Anomalous Experience

Context: "Unidenti ed Aerial Phenomena" (UAP) describe aerial objects that cannot be identi ed or explained. ese phenomena have been the subject of signi cant interest, investigation, as governments and scienti c communities. Below is a review of astronomical observations related to UAPs. We emphasize statistical measurements of data that are key ndings for speed, altitude, and size estimation of UAPs. Aims: Monitoring the daytime sky allows us to detect bright and dark objects moving at speeds of several Mach, hundreds of meters in size and more, and to assess their characteristics. Methods: Two meteor stations for two-sided monitoring with a base of up to 120 km were used to detect luminous objects in the troposphere and near space. Observations were made in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. Results: We are discovering UAPs showing regular ashes with a duration of hundredths of a second. Two-sided monitoring led to the detection of luminous objects in the troposphere at an altitude of 2.6 km, moving at a speed of 2.3 Mach with a linear size of about 6 meters. Two-sided monitoring of the daytime sky led to the detection of a luminous space object at an altitude of 1,174 km, moving at a speed of 282 km/s, with a linear size exceeding 100 meters. Colourimetry showed a space object that has an albedo comparable to that of the Moon (0.037). If we assume that the object glows with re ected light from the Sun, its size is estimated at 3.0 ± 0.4 km. e UAP was recorded by the Ukrainian armed forces in the combat zone at an estimated altitude of 8 km. Its speed is about 2.5 M. e object has a huge width of about 6 km and a height of about 1.5 km.

Theatre production is a collaborative creative activity. Recent theory and research into group creativity recognizes the relationships between individuals, groups, and the contexts in which creativity emerges. It also suggests that between the interactive creative processes of the collaborators and their work, the work itself becomes a kind of creative entity. In this essay, I explain how all creativity is now seen as collaboration, outline this process, and illustrate the differences between seeing theatre as an aggregate, collective activity and the more integrated view, in which the process is synergistically collaborative. An understanding of the cognitive and behavioral processes of group creativity can enhance and facilitate any creative work, making it valuable to the field of theatre, not only for the director, who is primarily responsible for the process, but to anyone working on a production. It seems clichéd to say that theatrical production is a collaborative creative process. It is clearly manifested through a community made up of theatre practitioners and their public rather than through any single individual. But what do we really mean by "collaborative?" Is this simply a collective activity or something more synergistic? And what do we mean by "creative process?" Is that the same thing as the process of production? Some might say that theatre production is interpretive, not creative; that the playwright alone is creative. Others might say that in a "director's theatre" everyone, including the play, serves the director's "vision" of the play. Actually, when examined in light of research into the cognitive and behavioral processes of creativity, not only are the terminology and questions clarified, but the answers are also far less subjective than one might expect. These answers point to two fundamental ideas: First, there is a cognitive and behavioral process of creativity that we all share as human beings; it is the same, though flexible, for all of us. Secondly, all creativity is collaborative. That is, no one individual is ever solely the originator of a creative work, because all creative work draws on a multiplicity of sources, a multiplicity of contributors who interact, either directly or indirectly, with both the creator(s) and the creative work itself. Research into creativity generally and group process specifically indicates that, as Frank Barron puts it, "The lone creator is an insufficient metaphor. All creativity is a collaboration" (59). In a group activity like theatre production, one expects that a creative process is operating for every individual involved, and operating simultaneously. Every individual involved is both creative and interpretive, artist and craftsman. At the group level however, there is more to it.

Since ancient times, unexpected solar and lunar eclipses caused by unknown bodies have been described in historical and astronomical annals. Such cases are ignored and forgotten. Nevertheless, strange shadows were discovered around other stars also.

Much attention has been paid recently to the role of anomalous experiences in the aetiology of certain types of psychopathology, e.g. in the formation of delusions. We examine, instead, the top-down influence of pre-existing beliefs and affective factors in shaping an individual's characterisation of anomalous sensory experiences. Specifically we investigated the effects of paranormal beliefs and alexithymia in determining the intensity and quality of an altered state of consciousness (ASC). Fifty five participants took part in a sweat lodge ceremony, a traditional shamanic ritual which was unfamiliar to them. Participants reported significant alterations in their state of consciousness, quantified using the 'APZ' questionnaire, a standardized measure of ASC experience. Participants endorsing paranormal beliefs compatible with shamanic mythology, and those showing difficulty identifying feelings scored higher on positive dimensions of ASC experience. Our findings demonstrate that variation in an individual's characterisation of anomalous experiences is nuanced by pre-existing beliefs and affective factors.

UFO contact cases change with the understanding and technology of the times. What contactees reported in the 1950s or even before is radically different than what they report today. The aliens change, their ships change, and so their places of origin. Are we being beguiled or are these encounters being manufactured by a supreme intelligence that draws on our cultural beliefs?

Can reality be manipulated not only by a paraphysical force but by ourselves?  Could this explain everything from urban myths to stories of the Men in Black? Is much of what we perceive illusionary? Is there any way to tell what is real and what is not? Or is nothing real?

Phenomenology as a research method is rooted in rigorous examination of first-person experiences, and identifying that which is essential to the appearance of the object. Phenomenology offers several important strengths that make it critical to include as a supplemental method to more empirical approaches. Strengths of phenomenology include the restoring of the lived world as the foundation of knowledge, moving beyond the extraterrestrial hypothesis, the exploration of absences, the discrimination between sensory perception and non-ordinary perception, exploring UAP as intersubjective experiences, and drawing similarities between UAP and other anomalous phenomena.

We use high-tech observations of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) class objects to evaluate their characteristics. We present data in five cases. (1) Bright UAPs over Kyiv and San Diego. (2) Dark objects over Kyiv and New York. (3) Space UAPs. (4) Analysis of objects near the Moon. (5) Analysis of the object recorded in the combat zone. Two-side observations of bright UAPs showed tropospheric objects at altitudes of several kilometers, size is about 10 m and speed of several Mach or more. Two-side space UAP observations showed objects at altitudes of more than 1000 km that exhibit unprecedentedly high linear velocities of hundreds of km/s and sizes of several kilometers. UAP observations over Kiev and New York revealed objects of large linear size, one about 150 meters and the other about 100 meters, with unprecedentedly high speeds, about 120 km/s and the other about 13 km/s. The motion of the objects does not cause atmospheric disturbances. We report sightings of objects of enormous size. They resemble a large floating island in the sky, similar to Laputa, described in Swift's novel "Gulliver". The albedo of these objects is a few percent, making their detection a challenge.

For years, there has been a heated debate over the nature of the UFO phenomenon. Are these objects extraterrestrial, interdimensional, or paranormal? While the alien thesis is and has always been the consensus, those who advocate a nuts-and-bolts approach need to take a closer look at these sightings. A lot of them involve folkloric themes, the occult, and the metaphysical. Are UFOs coming here to observe or enlighten us or do they simply have no purpose?

Understanding consciousness or how we experience ourselves and exist in the world, is an argument that has no real clear defining path. It has also caused controversy between two opposing fields of materialist science and philosophy. In a recent journal article, Anderson (2018) posits transpersonal research requires awareness and understanding of consciousness toward an integrated sacred science approach. This approach is often the result of mystical experiences that go beyond brain activity and is rarely accepted as valid.

The brain is a fascinating organ that clearly has a role to play in consciousness and how we experience consciousness. However, there are many opposing theories that create division and cause divisive misunderstandings. As an example, the materialist Daniel Dennet’s position is that consciousness and the experience of awareness is produced solely in the brain and within the functions of the brain (Dennett, 20o5). Another example examines that the brain is not the seat of consciousness (Woolacott, 2015) because of the near-death experiences when the brain neurons are not active. In fact, in a recent video interview McGilchrist (2020) suggests that consciousness can be experienced without the neurological process of the brain.

Mystical experiences can help us to understand the brain and consciousness from an experiential point of view. These experiences are often transpersonal and result in a deeper connection with the self, Welwood (2002), that causes personal transformation.

A potential sacred science research experiential approach will enhance our comprehension of the mind and brain, especially when there’s a neurological correlation. In his groundbreaking research Tarrant (2023) identifies potential experiences that have correlation between the mind and brain and clearly show areas of the brain that are active during the mystical experiences. This is also supported by Miller (2021) who postulates the brain is a receiver of spiritual experience. The research suggests the brain is therefore acting as a receiver and is therefore not the architect of consciousness as suggested by mainstream materialist beliefs.

In this essay I will explore the correlations of cognitive neuroscience and mystical experiences. I will argue that an examination of the evidence resulting from mystical experiences is a potential research model in ‘Sacred Science’ to understand the mind, brain, and humanistic psychology. The evidence shows that mystical experiences can help us to understand the mind and brain relationship at a deeper level. The limits of measurement have always been a problem in science which requires objective analysis. I propose that a conjoined evidential approach is better and explore the limitations of the measurement of mystical experiences and why there needs to be a synergy between experiences, spirit and science.

Our inability to rewind time may cast some doubt about the genuineness of the effectiveness of our free choice capability. I suggest that the so-called presentiment anomalous experience can be used to verify this genuineness. The idea is to post stimulus compare averaged results from two apparently “similar” presentiment tests ("channels") carried out simultaneously on the same individual. Before the occurrence of the stimulus an experimenter decides, in real time, whether to observe the measurements in any channel or not and immediately performs this decision before the occurrence of the stimulus. A case in which a channel is observed during real time and a case in which it has not belong to different decoherent histories. This holds true because according to the “Orthodox Interpretation” of quantum mechanics the conscious observation collapses the multitude of possible pre stimulus measurements to just the perceived one. In such cases quantum mechanics imposes a disappearance of the retrospective presentiment effect. Thus, in such a parallel design one can compare what happens when an observation is carried out and is not carried out at the same time instance. The presentiment effect disappearance in the observed channel despite its appearance in the unobserved channel for the same moments is thus evidence for the effectiveness of the experimenter's willed observation.

The first aim of this article is to provide an example of the spontaneous deployment of Lacanian concepts in the rendition of disturbing experiences by narrators naïve to psychoanalytic theory. The second aim is to explore the applicability of Lacanian theory for understanding experiences of the paranormal. The text analysed is a 27-minute sequence from the television mini-series Deadly Possessions. In it, Cindy Lee and her daughter Irene relate a story about the murder of Cindy’s Uncle Bob, Frank Saletri, who lived in Bela Lugosi’s old house. They are experiencing traumatic disturbances around the mirror that, we are told, was in the bedroom during the murder and want to donate it to the host’s Haunted Museum. A Lacanian reading of the text is provided which draws on the following concepts: mirror stage, primal scene, the uncanny, objet a, and the fundamental fantasy. A reflection is then offered with regard to the aims of the analysis.

Background: A cognitive model of psychosis suggests that appraisals of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), and the subsequent responses adopted, are responsible for the maintenance of distress and disability associated with psychosis. Aims: This study aimed to investigate whether it is possible to manipulate appraisals of an anomalous experience in people at risk of psychosis and whether this affects levels of distress. Method: Participants who had experienced an “at risk mental state” (ARMS) within the past year, were randomized to one of two groups and received either negative or neutral information pertaining to an anomalous experience (a card trick). Participants completed a questionnaire measuring PLEs, then completed pre and post measures of distress and anxiety in relation to the card trick. Participants were also asked to rate a series of psychotic or non-psychotic appraisals regarding how they thought the card trick worked. Results: Data analysis revealed that distress and a...

The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) or Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) objects collected in the main by branches of the U.S. military. Most were assessed as routine airborne phenomena. The remaining demonstrated unusual flight characteristics and required further analysis. Thus, UFOs as pop culture objects have become objects of scientific research. NASA and the Harvard University Observatory are engaged in UAP research. The Main Astronomical Observatory of NAS of Ukraine conducts an independent study of UAP. Here we consider an episode involving two UAP objects. The episode was observed on April 23, 2018, in Kyiv and lasted about 3 sec. The speed of the objects is supersonic, about 3 M.

Some non-ordinary spiritual experiences cannot be explained on a purely materialistic basis since the materialistic model could only partially explain them. The four main groups of such phenomena are: (I) Mediumship: why do some texts have accurate, verifiable information in controlled and blind studies that exclude fraud or coincidence? (II) Memories of past lives: how could some reports have precise verifiable matches, sometimes even with birthmarks from the previous persona? (III) Near-death experiences: how could a few people remember actual events that occurred in the resuscitation period when brain activity was absent? (IV) End-of-life experiences: how come people with dementia due to irreversible brain damage can experience paradoxical lucidity phenomenon? There are aspects in these phenomena that point to the survival of consciousness after death, coming from rigorous research published in peer-reviewed journals. Therefore, science needs a paradigm shift to accommodate the idea of consciousness as an element independent of the brain.

Technological advancements have allowed us to build robotic space probes to remotely explore the solar system. Interstellar robotic missions are under serious consideration. Advanced extant extraterrestrial civilizations within the galaxy, if they exist, are very likely exploring with robotic probes as well, some of which may have reached our solar system and taken an interest in life on Earth. Recent technological advances make it possible to conduct a scientific search for evidence of extraterrestrial interstellar robotic probes. Modern solid-state sensing devices and scientific instruments, combined with high-speed computer hardware, can be used in an effort to detect the physical presence of a probe. The SETV (Search for Extraterrestrial Visitation) model is new and an offspring of SETA (artifacts) and SETI. SETV includes the construction of passive autonomous data acquisition platforms using "commercial off-theshelf" hardware, to collect reliable and unambiguous data on anomalous observational phenomena that may be ETI probes. The SETV hypothesis and experimental methods will be described. The SETV hypothesis can be experimentally tested and attempts to statistically reject a null hypothesis which states that ETI probes do not exist. SETV Pre and Post-detection protocols are necessary and will be examined. SETV is a timely, results-oriented, method worthy of serious consideration in our continuing desire to answer the question "Are we alone?"

Across the world we are experiencing baffling instances which lead us to believe that there is life after death. There are events which lead to communications from dead ; people have seen apparitions resembling the lost ones; there have been occasions when someone comes in dream to tell that now you will not be seeing him/her and next day you hear the sad news of death; incarnation is surfacing from several parts of the world. Parapsychological researchers across the globe are collecting data on these phenomena and analyzing to explore whether there is life beyond death. However, from time immemorial, there has been belief that there is survival after death. This belief is serving many purposes in current life. This article tends to examine the same.

In reading the Summer 2007 issue of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, I was especially taken with Keith Augustine's comments about embellishment of near-death experience (NDE) accounts (Augustine, 2007). He asked the same questions many of us in research do: Are narratives ever exaggerated, changed over time, or colored by the experiencer for any reason? Bruce Greyson (2007) found no significant difference with 72 experiencers who recently filled out an extensive survey report that they had previously done 20 years ago. His conclusion after comparing the two: "Memories of near-death experiences appear to be more stable than memories of other traumatic events" (Greyson, 2007, p. 410). In other words, there were no significant differences in the accounts as a result of time's passing. This agrees with what I have noticed in my research of near-death states, for the most part. Still, there are other reactions and responses experiencers exhibit that cause me to be careful in how I regard neardeath accounts initially. A rendering of what I have found follows. No Initial Disclosure After having interviewed nearly 4,000 adult and child experiencers, I can state that it is typical for near-death experiencers to withhold an initial reporting of what happened to them. Many are afraid to be so open, either because they fear being labeled crazy and made to face a psychiatrist, or because they are unsure how others might respond, so they keep it secret. Most, though, are so overwhelmed by what happened that they simply "do not have words" and struggle silently with the issue of belief: Can they trust what they experienced? Was it really, really real? Are they kidding themselves? How can it best be described? What can they make of it?

Introduction: We tested and validated the German version of a new instrument for measuring "wakefulness," defined as "an expansive, higher-functioning, and stable state of being in which a person's vision of and relationship to the world are transformed, along with their subjective experience, their sense of identity and their conceptual outlook" (Taylor, 2017, p. 22). Methods: In order to test the construct validity of the new instrument (Inventory of Secular/Spiritual Wakefulness; WAKE-16), we performed a parametric comparison between a group of expert meditators (n ¼ 36) with a history of predominantly meditating in silence and demographically matched non-meditators (n ¼ 36) for the WAKE-16 and two conceptually related questionnaires of mindfulness and emotion regulation. Results: Significantly higher scores for the meditators on the WAKE-16 indicate construct validity of the new instrument. Meditators scored higher on the two mindfulness subscales "presence" and "acceptance," as well as on the SEE subscales of emotion regulation and body-related symbolization of emotions. Within the group of meditators, there were significant correlations between wakefulness and mindfulness, accepting one's own emotions, and experiencing overwhelming emotions. The only significant correlation in non-meditators was found between wakefulness and accepting one's own emotions.

Bibliographies  are important  resources  for  any researcher. Thousands  of  books, papers  and studies on the UFO phenomenon have appeared since the last century, offering a wide range of theories, speculations and explanations which shed light on many aspects of the phenomenon, some  scientific-oriented,  others  linked  with  mysticism,  esotericism, parasciences  and  the metaphysical. This shows that the UFO subject is far more comprehensive and complicated than has been recognized by the adherents of any particular theory or solution. There are deep historical roots, far-reaching social and psychological implications and a complex overlapping of many disparate subject fields. It is necessary to examine all aspects in order to understand the meaning of the phenomenon, which in many cases also seems to have a diffuse origin.
This 1,300-item bibliography offers a comprehensive compilation of publications on psychological aspects of UFO experiences, both from academia and private UFO research. The  objective  of  this  bibliography  is  to  collect  scientific  material  related  to  the  UFO phenomenon dealing with psychological aspects of witness reliability and the psychology of UFO experiences.

In this article we report some excerpts from the writings of Dr A.M., a healthy adult female, in relation to the knowledge she acquired during the regular mystical experiences she has been having since April 2014. This case is exceptional for multiple reasons. First, she experienced this particular state of consciousness without any associated medical or neurological illnesses. Second, these experiences did not harm her professional or personal life; rather, they had and continue to have a positive impact on her life. Third, the stability and longevity of her involvement with mystical experiences; Fourth, the knowledge she has been acquiring encompasses philosophical, religious and historical relevant aspects, the content of which extend far beyond her personal cultural and scientific knowledge. This case of a modern mystic supplements our traditional cultural and scientific ideas about the relationship between ordinary human mind activity and spirituality, and between our inner and outer worlds.

Using an alchemical hermeneutical approach combined with heuristic research, the thesis explores the roots of preconscious trauma and opioid use disorder as a symptom to escape unbearable emotional suffering related to a complex relationship between the death instinct and maternal nurturance. Opioid use is explored as a compensatory though ill-contained incubation ritual akin to healing traditions of the Asclepian cult in Greece. The research illustrates a distinctly Jungian depth perspective on the duende of the real relationship in the psychotherapeutic alliance and its efficacy in facilitating a reconciliation with the Self that allows one to experience belonging, conscious embodiment, and a renewed enchantment with life that sustains long-term recovery.
Collective trauma is explored in relation to the unique precipice in which we find ourselves in the 21st century as we face the 6th Great Extinction

Mindfulness meditation is a contemplative practice informed by Buddhism that targets the development of
present-focused awareness and non-judgment of experience. Interest in mindfulness is burgeoning, and it has
been shown to be effective in improving mental and physical health in clinical and non-clinical contexts. In this
report, for the first time, we used electroencephalography (EEG) combined with a neurophenomenological
approach to examine the neural signature of “cessation” events, which are dramatic experiences of complete
discontinuation in awareness similar to the loss of consciousness, which are reported to be experienced by very
experienced meditators, and are proposed to be evidence of mastery of mindfulness meditation. We intensively
sampled these cessations as experienced by a single advanced meditator (with over 23,000 h of meditation
training) and analyzed 37 cessation events collected in 29 EEG sessions between November 12, 2019, and March
11, 2020. Spectral analyses of the EEG data surrounding cessations showed that these events were marked by a
large-scale alpha-power decrease starting around 40 s before their onset, and that this alpha-power was lowest
immediately following a cessation. Region-of-interest (ROI) based examination of this finding revealed that this
alpha-suppression showed a linear decrease in the occipital and parietal regions of the brain during the pre-
cessation time period. Additionally, there were modest increases in theta power for the central, parietal, and
right temporal ROIs during the pre-cessation timeframe, whereas power in the Delta and Beta frequency bands
were not significantly different surrounding cessations. By relating cessations to objective and intrinsic measures
of brain activity (i.e., EEG power) that are related to consciousness and high-level psychological functioning,
these results provide evidence for the ability of experienced meditators to voluntarily modulate their state of
consciousness and lay the foundation for studying these unique states using a neuroscientific approach.

What is an anomalous phenomenon (AP) and what is physico-informational interaction (PI) - we know intuitively only. AP is a phenomenon that differs significantly from what science can currently explain (unidentified flying objects, mass reports of observations of phenomena that, from a scientific point of view, are unreliable, the existence of fields of unknown nature affecting the human condition).

As primarily a descendent of literary critique and post-structural theory, postcolonial criticism tends to dissect, analyze and categorize mythology and folklore as the literature of an oral culture or pre-literate society, one that is "further behind" on the trajectory of progress as defined by civilizational stadial theory. Myth and folklore is thus often considered as story, metaphor, explanatory device or form of fiction, which solidifies its definition as something "false". In this dissertation, I argue this methodology continues a colonial imposition of western enlightenment mentalities, positivism and a particular construction of reality that operates as universal as part of the universalizing force of imperialism. This act of de-mystification decenters belief and orders different ways of knowing, making it part of the ontological violence that defines colonialism and neocolonial hegemony. Using the Irish context as example, this thesis looks at incorporating ideas from religious studies, current anomalous folklore, and new academic work in indigenous theory and indigenous storytelling as offering decolonial modes for understanding people's interaction with the mythic and new tools for continuing the postcolonial project of self-critique.

We consider a new type of anomalous transport in the particular type of continuous time random walk (CTRW) in the stochastic process where the particle have interaction with its environment and may behave unexpectedly more random or more stable. The process that was utilized in this study uses the integrated Brownian motion subordinated by an inverse α-stable subordinator. The proposed new process has external field which causes the two most probable points to have another point between them and we termed it as anomalous jump. We compute the timescale for the mean squared displacement of the usual continuous time random walk (CTRW) and the anomalous jump. Furthermore, as expected, the time scale for the anomalous jump exhibits an interaction with its environment when there is an imposed memory kernel function. Lastly, using the time scale obtained for the MSD of the anomalous jump, we have generalized the external drift force field on the coupled Langevin equation obtained by Fogedby.

Las Experiencias Humanas Anómalas (EHA, por su sigla en inglés) ocurren con frecuencia, tanto en la población sana como patológica. Este artículo presentará una breve revisión de la fenomenología y la semiología de las EHA, como la glosolalia, la xenolalia y las experiencias fuera del cuerpo (EFC) con sus posibles características comunes. Además, se describen dos casos anecdóticos de glosolalia y xenolalia, como también se analizan brevemente los posibles elementos transformadores y las características patológicas de las EHA.

Our inability to rewind time may cast some doubt about the genuineness of the effectiveness of our free choice capability. I suggest that the so-called presentiment anomalous experience can be used to verify this genuineness. The idea is to post stimulus compare averaged results from two apparently "similar" presentiment tests ("channels") carried out simultaneously on the same individual. Before the occurrence of the stimulus an experimenter decides, in real time, whether to observe the measurements in any channel or not and immediately performs this decision before the occurrence of the stimulus. A case in which a channel is observed during real time and a case in which it has not belong to different decoherent histories. This holds true because according to the "Orthodox Interpretation" of quantum mechanics the conscious observation collapses the multitude of possible pre stimulus measurements to just the perceived one. In such cases quantum mechanics imposes a disappearance of the retrospective presentiment effect. Thus, in such a parallel design one can compare what happens when an observation is carried out and is not carried out at the same time instance. The presentiment effect disappearance in the observed channel despite its appearance in the unobserved channel for the same moments is thus evidence for the effectiveness of the experimenter's willed observation.

The mind-body relationship has prompted debate from the times of millennial religious traditions and the ancient Greeks through to contemporary neuroscience, and although these questions have yet to be decisively answered, therapeutic interventions today are guided by assumptions made in this respect. Research on the neural correlates of consciousness and mental expressions has made progress over the last 15 years by developing functional brain imaging methods. This approach may open up new perspectives for studies of the expression of presumed instances of spiritual consciousness, which would have major ethical, social and philosophical implications. We pose a promising new line of research in the neurosciences and discuss certain issues pertaining to the effective use of neuroimaging to investigate mediumship and advance the consensus comprehension of consciousness, alleged spiritual communication and its relations with the brain. We highlight methodological challenges and lessons gleaned from our neurofunctional study of mediumship to be considered for further research in this field when formulating hypotheses to address these phenomena, and discuss useful guidelines for neuroimaging studies of spiritual experiences in general.

The mind-body relationship has prompted debate from the times of millennial religious traditions and the ancient Greeks through to contemporary neuroscience, and although these questions have yet to be decisively answered, therapeutic interventions today are guided by assumptions made in this respect. Research on the neural correlates of consciousness and mental expressions has made progress over the last 15 years by developing functional brain imaging methods. This approach may open up new perspectives for studies of the expression of presumed instances of spiritual consciousness, which would have major ethical, social and philosophical implications. We pose a promising new line of research in the neurosciences and discuss certain issues pertaining to the effective use of neuroimaging to investigate mediumship and advance the consensus comprehension of consciousness, alleged spiritual communication and its relations with the brain. We highlight methodological challenges and lessons gleaned from our neurofunctional study of mediumship to be considered for further research in this field when formulating hypotheses to address these phenomena, and discuss useful guidelines for neuroimaging studies of spiritual experiences in general.

Confronté à de récents accidents liés à des défaillances dans la maintenance des hélicoptères, l'industrie aéronautique s'intéresse de plus en plus à la sécurité de ses appareils. Le concept d'erreur humaine peut être alors convoqué bien qu'il présente certaines limites. Dans ce cadre un premier objectif de notre travail de thèse est de comprendre l'activité de maintenance des hélicoptères dans différents contextes. Cet objectif renvoie à un enjeu scientifique : produire un modèle de l'activité de maintenance d'hélicoptère-et pragmatique : soutenir le développement d'outils prédictifs mobilisables par des ingénieurs en maintenabilité 1. N'ayant pour le moment pas accès physiquement aux situations réelles de maintenance, la méthode d'entretien des incidents critiques est utilisée pour nous permettre d'approcher cette activité. Les premiers résultats mettent en avant quatre dimensions de l'activité de maintenance : La planification de l'action, la construction d'un diagnostic, les arbitrages pour l'action et les éléments de contexte influençant ces trois premières dimensions.

Shared-death-experiences (SDEs) and after-death-communication-experiences (ADCEs) are non-ordinary mental experiences related to the death of a known or unknown person. These experiences were investigated by surveying four samples with different cultural backgrounds: Italian, Mexican, Brazilian and Taiwanese people. One-hundred-twenty-one participants reported 146 experiences of this type.Among the main characteristics of these experiences, visual, visual-auditory and feeling experiences, which comprised 74% of all experiences, were experienced both in the dream state and a normal state of consciousness. Furthermore, most of these experiences were lived before (47.3%) or after (39%) the death of the person in relationship with the participants.More importantly, these experiences influenced the participants’ death interpretation favoring the belief that death affects only the body, but the consciousness of the deceased persons survives in another reality and sometimes can communicate...

We describe simultaneous observations of UAPs 1 in daylight by multiple observers (aircrew and passengers) on board two civil aircraft in widely separated locations. Recordings of ATC radar data, and of radio communications reporting events in real time to Air Traffic Control, are examined alongside CAA documents, witness interviews, and other sources. A detailed reconstruction of the sighting geometry is offered. We describe attempts to explain the phenomena with the help of expert advisers and professional resources in the fields of meteorology, atmospheric optics, geophysics and other fields. Report on Aerial Phenomena Observed near the Channel Islands Baure, Clarke, Fuller & Shough Acknowledgements This investigation touches on many different areas of expertise and we are grateful for the patience of many people and organisations who have assisted us with information and advice. They are credited in the text along with many print and web resources. We apologise to anyone whose name has been inadvertently omitted, and for any mistaken or absent credits which we will be glad to correct (please contact the authors*). Although we have endeavoured to check with authoritative sources wherever practical, the authors are of course wholly responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation that remain.

Abstract—Unusual atmospheric phenomena (UAPs) were observed in daylight by multiple observers on board two civil aircraft in widely separated locations. We summarise results of an investigation based on radio communications reporting events in real time to Air Traffic Control (ATC), ...

To embark on the journey of self-understanding, one should not overly romanticize one's true essence. Most of us are enmeshed in automatic processes, which often precipitate an awareness of occurrences only after events have already transpired. This suggests that evolution has been prescient, predisposing organisms towards autonomy through intricate systems, orchestrating the human body's ability to respond swiftly to unexpected events. For many, this scientifically verified objective reality evokes discomfort as it dismantles the sentimental self-image of being masters over oneself and one's choices. However, as echoed by Plato through the allegory of the cave, unless we confront our automatism and mechanical nature, aspiring towards any semblance of free will remains a far-fetched notion.

Apresentação do Caso: paciente do sexo feminino, 39 anos, do lar, ensino superior completo, casada, evangélica. Comparece ao pronto atendimento psiquiátrico acompanhada do marido apresentando desorientação temporal, mussitações e afonia, estereotipias motoras e recusa alimentar por 2 dias, após interrupção abrupta de sertralina e risperidona há 20 dias. Optou-se por internar e reintroduzir psicofármacos. Meses antes teve sua primeira internação com hipótese diagnóstica de Transtornos Dissociativos, em uso da medicação descrita desde então. Família informa que desde o falecimento da mãe em 2010 a paciente teve mudança brusca de comportamento, havendo oscilação da interação social, episódios de irritabilidade intensa com privação do sono, discurso autorreferente e estados de possessão. Antes disso, atitudes consideradas normais e temperamento ansioso. Na internação atual, evoluiu com atitude dramático-teatral, mussitações intercaladas com afonia e solilóquios imediatamente anteriores à verbalização, marcha estereotipada e alentecida, além de 2 estados de possessão com glossolalia presenciados pela equipe. Relata ainda alucinações auditivas que afirma manifestar desde 2015 e que diminuem significativamente sob intervenções de seu pastor. Recebeu alta mantendo atitude teatral e estereotipias, fazendo uso de venlafaxina, olanzapina e clonazepam. Em retorno ambulatorial relatou sentir-se agitada e acelerada, reduzindo-se o antidepressivo e se introduzindo lítio. Discussão: partindo de pressupostos presentes na literatura científica sobre experiências anômalas não psicóticas, estados dissociativo-conversivos, de transe e possessão, transtornos factícios, de humor e esquizofrenia, foi necessário avaliar a evolução quanto a expressão e remissão dos fenômenos e sua consistência, a vivência religioso-cultural da paciente, seu histórico cognitivo e afetivo, elementos de ganho secundário, presença ou não de desorganização do pensamento e a relação com alterações do humor. Concluiu-se por um quadro de histeria, porém sendo ainda necessário avaliar sua associação com transtornos de humor, através de resgate mais profundo da história pessoal, ampliação ambulatorial do vínculo e do auxílio de escalas como a YMRS, a PANAS, a MDQ e a BSDS. Comentários finais: o diagnóstico diferencial em casos limítrofes como o apresentado se dá apenas com a observação longitudinal das manifestações clínicas e se considerando a hipótese de sobreposição de diferentes quadros.

The science of meditation has grown tremendously in the last two decades. Most studies have focused on evaluating the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, neural and other physiological correlates of meditation, and individual cognitive and emotional aspects of meditation. Far less research has been conducted on more challenging domains to measure, such as group and relational, transpersonal and mystical, and difficult aspects of meditation; anomalous or extraordinary phenomena related to meditation; and post-conventional stages of development associated with meditation. However, these components of meditation may be crucial to people's psychological and spiritual development, could represent important mediators and/or mechanisms by which meditation confers benefits, and could themselves be important outcomes of meditation practices. In addition, since large numbers of novices are being introduced to meditation, it is helpful to investigate experiences they may encounter that are not well understood. Over the last four years, a task force of meditation researchers and teachers met regularly to develop recommendations for expanding the current meditation research field to include these important yet often neglected topics. These meetings led to a cross-sectional online survey to investigate the prevalence of a wide range of experiences in 1120 meditators. Results show that the PLOS ONE |

Keith Augustine has provided a legitimate and cogent critique of a transcendental interpretation of near-death experiences, exposing weak nesses in the research methodology, paucity of the data, and gaps in the arguments. He offers evidence from psychophysiological and cultural correlates of NDEs that he interprets as favoring a hallucinatory understand ing of these phenomena. However, his analysis relies on idiosyncratic definitions of psychological concepts, reads unidirectional causality into bivariate correlations, and underestimates the empirical predictions of the separation hypothesis. Despite less than compelling evidence for the transcendental hypothesis, it accounts for NDE phenomenology better than the materialist model.

In his foreword to this book, Stephen Appelbaum notes that the romantic, naturalistic, rebellious bent that began in the 1960s counter culture and continues today in the "New Age" movement allowed anomalous events such as out-of-body experiences (OBEs) to be ac cepted and appreciated, yet also denigrated their scientific analysis and examination. Glen Gabbard and Stuart Twemlow, two widely published psychiatrists with broad backgrounds both in psychoanaly tic psychotherapy and in altered states, attempt to balance that accep tance with objective analysis. To the extent that they succeed, this well-documented and well-reasoned book will outrage some readers and inspire others. Of the several outstanding recent books on OBEs, few have consid ered the phenomenon within the context of an already established theoretical framework. Gabbard and Twemlow, by putting the OBE into the context of psychoanalytic theory, take advantage of an enor mous body of knowledge that can now be brought to bear upon the OBE. The psychoanalytic framework in which they view OBEs is certainly only one of many lenses that may permit a clearer view of the

The future of human consciousness is indefinite in these troubled times. Nevertheless, in the big picture of human nature seen over time there seems to be an evolutionary urge toward increasing intelligence and a broadening awareness of our place in the cosmos. This urge is shown to be consistent with a larger picture of the evolution of the cosmos in which we live, and is supported by modern understanding of the physical nature of reality itself. Consistent with this, the essay explores modern ideas of human growth and transformation, including recommendations of how best to take advantage of these in our own individual lives.

This essay investigates the anomalous character of two neurological episodes undergone by the author. Their perceived correspondence with periods of directed focus on archaeological and topographical themes has connotations beyond their ostensible neurobiological origins. These heterogeneous elements comprise a dynamic experiential complex, implicated in the induction of meaningful coincidence. The nonidentity of this indissoluble, contradictory 'something' with the static cognitive ideal of the concept elicits an approach informed by principles of philosophical presentation elaborated, respectively, by Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) and Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969). I draw on their theologically inflected attempt to retrieve the truth content in the object, which eludes identification and classification in customary philosophical and scientific determinations of the object of knowledge. That the proper approach to the unknown object is, rather, a self-forgetful immersion in it, and possession by it, implies a mimetic style of interpretation that takes shape immanently to the strange encounter with phenomena. Attempting to glimpse, in their subsequent development, essential qualities in the sphere where neurology and topography coincide, I stage a retrospective choreography of individually opaque elements, to spark 'auratic' moments of sudden reciprocal insight, illuminating the transitory promise of fulfilment which is repeatedly broken to preserve its truth. For Adorno, the immediate, definitive resolution of tensions riddling this constellation is impossible in the non-redeemed world. Hence, descending into the abyss of significances, I trace intimations of a latent transcendence, which has found refuge in art and registers in anomalous experience, its evanescent glow imbuing the 'esoteric' form of this essay.

The science of meditation has grown tremendously in the last two decades. Most studies have focused on evaluating the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, neural and other physiological correlates of meditation, and individual cognitive and emotional aspects of meditation. Far less research has been conducted on more challenging domains to measure, such as group and relational, transpersonal and mystical, and difficult aspects of meditation; anomalous or extraordinary phenomena related to meditation; and post-conventional stages of development associated with meditation. However, these components of meditation may be crucial to people's psychological and spiritual development, could represent important mediators and/or mechanisms by which meditation confers benefits, and could themselves be important outcomes of meditation practices. In addition, since large numbers of novices are being introduced to meditation, it is helpful to investigate experiences they may encounter that are not well understood. Over the last four years, a task force of meditation researchers and teachers met regularly to develop recommendations for expanding the current meditation research field to include these important yet often neglected topics. These meetings led to a cross-sectional online survey to investigate the prevalence of a wide range of experiences in 1120 meditators. Results show that the PLOS ONE |