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120A Strong Emergence Hypothesis of Conscious Integration and Neural RewiringInternational Philosophical Quarterly 60 (1): 97-115. 2020.In this paper we discuss the two-system framework, examine its strengths, point out a fundamental weakness concerning the unity of conscious experience, and then propose a new hypothesis that avoids that weakness and other related concerns. According to our strong emergence hypothesis, what emerges are not merely mental properties in specialized, distributed neural areas, but also a new, irreducibly singular entity that functions in a recurrent manner to integrate its mental properties and to re…Read more
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17Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: a neurophysical model of mind–brain interactionPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 360 1309-1327. 2005.Neuropsychological research on the neural basis of behaviour generally posits that brain mechanisms will ultimately suffice to explain all psychologically described phenomena. This assumption stems from the idea that the brain is made up entirely of material particles and fields, and that all causal mechanisms relevant to neuroscience can therefore be formulated solely in terms of properties of these elements. Thus, terms having intrinsic mentalistic and/or experiential content (e.g. ‘feeling’, ‘k…Read more
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135A role for volition and attention in the generation of new brain circuitry. Toward a neurobiology of mental forceJournal of Consciousness Studies 6 (8-9): 115-142. 1999.Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a commonly occurring neuropsychiatric condition characterized by bothersome intrusive thoughts and urges that frequently lead to repetitive dysfunctional behaviours such as excessive handwashing. There are well-documented alterations in cerebral function which appear to be closely related to the manifestation of these symptoms. Controlled studies of cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques utilizing the active refocusing of attention away from the intrusive pheno…Read more
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3The volitional influence of the mind on the brain, with special reference to emotional self-regulationIn Mario Beauregard (ed.), Consciousness, Emotional Self-Regulation and the Brain, John Benjamins. pp. 195-238. 2004.
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6First steps toward a theory of mental force: PET imaging of systematic cerebral changes after psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorderIn S. Hameroff, A. Kaszniak & David Chalmers (eds.), Toward a Science of Consciousness III: The Third Tucson Discussions and Debates, Mit Press. pp. 3--111. 1999.
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5Appendix to Schwartz's Paper in J. Consc. StudiesJournal of Consciousness Studies 6 (8-9): 140-142. 1999.The data emerging from the clinical and brain studies described above suggest that, in the case of OCD, there are two pertinent brain mechanisms that are distinguishable both in terms of neuro dynamics and in terms of the conscious experiences that accompany them. These mechanisms can be characterized, on anatomical and perhaps evolutionary grounds, as a lower level and a higher level mechanism. The clinical treatment has, when successful, an activating effect on the higher level mechanism, and …Read more
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4Mental force and the advertence of bare attentionJournal of Consciousness Studies 6 (2-3): 2-3. 1999.[opening paragraph]: The working hypothesis of this special issue of Journal of Consciousness Studies on ‘The View from Within’ -- that the world of inner experience can be scientifically and systematically explored -- represents the re-emergence of a perspective which, while once considered the foundation of all psychological research, has fallen on hard times throughout much of this now concluding century. There are a variety of reasons for this, some of them elegantly reviewed in the contribu…Read more
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100A Role for Volition and Attention in the Generation of New Brain Circuitry & The Implications of Psychological Treatment Effects on Cerebral Function for the Physics of Mind-Brain InteractionJournal of Consciousness Studies 6 (8-9): 115-142. 1999.APPENDIX: The data emerging from the clinical and brain studies described above suggest that, in the case of OCD, there are two pertinent brain mechanisms that are distinguishable both in terms of neuro-dynamics and in terms of the conscious experiences that accompany them. These mechanisms can be characterized, on anatomical and perhaps evolutionary grounds, as a lower-level and a higher-level mechanism. The clinical treatment has, when successful, an activating effect on the higher-level mecha…Read more