Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation
…in which a novel topological data analysis (TDA) method is applied to the neurophysiological study of the synergistic effects of meditation and psychedelics.
…intriguing evidence of similarities in the phenomenology and neurophysiology of meditation and psychedelics has been found… recent reviews suggest that meditation and psychedelics exhibit similarities and complementary differences, which may indicate potential synergistic effects when combined… synergistic effects between psychedelics and meditation are supported by preliminary evidence. In two randomized controlled trials, the use of psilocybin was shown to increase the depth of meditation practice, as indicated by enhanced postintervention mindfulness and increased psychosocial functioning at the 4-month follow-up, as well as greater improvements in psychological well-being and spiritual experiences at a 6-month follow-up. [A new study shows that the use of psilocybin, a compound found in the widely known “magic mushrooms,” initiates a pattern of hyperconnectivity in the brain linked to the ego-modifying effects and feelings of oceanic boundlessness. The findings, appearing in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging… In one of the first brain imaging studies in psychedelic research, investigators found a specific association between the experiential, psychedelic state and whole-brain dynamic connectivity changes. While previous research has shown increases in static global brain connectivity under psychedelics, the current study shows that this state of hyperconnectivity is dynamic (changing over time) and its transition rate coincides with the feeling of oceanic boundlessness, a hallmark dimension of the psychedelic state.]
Original Article (Nature):
Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation
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