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Altered states

A dramatic seascape painting depicts a violent storm with waves crashing against the coast, a wrecked ship submerged, and dark clouds overhead.

Transcendent experience

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Your consciousness has been completely transformed. Now what?

Awakening experiences are spiritual states often believed to unlock life’s mysteries – but sacred knowledge comes at a cost

by Kevin Berryman

Abstract blurred image with predominantly teal and orange hues, featuring indistinct shapes resembling figures and organic forms.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy

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If you want psychedelic healing, your ego may need to die

What do we know about the role of ‘ego death’ and other transformative experiences in psychedelic therapies?

by Natasha Mason, Athena Demertzi & Johannes G Ramaekers

Aerial view of a city with prominent castle in foreground, numerous buildings, and distant hills shrouded in mist under an overcast sky.

Sleep and dreams

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Five ways to take control of your dreams

Lucid dreaming lets you shape your dreamscape, whether your aims are practical or fantastical. These tips can get you started

by Christian Jarrett

Silhouette of a person inside a car with a rain-covered window, displaying blurry city lights outside.

Change and self-development

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Personal transformation can start with a whisper, not a bang

To understand personal transformation, we should listen to the incessant whispers in our stream of consciousness

by Jennifer Windt

Photo of a blurry suburban street with detached houses and a neatly trimmed lawn with another image faintly overlaid of two children and two houses

Altered states

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Déjà vu is just one of many uncanny kinds of déjà experiences

What can the many types of déjà experiences that most people have tell us about reality, memory and the gaps in between?

by Art Funkhouser

Wide, empty urban road flanked by modern apartment buildings under a partly cloudy sky.

Creativity

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Your 10-step plan for achieving a creative breakthrough

We often think of Aha! moments occurring by fluke, but there are evidence-based ways to make it more likely they will occur

by Nick Kabrél

Abstract photo features an overlapping image of green plants and rocky terrain with bright yellow light streaks across the scene.

Altered states

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My synaesthesia is no mere quirk but a self-shaking strangeness

My initial is pale pink, the month of June is cerulean blue: synaesthesia gets my senses crosswired, and makes me who I am

by Catherine Taylor

Thermal image showing a person standing next to a pole on a street at night, with bright orange and red hues indicating heat.

Altered states

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A spiritual emergency can be wild. This is how to ride the wave

Ecstasy can be messy. But there is a way to ride the wild wave of a spiritual emergency to greater wholeness and growth

by Jules Evans