Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 24, 2026 Enkhamgalan Nasanjargal
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PsyArXiv Preprints June 20, 2026
Self-transcendent experiences—such as those induced by psychedelics, meditation, or awe—can be understood through a distinction between the reflective self and the experiential self. The reflective self involves conscious, narrative self-referential processing, while the experiential self involves affective processing and bodily awareness. Self-transcendence involves a decrease in the reflective self (ego dissolution) and an increase in the experiential self (immersion), supported by affective salience processing and associated with meta-awareness, leading to feelings of connectedness. This framework reconciles the paradox of feeling “smaller yet larger” during such experiences and offers a pragmatic model for researching the phenomenology of self-transcendence across different practices and cultural contexts.
Scientific reports May 8, 2026 Erola Pons, Julieta Galante, Nicholas T Van Dam et al.
Depersonalization and derealization (DPDR) involve feeling detached from one's body, thoughts, or emotions, typically triggered by trauma, stress, or drugs and causing high distress. Similar experiences arise during meditation, where they are often described as positive and meaningful. This cross-sectional study compared DPDR-like states triggered by meditation (60 participants) versus other triggers (61 participants). The meditation-triggered group rated their experiences as substantially more positive, though most participants in both groups described them as mixed. Meditation-induced DPDR occurred across types and experience levels. These experiences are phenomenologically similar but more welcome, pleasant, and spiritually meaningful than those from trauma or cannabis, though distress is not uncommon. Contemplative approaches may inform clinical support for DPDR, and guidance within meditation settings is needed.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 13, 2026 Prashant Gunjan
Contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation can reduce egoic boundaries, which in turn diminishes existential fears and improves impulse regulation. This conceptual model proposes that enhanced self-control and lower death anxiety are key mechanisms through which these practices foster emotional stability, resilience, and adaptive behavior. The framework integrates contemporary psychological theory with contemplative insights to explain personal growth and spiritual development, offering a basis for future empirical testing and applications in therapy and organizations.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) March 5, 2026 Venkatesh Subramani, Annalisa Pascarella, Jérémy Brunel et al.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) loosens the brain's usual alignment between anatomical structure and neural activity in a frequency-dependent way. Low-frequency brain waves (theta, alpha, beta) become less constrained by the structural connectome, indicating a global relaxation of large-scale dynamics. High-frequency gamma activity shows selective reorganization rather than uniform disruption. Greater gamma-band decoupling within core default-mode network regions predicts the intensity of ego dissolution across individuals. LSD does not cause indiscriminate disintegration but drives system-specific rebalancing: visual and attentional systems decouple while auditory networks strengthen coupling. These findings suggest psychedelic states emerge from frequency-dependent relaxation of structural constraints, with default-mode reorganization as a neural correlate of ego dissolution.
March 2, 2026 Rebekah Senānāyaka preprint
Ego-dissolution—a sense of losing one's usual self-boundaries—is considered important in psychedelic therapy, but existing scales may miss its complexity. A new 34-item measure, the Multidimensional Ego-Dissolution Assessment (MEDA), was tested on 207 people who had profound experiences with ayahuasca, DMT, LSD, or psilocybin. Factor analysis identified six distinct dimensions: dissolving of identity, experiences of eternity, dissolving of physical body, dissolving into environment, clarity about life and purpose, and pleasure. Ayahuasca and DMT produced higher dissolution scores than LSD and psilocybin on four factors, while all substances yielded similarly high scores on insight and pleasure. Dosage did not affect results. The findings suggest that different psychedelics may produce distinct ego-dissolution profiles, which could guide therapeutic choices.
Neuroscience of consciousness January 1, 2026 Ronald Sladky
Consciousness is often thought to be centered on the self, with the insular cortex and subcortical regions supporting self-modeling and motivation. However, reports of minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) describe states without any self-referential content, challenging this ego-centric view. This theoretical paper proposes a dual-origin theory of cortical development to explain this duality. The 'Amygdala-System', expanding from the amygdala and olfactory system, supports interoceptive self-modeling and ego-centric processing. In contrast, the 'Hippocampus-System', centered on the hippocampus, supports allocentric cognition and selfless experiences, akin to an 'endless ocean'. MPE may be a fragile form of consciousness typically overshadowed by the Amygdala-System. Real-time fMRI neurofeedback could upregulate the Hippocampus-System to enable controlled study of MPE.
General hospital psychiatry January 1, 2026 Rebeca Cohen, João Bastos, Catarina Cunha et al. 1 citation
A case series of 12 patients with treatment-resistant depression treated with a novel protocol combining ketamine injections (0.5-1.5 mg/kg intramuscularly, 5-8 sessions) and brief psychodynamic psychotherapy found that 67% responded and 58% achieved remission. Half of the patients maintained remission at 3-month and 1-year follow-ups. Ego dissolution during the third ketamine session correlated with symptom improvement and psychological insight. The results suggest that combining ketamine with psychotherapy may enhance and prolong antidepressant effects beyond ketamine alone.
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2026 Human-Friedrich Unterrainer
Altered states of consciousness, ranging from psychotic disintegration to mystical union, often involve oceanic affectivity—experiences of ego dissolution, boundlessness, and affective merging. Such states can be induced by psychedelics, trauma, meditation, or compulsive addictive cycles. While oceanic states may temporarily relieve psychic pain, they can reinforce a regressive return to early undifferentiated states, bypassing affect and symbolic integration. From a neuropsychodynamic perspective, addiction functions as a failed form of transcendence, an attempt to escape internal fragmentation. Neuroscientifically, these states involve alterations in the default mode network, limbic dysregulation, reduced top-down control, and increased neural entropy, potentially loosening rigid ego structures and facilitating unconscious material. The paper integrates psychodynamic theory with neuroscientific findings to conceptualize addiction as a neuropsychodynamic attempt to restore internal cohesion, offering therapeutic implications.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience November 24, 2025 Mona Irrmischer, Marco Aqil, Lisa Luan et al.
A psychedelic substance (DMT) shifts brain oscillations away from criticality—a state of balanced, complex activity—toward a quieter subcritical regime, particularly in alpha and adjacent frequency bands. This shift increases entropy while reducing complexity. The magnitude of the criticality shift in alpha and theta bands correlates with the intensity of self-dissolution, a core feature of the psychedelic experience. These findings suggest that altered proximity to critical dynamics underlies both the neurological and experiential effects of psychedelics, with implications for understanding altered states of consciousness.
Psychological medicine March 1, 2023 Isabel Wießner, Marcelo Falchi, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes et al. 53 citations
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 24 healthy volunteers received 50 μg LSD or placebo. LSD produced psychedelic experiences, including altered consciousness, mystical experiences, ego-dissolution, and mildly challenging experiences, and increased aberrant salience and suggestibility, but not mindfulness. LSD-induced aberrant salience correlated strongly with complex imagery, mystical experiences, and ego-dissolution. Suggestibility changes from LSD did not correlate with other effects. The results suggest the LSD state resembles psychosis and may offer a therapeutic tool, with mystical experiences linking the psychosis model and therapeutic potential. Meaning attribution appears important for the LSD psychosis model, and psychedelic-assisted therapy might benefit from suggestions that foster mystical experiences.
Biological psychiatry February 1, 2023 Devon Stoliker, Leonardo Novelli, Franz X Vollenweider et al. 49 citations
Under the peak effect of LSD, the inhibitory influence from the salience network to the default mode network becomes excitatory, and inhibition from the default mode network to the dorsal attention network weakens. These changes in effective connectivity between resting-state networks may reduce their normal anticorrelation, offering a neural mechanism for ego dissolution—the blurring of the boundary between self and world. The findings suggest that alterations in the sense of self across different conscious states depend on the organized balance of effective connectivity among these networks.
Pharmacological Reviews September 9, 2022 Devon Stoliker, Adeel Razi, Gary F. Egan et al. 83 citations
Classic psychedelics work primarily by binding to serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors, and their agonist activity at these receptors changes synaptic efficacy, profoundly affecting hierarchical message-passing in the brain. This review synthesizes cognitive and neuroimaging evidence showing that psychedelics influence selfhood and subject-object boundaries—a phenomenon called ego dissolution—which may underlie their subjective and therapeutic effects. Because 5-HT2A receptors sit at the apex of the cortical hierarchy, their agonism may powerfully affect sentience and consciousness. Effects can last beyond the pharmacological half-life, suggesting psychedelics promote neural plasticity. Psychologically, they may disarm ego resistance, expanding the repertoire of perceptual hypotheses and enabling alternate pathways for thought and behavior. The authors interpret these effects through hierarchical predictive coding, offering testable predictions about effective connectivity in cortical hierarchies.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) March 1, 2022 Anna O Ermakova, Fiona Dunbar, James Rucker et al. 83 citations
5-MeO-DMT is a short-acting psychedelic tryptamine found in nature and used historically for spiritual purposes. This review of existing literature covers its pharmacology, chemistry, metabolism, epidemiological studies, and reported effects. 5-MeO-DMT acts as a serotonergic agonist with highest affinity for 5-HT1A receptors. Animal model studies exist, but human clinical studies are lacking. Epidemiological data indicate it induces profound alterations in consciousness, including mystical experiences, with potential beneficial long-term effects on mental health and well-being. Its short duration, relative lack of visual effects, and higher rates of ego-dissolution make it a potentially useful addition to the psychedelic pharmacopoeia, warranting further clinical exploration with appropriate precautions.
J Psychopharmacol February 10, 2021 Carla Pallavicini, Federico Cavanna, Federico Zamberlán et al. 73 citations
Inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in natural settings reduces alpha brainwave power (8-12 Hz) across the scalp while increasing delta (1-4 Hz) and gamma (30-40 Hz) power. Gamma power increases correlate with reports of mystical-type experiences. DMT also raises global synchrony and metastability in the gamma band and lowers them in the alpha band. These findings align with prior lab-based psychedelic research and suggest EEG markers for mystical experiences in real-world contexts, underscoring the value of studying psychedelics in natural settings.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology November 1, 2020 N L Mason, K P C Kuypers, F Müller et al. 261 citations
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study using ultra-high field brain imaging found that psilocybin (0.17 mg/kg) caused region-dependent changes in glutamate levels in the human brain. Higher medial prefrontal cortical glutamate was linked to negatively experienced ego dissolution, while lower hippocampal glutamate was linked to positively experienced ego dissolution. These results suggest a neurochemical basis for the therapeutic effects of psychedelics on disorders involving distortions of self-experience, such as depression.
Journal of Medical Ethics May 27, 2020 William Smith, Dominic Sisti 142 citations
Recent early-phase trials suggest psychedelics offer novel benefits for treating mental health and substance use disorders, producing experiences unlike other treatments, such as feelings of unity, loss of self-importance, and encountering deep reality or God. Focusing on psilocybin, the authors argue these unique features pose novel risks that require an enhanced informed consent process—more comprehensive than typical for psychiatric medications. They highlight key issues for consent, suggest discussion prompts, and respond to objections, concluding with ethical considerations as psychedelics move from controlled research into mainstream clinical psychiatry.
Perspectives on Psychological Science February 13, 2020 Ann Taves 127 citations
Experiences often labeled 'mystical' may not be a unique, special category but rather a form of ego dissolution—an alteration in the sense of self—similar to changes induced by psychoactive drugs and meditation. The idea that mystical experiences are sui generis rests on two self-report scales that operationalize a metaphysically untestable construct. To better understand unusual experiences across disciplines and cultures, new self-report measures are needed that separate generic descriptions of experiences from how individuals appraise their valence, significance, cause, and long-term effects.
International journal of environmental research and public health December 16, 2019 Hannes Kettner, Sam Gandy, Eline C H M Haijen et al. 159 citations
People who use psychedelics report a stronger sense of connection to nature, and this increase lasts for at least two years. In a prospective online study, individuals planning to use a psychedelic completed questionnaires before and after their experience. Nature relatedness was significantly higher at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 years after the experience. The increase was linked to greater psychological well-being and depended on how strongly participants felt ego-dissolution and how much they perceived their natural surroundings during the acute psychedelic state. The findings suggest a causal, context-dependent effect of psychedelic use on nature relatedness, with implications for mental health treatments and planetary health.
Psychopharmacology August 13, 2018 Malin V. Uthaug, Kim van Oorsouw, Kim P. C. Kuypers et al. 213 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant tea used ceremonially in South America, produces sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style. In 57 ceremony attendees in the Netherlands and Colombia, ratings of depression and stress significantly decreased the day after the ceremony and these changes persisted for 4 weeks. Convergent thinking also improved post-ceremony and was maintained at 4 weeks. Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after but were not significantly different from baseline at 4 weeks. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness correlated with the degree of ego dissolution experienced during the ceremony, not with prior ayahuasca experience. These findings highlight ayahuasca's therapeutic potential for mental health disorders like depression.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 23, 2017 Raphaël Millière 216 citations
High doses of hallucinogenic drugs can produce a profound alteration of self-experience known as drug-induced ego dissolution (DIED), where the sense of self dissolves and boundaries between self and world disappear. Three classes of drugs induce this: classical psychedelics, dissociative anesthetics, and kappa opioid receptor agonists. Neuroimaging of DIED may reveal neural correlates of the self, but results must be interpreted cautiously—they may show necessary but not sufficient conditions for selfhood. The phenomenon likely disrupts the minimal or embodied self, a basic sense of self rooted in multimodal sensory integration, consistent with Bayesian models of phenomenal selfhood. DIED challenges philosophical views that consciousness always involves self-awareness and suggests ordinary experience includes a minimal self-awareness that fades during ego dissolution.
Neuroscience of Consciousness January 1, 2017 Chris Letheby, Philip Gerrans 280 citations
Psychedelic-induced ego dissolution—where the sense of being a distinct self disappears—is best explained by predictive processing models of self-awareness. Self-awareness arises from hierarchical predictive models that posit a stable, enduring entity to which representations are bound. The self-model functions as a useful Cartesian fiction: a false representation of a simple substance that integrates cognitive processing across levels and domains. Unlike narrative accounts, this self-model has a robust cognitive function, but it does not qualify as a real self. Ego dissolution reveals the self-model's binding role in cognition, yet the self itself does not exist.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2016 Matthew M. Nour, Lisa Evans, David Nutt et al. 476 citations
A new questionnaire, the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), reliably measures the experience of ego-dissolution—a temporary loss of the sense of self—during psychedelic drug use. The EDI shows strong psychometric properties, including internal consistency and construct validity, and its scores closely relate to the subjective psychedelic experience. This tool enables researchers to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying ego-dissolution, which may inform psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and improve understanding of psychosis.
Curr Biol April 13, 2016 Enzo Tagliazucchi, Leor Roseman, Mendel Kaelen et al. 531 citations
LSD, a potent serotonin-receptor agonist, increases global functional connectivity in the human brain, particularly in high-level association cortices and the thalamus, as shown by fMRI. These effects overlap with serotonin 2A receptor densities and correlate with subjective reports of ego dissolution. The drug also enhances communication between normally distinct brain networks, reducing the brain's modular and rich-club organization. This is the first modern human imaging study of LSD's acute effects on brain connectivity, demonstrating that LSD selectively expands global connectivity and blurs perceptual boundaries between self and environment.