Kilian Abellaneda

What happens in the brain when consciousness is voluntarily suspended in advanced meditation and then returns with radical clarity, equanimity, and relief? Mainstream neuroscience has largely studied reduced consciousness through sleep, anesthesia, or pathology, but advanced meditation offers something very different: extended cessation (EC). EC is a rare meditative endpoint (MEND) where phenomenal experience is temporarily and volitionally absent, followed by pronounced perceptual vividness, openness, equanimity, and affective balance. EC offers an endogenous, non-pharmacological, and volitional way to investigate how conscious experience may temporarily cease, and how the mind may reorganize afterward. I'm delighted to share our new preprint: "EEG brain reconfiguration during meditation-induced extended cessation of consciousness: A dense-sampling multi-participant microstate study.” Using high-density EEG microstate analysis across six frequency bands (broadband, delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) in five highly trained meditators, this study is one of the first empirical characterizations of EC. Our key findings include: -- Microstate B (linked to self-referential imagery and autobiographical memory) became less frequent and shorter during EC, suggesting down-regulation of the brain's inner self-narrative -- Microstate C (linked to the default mode and salience networks) increased in dominance, reflecting deep inward absorption and metastable DMN reconfiguration -- Transition flows shifted: sensory processing fed more toward DMN-like states and away from self-referential networks -- Delta band changes point toward strengthened sensory-led updating with deprioritized self-related priors -- Beta band changes suggest reduced cognitive-autobiographical interplay and enhanced local sensory loops Together, these results support a precision re-weighting account of EC, converging with our prior 7T fMRI evidence of reduced global connectivity alongside enhanced sensory differentiation. Notably, EC produced no novel EC-specific microstate class, consistent with sleep and anesthesia. Instead, altered consciousness appears to modulate the temporal parameters and syntax of existing maps. Unlike sleep and anesthesia, however, EC preserves neural complexity and is followed by a profound psychological afterglow rather than residual confusion. Congratulations to first author David Zarka, co-authors Winson Yang @winsonfzyang, Abel Rassat, Ruby Potash @rpotash16, and Terje Sparby @terjesparby, as well as the extraordinary meditators who offered their time and their practice to make this science possible. We warmly welcome reflections from scientists, clinicians, practitioners, and friends interested in this frontier. The full preprint is included below ⤵️ May this work benefit many 🙏

Breakthrough @Nature study showcases new non-invasive treatment for Parkinson’s Disease that targets the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) with personalized neuromodulation for superior outcomes. nature.com/articles/s4158…

Very happy to be part of this project bringing together neuroscience and web technologies. An open-source, web-based environment for interactive 3D brain visualization, useful in research and education. @openbrainlab open-brain-lab.web.app

Have you ever wondered whether you’ll be able to access advanced and transformative meditation? Or do you doubt whether the science of advanced meditation will ever extend beyond the laboratory, or beyond the rare achievements of a handful of very accomplished practitioners? Or maybe you simply don’t see yourself dedicating potentially years and thousands of hours of sustained and intensive sitting practice? Time to stop wondering and for doubts to meet data. A first-of-its-kind pilot study from the SEMA Lab (Sonication Enhanced Mindful Awareness) at the University of Arizona, directed by my dear friend and longtime collaborator Jay Sanguinetti, has just provided initial evidence that transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)—a noninvasive neurotechnology that can precisely modulate specific brain structures—can offer a novel and powerful way to support meditative development. Spearheaded by Sebastian Ehmann, affiliate of our Meditation Research Program at Mass General @MassGeneralNews and Harvard Medical School @harvardmed, and his co-first authors Brian Lord @briantlord and Erica Nicole Cook, the study investigated whether suppressive tFUS targeting a brain region involved in self-referential processing could quiet sticky self-talk and cognitive rumination—those pesky and all-too-familiar obstacles to meditative depth, intensity, and insight. This, it was hypothesized, would support the learning of equanimity and assist in creating a practice environment that helps scaffold more complex advanced meditative skills. Amazingly, the ten-day meditation retreat taught by Tucker Peck @tucker_peck and two brief tFUS sessions led to significant quantifiable increases in trait mindfulness as well as state and trait nondual awareness. Qualitative results suggested improvements in equanimity, concentration, sensory clarity, shifts in self-perception, and even cathartic emotional releases. Even more intriguingly, the stimulation appeared to help participants engage their own psychological challenges and practice-related barriers, suggesting that tFUS might amplify and perhaps accelerate the mind’s natural unfolding toward meditative growth and skill. A shortcut? Perhaps not one that replaces meditation, or bypasses the path, its challenges, or deeper potentials, but rather one that enhances effective and efficient training. This is just the beginning, more research is needed to replicate and expand on these current initial results. Just as in our prior research on the synergistic possibilities between psychedelics and meditation, the time has come for contemplative practices, modern technology, mind-manifesting substances, and rigorous scientific inquiry to converge and collaborate like never before in exploring the farther reaches of human nature and our vast untapped potential for well-being and flourishing. A huge congratulations to Sebastian, Brian, Erica, Tucker, and Jay, and the entire team, including Henry Brookman, Joaquin Roces, Shinzen Young @ShinzenYoung, and @John Allen. What an extraordinary time for contemplative science and the future of human potential and flourishing!

Can meditation be understood as systematic mental training? Despite the obvious appeal of thinking of meditation training like a workout for the mind, as the gym is for muscles, and its wide usage across communities practicing and researching meditation, virtually no real dialogue has yet occurred between contemplative science and training and exercise science. While meditative attainments are clearly more than just feats of self-centered inner endurance—and some meditative endpoints involve profound epistemological or ontological shifts that have no clear counterpart in athletic or performance-based disciplines—training science has long been dedicated to uncovering the principles and mechanisms that underlie training and its adaption. It thus potentially has a great deal to offer the emerging science of advanced meditation. In our latest paper, led by the brilliant Sebastian Ehmann together with Terje Sparby @terjesparby and Daniel M. Ingram @danielmingram, we address the need for an alternative framework to evaluate meditation as systematic training that shapes meditative development. We first survey foundational principles of training science, such as programming and periodization, and then show how core training variables—volume, frequency, duration, density, and intensity—can be meaningfully adapted to contemplative training. Among these, we propose a novel definition of training intensity: the graded phenomenal presence of specific meditative qualities, coupled with the minimization of counteractive qualities. Benchmarked against a normative standard, this construct opens a promising path between structured training metrics and subjective markers of skill-based meditative proficiency. This work is a step toward a future in which advanced meditation is not confined to spiritual or religious systems of meditative training, but can also be understood as this-worldly—a systematic method of engaging with mental training that cultivates profound states of well-being. We believe it can be both theoretically and practically useful to think of the most effective ways that these practices can be used to profoundly transform the mind. In this way, perhaps one day meditators will debate the finer points of training variables as well as the interaction with meditative skills, with the same vigor as athletes and training scientists do now. Our hope is to give more people an opportunity to choose which particular goals they want to achieve in meditation, while potentially drawing from cultural heritages in a way that feels authentic and comfortable. So, are we ready to embrace interdisciplinary, science-based and more culturally appropriate frameworks that make these practices more inclusive and accessible—while also enabling the systematization and conceptual clarity needed to safeguard and advance the field of contemplative science? May this work benefit many 🙏

Fwd: Fwd: “I hope this email finds you well”

What if it takes losing our minds to save our minds? For centuries, enlightenment, known by many names, has been considered largely in myth, metaphor, or mystical verses. In most secularized contexts, it has been treated as a beautiful but largely superstitious story. Rarely has it been seen as something modern scientists should take seriously, let alone as something we might study, verify, and learn from. And now, strangely enough, modern science is starting to catch up. Right now, we are living through ecological, social, psychological, and technological ruptures—what some describe collectively as the ‘metacrisis’ or ‘polycrisis’. The stakes are so high that for many, it is unraveling the very stories we’ve told ourselves about who we are and what life is. Modern culture has long conditioned us to see ourselves as isolated, rational individuals chasing private, often materialistic happiness in a competitive world. But there are real challenges to this narrative, and something else may be opening up. This is why the emerging science of Extended Cessation (EC)—really, the beginning of an empirical science of what we call meditative endpoints, including enlightenment, awakening, nirvana, and other phenomena—feels so timely. EC is a rare, radical state in which advanced meditators suspend their consciousness. This is followed by a striking psychological renewal with a clarity, peace, and joy that is challenging to capture using ordinary language. Until now, this might have sounded implausible. But state-of-the-art brain wave measurements and scanners tell a very different story. Why does this matter now? Because this emerging science suggests our deepest human capacities may not just be thinking, producing, or competing, but rather radical new possibilities out of nothingness. As AI improves at the tasks we once thought made humans special, the question becomes: what remains human? Our research at the Meditation Research Program points us away from mere information processing and toward new depths—our ability to relate without transaction, to release old attachments, to recognize our shared humanity, and to glimpse incredible mysteries that may remake our experience. What if our ultimate humanity lies in our now-measurable ability to turn emptiness itself into a new lease on life—like advanced meditators in EC do? Seen this way, the science of EC is a reminder, perhaps just in time, that the future of humanity may lie less in building ever smarter machines, and more in cultivating ever deeper modes of being fully human. Even if not everyone reaches the deepest levels of meditation, knowing enlightenment is possible—and having science guide us part of the way—could give us a new source of meaning, resilience, strength, and purpose in challenging times. What if this is the beginning of new possibilities for our consciousness, a powerful leap? Not a leap of faith this time, but informed by science, a leap of our own consciousness.

Powerful scientific clues to the mystery of consciousness are emerging from its very absence. Advanced meditation research seeks to scientifically understand profound and powerful shifts in consciousness that can arise from contemplative mastery. One such shift, which we call extended cessation (EC), refers to a rare and temporary suspension of consciousness in its entirety. That is, after specific and especially deep meditation, all perception and mental activity cease entirely for an extended period. In this first-ever electrophysiological study of EC, in which five meditators underwent concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) recording, we asked ourselves: What is the neuroelectrophysiology of EC—and does EC affect the brain differently than deep sleep, anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness? Here’s what we found: —A reduction in alpha power in EC, especially in the visual cortex, suggesting a significant shift away from normal sensory processing. —During EC, most participants showed increases in neural complexity (e.g., Lempel-Ziv complexity, permutation, entropy and integrated information). —Global coherence showed no consistent, group-wide change during EC, with some participants increasing at certain frequencies, others decreasing, and in two it remained unchanged. —Functional connectivity between brain networks was highly individual with some participants having EC strengthen communication across networks, while in others it produced little change. These results have several radical implications for how we currently understand consciousness, flourishing, and the brain itself. Unlike deep sleep, anesthesia, or coma, EC doesn’t simply switch consciousness off. Instead, it seems to leave the brain in a state of surprising complexity. That puzzling paradox of no consciousness with high neural complexity is the opposite of what several leading theories predict, and therefore challenges some of the most established scientific models of what consciousness is thought to require. It also raises the possibility that EC is not a collapse of consciousness, but a content-free baseline from which it can re-emerge with renewed intense clarity, vividness of perception, and deep sense of joy and inner peace. What’s perhaps most promising and exciting is that EC may provide a unique experimental window into what philosophers have called “pure consciousness” or “minimal phenomenal experience” — and the awe-inspiring afterglow of this strange yet scientifically observable state could have far-reaching implications for well-being, resilience, and farthest reaches of human flourishing. A big congratulations to Kenneth Shinozuka @kfshinozuka, Winson F.Z. Yang @winsonfzyang, Ruby M. Potash, and Terje Sparby @terjesparby for bringing such rigor and pioneering vision to the farthest frontiers of modern mind and brain science. If you find this work exciting, we would be deeply grateful for reposts and comments to reach more people who may be interested~

Advanced meditation ushers in incredible new possibilities for the science of consciousness. In the first-ever fMRI study of Extended Cessation (EC), for which we’ve just released the preprint, my colleagues and I examine this advanced meditative event—where consciousness is deliberately switched off and later rebooted—and show that our conscious brains are not only extraordinarily plastic but may also possess a remarkable capacity to reset and reorganize themselves. But that’s only the beginning of it. What these new findings may mean for our understanding of consciousness itself is even more controversial and profound. While more research is needed, the emerging evidence suggests there may be significant limits to our leading theories of consciousness and that non-conscious states of mind can be achieved and investigated through non-pharmacological means. While more research is still needed, the findings of this study have some potentially radical and profound implications, including: —Offering a much-needed endogenous model for investigating the nature and mechanisms of consciousness and testing new theories of consciousness. —Challenging views that a non-conscious state requires uniform loss of differentiation and demonstrating that consciousness can cease without global suppression. —Constraining leading theories of consciousness—including Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory—while supporting the Active Inference Framework. —Suggesting a potential “reset” mechanism that fosters extraordinary levels of equanimity and flourishing. While it’s too early to predict what discoveries lie ahead, the evidence already suggests that our mainstream models and cultural stories about the conscious brain may be constraining our understanding of human flourishing and may even impede our ability to explore and embody it as individuals and as societies. It’s increasingly clear that when consciousness goes offline in EC, brain activity doesn’t just “shut down,” it resets. Sensory regions strengthen, higher-order chatter dims, and large-scale networks realign into a refined, more integrated manner. The result is not loss but reconfiguration. Not to mention the profound, often enduring psychological aftereffects: a sense of existential relief, little negative self-talk, fewer compulsive cravings, less distress, and an exquisite sensitivity to the beauty and perfection of life. Our leading models of consciousness, and mainstream mental health frameworks, do not yet offer a clear explanation for how this works. The quickly evolving science of advanced meditation is ushering in incredible new possibilities for empirically exploring transformative states of consciousness as trainable and reconfigurable capacities across meditative development. The emerging science of EC in particular may promise major breakthroughs in our understanding of consciousness and mental health in the years and decades to come, and may soon give us clear biomarkers for the radical psychological outcomes of advanced meditation that have historically been described as “salvation” or “enlightenment” by contemplative traditions. How will we, as a society, use science to unlock the radical possibilities of the mind, and are we prepared for that? Congrats to first author Winson Yang @winsonfzyang and co-authors Akila Kadambi, Kilian Abellaneda-Pérez @kabellanedap, Grace Mackin, Isidora Beslic, Ruby Potash, and Terje Sp@terjesparby Sparby May this work benefit many 🙏

I’m deeply honored to contribute to these meaningful research efforts under the guidance of Dr. @MatthewSacchet and alongside exceptional scientists, within the framework of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

For thousands of years, Theravāda Buddhism—an ancient tradition with origins in India—has described what is considered the highest meditative attainment, called nirodha samāpatti, regarded as deeply connected to nirvana/enlightenment. For the first time, we have been able to use brain imaging techniques to observe material correlates related to this meditative event in advanced meditators: the physical signature of the human brain in this condition. Our findings provide initial validation for those who have wondered whether such a state has measurable correlates, or questioned the reports of practitioners who describe it. Equally important, the material patterns we observed, when compared and decoded quantitatively against existing brain-mapping indices, aligned strikingly with indicators of well-being and the absence of suffering. For now, I want to share this preprint because it represents a landmark not only in the neuroscience of meditation but also in the broader study of cognition. We believe this preprint marks a milestone in the scientific study of meditative traditions, notably here from South Asia, and brain states, while also offering fresh insights into the nature of consciousness itself. There are further deep implications for ongoing questions in neuroscience, which I will explore in future posts. More to come. We're entering the era of empirical enlightenment: A scientific understanding of what might be the deepest forms of human spiritual development. For the first time, science is starting to empirically capture what contemplatives have claimed for centuries: that conscious experience can be completely shut off on purpose. Not from trauma, sleep, or drugs, but through advanced meditation. And what comes after might be one of the most profound psychological shifts a person can experience. We’ve just released an initial preprint of the first-ever scientific study of Extended Cessation (EC). Using ultra-high-resolution 7T fMRI, we intensively tracked advanced meditators as they entered what some describe as nirodha samāpatti—the most advanced meditative state in certain Buddhist traditions, characterized as the cessation of all mental activity and conscious experience, and thought to be closely related to enlightenment (e.g., nirvana, nibbana). Each participant, as a rare practitioner, accessed this state through advanced concentration and insight practices and all reported the same thing: no thoughts, no sensations, no emotions, no awareness, not even the sense of being. Consciousness went offline for extended periods. Our neuroimaging results aligned with these first-person reports. Among the most striking findings: —Major brain systems, including the visual, central executive, and default mode networks, as well as subcortical and brainstem regions, reorganized significantly during EC, suggesting the brain was functioning in a fundamentally different way when consciousness went offline. —Most brain regions communicated much less during EC, especially between the brainstem and higher-order cortical networks, suggesting a global quieting of brain communication, with a few sensory and subcortical areas remaining selectively active. —The brain’s overall organization shifted in a surprising way: instead of going flat like in sleep or anesthesia, it became more polarized, suggesting that some types of neural processes may actually sharpen during cessation. —The brain’s basic energy patterns dropped significantly, especially compared to memory-driven states, pointing to a broad cortical dampening consistent with a mental ‘shutdown.’ —Neural activity during EC aligned with brain regions rich in histamine H₃ receptors, linked to alertness and sensory clarity, while calming in areas tied to higher-order thinking and emotional reactivity. This pattern may help explain the clarity and peace reported after EC. —Brain activity during EC was also related to brain modes associated with alertness and sensory clarity, while less with brain modes associated with psychological suffering such as loss, pain, anxiety, fear, and stress. EC mirrors some descriptions from Buddhist texts of nirodha-samāpatti. Traditionally, this state is seen as a gateway to the radical reduction, even cessation, of psychological suffering. And that’s exactly what our participants described. After coming back online, they reported deep alterations to their minds: exquisite clarity, sensory vividness, radical openness, and lasting inner peace and joy. We’re entering a new era of meditation research where radical contemplative claims and cutting-edge neuroscience are finally meeting on rigorous, empirical, and incredibly exciting terms. What once sounded like mystical metaphors are turning out to be measurable states and reproducible human capacities. And thanks to the astonishing dedication of a few rare practitioners who we have had the honor to study, we’re starting to explore questions about consciousness—and what the brain may still be capable of—in ways never before possible. I am deeply grateful for my incredible colleagues on this study: Winson Yang @winsonfzyang, the first author, and our collaborators Akila Kadambi, Kilian Abellaneda-Pérez @kabellanedap, Grace Mackin, Isidora Beslic, Ruby Potash, and Terje Sparby @terjesparby. You can read the full free preprint of the study in the comments. If you find this work exciting or moving, my colleagues and I at the Meditation Research Program would be deeply grateful for reposts and sharing with others who may be interested. This work is only made possible and meaningful through the generosity, dedication, collaboration, and insights of our growing community of scientists, scholars, and practitioners around the world. May this work benefit many 🙏

Transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting the cerebellum may reduce #seizure frequency in patients with drug-resistant #epilepsy: bit.ly/4j2t8TQ #NeuroTwitter @AANMember @UCSFepilepsy @alvaropleone @MayoClinicNeuro @HopkinsMedicine

Researchers challenged longhorn crazy ants and humans with the same task: maneuvering a T-shaped object through two consecutive open doorways. Single humans always outperformed single ants, but ant groups could beat human groups. In PNAS: ow.ly/5vat50UwZAo

Does the brain reorganize during advanced jhāna meditation? Delighted to share our new paper in NeuroImage titled: “Multimodal neurophenomenology of advanced concentration absorption meditation: An intensively sampled case study of Jhana” This multimodal intensive case study (7T MRI, EEG) of an advanced meditator provides a powerful view into brain dynamics during advanced concentrative absorption meditation. Our findings enrich the understanding of these profound meditative states and suggest that advanced meditation may deconstruct the hierarchical organization of the brain’s function. I am grateful for my incredible colleagues, Avijit Chowdhury who led the project, and collaborators Marta Bianciardi, Eric Chapdelaine, Omar Riaz, Chris Timmermann @neurodelia , Remko van Lutterveld, and Terje Sparby @terjesparby 🧠🧘‍♀️🔬 Advanced meditation research investigates states and stages of practice that unfold with increasing mastery and time, which may include altered states of consciousness such as a diminished sense of self. In this study, we conducted a multimodal investigation (7T fMRI, EEG) of jhāna, an advanced form of concentrative absorption meditation (ACAM-J), focusing on the neurophenomenology of its distinct states. We found that states of ACAM-J reduce the usual separation between large-scale brain networks, like the default mode and visual networks, and increase overall brain connectivity, suggesting a shift away from typical patterns of modular, hierarchical brain organization. Using EEG, we also observed lower brainwave activity and greater brain signal complexity, which were linked to feelings of bliss and deep sensory focus. These findings help us understand how meditation alters brain dynamics, offering new insights into how deeply focused, blissful states emerge and how the brain reorganizes itself during advanced meditation. We are grateful to the practitioners who have devoted their lives to cultivating advanced meditation states and who have shared their experiences to make this article possible. The complete PDF of the manuscript is linked here from the publisher and also included on the ‘publications’ page of our website: doi.org/10.1016/j.neur… meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/publications/ May this research contribute to a science of advanced meditation that benefits all 🙏

Announcing a breakthrough study on the neuroscience the stages of insight advanced investigative insight meditation Now published in NeuroImage @ELSneuroscience Deconstructing the self and reshaping perceptions: An intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of the stages of insight (SoI) during advanced investigative insight meditation (AIIM) This article presents an examination of brain activity underlying the stages of insight (SoI) Advanced Investigative Insight Meditation (AIIM). We examine whole-brain activity, including in the cortex, subcortex, brainstem, and cerebellum using ultra-high-resolution 7T fMRI, how brain activity unfold over AIIM-SoI, and their relationships to phenomenology. May this research contribute to a science of advanced meditation that benefits all 🙏 I am deeply grateful for my incredible colleagues, particularly Winson Yang, @winsonfzyang who led the project, and my collaborators Avijit Chowdhury and Terje Sparby @terjesparby 🧠🧘‍♀️🔬 Advanced meditation research investigates deep states and stages of practice that emerge with increasing mastery and time, which may include altered states of consciousness such as a diminished sense of self. Using high-resolution 7T fMRI, we conducted a case study examining brain activity during stages of insight (SoI), a framework described in the Visuddhimagga describing systematic progression in Vipassana meditation or Advanced Investigative Insight Meditation (AIIM). Specifically, we examined trajectories of brain activity and phenomena as a meditator progresses through the SoI. We identified two key patterns: (1) decreased activity in regions associated with self-processing (medial prefrontal cortex and temporal poles) suggesting systematic deconstruction of self-related perceptions, and (2) increased activity in regions supporting heightened awareness (parietal and visual cortices, caudate, several brainstem nuclei, and cerebellum) indicating enhanced perceptual sensitivity. We also identified non-linear trajectories in brain activity across SoI and correlations with SoI phenomenology, particularly in emotional processing regions. These findings provide the first neuroscientific evidence for how advanced meditation may systematically transform perception and experience, setting the foundation for understanding meditative development. We are grateful to the practitioners who have cultivated advanced meditation and who have shared their experiences to make this article possible. The complete PDF of the manuscript is linked here from the publisher and also included on the ‘publications’ page of our website: sciencedirect.com/science/articl… meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/publications/

We think that all memory is stored in the brain. But our study published today in @NatureComms shows that all cells—even kidney cells—can count, detect patterns, store memories, and do so similarly to brain cells. My first (co)corresponding author paper!🧵nature.com/articles/s4146…

Disorders of consciousness are among the most fundamental neurological disorders and treatments are desperately needed. This new paper led by @aaewarren paves the way for understanding how deep brain stimulation might help. @Brain_Circuits

Remote work is not a distraction. It's a chance to concentrate. Government workers were 28% more productive on days when supervisors assigned them tasks to do at home, because they were more focused. The office is good for interaction, but it's not always ideal for deep work.

Philosophers say that studying philosophy makes people more rigorous, careful thinkers. But is that that true? In a large dataset (N = 122,352 students) @daft_bookworm and I find evidence that it is!🧵

I often tell patients that good psychotherapy is much like good physical therapy. It's hard in the short term. Bad psychotherapy might be more like a massage or a spa day. Feels good in the moment, but doesn't do much for you long-term.