Transcendence of the Self

The concept of Transcendence of the Self, a state in which any sense of self disappears, is elaborated by Patrizio Paoletti as part of the Sphere Model of Consciousness, within the framework of Self theories proposed from various neuro-phenomenological perspectives. These theories are generally based on the conceptualization initially introduced by William James at the beginning of the 20th century to distinguish the Minimal Self from the Narrative SelfNarrative Self The concept of the Narrative Self is situated... More.

Origins and Conceptualization

Building on James’ studies, Gallagher was the first, in the early 2000s, to systematically reinterpret the concept to translate it from the phenomenological domain to the neuroscientific one. In recent years, research has further conceived each of these states of the Self as specific configurations of self-awarenessIl termine autoconsapevolezza si riferisce primariamente all... More and mental contents.

In neuroscienceThe human brain is one of the most complex and fascinating s... More research, the neuro-phenomenological paradigm initiated by Varela, Thompson, and Rosch aims to integrate:

• first-person subjective reports related to the experience of self-awareness;
• objective third-person measurements, including electrophysiological measures;
• to which recent studies have added behavioral data, related to Executive FunctionsThe term 'executive functions' refers to a set of mental pro... More.

Definition and Characteristics

Transcendence of the Self, comparable to the concept of consciousness without content or with minimal content, has only recently been the subject of neuroscientific studies. It can also be compared to self-transcendence, absorption, and non-dual states. Paoletti and Ben-Soussan, in a recent publication, conceptualized silenceSilence, often overlooked in the frenzy of modern life, is a... More in meditationThere are many ways to define meditation, but perhaps the si... More as a means of sensory saturation that is thought to induce experiences of content-free consciousness, or silent consciousness. They hypothesized that this state can be achieved in meditative practices involving sensory expansion. It involves the indefinite expansion of the senses, described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra with the concept of pratyahara. According to some, the term indicates a sort of coercive control over the senses, but it can instead be understood as training in detachment from sensory perception, or non-attachment to the object of perception, which differs from its inhibition. This detachment would coincide with the practice of open attention, the “letting come” described by Varela and colleagues, whose physiological correlates can be seen as diffuse endogenous attention in an open field, leading to a form of sensory saturation mediated by the insula.

Transcendence of the Self in the Sphere Model of Consciousness

In the neuro-phenomenological model created by Patrizio Paoletti called the Sphere Model of Consciousness, three types of Self are considered: in addition to the Narrative Self and the Minimal Self, the state of Transcendence of the Self is included, in which any sense of self disappears. They are represented as concentric circles around a center, with the Narrative Self (NS) on the outside, the Minimal Self (MS) in the middle, and the Transcendence of the Self (TS) at the center.

Each of them is characterized by a state of self-awareness and a particular first-person phenomenology, expressed through components guided by functionality and cognition.

Figure 1 – A. The Sphere Model of Consciousness. B. The different Selves in the SMC and their main suggested electrophysiological correlates. The Narrative Self is linked to gamma and beta, the Minimal Self is linked to a transition toward alpha and theta, and the Transcendence of the Self is primarily linked to delta activity. [Adapted from Paoletti & Ben-Soussan 2019, 2020]

Electrophysiological Correlates and Connections with Meditation

According to a comprehensive review of the scientific literature published by researchers at RINED, the Institute of Research in Neuroscience, Education, and Didactics of the Patrizio Paoletti Foundation, Transcendence of the Self is primarily associated with delta frequencies, commonly observed in non-dual meditation techniques. Scientific literature has reported that delta increases in deep meditation, particularly in higher states of consciousness. The unusual delta activity generated in deep meditation is associated with non-conceptual awareness; it can enhance the ability to suddenly recognize complex and subtle informational patterns that serve to provide new and relevant solutions to complex problems through intuition.