Vidyottama Sanatana International Journal of Hindu Science and Religious Studies
June 30, 2026
Ni Wayan Sri Prabawati Kusuma Dewi
The article examines the concept of antara (interval/gap) in the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, a text from the Kashmir Śaivism tradition, as a method for recognizing nondual consciousness. Through textual hermeneutic analysis of dhāraṇā verses, it shows that terms like antara, madhya, śūnya, and visrānti function operationally to guide attention to experiential intervals where subject-object duality weakens. The text's linguistic structure is instructive-performative, using aphoristic and paradoxical formulas to encourage experiential realization. A typology of interval techniques—respiratory, cognitive, and sensory—is identified, with breath pauses as the most explicit model for revealing non-conceptual awareness. The concept is placed in critical dialogue with contemporary consciousness studies, such as gap awareness theory and micro-phenomenology. The findings indicate that antara serves as a practical epistemological device for deconstructing duality and recognizing reflexive awareness.
Journal of Quantum Science of Consciousness.
June 29, 2026
Shilpa Sugathan
Breathing sits at the intersection of automatic bodily regulation and deliberate control. This paper proposes a framework where regulated breathing coordinates body physiology, brain dynamics, and mental experience through a Quantum-Biological Coherence Model. The model views the human organism as a complex system where breathing acts as a control parameter that can organize physiological states into low-entropy regimes. Drawing on quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and predictive coding, the authors argue breathing works through three pathways: bio-energetic modulation at the mitochondrial level, macroscopic coherence via respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and neural phase-locking where respiration entrains brain oscillations. Conscious respiration is proposed as an observation event that reduces system uncertainty. The paper reviews evidence, proposes a biophysical model, and outlines methodology for a randomized controlled trial.
Journal of Quantum Science of Consciousness.
June 29, 2026
Allison Saltzman
Non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC), such as those arising from meditation, yoga, breathwork, psychedelics, near-death experiences, and mystical states, involve coordinated shifts across neural, physiological, and phenomenological dimensions rather than isolated changes at a single level. These states are associated with alterations in self-referential brain networks, brain wave activity, functional connectivity, autonomic regulation, interoceptive awareness, self-boundaries, time and body perception, unity, meaning, intuitive insight, and interconnectedness. Such shifts may contribute to psychological transformation by loosening ordinary patterns of self-reference and opening access to expanded awareness, meaning, connection, and potential. However, transformation is not automatic; lasting change depends on intention, context, continued practice, and integration.
European Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
June 23, 2026
Olena Romaniuk
Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation affect many workers, with women reporting higher rates of occupational stress and burnout. A systematic narrative review of peer-reviewed literature indicates that structured breathwork, somatic movement, and interoceptive awareness practices may reduce perceived stress and support autonomic regulation, as indexed by heart rate variability. The paper introduces the Dotyk method, a body-oriented wellness protocol integrating somatic movement, breath regulation, and body awareness. In an exploratory case-based component, twelve adult female participants aged 20-34 completed a six-week online Dotyk-informed program; 10 of 12 reported reductions in perceived stress and muscular tension, along with improvements in emotional stability, body awareness, energy, sleep quality, and daily functioning. These preliminary observations suggest the method addresses a gap in accessible somatic protocols for women in chronic stress.
Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
June 17, 2026
Slow, deep breathing at a 10-second rhythm (six breaths per minute) synchronizes slow cortical potentials in the human brain, suggesting a direct link between respiratory rhythms and brain activity. This synchronization may underlie the calming and consciousness-altering effects of slow breathing practices.
JERUMI Journal of Education Religion Humanities and Multidiciplinary
June 12, 2026
Novita Kumalasari, Julia Surya, Kinanti Dyah Ayu Puspita Retno Putri et al.
Buddhist meditation enhances artistic expression by fostering mindfulness, emptiness, and non-conceptual experience, improving artists' psychological quality, creativity, and performativity. Applications include zazen in performance, insight meditation in painting, breathwork in vocal arts, sonic meditation in music, and movement meditation in martial arts. Challenges include time constraints, cultural barriers, limited empirical evidence, and institutional resistance. Buddhist meditation holds potential as an integrative approach for artistic development and spiritual transformation, though further empirical research and contextual implementation models are needed.
Frontiers in Psychology
June 10, 2026
Guy W. Fincham, Edward Caddye, Amy A. Kartar et al.
A single session of high ventilation breathwork produced larger altered states of consciousness—including mystical experience, emotional breakthrough, and feelings of oneness—than body scan meditation in 24 healthy adults. One week later, breathwork was associated with greater psychological insight and self-reported behavioral change. Both groups showed improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, and well-being over time. These preliminary findings suggest breathwork can induce psychedelic-like effects and support further confirmatory research.
June 10, 2026
Theo Tobel, Aidan Cone, Emily Choquette et al.
preprint
Floatation-REST, a therapy involving floating in a tank with reduced sensory input, induces altered states of consciousness in people with anxiety and depression. In a randomized trial, 75 adults who floated reported increased awareness of their heartbeat and breathing, along with feelings of oceanic boundlessness, disembodiment, and unity—a pattern called 'aquahenosis.' These effects were strongest in those who chose longer, flexible sessions. The experiential profile overlapped with those reported for psychedelics like psilocybin and ketamine, particularly in boundary dissolution. The findings suggest Floatation-REST is a non-pharmacological method for inducing specific altered states, with oceanic boundlessness mediating improvements in positive affect.
Front Psychol
June 4, 2026
Raghuwansh Singh, Rajanikant Panda, Mika P. Tarvainen et al.
Meditation in trained Rajyoga practitioners produces a consistent physiological signature: heart rate variability (HRV) increases, respiration slows, and the coupling between breathing and heart rate strengthens, indicating greater parasympathetic nervous system engagement. The study measured 55 practitioners across three 10-minute states—before, during, and after meditation—using multiscale HRV metrics. Time-domain and frequency-domain HRV indices rose during meditation and partially recovered afterward, while non-linear measures also shifted significantly. Exploratory sex-stratified analyses suggested possible differences in effect magnitude that require further study. The findings support multiscale cardiorespiratory analysis as an operational marker of altered consciousness during Rajyoga meditation.
The Korean East West Mind Science Association
May 31, 2026
SungShin Hong, Sunghyun Park
Holotropic Breathwork, developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof, is an experiential technique whose psychotherapeutic mechanisms are theoretically explored using Charles T. Tart's model of altered states of consciousness. Tart's concepts of set, setting, and trigger, along with stages of consciousness change, are linked to the session structure of Holotropic Breathwork. Therapeutic change may involve disrupting and reorganizing rigid psychological patterns through a new discrete state of consciousness (d-SoC), which are then reintegrated upon returning to ordinary consciousness. The quality of set and setting, rather than the altered state itself, is critical for determining whether the experience leads to therapeutic benefit or psychological crisis. This analysis aims to strengthen theoretical foundations for clinical application in transpersonal psychotherapy.