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Trends in Cognitive Sciences

ISSN 1364-6613

8 papers in the library · 2,085 citations · publishing 2003-2025

Papers

Are There Levels of Consciousness?

Trends in Cognitive Sciences April 22, 2016 Tim Bayne, Jakob Hohwy, Adrian M. Owen 443 citations

The concept of a level of consciousness is central to the science of consciousness, used to describe global states in post-comatose disorders, epileptic absence seizures, anesthesia, and sleep. However, what a level of consciousness actually means remains unclear. This paper argues that the levels-based framework for understanding global states of consciousness is untenable and instead proposes a multidimensional account of global states.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.03.009 Consciousness Cognitive science Cognitive psychology Psychoanalysis +1

A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics

Trends in Cognitive Sciences December 22, 2022 145 citations

A neurophenomenological framework is proposed for studying non-ordinary states of consciousness (NSCs) such as hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics. NSCs involve shifts in what appears to the experiencer or how it appears, enabling investigation of the plastic and dynamic nature of experience across mind, brain, body, and context. The approach highlights NSCs as catalysts of transformation in clinical practice by refining understanding of relationships between subjective experience and neural dynamics. Ethical implications for standard conceptions of health and pathology are outlined, along with the crucial role of experience-based know-how in NSC research and application.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.11.006

Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness

Trends in Cognitive Sciences January 22, 2020 90 citations

Near-death experiences (NDEs) occur during comatose states, challenging the common view that consciousness disappears when the brain shuts down. A new framework distinguishing awareness, wakefulness, and connectedness is needed to understand the phenomenon. Classical NDEs represent internal awareness experienced in unresponsive conditions, constituting an episode of disconnected consciousness. This proposal points toward new directions for NDE research and consciousness science more broadly.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.12.010

The emotional architecture of the psychedelic brain

Trends in Cognitive Sciences August 18, 2025 Flora Moujaes, Nathalie M. Rieser, L. Belinger et al. 5 citations

Serotonergic psychedelics are being investigated as treatments for psychiatric conditions, with promising results in mood disorders suggesting their effects on emotional processing may be central to therapeutic potential. However, mechanistic and clinical studies reveal a complex picture of how psychedelics impact emotions and mood. This review covers recent findings on psychedelics' effects on emotion, emotional empathy, and mood, discussing their influence on long-term emotion management strategies, the role of challenging experiences, and neuroplastic changes. The authors argue that more precise characterization of emotional states and attention to temporal dynamics of psychedelic-induced effects are critical for clarifying mechanisms and optimizing therapeutic impact.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2025.07.006 Full text Cognitive science Architecture Cognitive psychology Neuroscience +1