Modulating self-referential processing through meditation and psychedelics: is scientific investigation of self-transcendence clinically relevant?
World Psychiatry – June 01, 2024
Source: PubMed Central
Summary
Both meditation and psychedelics can reduce self-focused thinking and increase feelings of connectedness, potentially offering therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions. Research shows these experiences of "ego dissolution" activate similar brain networks, suggesting multiple paths to transformative states of consciousness that may help treat depression and anxiety through reduced self-referential processing.
Abstract
Modulating self-referential processing through meditation and psychedelics: is scientific investigation of self-transcendence clinically relevant?