A Multidisciplinary Model of Consciousness-Altering Practices
Meditation, magic/hypnosis, and philosophy are consciousness-altering practices that shift attention to different layers of experience, changing how we perceive, feel, and act. Each practice foregrounds a different part of the brain, shaping how consciousness is experienced and engaged.
1. Meditation: Automatic Processes and Action
- Foregrounded layer: older brain / basal ganglia and brainstem
- Mechanism: observing automatic thoughts and actions
- Example: open-monitoring meditation
2. Magic / Hypnosis: Emotion and Perception
- Foregrounded layer: midbrain / limbic system
- Mechanism: suggestion, ritual, and belief to influence emotions and perception
- Outcome:
- Hypnosis (psychological): can be self-directed or induced by others, changing beliefs, emotions, and perception
- Magic (spiritual): the belief that reality can be altered by believing it is possible and inducing the feeling that reality is a dream and fluid
- Other examples include music, psychedelics, and strong emotional experiences, which can alter emotion and perception
3. Philosophy: Conscious Mind, Reason, and Action
- Foregrounded layer: neocortex / frontal brain
- Mechanism: conscious reasoning and deliberate action to understand and influence reality
- Outcome: reasoning produces logical insights, and its deepest result is radical skepticism. Existentialism shows that, although radical skepticism is challenging, it is a more sophisticated perspective and discusses ways to handle it
Intellectual Context
Influenced by Iain McGilchrist, Max Weber, and Leonard Shlain, this model integrates neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy to show how consciousness can be observed, experienced, and transformed across automatic, emotional, and rational layers.
Credits
Written by Victor Fisher with the help of ChatGPT.