PsyArXiv
June 11, 2026
preprint
Animal behavior is not just mechanical reaction to stimuli but involves active meaning-making. This paper combines two theories—enactivism and biosemiotics—to argue that animals interpret signs in their environment through embodied interaction. The alarm reaction of zebrafish to conspecific alarm substance is analyzed as a semiotic process: the chemical signal is a sign that points to predation risk, and its meaning arises from the fish's sensorimotor engagement with its social and ecological context. This 'embodied semiosis' occurs at individual and collective levels, as shoals collectively interpret danger. The framework offers testable predictions and an alternative to purely representational accounts of adaptive behavior, applicable across species including humans.
PsyArXiv
May 28, 2026
preprint
Advanced meditation can sometimes lead to challenging experiences involving destabilization, rigidification, and social negotiation. Through a reflexive thematic analysis of practitioners' accounts, the authors describe how embodied sense-making and integration processes unfold during these difficulties. The analysis identifies how meditators navigate destabilizing experiences, how rigid patterns of response may emerge, and how social contexts shape the meaning and resolution of these challenges. The findings suggest that advanced meditation difficulties are not merely individual psychological events but are deeply embedded in bodily, relational, and social processes.
PsyArXiv
May 27, 2026
preprint
High-dose DMT experiences often involve encounters with seemingly autonomous entities, usually considered hallucinations. This paper explores an alternative hypothesis using the conscious realism framework, where reality is a network of conscious agents and perception is a limited interface. DMT may perturb this interface, allowing access to normally imperceptible agents. The framework distinguishes hallucinations from experiences with stable, structured dynamics consistent with agent interactions. Testable predictions and experiments are proposed to assess if DMT experiences can be externally constrained or show intersubjective correlations, with implications for understanding perception and reality.
PsyArXiv
May 27, 2026
preprint
This theoretical paper proposes extending the scientific study of advanced meditation to Sufism within Islam, comparing self-attenuation practices across Theravāda Buddhism, Tibetan Dzogchen, and Sufi traditions. The authors argue that contemplative traditions beyond Buddhism, particularly Sufism, offer valuable but underexplored models for understanding advanced meditative states and their effects on self-related processing. By examining similarities and differences in how these traditions conceptualize and cultivate self-transcendence, the paper suggests that a broader cross-traditional framework can enrich scientific understanding of meditation's transformative potential. The analysis highlights common themes of self-diminishment and non-dual awareness while respecting each tradition's unique doctrinal and practical contexts.
PsyArXiv
May 24, 2026
preprint
Serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin and DOI show anxiolytic-like effects in animal models, though anxiogenic and null results also occur, indicating context-dependent outcomes influenced by dosage, administration pattern, biological variables, and experimental conditions. A systematic review of 18 preclinical studies found generally acceptable predictive and face validity in behavioral tests, but construct validity had limitations and inconsistencies in experimental conditions need standardization. Psilocybin produced consistent anxiolytic-like effects, possibly through 5-HT2A receptor agonism, suggesting therapeutic potential for anxiety. Future research should focus on mechanisms, sex-specific effects, and improved behavioral test combinations.
PsyArXiv
May 14, 2026
preprint
A double-blind randomized controlled trial will test whether low doses of psilocybin, given alongside virtual reality exposure therapy, can reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder. The protocol describes the planned methods but does not yet report results.
PsyArXiv
March 26, 2026
preprint
An open-label extension of a Phase II randomized controlled trial examined the safety and efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder. Participants who had received either psilocybin or placebo in the main trial were offered two open-label psilocybin sessions. The treatment was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events attributed to psilocybin. Heavy drinking days decreased substantially from baseline, and the reduction was sustained through the 32-week follow-up. The findings suggest that psilocybin-assisted therapy may produce durable reductions in alcohol consumption among individuals with alcohol use disorder.
PsyArXiv
March 11, 2026
preprint
Disrupted embodiment—the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive processes underlying self-experience and bodily awareness—is a consistent feature across psychotic disorders and psychotic-like experiences. A scoping review of 91 studies, mostly cross-sectional and using single-modality assessments, found large effect sizes in 33 studies indicating disrupted embodiment across six domains: phenomenological, interoceptive, exteroceptive, proprioceptive, multisensory integration, and social and embodied cognition. The authors propose an integrative framework to unify these fragmented findings and guide future research using multimodal tools.
PsyArXiv
January 10, 2026
preprint
Touch can be a valuable therapeutic tool in psychedelic- and MDMA-assisted therapy, but its use requires careful guidelines to ensure safety and efficacy. This paper presents a model for practitioners and researchers outlining practical recommendations for supportive touch, emphasizing consent, attunement, and clear boundaries. The guidelines address when and how to use touch, such as during moments of distress or to ground a client, while minimizing risks of re-traumatization or boundary violations. The model aims to standardize practices, support training, and inform future research on touch in these therapies.
PsyArXiv
December 31, 2025
preprint
People with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness—the tendency to pay attention to present-moment experience nonjudgmentally—are more likely to experience self-transcendent perceptual changes during a naturalistic psychedelic retreat. Over a prospective longitudinal observational study, participants who scored higher on mindfulness measures reported greater alterations in consciousness, including feelings of unity and sacredness. The findings suggest that pre-existing mindfulness may shape how individuals respond to psychedelic experiences, potentially enhancing their capacity for profound shifts in perception and self-awareness.
PsyArXiv
November 5, 2025
preprint
Schizophrenia and psychedelic drug states both involve alterations to the sense of self, such as a blurred boundary between self and world. In schizophrenia this is often called self disorder, while in psychedelic experiences it is known as ego dissolution. Neuroimaging studies have linked these alterations to differences in brain activity and structure, but most findings are hard to compare due to differing methods. The paper proposes developing a combined psychometric scale that includes items from both schizophrenia- and psychedelic-focused measures, to be used across schizophrenia, psychedelic, and control groups, along with neuroimaging comparisons, to better understand the similarities and differences between these altered self states.
PsyArXiv
November 2, 2025
preprint
Among a national sample of US adults, lifetime psychedelic use is associated with lower severity of opioid use disorder, but this relationship depends on broader substance-use patterns and mental health. The protective association appears specific to certain substance-use profiles and is mediated by mental health status. The findings suggest that psychedelic use alone does not uniformly reduce opioid use disorder severity; rather, the context of other substance use and psychological well-being shapes the association.
PsyArXiv
October 10, 2025
preprint
Theoretical predictions about phenomenal consciousness in other beings are often untestable, creating evidential underdetermination. When combined with the perceived moral importance of consciousness, this situation risks turning consciousness science into a marketplace of rationalizations, where theories primarily reaffirm existing social practices and conventions rather than being empirically constrained.
PsyArXiv
September 30, 2025
preprint
Qualia, the first-person subjective qualities of conscious experience, have resisted physical explanation. This paper hypothesizes that qualia are generated in the brain during quantum computational resolution of difficult inverse problems, specifically when non-Clifford magic states are consumed above a threshold rate. Magic states are a quantum resource needed for universal quantum computation. Inverse problems in cognition, like reconstructing 3D shape from a blurry 2D retinal image, are ill-posed and computationally costly. The hypothesis reframes philosophical thought experiments, predicts qualia arise in posterior sensory cortices due to challenging inverse problems in vision and hearing, and explains their absence in simple or many complex systems. The authors discuss recent empirical findings from the Cogitate Consortium.
PsyArXiv
September 30, 2025
preprint
In an advanced meditator and Lama from the Mahāmudrā tradition, nondual meditation and a low dose (5 mg) of 5-MeO-DMT both produced timelessness, reduced labeling of sensory content, and diminished narrative self and thoughts. Both states showed increased alpha power and decreased gamma power in the brain, with neural overlap driven by posterior and right frontal gamma reductions. Nondual meditation uniquely emphasized recognition of nonduality and clarity of mind, while low-dose 5-MeO-DMT was characterized by visual imagery. High-dose (12 mg) 5-MeO-DMT produced sensory disconnection, seeing a 'white-light', and broad increases in gamma power. The findings suggest two distinct routes to self-dissolution: a 'saturation' route with increased neural firing and entropy (high-dose 5-MeO) and a 'subtractive' route with reduced firing and entropy (nondual meditation and low-dose 5-MeO).
PsyArXiv
July 10, 2025
preprint
Psychedelic facilitation training in the US is an emerging discipline focused on developing skilled interpersonal support and safety monitoring to enhance therapeutic potential and reduce harm. A quality improvement project interviewed representatives from 13 established and emerging training organizations, identifying common priorities such as careful trainee and faculty selection, content emphases, and addressing spiritual and existential topics. Gaps included the need for continuing education for graduates, parity with other disciplines, and field standards. Greater collaboration and exchange about best practices could benefit programs and trainees as the field evolves.
PsyArXiv
June 19, 2025
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The text argues that consciousness is not merely a product of the brain but a fundamental expression of the universe itself, akin to a 'world soul' or anima mundi. It presents a metaphysical perspective where individual awareness is a localized manifestation of a universal, cosmic consciousness that pervades all existence. This view challenges materialist accounts of the mind by proposing that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual in nature, and that human consciousness reflects a deeper, intrinsic property of the cosmos. The argument draws on philosophical and spiritual traditions to support the idea that the universe possesses a unified, conscious essence.
PsyArXiv
June 9, 2025
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Tolman, an experimental psychologist known for cognitive maps and latent learning in rats, is traditionally seen as a precursor to cognitivism because his intervening variables were later interpreted as representational. However, Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, especially in The Structure of Behavior, was influenced by Tolman's sign-Gestalt theory, which Merleau-Ponty recast as non-representational and relational. This reinterpretation provided a conceptual foundation for enactivism, which opposes representationalism and emphasizes the co-constitution of perception and action. The paper reexamines Tolman's ambivalent nature, arguing that his work served as a hidden source for both cognitivism and enactivism, challenging the standard narrative.
PsyArXiv
June 3, 2025
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The paper proposes a neurophenomenological framework to interpret Tibetan Buddhist accounts of the rainbow body and related mystical experiences. It argues that phosphenes—internally perceived visual patterns—may serve as a neurobiological basis for visionary experiences described in Tibetan traditions. By integrating subjective reports with neuroscience, the framework suggests that meditative practices can induce altered states of consciousness characterized by geometric light patterns, which practitioners interpret as manifestations of enlightened awareness. The authors contend that this approach bridges subjective mystical experiences and objective neural correlates, offering a model for understanding how cultural and contemplative practices shape perception of an 'ultrasubjective hyperspace' without reducing experience to mere brain activity.
PsyArXiv
October 18, 2024
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Aesthetic qualities of psychedelic experiences—such as beauty, awe, and sensory richness—are linked to better therapeutic outcomes. In a cross-sectional survey, people who had recently used psilocybin, LSD, or DMT completed questionnaires about their acute experiences and later psychological well-being. Aesthetic experiences positively predicted emotional breakthroughs, psychological insight, mystical experiences, and general improvements in depression, anxiety, and quality of life. They were negatively associated with challenging experiences like fear and paranoia. The findings suggest that enhancing the aesthetic environment during psychedelic therapy could improve therapeutic benefits.
PsyArXiv
August 9, 2023
preprint
Explaining consciousness requires first clarifying what consciousness is. Two essential features need explanation: qualitativeness, the sensory feel of experience, and subjectivity, that experiences exist only for the subject. These together constitute phenomenal consciousness. The author argues for realism about phenomenality, rejecting illusionism despite explanatory difficulties for standard science. Rather than focusing on structure or functions, the primary target should be qualitative and subjective nature. The content hypothesis is proposed: understanding representational content may explain both subjectivity and qualitativeness. Content is real but not directly observable, unlike its physical vehicles. Qualitativeness may arise from basic content items that are epistemic primitives, not themselves objects of representation. Progress in understanding content, as in predictive processing, may show why systems like us host conscious experience.
PsyArXiv
July 8, 2021
preprint
The book Philosophy of Psychedelics addresses the Comforting Delusion Objection, which questions the ethical and epistemic validity of psychedelic therapy because it may induce non-naturalistic metaphysical beliefs. The author argues that while exotic metaphysical ideas sometimes arise, they are not the primary driver of therapeutic change. Instead, psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD produce benefits by altering the sense of self and changing how people relate to their own minds and lives. This reconciles an 'Entheogenic Conception' of psychedelics—viewing them as agents of insight and spirituality—with naturalism, the view that the natural world is all there is. Controlled psychedelic use can lead to genuine knowledge and spiritual growth even without a cosmic consciousness or divine reality.