--- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Mar 8, 2007, at 11:18 AM, sparaig wrote: > > > Are you under the impression that PC is an active mental state, > > filled with thoughts and > > problem-solving activities? > > > There is no mention of PC in the citation Sparaig. I believe the > researchers refer to PC as a "metaphysical > assertion" rather than any sceintific reality. In fact the idea that > people are experiencing something called PC, is one indoctrinated in > them before they begin the practice. Unfortunately, it does not > appear the researchers are aware of the tendency for "experience > coaching". >
Er, yeah, but the citation of Travis 2004 clearly discusses PC and CC. 1: Conscious Cogn. 2004 Jun;13(2):401-20. Links Psychological and physiological characteristics of a proposed object-referral/self-referral continuum of self-awareness. Travis F, Arenander A, DuBois D. Institute for Research on Higher States of Consciousness, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA 52557-1001, USA. [EMAIL PROTECTED] This research extends and confirms recent brainwave findings that distinguished an individual's sense-of-self along an Object-referral/Self-referral Continuum of self- awareness. Subjects were interviewed and were given tests measuring inner/outer orientation, moral reasoning, anxiety, and personality. Scores on the psychological tests were factor analyzed. The first unrotated PCA component of the test scores yielded a "Consciousness Factor," analogous to the intelligence "g" factor, which accounted for over half of the variance among groups. Analysis of unstructured interviews of these subjects revealed fundamentally different descriptions of self-awareness. Individuals who described themselves in terms of concrete cognitive and behavioral processes (predominantly Object-referral mode) exhibited lower Consciousness Factor scores, lower frontal EEG coherence, lower alpha and higher gamma power during tasks, and less efficient cortical preparatory responses (contingent negative variation). In contrast, individuals who described themselves in terms of an abstract, independent sense-of-self underlying thought, feeling and action (predominantly Self-referral mode) exhibited higher Consciousness Factor scores, higher frontal coherence, higher alpha and lower gamma power during tasks, and more efficient cortical responses. These data suggest that definable states of brain activity and subjective experiences exist, in addition to waking, sleeping and dreaming, that may be operationally defined by psychological and physiological measures along a continuum of Object-referral/Self-referral Continuum of self-awareness. PMID: 15134768 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] > "TM researchers further view this EEG picture as reflecting a single > and original > state of "Transcendental pure consciousness" (Maharishi, 1969; Travis > et al., 2004). > Transcendental state is conceptualized as a "fourth" state of > consciousness", a "wakeful > hypometabolic state", that differs from hypnosis and ordinary or > sleep states (R.K. > Wallace, 1970). Although these descriptions might best be interpreted > as metaphysical > assertions rather than first-person descriptions, they do suggest > that this state of > absorption could also involve some form of meta-awareness. > Nevertheless, despite the > possibility of a more sophisticated phenomenological interpretation > and the need to > relate physiological data to subjective data, it is still unclear > whether and how TM > meditation practices produce increased alpha beyond a general arousal > effect or, an > inhibition of task-irrelevant cortical zones. Other relaxation > techniques have led to the > same EEG profile and studies that employed counterbalanced control > relaxation > conditions consistently found a lack of alpha power increases or even > decreases > comparing relaxation or hypnosis to TM meditation (Morse et al., > 1977; Tebecis, 1975; > Warrenburg, Pagano, Woods, & Hlastala, 1980). Similarly, the initial > claim that TM > produces a unique state of consciousness different than sleep has > been refuted by > several EEG meditation studies which reported sleep-like stages > during this technique > with increased alpha and then theta power (Pagano, Rose, Stivers, & > Warrenburg, > 1976; Younger, Adriance, & Berger, 1975)." > > -The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness >
