Oceanic states of consciousness—an existential-neuroscience perspective

Oceanic states of consciousness—characterized by ego dissolution, unity, and timelessness—have long occupied a liminal space between psychopathology and transcendence. This paper explores these states through the interdisciplinary lens of existential neuroscience, integrating insights from psychoanalysis, existentialism, affective neuroscience, and psychedelic research. Starting with the psychoanalytic tension between Freud’s view of the oceanic feeling as a regressive illusion and Jung’s framing of it as a transformative encounter with the unconscious, this paper examines how creative and mystical experiences often arise from this dissolution of self-boundaries. Drawing on art theorist Anton Ehrenzweig and examples from figures like Vincent van Gogh and Antonin Artaud, I highlight how oceanic states may catalyze both visionary insight and psychological disintegration. Neuroscientific models, including the REBUS theory and studies of the Default Mode Network (DMN), suggest that ego dissolution reflects a flexible reorganization of brain function rather than dysfunction. The Peri-Aqueductal Gray (PAG), a midbrain structure associated with affect regulation and spiritual experience,