The Self, Unbound: Neurofeedback-Assisted Meditation for Eliciting Transformative Self-Dissolution Experiences

INSTITUTION: University of Haifa

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Aviva Berkovich-Ohana

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Pedro Mediano (Imperial College London), Fynn-Mathis Trautwein (University Medical Center Freiburg), Yair Dor-Ziderman (University of Haifa), and Fernando Rosas (University of Sussex)

REGION: Israel

Overview:

Utilizing meditation and neuro-imaging, this study seeks to better understand altered states of consciousness and the potential for promoting well-being.

Abstract: 

This project aims to investigate the impact of meditation and psychedelics on self-dissolution and human thriving. It combines neuroimaging, neurofeedback, phenomenology, computational modeling, cognitive tasks, and self-reports. The project consists of five work-packages, including analyzing neuroimaging data to understand the effects of self-dissolution states, assessing the long-term impact on human thriving, developing a computational model of self-dissolution, implementing neurofeedback training, and testing its effectiveness in both expert meditators and the general population. The project utilizes measures such as beta spectral power, Lempel-Ziv complexity, and transfer-entropy to examine neural markers associated with self-dissolution. The goal is to uncover the neural correlates of self-dissolution, develop a computational model, and create an EEG-neurofeedback protocol that can be used in future applications. The project aims to contribute to our understanding of altered states of consciousness and their potential for promoting well-being.