RESEARCH BASE

Search 3,721 documents across 34 fields — every claim tier-rated by evidence

3,721 Documents 34 Sections 43,625 Citations 34,852 Keywords Indexed 4 Evidence Tiers

3,633 are the core, quality-scored corpus (34 lettered sections — see How We Work); the remaining 88 are cross-corpus synthesis documents (68 InterDocs, 12 Connections, 8 Theories) also indexed here.

3,615 results for "Council on Foreign Relations" — page 55 of 181

Y_5_17 Speculative Altered States

Y_5_17 — Astral Projection Laboratory Research

Astral projection — the subjective experience of consciousness separating from the physical body and traveling independently — has been reported across virtually all human cultures throughout history, from ancient Egypti

astral projection out-of-body experience OBE Charles Tart Robert Monroe temporo-parietal junction
Y_2_14 Credible Altered States

Y_2_14 — Dying Process Phenomenology: Shared Death Experiences and After-Death Communication

The phenomenology of death and the experiences reported by those who witness the dying process include several distinct categories of altered-state phenomena that extend beyond the well-known near-death experience (NDE).

shared death experience after-death communication deathbed visions grief hallucinations terminal lucidity Moody
Y_2_03 Credible Altered States

Y_2_03 — Reincarnation Research — Stevenson, Tucker, Past-Life Memories

Reincarnation research — the systematic, empirical investigation of claims that individuals (typically young children) possess verified memories of previous lives — represents one of the most methodologically rigorous pr

reincarnation past-life memories Ian Stevenson Jim Tucker birthmarks xenoglossy
Y_2_06 Verified Altered States

Y_2_06 — Dissociation, Depersonalization, and Derealization

Dissociation — the disruption of normally integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, behavior, and sense of self — represents one of the most revealing natural experiments for understan

dissociation depersonalization derealization depersonalization-derealization disorder DDD dissociative identity disorder
Y_2_01 Verified Altered States

Y_2_01 — NDEs, OBEs & Consciousness Studies

Modern consciousness research — NDEs in cardiac arrest patients, children's past-life memories, and DMT-induced entity encounters — produces data that intersects remarkably with ancient descriptions of death journeys, as

NDE OBE near-death experience out-of-body AWARE study Parnia
Y_2_15 Credible Altered States

Y_2_15 — Breathwork Traditions: Holotropic, Tummo, and Physiological Extremes

Breathwork — the deliberate manipulation of breathing patterns to induce altered physiological and psychological states — represents one of humanity's oldest and most accessible methods for modifying consciousness, with

breathwork holotropic-breathing tummo wim-hof-method pranayama hyperventilation
Y_2_08 Verified Altered States

Y_2_08 — Anesthesia, Consciousness, and Awareness

General anesthesia — the pharmacological induction of unconsciousness, amnesia, analgesia, and immobility — is one of the most profound alterations of consciousness that humans routinely produce, yet how anesthetics actu

anesthesia general anesthesia consciousness awareness under anesthesia anesthetic awareness ether
Y_2_17 Verified Altered States

Y_2_17 — Barrier Gating and Altered States of Consciousness

Altered states of consciousness — produced by psychedelics, anesthetics, hypnagogic and hypnopompic transitions, near-death events, deep meditation, breathwork, and sensory deprivation — share a common functional signatu

altered states default mode network REBUS psychedelics ion channels blood-brain barrier
Y_2_12 Credible Altered States

Y_2_12 — Automatism and Automatic Writing: Unconscious Production States

Automatism — the production of writing, drawing, speech, or other complex behavior without conscious intention or deliberate control — occupies a fascinating intersection of altered states of consciousness, art history,

automatism automatic writing ideomotor effect spiritualism surrealism dissociative production
Y_3_01 Verified Altered States

Y_3_01 — Kundalini and Serpent Energy Traditions

Kundalini ("coiled one" in Sanskrit) describes a dormant serpent-like energy said to reside at the base of the spine, which, when "awakened" through meditation, breathwork, or spontaneous experience, rises through a cent

kundalini serpent energy chakras nadis subtle body yoga
Y_3_12 Credible Altered States

Y_3_12 — Whirling Dervishes: Sufi Sema Ceremony and Rotational Consciousness

The whirling dervishes — practitioners of the sema (or sama) ceremony of the Mevlevi order — are among the most recognizable embodiments of Sufi mysticism: figures in tall camel-hair hats (sikke) and flowing white skirts

whirling dervishes Mevlevi order Rumi sema Sufi spinning
Y_3_14 Credible Altered States

Y_3_14 — Chanting and Repetitive Vocalization: Sonic Pathways to Trance

Chanting and repetitive vocalization — the sustained production of rhythmic, patterned vocal sounds — is arguably the most ancient and universal method of inducing altered states of consciousness through acoustic means.

chanting mantra Om Gregorian chant dhikr kirtan
Y_3_02 Verified Altered States

Y_3_02 — Meditation, Neuroplasticity, and Contemplative Neuroscience

Meditation — the systematic training of attention and awareness — has been practiced for at least 3,000-5,000 years (earliest evidence: Indus Valley seal of a seated figure in meditation posture, ~2600 BCE; earliest text

meditation neuroplasticity mindfulness MBSR default mode network DMN
Y_3_15 Credible Altered States

Y_3_15 — Pilgrimage as Altered State: Walking, Devotion, and Transformation

Pilgrimage — the deliberate journey to a sacred place as an act of devotion, penance, healing, or spiritual seeking — is one of humanity's most ancient and universal practices for inducing transformative altered states t

pilgrimage Camino de Santiago Hajj Kumbh Mela walking meditation liminality
Y_3_05 Credible Altered States

Y_3_05 — Contemplative Neuroscience

Contemplative neuroscience — the scientific study of meditation, contemplative practices, and their effects on brain, body, and behavior — has matured from a fringe topic into a rigorous interdisciplinary field over the

contemplative neuroscience meditation neuroscience mindfulness long-term meditators Dalai Lama Mind and Life Institute
Y_3_16 Verified Altered States

Y_3_16 — Vipassana: Insight Meditation Tradition

Vipassana (Pali: vipassanā, "clear seeing" or "insight") is one of the two primary modes of Buddhist meditation alongside samatha (calming/concentration), directed at cultivating direct experiential understanding of the

vipassana insight meditation satipatthana Theravada Mahasi Sayadaw S.N. Goenka
Y_3_08 Credible Altered States

Y_3_08 — Breathwork and Holotropic States of Consciousness

Deliberate manipulation of breathing patterns to alter consciousness is among the oldest and most widespread human practices, documented in yogic pranayama (circa 500 BCE, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali), Tibetan tummo (inner-

breathwork holotropic breathwork Stanislav Grof hyperventilation respiratory alkalosis hypocapnia
Y_3_10 Verified Altered States

Y_3_10 — Fasting, Asceticism, and Altered Consciousness

Fasting and ascetic practices — deliberate deprivation of food, sleep, comfort, or sensory input — have been used across virtually all religious and spiritual traditions to induce altered states of consciousness, visions

fasting asceticism altered consciousness vision quest starvation ketosis autophagy
Y_3_09 Credible Altered States

Y_3_09 — Prayer, Contemplation, and the Neuroscience of Religious Experience

The neuroscientific study of prayer and religious experience — sometimes termed neurotheology (d'Aquili & Newberg, 1999) — has moved from philosophical speculation to empirical investigation using neuroimaging, EEG, and

neurotheology prayer neuroscience Andrew Newberg SPECT prayer religious experience mystical experience
Y_3_06 Credible Altered States

Y_3_06 — Awe, Wonder, and Transcendent Emotions

Awe — the emotional response to perceived vastness that requires accommodation (cognitive restructuring of existing mental schemas) — has emerged as a frontier topic in affective neuroscience, positive psychology, and ph

awe wonder transcendent emotion self-transcendence vastness accommodation