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James W. Sanders

@jwsanders.bsky.social
51 followers 33 following 27 posts

Psychologist, phenomenologist, and cognitive neuroscientist studying the scientific description and measurement of the psychedelic experience with the DMT Research Group at Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research.

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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The study shows that profound & idiosyncratic psychedelic experiences can have an identifiable structure & shared temporal organisation. More broadly, it contributes to our work on how complex conscious contents are constructed, & deconstructed, under short-acting psychedelics.
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Importantly, this development followed common sequences. Bodily effects generally emerged first, followed by visual & auditory effects, & the development of 3-d space. Perceived presences emerged only when these other effects had formed.
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Very happy to share that our paper, “Micro-phenomenology of immersion and perceived presences under DMT,” is now published in Neuroscience of Consciousness @nconsc.bsky.social t.co/ujgnZSVG23
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Today I start my PhD studies at UCL's Centre for Consciousness Research! @uccr.bsky.social Here I will work with advanced practitioners of Dzogchen ('Great Perfection'; a Tibetan contemplative tradition), to neurophenomenologically assess the landscapes of conscious experience these practices unlock
"Lukhang mural 3" by Wellcome Trust, wellcomecollection.org Ian Baker, Hamid Sardar, Hon Wai Wai is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
8/ Importantly, dynamic analysis showed these experiences didn’t develop randomly. A hierarchical pattern emerged: bodily effects tended to emerge first, followed by the integration of visual & auditory effects, then 3D space emerged, with perceived presences typically last
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
7/ These participant illustrations highlight the dimension of semantic complexity, whereby some perceived presences took the form of complex & specific figures, while others took the form of relatively simple & abstract shapes
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James W. Sanders @jwsanders.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
1/ How can micro-phenomenology advance our knowledge of the mind/brain under DMT, and address methodological shortcomings in psychedelic phenomenology more broadly? Announcing a new preprint from the DMT Research Group @ the Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research
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