The Brain and the Inner World - A Wide Range of Subjective Experiences

Human consciousness is a fascinating topic which, despite extensive research, is still not well understood. Consciousness can emerge in outwardly unresponsive states where no obvious (clinical) signs of awareness are observed (such as general anesthesia, coma or cardiac arrest), as testified by the detailed subjective reports upon awakening. This attests to the clear dissociation between wakefulness, the connection to the external world (i.e., connectedness) and environmental stimulus-independent awareness. This dissociation (between two or three of these components) is not so rare and may also be observed in many other contexts, such as sleep, hypnosis state, or when people are taking recreational (psychedelic) drugs.

This Research Topic aims to give an overview on recent advances in the understanding of the memories of and the neural correlates of these subjective experiences. Elucidating these dissociations is a crucial step in our understanding of human consciousness, and may help to better understand the variety of non-ordinary (physiological or pathological) states of consciousness. These insights can contribute to the development of new approaches in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, and therapeutic interventions.

This Research Topic collects pioneering and interdisciplinary contributions focusing on, but is not limited to:
• Near-death(-like) experience
• Psychedelic experience
• Hypnosis
• Trance
• Meditation
• (Lucid) dreams
• Ecstatic seizure

This Research Topic accepts the submission of original research and review articles.