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The Mystery Of Consciousness

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Why are top scientists increasingly interested in researching human consciousness? Because the quest to solve the puzzle of human consciousness – the very essence of our being – is one of the great problems of modern science. For 2000 years, the questions surrounding human consciousness – how the everyday inner workings of our brains give rise to a single cohesive ‘reality’ and a sense of an individual ‘self’ – have been the province of philosophers from Plato to Descartes to Spinoza. Descartes is remembered for his dualist theory of consciousness in which the physical body is separate from the immaterial mind (or soul), and in large part because of his famous ‘soundbite’ about human consciousness,” I think, therefore I am.” However, modern brain imaging seems to indicate that it is Spinoza’s concept of an integrated mind-body that is closer to reality. And psychologist William James’ great work on consciousness in the late 1800s is slowly regaining the pivotal position it deserves in ...
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The Mystery Of Consciousness

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Consciousness has long perplexed scientists and philosophers alike. How do our brains, composed of billions of neurons, generate conscious experiences? This mystery is not merely academic; it has profound implications for our understanding of ourselves, other animals, and the potential for artificial intelligence to develop self-awareness. In recent years, researchers have made significant strides in this area, drawing on various disciplines to approach the question of consciousness from multiple angles. Contrary to popular belief, consciousness may be less about intelligence and more about our nature as living, breathing organisms. This perspective suggests that our conscious experiences are, in essence, controlled hallucinations that arise through our living bodies. In this view, consciousness and intelligence are distinct phenomena: one need not be highly intelligent to experience suffering, but being alive is a prerequisite. As our understanding of consciousness deepens, we may fin...
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Attention Schema Theory

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The Attention Schema Theory (AST) is a proposed explanation for how people claim to have a subjective consciousness. It proposes that three different phenomena – the control of attention, some aspects of social cognition, and the claim of subjective consciousness – are linked by one mechanism. First, in the theory, attention – the manner in which processing resources are selectively focused – is controlled partly with the help of an internal model of attention. That model is a representation, or a rich set of information, about attention itself. It includes information about the current state of attention and predictive information. Just as the brain constructs an arm schema to describe, predict, and thus help control the arm as it reaches toward objects, so the brain constructs an attention schema to describe, predict, and thus help control attention as it is directed toward items. In that analogy, endogenous or internally directed attention is like the motor system controlling the ar...
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Lucid Dreaming

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Have you ever wanted to take control of your dreams, to explore the vast landscapes of your subconscious mind with full awareness and clarity? Lucid dreaming, the art of becoming conscious within your dreams, has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Today, we will dive into the science behind lucid dreaming, uncovering the fascinating mechanisms that allow us to become conscious within our dreams and explore the ancient wisdom and practical techniques that can help you master this transformative skill.  Science Of Sleep & Dreams To understand lucid dreaming we must first explore the science of sleep and dreams. During sleep our brains cycle through different stages, each characterized by distinct patterns of brain wave activity, eye movements and physiological changes. One of the most fascinating stages is REM sleep , which stands for rapid eye movement, associated with vivid emotionally charged dreams. Research has shown that lucid dreaming often occurs during REM s...
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DMT Research

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An Encounter With The Other: A Thematic and Content Analysis of DMT Experience From a Naturalistic Field Study Introduction: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the qualitative content, over and above structure, which the drug occasions. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses of experiential content, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, uncontrolled use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences, i.e., producing very strong psychoactive effe...
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The Neuroscience Of Sleep And Dreams

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Seven Surprising Facts About Dreams — Why We Have Them and What They Mean 1. Dreams are not random From dream diaries recorded in ancient Egypt and China to reports from anthropologists in the Amazon, to surveys of modern Americans, evidence shows our dreams have a lot in common. For example, being chased and falling are pretty consistent. “Reports of nightmares and erotic dreams are nearly universal,” Jandial says, while people rarely report dreaming about math. Jandial says the lack of math makes sense because the part of your brain primarily responsible for logic — the prefrontal cortex — is typically not involved in dreaming. 2. Our brains are super active when we dream Jandial learned something fundamental about dreams in the midst of performing brain surgery. It was awake surgery — he’d numbed the scalp and partially opened the skull. (The brain does not feel pain). Jandial was operating on the left temporal lobe, where language is typically located. Working carefully to avoid da...
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The Neuroscience Of Sleep And Dreams

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Dr. Rahul Jandial spends a great deal of time delving into the human brain—both literally, as a neurosurgeon, and figuratively, as a researcher, professor and author of the international bestseller 'Life Lessons From a Brain Surgeon' and the memoir, 'Life on a Knife’s Edge'. In his engaging and information-packed new book, 'This Is Why You Dream: What Your Sleeping Brain Reveals About Your Waking Life', Jandial enthusiastically explores the slumberous state, offering tips to help readers use dreams to reach their full potential around the clock. “By interpreting your dreams,” he asserts, “you can make sense of your experience and explore your emotional life in new and profound ways.” Understanding the sleeping brain’s whimsy isn’t as simple as consulting a dream dictionary—which, by the way, Jandial does not recommend. That’s because dream dictionaries 'cleverly offer a mix of vagueness and specificity that make it easy to shape your personal circumstances t...
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