Psychedelic literary studies and the poetics of disruption

Consciousness may be understood as a form of poetry, with the brain's default mode network acting as a kind of 'editor' that selects and organizes experience into coherent narratives. The article argues that both poetic creation and conscious experience involve a dynamic interplay between spontaneous, associative thought and structured, editorial refinement. This perspective bridges neuroscience and poetics, suggesting that the default mode network's role in self-referential thought and narrative construction is analogous to the editorial process in poetry. The authors propose that viewing consciousness through a poetic lens can offer new insights into its nature and function, potentially informing both scientific and artistic understandings of subjective experience.

Study at a glance

Abstract

OPINION article Front. Psychol., 09 June 2023Sec. Consciousness Research Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1155908