ISSN 2326-5523
7 papers in the library · 189 citations · publishing 2013-2026
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice June 4, 2020 Spencer W. Wheeler, Natalie L. Dyer 69 citations
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Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice September 22, 2016 James K. Ambler, Ellen M. Lee, Kathryn R. Klement et al. 66 citations
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Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice August 1, 2013 Dieter Vaitl, Niels Birbaumer, John Gruzelier et al. 43 citations
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Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice June 12, 2025 Etzel Cardeña, Aviva Berkovich‐ohana, Katja Valli et al. 11 citations
A multidisciplinary, international group used taxonomic principles and a modified Delphi method to create a taxonomy of altered states of consciousness based on central phenomenological features. They identified eight distinct states, some with subcategories: proto and transitional, delirium, minimal to no awareness, experiential detachment, enhanced physicality, altered identity, imaginary/fantasy/visionary, and unity/mystical. The authors hope this taxonomy will foster conceptual clarity and stimulate research across specializations, helping reveal what is common and different across triggers and antecedents of altered states, and encouraging phenomenological, psychological, cultural, and neuroscientific understanding.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice July 9, 2026 Barbora Decourten, Robert Keith Wallace
A comparative neurophenomenological hypothesis proposes that features attributed to the Vedic concept of Soma—reduced fear, enhanced connectedness, and experiential unity—may correspond to effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, which modulates social bonding, trust, and stress regulation. The article suggests Soma need not be an external substance but could reflect an internally generated biochemical process during transcendence. It generates testable predictions through endogenous measurement during meditation and experimental oxytocin administration.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice June 4, 2026 Andrea Taylor, Monique Woolerton, Steven J. Lynn et al.
Across three experiments with 1,482 participants, people recalled past dissociative experiences as most often neutral and more often positive than negative, even among experiences linked to psychopathology and among individuals with clinically interesting levels of dissociation. When imagining future dissociative experiences, expectations depended on familiarity: novel experiences were rated as more likely to be negative and less likely positive or neutral than familiar ones. The findings suggest that people may draw less on past dissociative experiences to predict future ones compared to other types of experiences.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice May 11, 2026 Kush V. Bhatt, Adam W. Hanley, Chantal Martin-Soelch et al.
Mindfulness-based interventions reduce chronic pain, and a secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials (480 patients on long-term opioid therapy) suggests that nondual awareness—a state of attenuated self-other distinction—partly explains this effect. Participants in an 8-week mindfulness program (MORE) showed significantly lower pain severity and interference than a supportive therapy control group, along with greater increases in nondual awareness. Path analyses indicated that gains in nondual awareness mediated the reductions in pain severity and interference, and nondual awareness was a stronger mediator than the mindfulness facet of nonreactivity. The findings link mindfulness-induced nondual awareness to chronic pain relief, and future work should explore neurobiological mechanisms and other interventions that foster nondual awareness.