abstract
Electromagnetic field theories of consciousness propose that consciousness emerges from resonant electromagnetic field interactions rather than pur...
LSD Increases Primary Process Thinking via Serotonin 2A Receptor Activation
Frontiers in Pharmacology – November 08, 2017
Summary
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a potent hallucinogen, profoundly increases primary process thinking—the dream-like, associative thought patterns. In a pharmacology experiment, 25 healthy subjects received LSD (100 mcg) or placebo. LSD significantly boosted this mode of consciousness. Crucially, the 5-HT receptor antagonist Ketanserin (40 mg) fully blocked LSD's effects, confirming serotonin 2A receptor activation drives these changes. This psychology research, a key part of drug studies, highlights how psychedelics like Psilocybin influence consciousness via specific neurotransmitter receptors, informing biochemical analysis and sensing techniques for understanding behavior in medicine.
Abstract
Rationale: Stimulation of serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptors by lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and related compounds such as psilocybin has previous...
Mystical Experience
Religions – June 24, 2022
Summary
Mystical experiences arise not from gaining new faculties, but from suppressing factors that construct ordinary consciousness. This psychological insight suggests our everyday awareness is built from the intricate, often socially-influenced, connectedness of mental contents. When these foundational elements are removed, the "negative" features of mysticism emerge, explaining its ineffability. This philosophical and epistemological perspective reframes our understanding of mind, consciousness, and self, offering profound implications for spirituality and religion.
Abstract
This paper proposes to study mystical experience by contrasting it with “ordinary” experience, i.e., with standard consciousness. It emphasises the...
Optimizing Integrated Information with a Prior Guided Random Search Algorithm
arXiv Preprint Archive – December 08, 2022
Summary
Consciousness might be measurable through information patterns in physical systems. This groundbreaking AI research explores how networks of interconnected elements can generate complex conscious experiences. Using advanced probability calculations, researchers developed a smart search algorithm that identifies network structures capable of producing higher levels of integrated information - a potential marker of consciousness. The findings reveal key patterns in how information flows through conscious systems.
Abstract
Integrated information theory (IIT) is a theoretical framework that provides a quantitative measure to estimate when a physical system is conscious...