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Restructuring insight: An integrative review of insight in problem-solving, meditation, psychotherapy, delusions and psychedelics
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Restructuring insight: An integrative review of insight in problem-solving, meditation, psychotherapy, delusions and psychedelics

Kadi Tulver, Karl Kristjan Kaup, Ruben Laukkonen and Jaan Aru
Consciousness and cognition, Vol.110, 103494
04/2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2023.103494
PMID: 36913839

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Abstract

Meditation Delusions Psychotherapy Schizophrenia Insight Psychedelics Problem-solving Cognition Cognitive neuroscience Treatment of human diseases and conditions Expanding knowledge in psychology
Occasionally, a solution or idea arrives as a sudden understanding - an insight. Insight has been considered an "extra" ingredient of creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we propose that insight is central in seemingly distinct areas of research. Drawing on literature from a variety of fields, we show that besides being commonly studied in problem-solving literature, insight is also a core component in psychotherapy and meditation, a key process underlying the emergence of delusions in schizophrenia, and a factor in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. In each case, we discuss the event of insight and its prerequisites and consequences. We review evidence for the commonalities and differences between the fields and discuss their relevance for capturing the essence of the insight phenomenon. The goal of this integrative review is to bridge the gap between the different views and inspire interdisciplinary research efforts for understanding this central process of human cognition.

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