Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies

🧠 Excited to share some of our latest research on treating anhedonia in depression using an innovative approach: aesthetic #chills as a therapeutic intervention! Rather than focusing solely on reducing negative symptoms, we explored enhancing positive experiences. The results? When patients experienced aesthetic chills, their reward sensitivity was temporarily restored to levels matching healthy controls. 💡 Why this matters: Anhedonia (loss of pleasure/reward sensitivity) is a core feature of depression that impacts decision-making in crucial ways. Imagine being unable to differentiate between two choices even when one clearly offers greater rewards - this is the daily reality for many patients with anhedonia. 📑 Full details in our paper out in the Journal of Affective Disorders and blog post with PDF access: https://lnkd.in/gW9dcuA4 JAD Link: https://lnkd.in/gbTCWMwQ With an amazing team: Felix Schoeller | Abhi Jain | Diego A. Pizzagalli | Pattie Maes | Nicco Reggente, PhD | Shiba Esfand | Jessica Duda | Kaylee Null #MentalHealth #Neuroscience #Depression #ClinicalResearch #Innovation #PsychologyResearch #TherapeuticInnovation

Illuminating a path toward understanding one of humanity's most ancient practices for expanding consciousness, Unlikely Collaborators has transformed a serendipitous connection into a funded reality through their generous SPARK Summit Grant. Meeting Andrew Holecek at the Summit and exploring the paradox that by entering the darkness of the cave, we create the conditions for expanding beyond our perceptual constraints, has ignited a collaboration between IACS and SkyCave Retreats. Our deep gratitude to Unlikely Collaborators for making this pioneering research possible. We look forward to sharing our discoveries as we work to illuminate the profound potential of darkness.

The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies team faced 4 major trial challenges with a recent neuromodulation study. By ditching fragmented systems, they didn't just solve them; they saved themselves 50 hours of build time and had full patient data integration with zero compromises on quality. Read the overview below and / or access the full case study here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e4KRRtTt 🔗 Nicco Reggente, PhD, Ninette Simonian, Sarah Grady, Fay Covan, Derk Arts, MD PhD

🔬 Exciting new research from our lab on democratizing transformative experiences! Published in PLOS Mental Health. In a study led by Leonardo Christov-Moore, Felix Schoeller, and Nicco Reggente, PhD, we've uncovered something remarkable about those shivers you get from powerful music or moving speeches - they're actually micro-mystical experiences. Studying 5,000 participants across California and Texas, we found that aesthetic chills consistently correlate with the three classical markers of self-transcendence (which co-author Matthew Sacchet prudently turned our heads toward): Ego dissolution Deep connection to self and others Moral elevation and increased compassion Why this matters: In our modern era, many people are too skeptical for religion or hesitant about psychedelics. These ubiquitous "small but special" experiences might be key to democratizing access to meaningful transformative states. Read the blog post and get access to the article via the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/gMQfTFW8 Special thanks to co-author Caitlin Lynch as well for her valuable assistance, thinking, and writing.

Struggling with #burnout and #stress ? With funding from Lumena Inc and the U.S. Air Force, we are running a new study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of using flashing lights inside an infinity mirror cube (Mind Gym) to mitigate stress and burnout. If you or anyone you know is struggling and in #LosAngeles or #SantaMonica, you can learn more and sign up at the link below. Participants are paid $30/hr and the study lasts about 1.5 hours. https://lnkd.in/gPfgyyqS

Our work was featured in Inc. Magazine. Nick Hobson, PhD explores the work we have been doing with Abhi Jain to build the first validated database of chills stimuli and its relevance for the workplace. https://lnkd.in/ecQCn-qN MIT Media Lab, Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies #futureofwork

Our latest PNAS Nexus study (out today!) delves even deeper into the enigmatic world of aesthetic chills. Using 2,900+ participants, social media data mining, and machine learning, we untangle the complex interplay of demographics, personality, and emotional state that influences the experience of chills. Put simply: we can predict whether an individual is going to get chills from certain stimuli based on pre-exposure questionnaires. This work holds promise for understanding how to tailor emotional experiences toward personalized therapeutic applications. By: Felix Schoeller Leonardo Christov-Moore Caitlin Lynch Thomas Diot & Nicco Reggente, PhD https://lnkd.in/gphXgDST

In the latest from IACS, we do a deep dive into the neurobiology of aesthetic chills and ask how bodily sensations shape emotional experiences. If you've ever felt goosebumps listening to a moving symphony or shivers when witnessing something powerful, those are "aesthetic chills". We are finding that they may be far, far more than a physical reaction. In this work, we dive into how they connect to the brain's reward system, the creation of emotions, and even how we understand our own world models. By: Felix Schoeller | Abhi Jain | Diego A. Pizzagalli | Nicco Reggente, PhD https://lnkd.in/g-n_A_mE