L'Encephale
August 1, 2024
Fabrice Berna, Amaury C Mengin, Philippe Huguelet et al.
7 citations
A systematic review of 18 studies with 1272 participants examined whether mindfulness meditation increases spirituality or religiosity as measured by validated scales. Four scales (FACIT-sp, INSPIRIT, DSES, DUREL) contained items on spirituality, religion, and mysticism—elements critics consider risky for sectarian drift. A few studies found significant increases in spirituality scores after mindfulness meditation, but the clinical relevance of these changes is uncertain; control groups showed smaller changes. The review concludes that a pragmatic harm-reduction approach is more appropriate than banning mindfulness-based practices, and that the debate over secularism in French psychotherapy requires further research.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
February 26, 2026
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Karalee Kothe, Michael Nahm et al.
Terminal lucidity—unexpected mental clarity shortly before death—has been reported across cultures and eras, but its characteristics in children had not been systematically studied. Using a 42-item online survey, this study collected case reports of terminal lucidity in 11 children aged 16 years and under. Terminal lucidity typically occurred within the final hours to minutes before death and manifested as notable changes in mental abilities, behavior, and emotions. It was not preceded by any changes in medical regime and often happened despite children being semi- or comatose just before the episode. These results suggest a surge of mental clarity in terminally ill children occurs contrary to medical expectations, which may inform end-of-life care and understanding of consciousness at the end of life.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
December 19, 2025
Renaud Évrard
Frederic Myers, a co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research, developed a late-19th-century theory of consciousness that distinguished between subliminal (subthreshold) and supraliminal (ordinary) consciousness. Although praised by contemporaries such as Theodore Flournoy and William James, his model faced conceptual problems: confusion between a unified 'Subliminal Self' and multiple 'subliminal selves,' difficulty explaining coexistence of lower and higher faculties in the subliminal, and inadequacy of the surface/depth spatial metaphor. Myers refined his model using a light-spectrum analogy. This paper proposes an alternative 'topography' dividing consciousness into a center (intraliminal) and periphery (transliminal), restating Myers' ideas. His work laid foundations for broader understanding of consciousness and influenced psychology and parapsychology.