A single advanced meditator with over 6,000 hours of retreat mindfulness training experienced 37 cessation events—dramatic moments of profound clarity and equanimity involving a complete break in experience—while EEG was recorded. From 21 seconds before each cessation, whole-brain functional connectivity in the alpha band decreased linearly, then returned to prior levels over the 40 seconds following. The decrease was driven by frontal-to-left-temporal and posterior connections, while the recovery involved widespread increases. No change in network integration was observed. These findings provide neuroscientific evidence of large-scale brain modulation during cessation events, laying groundwork for future studies of advanced meditation.
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.