Hypnagogia, psychedelics, and sensory deprivation: the mythic structure of dream-like experiences.
Andreas Huber, Anette Kjellgren, Torsten Passie
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1498677 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDream-like and psychedelic experiences often seem internally illogical, but this may reflect a distinct, premodern mode of cognition called 'mythic' cognition rather than a cognitive deficit. Thirty-one participants underwent four 90-minute flotation REST sessions to induce altered, dream-like states. After each session, they completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory and additional questions targeting mythic cognition features. Participants showed significant phenomenological shifts toward experiences characteristic of mythic cognition, with altered states exhibiting ontological parallels to mythic conceptions of space, time, and substance. The findings suggest that the perceived illogicality in altered states arises from a distinct cognitive framework, not from deficits.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | Human participants |
| Intervention | flotation REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) |
| Duration | Four 90-minute sessions |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Dreaming |
| Keywords | Dream-like experience Mythic cognition Ontology |
| Key finding | Altered states induced by flotation REST exhibit features of mythic cognition, supporting the hypothesis that perceived illogicality reflects a distinct cognitive framework rather than deficits. |
Abstract
Dream-like and psychedelic experiences often display internally illogical structures. Recent theories propose that these experiences function as "spontaneous offline simulations" related to specific brain processes. This study investigates whether such perceived illogicality reflects a distinct, premodern mode of cognition-commonly referred to as "mythic" cognition-rather than a cognitive deficit. Thirty-one participants underwent four 90-minute flotation REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) sessions designed to induce altered, dream-like states. After each session, participants completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) and additional questions targeting features associated with mythic cognition. Participants showed significant phenomenological shifts toward experiences characteristic of mythic cognition. Specifically, their altered states during flotation exhibited ontological parallels with mythic conceptions of space, time, and substance. The findings support the hypothesis that the perceived illogicality in altered states arises from a distinct cognitive framework rather than from deficits.