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
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 …
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
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 …
