Cited by 154Philosophy and Theoretical ScienceMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsMental Health and Psychiatry

How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator

Ataria, Yochai, Dor-Ziderman, Yair, Berkovich-Ohana, Aviva·2015·Consciousness and Cognition

Abstract

This paper discusses the phenomenological nature of the sense of boundaries (SB), based on the case of S, who has practiced mindfulness in the Satipathana and Theravada Vipassana traditions for about 40years and accumulated around 20,000h of meditative practice. S's unique abilities enable him to describe his inner lived experience with great precision and clarity. S was asked to shift between three different stages: (a) the default state, (b) the dissolving of the SB, and (c) the disappearance of the SB. Based on his descriptions, we identified seven categories (with some overlap) that alter during the shifts between these stages, including the senses of: (1) internal versus external, (2) time, (3) location, (4) self, (5) agency (control), (6) ownership, and (7) center (first-person-egocentric-bodily perspective). Two other categories, the touching/touched structure and one's bodily feelings, do not fade away completely even when the sense-of-boundaries disappears.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.concog.2015.09.002

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Authors
Ataria, Y., Dor-Ziderman, Y., & Berkovich-Ohana, A.
Affiliations
Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
Corresponding author
Ataria, Yochai
Venue
Consciousness and Cognition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-12
Volume
37
Pages
133-147
ISSN
1053-8100 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1766767637
Cited by
154
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 5
FWCI
9.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Consciousness and Cognition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Bial Foundation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
Keywords
mindfulness meditation, long-term meditators, phenomenology of lived experience, vipassana, satipatthana, self, agency, body ownership, time perception, first-person perspective, bodily feelings
MeSH terms
Buddhism, Consciousness, Ego, Electroencephalography, Humans, Internal-External Control, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Proprioception, Magnetoencephalography, Meditation, Touch Perception, Brain Waves, Mindfulness

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