States of Consciousness, the qEEG, and Noetic Snapshots of the Brain/Mind Interface: A Case Study of Hypnosis and Sidhi Meditation
2020
Noetic analysis is a methodology to quantify the mind during hypnosis, meditation, or other stimulus conditions/states of consciousness in a reliable and valid manner. The methodology uses retrospective phenomenological assessment (RPA) to comprehensively assess subjective experience. By having the participant complete a first person, self-report questionnaire, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI), in reference to a short stimulus condition, the researcher can generate a “snapshot” of the mind, and its qualia, in reference to that condition. Using such an approach with the qEEG may be able to better decipher the mystery of the brain/mind interface during states of consciousness associated with hypnosis and meditation by giving quantifiable subjective referents to the neurophysiology of such stimulus conditions. QEEGs were obtained during a standardized hypnotic assessment, the PCI – Hypnotic Assessment Procedure (PCI-HAP), and also during sidhi meditation of a long-term TM meditator. The PCI was completed in reference to a sitting quietly period during the PCI-HAP and also in reference to sidhi meditation. On the PCI-HAP, the participant obtained a hypnotic responsivity index (HRI) percentile score suggesting moderate hypnotic responsivity. Concerning noetic differences between hypnosis and sidhi meditation, meditation was associated with higher scores on self-awareness, altered awareness, and altered experience (altered body image and meaning), in addition to greater feelings of love. Sidhi meditation was also associated with more alpha and higher beta activity than hypnosis, with greater high beta in the left pre-frontal cortex. How such qEEG differences may relate to differences in noetic experience was explored. This case study suggests that, when quantifying the brain with the qEEG, and the mind with the PCI, a “noetic snapshot” of the mind can be obtained that may be used to better quantify the brain/mind interface, and augment the ability of neurophenomenology to unravel the mystery of hypnosis, meditation, and possibly other (altered) states of consciousness.
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
0
References
1
Citations
NaN
KQI