Although we intuitively feel we have a single, unified conscious experience, we often face indecision, hold contradictory beliefs, or engage in internal debates. The Nested Observer Windows (NOW) Model proposes that consciousness is hierarchical: information processed across many spatiotemporal scales of the brain feeds into subjective experience. It likens the mind to a hierarchy of nested mosaic tiles, where each tile is itself an image made of smaller tiles. Unitary consciousness sits at the apex, where perceptual constructs become fully integrated and complex behaviors are initiated. The model defines observer windows as spatially and temporally constrained systems that integrate information.
An intensive meditation practice called Fire Kasina can induce mystical experiences comparable to those produced by high-dose psychedelics. Six individuals completed a retreat and reported experiences they described as the most intense of their lives. Mean scores on the Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire reached 85%, similar to prior observations with high-dose psilocybin and stronger than moderate-dose psilocybin. Scores on the Hood Mystical Experience Scale averaged 93%, exceeding levels reported for near-death experiences (74%) and high-dose psilocybin (77%). Participants also described substantial shifts in worldview following the retreat.