Abstract
Consciousness is a complex construct that has been defined in different ways throughout history. Among many, Damasio (Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 353:1879–1882, 1998) defined consciousness as the awareness of the self and, in this and many other perspectives, the self and the concept of awareness represent fundamental elements in the definition of consciousness. Moreover, their integration across a multidimensional perception through time allows us to considered consciousness as a non-unitary construct. Indeed, there is no such a thing as a single consciousness bur rather several states of consciousness that constantly flow through each other’s and define the awareness of our self in a specific moment in time. The entry will propose a historical overview of the concept of consciousness, focusing on two fundamental elements of this construct: the self and the awareness of the self. The entry will then introduce the concept of states of consciousness, which emerges from a non-unitary perspective of the original construct. From a non-unitary consciousness, the entry will present the concepts of dissociation, ecstasy, and trance, considering how these concepts can be reframed outside the Western point of view to trace a path to a transformative self.
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Di Lernia, D. (2021). State of Consciousness. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_32-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_32-2
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Chapter history
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Latest
State of Consciousness- Published:
- 08 December 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_32-3
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State of Consciousness
- Published:
- 01 November 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_32-2
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Original
Consciousness (States of) (also Ecstasy)- Published:
- 15 July 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_32-1