Abstract

Peak experiences in altered states of consciousness (ASC) are reported to be ‘timeless’ and ‘selfless’. These core features of ASC oppose psychiatric conditions, during which patients suffer from a hyper-awareness of time and the self. Accumulating studies have reported positive effects of ASC in patients with psychiatric syndromes, e.g., through meditation, exposure to floatation-REST (reduced environmental stimulation therapy), and after intake of psychedelic substances. This is an update of my talk at INSIGHT 2019 including a variety of recent study results on the impact of ASC on subjective time and bodily self in healthy individuals.

(1) When playing the rhythm game Thumper in virtual reality (VR: n = 50) or on a computer screen (2D: n = 50) for 25 minutes, participants who experienced deeper flow states thought less about time and felt that time had passed more quickly. Individuals in VR performed better and had a stronger feeling of presence than in 2D.

(2) The Ganzfeld is a homogenized visual and auditory perceptual field which induces ASC. We compared the experience of 67 participants during two differently colored, 25-minute Ganzfeld sessions with ‘brown noise’ as acoustic stimulation. Participants reported that the session with the green visual field seemed to last significantly shorter than the red session. During the green session, arousal levels were significantly lower, and individuals on average felt emotionally more positive.

(3) Twenty-two very experienced meditators (average 20 years of regular practice) perceived their body boundaries during meditation less strongly, paid less attention to time, and felt time pass more quickly than during a silent reading control session.

(4) Floatation-REST is a technique during which a person effortlessly floats in a dark, soundproof tank filled with water that is supersaturated with Epsom salt. Fifty individuals were exposed for one hour each to floatation-REST and a bed-REST control condition. Aside from a stronger induction of ASC as measured with the PCI questionnaire, Floatation-REST also led to a reduction in perceived body boundaries and a stronger loss of the sense of time than bed-REST.

These studies demonstrate how the sense of self and time are relatively diminished during ASC with a variety of techniques. The induction of ASC has revealed a healing potential in various psychiatric syndromes. The modulation of the feeling of self and time may be part of this process.