Cet article décrit la mise en place et l’analyse psychologique d’une performance de l’artiste Abraham Poincheval dans le cadre d’une collaboration avec la fondation Hartung-Bergman. Au-delà de la ...dimension esthétique de l’œuvre, l’objectif de ce travail fut d’étudier les effets physiologiques et psychologiques induits par le fait de rester assis dans un espace clos sur une longue période.
Abraham Poincheval est resté durant une semaine dans une sculpture moulée à ses dimensions et dont un cône situé au niveau des yeux lui permettait de voir un tableau de Hans Hartung. Des mesures physiologiques (EEG, température), des enregistrements audio et des entretiens microphénoménologiques ont permis d’étudier les effets de cette performance. Une analyse psychanalytique a également été menée afin de mieux comprendre le processus créateur et les processus psychiques à l’œuvre dans cette performance.
L’analyse phénoménologique met en évidence l’étonnante malléabilité du psychisme qui parvient à s’accommoder d’une situation très inconfortable qui conduit cependant à des états dissociatifs. La perception de l’espace, du temps et du corps se trouve transformée, de même que la perception de l’œuvre qui donne lieu à des phénomènes de paréidolie, des processus hallucinatoires et des hallucinations négatives. De manière générale, l’effondrement de la durée du sommeil paradoxal semble associé à des états oniroïdes qui favorisent les processus hallucinatoires et des vécus entre rêve et sommeil.
La sculpture pourrait représenter la mise en scène d’un « Moi-carapace » en réaction à des enveloppes psychiques fragiles du registre des premiers contenants de pensée. La sculpture peut aussi être pensée comme un cocon menant à des états psychiques favorisant différentes formes d’explorations et de transformations de l’expérience subjective. Cette performance peut également être considérée comme l’expression d’éléments psychiques non symbolisés, ce qui souligne davantage la dimension contraignante de certaines composantes de l’œuvre. La clinique du trauma est finalement abordée en miroir de l’œuvre de Hartung en écho de ce que ce dernier a pu vivre durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Le fait de rester assis, dans un espace confiné, engendre des transformations importantes de la perception de l’espace, du temps et du corps. Cela conduit également à des états oniroïdes qui favorisent les phénomènes de paréidolie et les processus hallucinatoires. Pour autant, le psychisme semble en mesure de s’accommoder de ces conditions extrêmes, ce qui souligne ses étonnantes capacités d’adaptation.
This article describes the setting up and the psychological analysis of a performance by the artist Abraham Poincheval in the framework of a collaboration with the Hartung-Bergman Foundation. Beyond the aesthetic dimension of the piece, the aim of this work was to study the physiological and psychological effects induced by sitting in an enclosed space over a long period of time.
Abraham Poincheval remained for a week in a sculpture molded to his dimensions, with a cone located at eye level that allowed him to see a painting by Hans Hartung. Physiological measurements (EEG, temperature), audio recordings, and microphenomenological interviews were used to study the effects of this performance. A psychoanalytical analysis was also carried out in order to better understand the creative process and the psychic processes at work in this performance.
The phenomenological analysis highlights the astonishing malleability of the psyche, which manages to cope with a very uncomfortable situation that nevertheless leads to dissociative states. The perception of space, time, and the body is transformed, as well as the perception of the work, which leads to phenomena of pareidolia, hallucinatory processes, and negative hallucinations. In a general way, the collapse of the duration of the paradoxical sleep seems to be associated with oniroid states that support the hallucinatory processes and experiences between dreaming and sleeping.
The sculpture could represent the setting up of a “Self-shell” in reaction to fragile psychic envelopes of the register of the first containers of thought. The sculpture can also be thought of as a cocoon that can induce psychic states that promote different forms of explorations and transformations of the subjective experience. This performance can also be considered an expression of unsymbolized psychic elements, which further emphasizes the constraining dimension of certain components of the work. The trauma clinic is finally approached in mirror of Hartung's work in echo of what the latter may have experienced during the Second World War.
The fact of remaining seated, in a confined space, generates important transformations of the perception of space, time, and the body. This also leads to oniroid states that encourage the phenomena of pareidolia and hallucinatory processes. For all that, the psyche seems to be able to adapt to these extreme conditions, which demonstrates its astonishing capacities of adaptation.
En el presente artículo hacemos una revisión del método neurofenomenólogico de Thomas Metzinger y su capacidad para responder a problemas habituales de filosofía de la mente y evitar dificultades de ...otros materialismos. Metzinger define estados mentales en función de estados cerebrales, sin embargo, frente al materialismo eliminativo, sí considera como real la experiencia fenoménica y rechaza su reducción conceptual o epistémica. Esta peculiaridad salva su propuesta de críticas como la de José Ignacio Murillo o Graham Harman, que parecen dirigidas a otros tipos de materialismos. Por ello, consideramos necesario repensar las consecuencias éticas de la tajante negación del libre albedrío y la afirmación de la posibilidad de máquinas artificiales conscientes que conlleva la propuesta de Metzinger
Abstract
Although olfaction is a modality with great interindividual perceptual disparities, its subjective dimension has been let aside in modern research, in line with the overall neglect of ...consciousness in experimental psychology. However, following the renewed interest for the neural bases of consciousness, some methodological leads have been proposed to include subjectivity in experimental protocols. Here, we argue that adapting such methods to the field of olfaction will allow to rigorously acquire subjective reports, and we present several ways to do so. This will improve the understanding of diversity in odor perception and its underlying neural mechanisms.
Context: The founding idea of neurophenomenology is that in order to progress in the understanding of the human mind, it is indispensable to integrate a disciplined study of human experience in ...cognitive neuroscience, an integration which is also presented as a methodological remedy for the "hard problem" of consciousness. Problem: Does neurophenomenology succeed in solving the hard problem? Method: I distinguish two interpretations and implementations of neurophenomenology: a light or "mild" neurophenomenology, which aims at building correlations between first-person descriptions and neural recordings, and tries to evaluate the validity of first-person descriptions through objective criteria; and a deep or radical neurophenomenology, which aims at investigating the process of co-constitution of the subjective and the objective poles, within lived experience, and tries to evaluate first-person descriptions through processual criteria. Results: While mild neurophenomenology does not solve the hard problem, radical neurophenomenology solves it by dissolving it. Exploring the early stages of phenomenal processes such as the emergence of a perception or an idea highlights: (1) a dimension of experience where the separation usually perceived between the subjective and the objective poles vanishes; (2) micro-actions that instant after instant create and support this process of co-constitution, which Varela called "enaction." This involves on the one hand experiencing concretely the dissolution of the hard problem, and on the other hand verifying the theory of enaction in lived experience. Implications: Radical neurophenomenology is a research programme that enables us to investigate precisely the mutual unfolding of the subjective and objective poles, from its most primitive phases such as perceptual events, to its latest phases such as the co-construction of scientific objectivity and intersubjectivity.
The study of consciousness within cognitive neuroscience has been dominated in recent years by investigations originating from collaborations between neuroscientific investigators and Buddhist ...meditation practitioners. The results have been remarkable, particularly when quantitative and qualitative research methods have been combined as they are in the neurophenomenological methodology originated by Francisco Varela. The addition of qualitative data about the experience of the subject greatly enriches the interpretive potential of quantitative data and honors the ultimate subjectivity of all phenomena, if we accept consciousness as the universal first principle as some quantum physicists now do. This remarkable progress, however, has dropped a thread of inquiry begun in the late 1960s by the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas (the United States) under the leadership of Elmer and Alyce Green. Their studies of the conscious control of involuntary processes drew on collaboration with an Indian master of yoga meditation, Swāmī Rāma of the Himālayas, which opened a number of intriguing possibilities, which have yet to be followed up in detail with the most recent research tools and methodologies. Among these is the ability to enter the deepest, non-REM delta wave sleep while maintaining awareness both internally and of one's surroundings (yoga-nidrā). The particular interest in this ability lies not only in the benefits that accrue from especially deep relaxation and an especially pure experience of mindful awareness, but also from the yogi's description of this as a way to gradually learn to enter the deepest states of meditation (samādhi) and remain there even when otherwise active in the world (turīya). This chapter is one of a series hoping to elucidate that state from both traditional and contemporary descriptions of the state of yoga-nidrā, draw measurable hypotheses from these descriptions and discuss the methodological problems of conducting these investigations with sufficiently competent samples of subjects. The focus of this chapter is on training subjects who can become capable of entering the state of yoga-nidrā.
As digital and immersive architectural installations and augmented reality applications generate new sensations, new digital dimensions and boundaries create new perceptions of our built environment. ...Digital architectural installations as immersive environments make data visible and tangible and give access to data as an experiential flow. Like the works of Refik Anadol, TeamLab or Universal Everything, digital architectural installations point to a neuroarchitectural and neurophenomenological atmosphere that refers to the understanding and measurement of embodied human experience, and how spaces affect people and how they behave in a given setting. The objectivity of the screen allows viewers to observe through screens, and the screen as an ambivalent object provides a physical interface that transcends the shadow of its materiality, transforming the viewer’s environmental perception. Therefore, this article examines digital architectural environments that reveal the boundaries of architectural space, with particular consideration given to neuroaesthetics. In these data-driven environments, the human body is at the centre of multimodal perception. Therefore, these environments open the door to understanding the boundaries of architecture and invite the viewers to explore the boundaries of art and architecture that have become a fusion in the digital environment.
According to the 4-D model of Frewen and Lanius, trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC) involve an alteration of the dimension of time and memory which divides the symptoms of post ...traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into those which occur in “Normal Waking Consciousness” (NWC) and those which present dissociative experiences as part of TRASC.
The present report addresses the temporal dimension of TRASC from a neurophenomenological approach. Initially, we generate an updated model of the structure of normal temporality. From there, we derive a model of altered temporality in TRASC, which at the same time indicates, from a theoretical point of view, which specific points of the structure of temporality would be altered in PTSD with TRASC. We pose two theoretical questions to guide our analysis: 1) What logical consequences can we derive from a graphic model of temporality in TRASC based on neurophenomenological analysis? and 2) Can altered chronesthesia be proposed as a phenomenon related with the dissociative disorders that affect how time is experienced in TRASC? Material and methods: To answer these questions, we carried out a systematic review of the literature up to May 2019, as well as a review of the classic philosophical texts that offer a view of temporality, with special emphasis on works in the field of phenomenology and neurophenomenology which offer graphic models of temporality. Results: We found 2671 articles associated with the keywords used in the search. Of these, 2603 articles were discarded based on a review of the titles and abstracts, leaving 68 reports that were reviewed in full text. We also reviewed classic philosophical texts dealing with the problem of temporality. From the results obtained we designed a scheme of normal temporality from which we derived a hypothesis as to how this variable would be altered in TRASC. The central point of the analysis explains under which hypothetical mechanisms the patient would lose his or her normal capacity to remember a past event or anticipate a future event, with the perspective that this would occur FROM the present moment. This would be an essential aspect of the alteration of temporality in PTSD with TRASC. Discussion and conclusions: We discuss the possible implications of our model for clinical practice, including non-pharmacological treatments. We then draw a correlation between the logical consequences of our model and the neurofunctional findings described in the literature. Finally, we offer answers to the two questions proposed, and to the central question of this report, stressing how altered chronesthesia could account for the alterations of temporality observed in PTSD with TRASC.
After a hypnotic induction, medium and highly hypnotizable individuals often report spontaneous alterations in various dimensions of consciousness. Few studies investigating these experiences have ...controlled for the inherent demands of specific hypnotic suggestions and fewer still have considered their dynamic properties and neural correlates.
We adopted a neurophenomenological approach to investigate neutral hypnosis, which involves no specific suggestion other than to go into hypnosis, with 37 individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability (Highs, Mediums, and Lows). Their reports of depth and spontaneous experience at baseline, following a hypnotic induction, and then after multiple rest periods were analyzed and related to EEG frequency band power and global functional connectivity.
Hypnotizability was marginally associated with lower global functional connectivity during hypnosis. Perceived hypnotic depth increased substantially after the induction especially among Highs and then Mediums, but remained almost unchanged among Lows. In the sample as a whole, depth correlated moderately to strongly with power and/or power heterogeneity for the fast EEG frequencies of beta2, beta3, and gamma, but independently only among Highs. The spontaneous phenomenology of Lows referred primarily to the ongoing experiment and everyday concerns, those of Mediums to vestibular and other bodily experiences, and those of Highs to imagery and positive affect/exceptional experiences. The latter two phenomena were associated with lower global functional connectivity during hypnosis. Imagery correlated positively with gamma power heterogeneity and negatively with alpha1 power heterogeneity. Generally, the pattern of correlations for the Highs was the opposite of that for the Lows.
Experienced hypnotic depth and spontaneous phenomena following a neutral hypnotic induction vary as a function of hypnotizability and are related to global functional connectivity and EEG band wave activity.
Varela's neurophenomenology was conceived from the outset as a criticism and dissolution of the "hard problem" of the physical origin of consciousness. Indeed, the standard (physicalist) formulation ...of this problem is what generates it, and turns it into a fake mystery. Such dissolution of the "hard problem" is very demanding for researchers. It invites them to leave their position of neutral observers/thinkers, and to seek selftransformation instead. It leaves no room for the "hard problem" in the field of discourse, and rather deflects it onto the plane of attitudes. As a consequence, it runs the risk of being either ignored or considered as a dodge. How can we overcome this obstacle and restore the argumentative impact of neurophenomenology? I propose a metaphysical compensation for the anti-metaphysical premise of the neurophenomenological dissolution of the "hard problem." Yet, this alternative metaphysics is designed to keep the benefit of a shift from discourse to ways of being, that is the latent message of neurophenomenology. A dynamical and participatory conception of the relation between body and consciousness is formulated, with no concession to standard positions such as physicalist monism and property dualism. This conception is based on Varela's formalism of "cybernetic dialectic" and on a geometrical model of self-production. It is in close agreement with Merleau-Ponty's "intra-ontology": an engaged ontological approach of what it is like to be, rather than a discipline of the contemplation of beings. Implications-Taking neurophenomenology seriously implies a radical shift in our way of tackling the "hard problem" of consciousness. There is no question here of theorizing about the neuro-experiential correlation but of including it in a chain of resonance and continuous research that amplifies our lived life. Even metaphysics partakes of this shift.
A fundamental aspect of the sense of self is its pre-reflective dimension specifying the self as a bounded and embodied knower and agent. Being a constant and tacit feature structuring consciousness, ...it eludes robust empirical exploration. Recently, deep meditative states involving global dissolution of the sense of self have been suggested as a promising path for advancing such an investigation. To that end, we conducted a comprehensive phenomenological inquiry into meditative self-boundary alteration. The induced states were systematically characterized by changes in six experiential features including the sense of location, agency, first-person perspective, attention, body sensations, and affective valence, as well as their interaction with meditative technique and overall degree of dissolution. Quantitative analyses of the relationships between these phenomenological categories highlighted a unitary dimension of boundary dissolution. Notably, passive meditative gestures of “letting go”, which reduce attentional engagement and sense of agency, emerged as driving the depth of dissolution. These findings are aligned with an enactive approach to the pre-reflective sense of self, linking its generation to sensorimotor activity and attention-demanding processes. Moreover, they set the stage for future phenomenologically informed analyses of neurophysiological data and highlight the utility of combining phenomenology and intense contemplative training for a scientific characterization of processes giving rise to the basic sense of being a bounded self.
PDF