COGSCI180: Lecture 12: Nonduality and Transpersonal States of Consciousness

Experiences of nonduality or “direct awareness” in which one no longer experiences oneself as an entity separate from objects of perception have been reported in other contexts as well, in particular transpersonal states of consciousness have been associated with:

• ecstatic seizures

• use of psychedelic drugs

Ecstatic seizures associated w/ temporal lobe epilepsy beget a condition where what?

• one is fully present here and now, with enhavnced awareness of one’s own being, yet paradoxically at the same time, there is a blurring of the boundaries between one’s self and the world, leading to a feeling of transcendental oneness

• there is a sudden clarity, all objects of perception become much more immediate, vivid, and real

• there is a flood of meaningfulness and awe - everything seems infinitely meaningful

• perceived slowing of time

• nonjudgmental awareness w/ acceptance

According to contemplative literature, this flood of meaning arises in these moments of expanded consciousness because of what?

• bc of a recognition of something we truly are, something that is not reducible to the self

• everything and every moment is sensed to be a larger reality that is free and somehow right

• arriving at the real is intrinsically meaningful, whereas being distracted from that makes everything pall and seems somewhat meaningless

Note about awe

there have been tons of research in recent years on awe, in part bc it is supposedly the emotion that confers the greatest health benefits

The perceived slowing of time is probably related to what?

the stopping of the conceptual mind - what Niebauer calls the left-brain self

The nonjudgmental awareness w/ acceptance is by definition what?

• by definition is what mindfulness is

• one can try to be nonjudgmental, but that is very different from when the kind of nonjudgmentalism and total unconditional acceptance that arises spontaneously in direct awareness states

• the sense of judgement just naturally drops away, and there is a cognition that everything is exactly as it should be

  • The Beatles: “THere is no where you can be that you were not meant to be”

The same sort of heightened awareness, slowing of time, certainty that everything is as it should be that is characteristic of the seizure-induced experiences underpin accounts of the experiences of the direct awareness that occur when?

during deep states of meditation

Neurologist Fabienne Picard did extensive interviews of patients who had experienced ecstatic seizures and found their sensations were characterized by what? (3 things)

1. heightened self-awareness

2. sense of physical well-being

3. intense positive emotions

4. time dialation

Seizures in general can be subdivided into what two groups?

generalized and focal/parietal

Generalized seizures

• electrical discharges overwhelm the entire cortex

• often lead to loss of consciousness

Focal or parietal seizures

• electrical storm is confined to a small region of the brain

• patient often remains conscious

Temporal Lobe epilepsy

• the most common type of focal seizure

• however, ecstatic seizures, which generally only occur in cases of temporal lobe epilepsy, are uncommon

• one or both temporal lobes may be implicated

Temporal Lobe epilepsy: possible causes

• include head injury, stroke, brain infections, structural lesions in the brain, and brain tumors

  • however, often etiology is unknown

Temporal Lobe epilepsy: treatment

• anticonvulsant medicaitons

• surgery

• brain stimulation techniques

The what may play a particularly important role in ecstatic seizures, as well as transpersonal states of consciousness generally

insula

Neurologist Bud Craig believes that the insula, particularly the anterior insula, is what?

• the key to human awareness and may even be the seat of the “sentient self”

Why the insula as the key to human awareness/the “sentient self"?

• it is implicated in depersonalization disorder, the doppleganger effect, DID, and Cotard’s

  • all involve distortions in one’s perception of body states & emotions

• neuropsychological research has found that it is one of the primarily affected areas by meditation practice

  • there is evidence that it may be associated w/ meditation-induced experiences of nonduality

The anterior vs/ posterior insula (+ glass of water ex)

• the processing of signals seems to get progressively more sophisticated as one moves from the posterior to the anterior part of the insula

  • eg:

    • the posterior insula = responsible for representing temperature objectively

    • the anterior insula = correlated w/ the subjective perception of temp

  • when you drink a glass of cold water

    • the posterior = representing the actual temp

    • the anterior = represents the subjective feelings about the glass of water

      • ie: pleasant on a hot day & undesirable on a cold day

The anterior insula & ecstatic seizures: SPECT imaging in patients has revealed that it is often the what that is most active during ecstatic seizures?

• the right anterior insula

What is SPECT imaging?

SPECT (“poor man’s PET”) involves injecting a radioactive racer, which is absorbed by brain regions with greater blood flow during the target event

How do we experience time/what is the anterior insula’s role

• the anterior insula integrates interoceptive, exteroceptive, and the body’s state of action to create a “global emotional moment” once every 125 milliseconds

• the global emotional moments strung together is what gives us a continuous sense of a (narrative) self, even though the moments themselves are discrete

  • like watching a movie — even though the screen is displaying discrete frames, we perceive a seamless continuum

How does a hyperactive anterior insula relate to the feeling of time dialation

• could potentially generate these global emotional moments faster and faster, leading to a subjective sense of time dialation

  • this is like a high-speed camera shooting hundreds or thousands of frames per second - when played back at normal speed, we see everything in slo-mo

Why does this hyperactivity of the insula happen in cases involving temporal lobe epilepsy or meditation if it confers an advantage in terms of cognitive processing?

• according to contemplatives who practice mindfulness, this is because we normally have a tendency to suppress part of what our body is experiencing ie, unpleasant sensations, such as those associated with negative emotions

  • this prevents the kind of focused attention on present experience necessary for the hyperawareness to take place

In time dialation states, what would happen if one is grieving? Would there not be negative emotions in that case?

• in time fialation states, negative emotions are fully experienced

  • they just don’t feel “bad”

  • hence there is no real suffering

What may similarly induce experiences of expanded consciousness characterized by nonduality, enhanced awareness, time dilation, and blissful sensations?

Psychedelics

Psychedelics/hallucinogens are a specific subclass know to what?

• induce distortion of perception/altered states of consciousness

  • not all street drugs are psychedelics — cocaine and heroin are NOT known to induce expanded states of consciousness

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide): drug action

stimulates serotonergenic and dopaminergic receptors

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide): positive effects

• causes perceptual distortions and hallucinations: “altered states of consciousness”

  • emotions can vary from euphoria to detachment or panic

• sense of self may dissolve, as does border between oneself and the external world

• research has indicated that LSD may be effective for treating anxiety due to terminal illness, alcoholism, and cluster headaches

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide): adverse effects

• no documented fatalities from pharmacological action of LSD, but behavioral fatalities and suicides can occur

• may trigger panic attacks and extreme anxiety (“bad trips”); flashbacks

• may trigger psychotic break, especially in those with family history of schiz

MDMA (“Ecstasy”): drug action

causes release of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, and blocks their reabsorption

MDMA (“Ecstasy”): positive effects

• emotional elevation, disinhibition, feelings of connectedness with everyone

• research has indicated that MDMA may be effective for treating PTSD

MDMA (“Ecstasy”): adverse effects

• dehydration, overheating, and increase in blood pressure can cause death, especially when combined with dancing at raves

• “ecstasy” pills may be cut with dangerous chemicals

• potential damage to serotonin-producing neurons, leading to increased risk of depression and sleep problems

• memory impairments

Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”): drug action

stimulates serotonin receptors

Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”): positive effects

• causes euphoria, perceptual distorions, hallucinations

• may induce spiritual experiences

• single administration of the drug induced significant increase in personality dimension of openness to experience that persisted for over a year

Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”): adverse effects

• may cause nausea, panic attacks, confusion, and psychotic episodes, leading to accidents and suicide attemps

Ayahuasca (psychoactive brew): drug action

• DMT, the active ingredient binds to DMT receptors in the brain

• it also has MAO-inhibiting beta-carbolines that prevent enzymes in the gut from breaking down DMT, rendering it orally active

Ayahuasca (psychoactive brew): positive effects

• research has found potential antidepressant and anxiolytic effects; may also cause production of new neurons in hippocampus

• may induce msycial visions and spiritual expreiences

  • people have reported having spiritual revelations regarding their purpose on earth and the true nature of the universe

Ayahuasca (psychoactive brew): adverse effects

may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, autonomic instability, and interactions with other drugs can cause death

What plays a huge role in determining whether one has a good trip or a bad trip?

context

Odds of having a good trip are increased by what?

• a natural environment

• feeling you are in a safe space

• presence of a facilitator, who may be a shaman or a specially trained therapist

• several prep sessions where the guide helps you set an intention

• guide gives you “flight instructions”

  • they’ll talk to you about what to do if the experience becomes frightening and how to navigate that

• integration session after

  • you tell your story, try to make sense of it, apply the lessons

Tips/”flight instructions” for a good trip

• if you see a staircase, go up it; if you see a door, open it

• if you see a monster, don’t run away; step right up to it and ask, “What are you doing in my head? What do you have to teach me?”

• if you feel like you’re going crazy, dying, dissolving, don’t fight it, go with it - surrender to the experience

• if you have to go to the bathroom, don’t look in the mirror

Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution (DIED): short-term effects

• psychedelic drugs in the short run are known to produce dramatic effects on self-consciousness, especially at higher doses

DIED

• described as a loss of one’s sense of self and self-world boundaries, together with a concomitant oceanic feeling of “oneness” or “unity”

• phenomenologically, this is similar in many ways to the dissolving of the sense of self in meditation

Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution (DIED): long-term effects

• may permanently transform one’s views of reality - or not

  • the experience may produce “state” changes or “trait” changes

• the latter can happen in large bc the insights gained during these experiences tend to take on a special authority

Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution (DIED): long-term effects: the special authority

• it’s like a revealed truth, absolute knowledge, rather than just an opinion

• mystical experiences commonly also have this quality, which William James called “the noetic quality”

DIED: Even though the consciousness expanding effects tend to be short-lived and then the ego is back in control... what?

• the individual has had a taste of another way of being that is more open, less defensive, and they have that memory and can cultivate that (like through meditation)

  • meditation can help keep alive the psychedelic experience

Note about repeated doses of psychedelics

it is unlikely to work due to development of tolerance

Neurological Correlates of DIED

psychedelics in general bind to a particular type of serotonin receptor, 5-HT2A

DIED: What type of neurotransmitter is serotonin, and what important role does it play?

• it is a “feel good” neurotransmitter

• plays an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep, memory, and many other functions

• there are receptors in your brain that are configured to recieve serotonin

  • other ligands (like psychedelics) can also bind to these receptors

    • either can facilitate or inhibit action: psychedelics facilitate/enhance serotonergic activity

The serotonergic activity caused by psychedelics causes a cascade effect that results in what?

• results in the DMN being downregulated

  • "Micheal Pollan has claimed that if the ego has an address, it’s in the DMN

• in experiences of DIED (as with meditation), the DMN goes offline

What happens when the DMN goes offline?

• there is a collapse of the highly organized neural circuits within the DMN and in connections between the DN and other regions of the brain

• as a result, other networks in the brain that normally would only comminicate through this hub, start directly communcating with eachother

  • hence you begin to see music/feel it as something palpable

Temporary rewiring of the brain in the absence of the DMN regulator/central controller allows for what?

allows for greater cognitive flexibility (entropic brain theory)

Is brain activity in schiz similar to that one someone using psychedelics?

• there is disinhibition of inhibitory neural circuits in both cases

• BUT, psychedelics involve increased neural connections and association, while schiz is characterized by fewer association (mostly due to large neural loss, esp in the frontal lobe)

Is depersonalization similar to DIED?

• DID involves a dissociation form the self whereas DIED is more about letting go of the problematic ego self, that is the selfish, self-centered slef

Entropic Brain Theory

• ordinary waking consciousness is characterized by entropic suppression

• highly organized neural circuits in the DMN act as selective filtering mechanisms

Entropic Brain Theory: selective filtering mechansims

sort things according to a limited number of varibales or categories out of which we construct our world (eg. warm, unpleasant, green)

Entropic Brain Theory: selective filtering mechansims: they normally do what?

• constrain neural systems central to perception, emotion, cognition, and sense of self

• imbues normal waking consciousness w/ a constrained quality but allows for the operation of certain metacognitive functions, including reality-testing and self-awareness

• psychedelics perturb these brain processes

Research suggests that what is responsible for the expansion in “consciousness” associated with drug-induced DIED

the simultaneous activation of brain networks that are normally mutually exclusive

• may be analogous to the dramatic increase in gamma wave activity seen w/ meds

• similar in may ways to Integrated Information THeory

IMPORTANT NOTE/SUMMARY: Consciousness may arise from what?

consciousness may arise from neural integration and complexity

• this may also be what confers a sense of “meaning”

Psychedelic Therapy: the expanded states of consciousness associated w/ psycedelics and the increased cognitive flexibility may be particularly helpful in treating disorders that are a product of what?

a product of “a stuck brain, a brain that is locked in loops, a mind that is telling itself destructive stories”

Psychedelic Therapy: psychedelic therapy and mindfulness meditation may work by allowing people to see that what?

that that sense of “wafulness” is largely just a cognitive construct

What are other psychological isorders that may be a product of rigid, fixed thought that psychedelics appear to treat well?

• addiction

• obsessive thinking

• depression

New research indicates that psychedelics may work in part by what?

reopening the critical learning period

Recent research indicates the psilocybin is also effective in treating what disorder?

• major depression

  • 24 participants underwent two 5-hour psilocybin sessions

  • the magnitude of the effect was about 4 times larger than for traditional antidepressants

Research on the effectiveness of ketamine in treating depression is more mixed: good news

research indicates that for those with treatment resistant repression, ketamine may result in improved mood within 4 hours and peak at 24 hours

Research on the effectiveness of ketamine in treating depression is more mixed: bad news

• effect is significantly diminished by 7 days and msot people relapse within 10 days

• may increase risk of dissociation, sedation, “feeling drunk,” suicidal ideation, and completed suicide

Why is microdosing (eg on psilocybin or ketamine) very difficult to study?

bc of huge placebo effect of psychedelics

There has been a resurgence in studying psychedelics in recent years - where launched the campus’s first Center for the Science of Psychedelics and public education in 2020

UCB

What other methods have been reported to induce expanded states of consciousness?

sensory deprivation flotation tanks and holotropic breathworks