The stability of the self in an accelerated world: Jung, psychedelics and the neuroscience of consciousness

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70435/junguiana.v44.347

Keywords:

Analytical Psychology, Default Mode Network, Psychedelics, Kundalini Yoga, Neuroscience of Consciousness

Abstract

This article develops an interdisciplinary reflection on the formation, stability, and vulnerability of self-identity by integrating neuroscientific research on the Default Mode Network (DMN) with the symbolic foundations of C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology. It examines the DMN as the neurofunctional correlate of self-referential mental activity and the Jungian ego as the organizing structure of consciousness. The paper discusses how nonordinary states of consciousness — induced by psychedelics, deep meditation, or dissociative experiences — destabilize the DMN and reveal new possibilities of psychic reorganization. It further integrates Jung’s reading of Kundalini Yoga with contemporary findings on integrative brain networks and neuroplasticity. Finally, it addresses how technological and cultural acceleration affects the cohesion of the self, proposing somatic, symbolic, and ecological avenues for restoration. The article advances a dynamic conception of the ego as a field of balance among body, brain, symbol, and culture.

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Author Biography

Priscilla Wacker, Independent Researcher, São Paulo – Brazil

Master’s degree in geriatric neuropsychiatry from the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP) Analyst member of the Brazilian Society of Analytical Psychology (SBrPA) and the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP)

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Published

2026-11-04

How to Cite

Wacker, P. (2026). The stability of the self in an accelerated world: Jung, psychedelics and the neuroscience of consciousness. Junguiana, 44, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.70435/junguiana.v44.347

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