Abstract
AbstractThis paper presents a pilot study that explores instances of objectless awareness during sleep: conscious experiences had during sleep that prima facie lack an object of awareness. This state of objectless awareness during sleep has been widely described by Indian contemplative traditions and has been characterised as a state of consciousness-as-such; while in it, there is nothing to be aware of, one is merely conscious (cf. Evans-Wentz, 1960; Fremantle, 2001; Ponlop, 2006). While this phenomenon has received different names in the literature, such as ‘witnessing-sleep’ and ‘clear light sleep’ among others, the specific phenomenological profile of this state has not yet been rigorously studied. This paper aims at presenting a preliminary investigation of objectless consciousness during sleep using a novel tool in qualitative research that can guide future research. Five participants experiencing objectless consciousness during sleep were interviewed following the Micro-phenomenological Interview technique (MPI; Petitmengin, 2005, 2006). All participants reported an experience they had during sleep in which there was no scenery and no dream. This period labelled as ‘No Scenery/Void’ was either preceded by the dissolution of a lucid dream or by other forms of conscious mentation. The analysis of the results advances four experiential dimensions during this state of void, namely (1) Perception of absence, (2) Self-perception, (3) Perception of emotions, and (4) Perception of awareness. While the results are primarily explorative, they refer to themes found in the literature to describe objectless sleep and point at potential avenues of research. The results from this study are taken as indications to guide future operationalisations of this phenomenon.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Cognitive Neuroscience,Philosophy
Reference79 articles.
1. Albahari, M. (2009). Witness-Consciousness. Its definition, appearance and reality. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 16(1), 62–84.
2. Alexander, C. N. (1990). Higher states of human development: Perspectives on adult growth. (E. J. Alexander, C.N & Langer (ed.)). Oxford University Press.
3. Āraṇya, S. (Trans.) (1989). Yoga philosophy of Patañjali. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. State University of New York Press.
4. Arya, P. (Trans.) (1986). Yoga Sutras Of-Patanjali With The Exposition Of Vyasa. The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.
5. Ataria, Y., Dor-Ziderman, Y., & Berkovich-Ohana, A. (2015). How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. Consciousness and Cognition, 37(November 2017), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2015.09.002
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献