Primary States of Consciousness: A Review of Historical and Contemporary Developments

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of primary states of consciousness and their potential importance in shaping the human experience and cognition. In psychiatry, primary states are conceived as phylogenetically older states of consciousness as compared to secondary states governed by sociocultural inhibition. We review the historical development of the concept and its relationship to psychological theories of consciousness. We present a model of primary states characterized by a fusion of emotion, language, and behavior, and compare their occurrences in different contexts. We also discuss the agents inducing primary states, including psychotomimetic drugs and religious rituals, and conclude with some ethical considerations of inducing primary states in the laboratory.