Minimal states of awareness across sleep and wakefulness: A multidimensional framework to guide scientific research

A new multidimensional framework introduces five phenomenological dimensions—Richness of the Content, Bodily-Awareness, Passage of Time, Attentional Focus, and Self-Revelation—to systematically study altered states of consciousness that appear contentless or objectless. Drawing on empirical research, the framework provides precise scientific terminology for operationalizing and adapting these experiences for future work. A case study applies the framework to clear light sleep, a state of pure awareness reported in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions that has drawn attention in analytic philosophy of mind. The framework situates clear light sleep and other associated states as regions within a multidimensional state space, clarifying their relationships and characterizations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

I introduce a novel multidimensional framework tailored to investigate a set of phenomena that might appear intractable and render them amenable to scientific inquiry. In particular, I focus on examining altered states of consciousness that appear to the experiencing subject as “contentless” or “objectless” states in some form, either by having disrupted or reduced content of awareness, or content that appears as missing altogether. By drawing on empirical research, I propose a cluster of phenomenological dimensions aimed at enhancing our understanding of this group of experiences of minimal awareness, including Richness of the Content, Bodily-Awareness, Passage of Time, Attentional Focus, and Self-Revelation. The result is a robust framework that provides precise scientific terminology, facilitating its operationalisation and adaptability for future empirical work. I show the explanatory power of this framework through a case study of the state of clear light sleep—a state widely reported by Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions as an instance of pure awareness during sleep, a state of consciousness-as-such. This rare phenomenon has gained increasing attention in contemporary analytic philosophy of mind for the study of the nature of consciousness. However, we still lack consensus on its characterisation and potential identity with other associated states. I end the paper by illustrating how the state of clear light sleep can be situated in relation to other associated states and more ordinary ones as regions of a multidimensional state space.