Comparing Neural Correlates of Consciousness: From Psychedelics to Hypnosis and Meditation
Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging July 17, 2023 Flora Moujaes, Nathalie M. Rieser, Christophe Phillips et al. 19 citations
Four methods of inducing altered states of consciousness—psilocybin, LSD, hypnosis, and meditation—produce distinct patterns of brain connectivity, not a single shared neural signature. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions showed connectivity patterns that could predict which method a person had used. Hypnosis and meditation differed from each other and from the drugs. Psilocybin and LSD did not differ in brain connectivity but showed different relationships between brain activity and behavior. The findings clarify how each method works in the brain and suggest they may offer different therapeutic avenues for psychiatric disorders.