Anomalous Experiences and SoC

With respect to Anomalous Experiences (unusual but not necessarily pathological experiences) these are among my most influential works:

Publishing in a major press award-winning coherent psychological summaries and integration of such experiences, differentiating them from pathology (e.g., Cardeña et al., 2000, 2014, 2017). I have also published specific papers on specific experiences such as near-death and mystical experiences, automatic writing, and identity alteration (e.g., Cardeña & Alvarado, 2014; Lindström et al., 2023; Melloul Ait et al. 2024

In the closely related topic of States of Consciousness, I can mention a two-volume multidisciplinary anthology (Cardeña & Winkelman, 2011a,b) illustrating the centrality of alterations of consciousness in various areas including clinical psychology, sociology, religion, philosophy, and many others.

Along with Steven Jay Lynn, I co-edited an invited journal section and wrote a related paper sumarizing various functions of alternate states (Cardeña, 2020; Cardeña & Lynn, 2020) . More recently I have spearheaded the development of a consensus taxonomy of alternate states of consciousness (Cardeña et al., 2025), which I am evaluating empirically with a doctoral student (a supplementary ongoing project is the creation of a dimensional taxonomy of states of consciousness). Another ongoing interest is evaluating whether how different inductions affect -if at - the ensuing neurophenomenological responses (Cardeña et al., 2026).

Selected References (for others see my CV)

Cardeña, E. (2020). Derangement of the senses or alternate epistemological pathways? Altered consciousness and enhanced functioning. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(2), 242-261. dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000175

Cardeña, E., Berkovich-Ohana, A., Valli, K., Bartfeld, P., Gómez-Marín, A., Greyson, B., Kumar, V. K., Laureys, S., Luhrman, T. M., Newberg, A., Preller, K. H., Putnam, F. W., Tagliazucchi, E., Walsh, R., Carter, O., & Yaden, D. (2025). Bringing order to multiplicity: A consensus taxonomy of non-ordinary states of consciousness. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000431

Cardeña, E., & Alvarado, C. (2014). Anomalous self and identity experiences. In E. Cardeña, S. J., Lynn, & S. Krippner (Eds.), Varieties of anomalous experience: Examining the scientific evidence. 2nd ed. (pp. 175-212). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Cardeña, E. & Lindström, L. (2021). The light and the bulb: The psychology and neurophysiology of mystical experience. In A. Moreira-Almeida, B. Paz Mosqueiro, & D. Bhugra (Eds.), Spirituality and mental health across cultures, 95-113. Oxford University Press.

Cardeña, E., & Lynn, S. J. (Eds.) (2020). Special section: Altered states and enhanced functioning. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(3), 238-329.

Cardeña, E., Lynn, S. J., & Krippner, S. (Eds.). (2000). Varieties of anomalous experience: Examining the scientific evidence. American Psychological Association. Doi: 10.1037/14258-000

Cardeña, E., Lynn, S. J., & Jamieson, G. (2026). A neurophenomenological study of ganzfeld and hypnosis: Part 1, phenomenology. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000476

Cardeña, E., Lynn, S. J., & Krippner, S. (Eds.) (2014). Varieties of anomalous experience: Examining the scientific evidence (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Doi: 10.1037/14258-000

Cardeña, E., Lynn, S. J., & Krippner, S. (2017). The psychology of anomalous experience: A rediscovery. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4, 4-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000093

Cardeña, E., & Winkelman, M. (Eds.) (2011a). Altering consciousness. Multidisciplinary perspectives. Volume I. History, culture, and the humanities. Praeger.

Cardeña, E., & Winkelman, M. (Eds.) (2011b). Altering consciousness. Multidisciplinary perspectives. Volume II. Biological and psychological perspectives. Praeger.

Lindström, L., Goldin, P., Mårtensson, J., & Cardeña, E. (2023). Nonlinear brain correlates of trait self-boundarylessness. Neuroscience of Consciousness. Published online, doi: 10.1093/nc/niad006

Melloul Ait, A., Kinnunen, K., & Cardeña, E. (2024). The phenomenology of distressing near-death experiences and their aftereffects. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 4(2), 192-224. https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.25433