Phenomenology and brain measures during cognitive trance: a case study.

Protocol study

Inves&gate the phenomenology and neural correlates of

cogni&ve trance using mul&modal neuroimaging assessments

in an expert prac&&oner

Phenomenology and brain measures during cogni4ve trance: a case study

ogosseries@uliege.be

Background

Results

Methods

Gosseries O

_{, Sombrun C}

_{, Thibaut A}

_{, Sanz LR}

_{, Wolff A}

_{, Raimondo F}

_{, Fecchio M}

_{, Panda R}

_{, F. Taulelle}

_{, Vanhaudenhuyse A}

_{, Laureys S}

COGNITIVE

TRANCE

- Voli&onal & self-induced modified state of consciousness

- Inherited from shamanic tradi&onal prac&ces

- Characteris&cs:

Ø  Lucid but narrowed awareness of environment Ø  Hyper-focused immersive experience of flow Ø  Expanded inner imagery

Ø  Modified somatosensory processing Ø  Altered sense of self and &me

DEFINITION

AIMS

[1,2]

PROTOCOL: 1 expert par&cipant undergoing electroecenphalogram (EEG), transcranial magne&c s&mula&on (TMS) & fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography

(FDG-PET) during normal res&ng wakefulness & trance state

PARTICIPANT: 56 yo right-handed female, originally trained in Mongolia, prac&cing trance for 17 years, able to induce trance spontaneously without moving aYer

induc&on

SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONNAIRES: free recall, &me percep&on (subjec&ve dura&on of the experience, in min), level of arousal (wakefulness), absorp&on (be fully involved in

experience) & dissocia&on (mental separa&on from environment) using 0-10 VAS

EEG: 256 channels (EGI), spectral power (δ, θ, α, β), complexity (Komolgorov-Chai&n complexity – K, spectral & permuta&on entropy – SE & PE) & connec&vity (dwPLI)

TMS-EEG: 64 channels (Nexs&m), TMS-responses during frontal & parietal s&mula&on,

diversity index (DI) & local mean field power (LMFP)

FDG-PET: global brain metabolism

ANALYSES: as previously published

results considered significant at p<0.05

Our findings showed:

-  Higher absorp&on, dissocia&on, wakefulness and &me-scale distor&on in trance compared to rest

-  EEG increase spectral power in all frequency bands, increase complexity (especially posterior regions), increase in

δ and decrease in α & β connec&vity

-  Target-specific modifica&on in cor&cal reac&vity: increase during frontal s&mula&on (possibly related to focused

aken&on), and decrease in parietal s&mula&on (possibly related to decreased external awareness) -  No difference in global brain metabolism

In conclusion, cogni&ve trance is a modified state of consciousness characterized by changes in behavior and

neurophysiological processes. Further studies on a larger sample of subjects are needed to beker understand the neural basis of cogni&ve trance, which can be prac&ced by any individual undergoing specific (self)-training. 1

_{GIGA Consciousness, Coma Science Group, University and University Hospital of Liege, Belgium;}

_{TranceScience Research Ins&tute, Paris, France;}

_{Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy;}

_{Algology Department & Sensa&on & Percep&on}

Research Group, GIGA consciousness, University and University Hospital of Liège, Belgium; * Contributed equally

Discussion

AFTER TREATMENT

#011

SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONNAIRES

EEG

TMS-EEG

FDG-PET

FREE RECALL (a^er EEG in trance):

a song during the induc?on, with movements. ACer, I had the vision of an eagle and it began to fly and I felt the sensa?on to also fly with him in a very beau?ful orange light. It was a sunset and it was very pleasant. I was doing tai-chi movements. It was beau?ful. This eagle took me in a kind of eye, a very bright eye, and aCer I had a feeling of an opening, a total well-being. I felt like ecstasy, a state where you are just in your place and it is perfect.” [4-9] No significant difference between rest (leY) and trance (right) Node degre e [7] [6] [7] Casaroko et al, PloS One, 2010 [8] Fecchio et al, PloS One, 2017 [9] Thibaut et al, J Rehab Med, 2012