Agustina Velez Picatto Shows Self‑Induced Altered Consciousness

A new study published in *NeuroImage* reports that Agustina Velez Picatto, a 37‑year‑old researcher at the University of Córdoba in Argentina, can voluntarily enter non‑ordinary states of consciousness without pharmacological agents. Velez Picatto, who exhibits mild synesthesia, was the primary subject and co‑author of the paper. Over 20 functional MRI sessions she repeatedly transitioned through four distinct phases: a baseline waking state, a turbulent transition marked by heightened neuronal instability, a deep trance with pronounced changes in brain connectivity, and a residual phase.

During the self‑induced trance the study observed a reduction in connectivity within visual and sensorimotor networks, alongside selective strengthening of frontoparietal and salience networks. The researchers suggest that this voluntary re‑organization of neural patterns offers a novel, drug‑free window into the neural correlates of altered consciousness.