Altered States
In this line of research we are exploring how alterations in consciousness can help us develop more complete models of cognitive functioning.
- Our research with hypnosis has demonstrated how suggestion and belief can lead to profound changes in action, and automatic behaviours.
- Meditation research research is showing state and trait changes in low level attentional capacities that can result simple mindfulness practices.
- Investigation of states of flow have highlighted how expertise and training can lead to changes in the sense of agency associated with complex tasks.
- We are using virtual reality to explore the multisensory cues that lead to feelings of immersion and presence in virtual worlds.
Publications
Altered states of consciousness induced by online chanting meditation
Chanting is a universal practice with deep ethnocultural roots. More recently, chanting has become popular on online platforms and …
Can hypnosis make you ticklish? Using suggestion to modulate agency
Sense of agency is the subjective sense of control we have over our actions. According to comparator model accounts, this arises when …
The rhythm and the reach of hypnosis: Reflections on and interactions with selected work of Steven Jay Lynn
The phenomenon of hypnosis links to other aspects of both psychological science and the professional practice of psychology. We reflect …
Exploring the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Group Chanting in Australia: Reduced Stress, Cortisol and Enhanced Social Connection
Chanting, an ancient ritual practiced in diverse cultures and traditions worldwide, has typically been employed for meditation, …
A Comprehensive Review of the Current Status of the Cellular Neurobiology of Psychedelics
Psychedelic substances have gained significant attention in recent years for their potential therapeutic effects on various psychiatric …
Clinical hypnosis for Procedural Pain and Distress in Children: A Scoping Review
Pain and distress are common in children undergoing medical procedures, exposing them to acute and chronic biopsychosocial impairments …
How Chanting Relates to Cognitive Function, Altered States and Quality of Life
Chanting is practiced in many religious and secular traditions and involves rhythmic vocalization or mental repetition of a sound or …
Hypnotherapy for procedural pain, itch, and state anxiety in children with acute burns: a feasibility and acceptability study protocol
Burns and related procedures are painful and distressing for children, exposing them to acute and chronic sequelae that can negatively …
Meditation in the Workplace: Does Mindfulness Reduce Bias and Increase Organisational Citizenship Behaviours?
Mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. This likely relates to a growing body of research linking mindfulness to …
Hypnotherapy for Procedural Pain and Distress in Children: A scoping Review Protocol
Inadequately treated pain and distress elicited by medical procedures can put children at higher risks of acute and chronic …
Rhythmic Chanting and Mystical States Across Traditions
Chanting is a form of rhythmic, repetitive vocalization practiced in a wide range of cultures. It is used in spiritual practice to …
Hypnotic clever hands: Agency and automatic responding.
The Clever Hands task (Wegner, Fuller, & Sparrow, 2003) is a behavioral illusion in which participants make responses to a trivia …
No meditation-related changes in the auditory N1 during first-time meditation
Recent studies link meditation expertise with enhanced low-level attention, measured through auditory event-related potentials (ERPs). …
Belief, delusion, hypnosis, and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study
According to the Two-Factor theory of delusional belief (see e.g. Coltheart at al., 2011), there exists a cognitive system dedicated to …
Changes in the sense of agency during hypnosis: The Hungarian version of the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS-HU) and its relationship with phenomenological aspects of consciousness
Changes in the sense of agency are defining feature of hypnosis. The Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS) is a 10-item questionnaire, …
Meditation and auditory attention: An ERP study of meditators and non-meditators
The findings of a study by Cahn and Polich (2009) suggests that there is an effect of a meditative state on three event-related …
Variations in the sense of agency during hypnotic responding: insights from latent profile analysis
(C) 2016 American Psychological Association
Sense of agency across contexts: Insights from schizophrenia and hypnosis
Passivity phenomena in schizophrenia are characterized by a sense of diminished agency. Clinical research into sense of agency has …
Hypnotic analogues of delusions: The role of delusion proneness and schizotypy
There is compelling evidence that hypnotic suggestions can be used to model clinical delusions in the laboratory. In two studies, we …
A laboratory analogue of mirrored-self misidentification delusion: The role of hypnosis, suggestion, and demand characteristics
Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that one’s own reflection in the mirror is a stranger. In two …
The experience of altered states of consciousness in shamanic ritual: The role of pre-existing beliefs and affective factors
Much attention has been paid recently to the role of anomalous experiences in the aetiology of certain types of psychopathology, e.g. …
Talks
Can hypnosis make you ticklish
In this presentation I’ll share research exploring ways in which we can use hypnosis as a tool to better understand the cognitive …
Psychedelic promises
Join artists, curators and scientists as they discuss how the utopian visions and legal difficulties of psychedelic drugs impacted art …
Hypnotic models of passivity delusions as a window in to the sense of agency
Hypnotised individuals often experience agency alterations whereby their actions feel effortless. This has led researchers to develop …
Sydney Science Festival | Science at the Edge of Consciousness
What lies beyond the edges of our normal everyday waking consciousness? Join Dr Vince Polito for a trip through ancient and modern …
