Evidence · context · curiosity A hallucination is commonly described as a perception-like experience that occurs without a matching external stimulus. A person may hear a voice, see a figure, smell a smell, feel a touch, or sense a presence when others do not detect the same source. The experience can be brief or persistent, […]
Evidence · context · curiosity Consciousness, awareness, and experience are often used as if they were interchangeable. They are closely related, but separating them can make difficult conversations clearer. A useful starting point is to treat consciousness as the broadest term, awareness as a capacity within conscious life, and experience as the lived content or […]
Evidence · context · curiosity Experience is the word we use for what happens to us from the inside and for the events that shape us over time. We experience colour, pain, music, memory, thought, the presence of another person, and the meaning of a place. We also speak of an experience as something that […]
Evidence · context · curiosity Awareness is one of those words we use constantly while rarely stopping to ask what it means. We are aware of a sound, aware of a feeling, aware that a thought has appeared, or aware that we have been distracted. In each case, something has become available to a living […]
Evidence · context · curiosity Consciousness is the fact that there is something it feels like to be you: to see colour, feel pain, remember a song, notice a thought, or experience the world from a particular point of view. It is also the ability to be awake, aware, and sometimes aware that you are […]
Originally published by Scientific American. By Allison Parshall. Edited by Claire Cameron. Psychedelics Psychedelics can create a new “hidden order” in brain activity that could explain how these drugs alter our sense of self. Taking psychedelics can dissolve the boundary between yourself and the rest of the world, leaving a profound sense of oneness. Now […]
What Psilocybin Is Teaching Us About the Brain For generations, many people have imagined the brain as something fixed: a system shaped early in life, with only limited room for change. New research into psilocybin is helping to open a more hopeful perspective. Psilocybin is the naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in some species of […]
Safety is not a footnote in consciousness research. Ethical studies use screening, informed consent, trained support, monitoring, and follow-up. They also recognise that some people may face greater psychological or physical risk. Questions responsible sources should answer Who conducted the study and how was it reviewed? What were the limitations and reported adverse events? Was […]
Researchers commonly discuss several possible areas of interest, including changes in mood, emotional flexibility, personal meaning, and patterns of thought. Early findings can be encouraging, but they are not the same as proof that a compound will help every person. From promising signal to reliable evidence A responsible reading of the literature looks for sample […]
Research into consciousness compounds has expanded across neuroscience, psychology, and public health. Studies ask how altered states may affect perception, emotional processing, meaning-making, and the therapeutic relationship. These are research questions, not promises of benefit. Why context matters Published studies are usually structured, supervised, and carefully screened. Preparation, the setting, professional support, follow-up, and a […]