Adriana Alcaraz Sanchez

I'm a PhD researcher in philosophy of mind and consciousness supervised by Prof Fiona Macpherson.

You can find updated information about my research here: https://adrianaalcarazsanchez.com/

I’m eager to meet researchers working in similar topics, so feel free to get in touch at a.alcaraz-sanchez.1@research.gla.ac.uk

Research title: Awake in Deep Sleep: The case of lucid dreamless sleep

Research Summary

My research focuses on the investigation of mental experiences during sleep and the study of their phenomenology. I’m particularly interested in analysing the subjective experience while sleeping and dreaming. I’m an advocate of the interdisciplinary research in philosophy and psychology and I encourage the dialogue between Western and Eastern traditions in philosophy.

My PhD project aims at studying experiences of awareness during sleep by drawing into research from Indian philosophy and Cognitive Science. For this purpose, I am currently investigating the minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) and the debate surrounding this state, considering whether we can have an experience of pure awareness that lacks intentional content.

My project involves an empirical work where I’m recruiting participants that they have experienced a particular experience during sleep:a state in which they were merely aware, but there wasn't any awareness of anything.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2022 | 2021
Number of items: 2.

2022

Alcaraz-Sanchez, A., Demšar, E., Campillo-Ferrer, T. and Torres-Platas, S. G. (2022) Nothingness is all there is: an exploration of objectless awareness during sleep. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 901031. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.901031) (PMID:35756253) (PMCID:PMC9226678)

2021

Alcaraz-Sanchez, A. (2021) Awareness in the void: a micro-phenomenological exploration of conscious dreamless sleep. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, (doi: 10.1007/s11097-021-09743-0) (Early Online Publication)

This list was generated on Sun Mar 26 20:52:28 2023 BST.

Supervisors

External supervisors

  • Dr Maria Gardani (School of Psychology, University of Glasgow)
  • Dr Alistair Isaac (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Linguistics, University of Edinburgh)

Grants

  • 2019-2023. SGSAH DTP Funding for PhD degree. Fees and living expenses (£45,000).

  • 2019. Awards to fund the conference Dreams, Hallucination and Imagination:

    Collaborative Research Awards (CRA). College of Arts, University of Glasgow.  £735

    Conference bursary. Mind Association. £1000

    Conference bursary. Scots Philosophical Association. £1000

    Travel bursary. Analysis Association. £550

  • 2018. Research Support Award (RSA). College of Arts, University of Glasgow. £300

Conference

  • ‘What is lucid about lucid dreamless sleep’

    August 2020 – Active Mind seminars, Department of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh

    June 2020 – Post-graduate Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of Glasgow

  • The appeal to the reflexivity thesis and dreamless sleep

    March 2020 – Post-graduate Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of Glasgow

  • ‘The Virtual Reality of Lucid Dreaming’

    October 2019 – Philosophy Society, University of Glasgow

  • ‘Brain Transplants and Personal Identity?’    

    September 2019 – Philosophy Café, Coatbridge Library

  • ‘Awake in Deep Sleep: The case of Lucid Dreamless Sleep’

    May 2019 – First-Person Science of Consciousness (peer-reviewed paper). Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.

    March 2019 – Sleep and Consciousness: A Dyadic Life (peer-reviewed paper, expenses paid) Universita degli Studi di Milano, Milan

  • ‘Looking for the minimal Phenomenal experience. The case of lucid dreamless sleep'

    October 2019 – Selfless Minds: Radical disruptions of Self-Consciousness (peer-reviewed paper, expenses paid). Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt.

    October 2019 – Philosophy Society, University of Glasgow

    July 2018 –  Annual BPPA Conference, University of Birmingham.

    May 2018 – Post-graduate Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of Glasgow

  • ‘The minimal phenomenal selfhood and dreamless sleep'

    February 2018 – Philosophy Society, University of Glasgow

Teaching

  • 2A 'Who am I?'. Tutor (2019-present)
  • 1A ‘How should I think?’. Tutor (2018-2019)

Additional Information

  • Seminar convener, Philosophy Department PPN WIP Seminar, University of Glasgow (2019-Present)

  • Co-organiser (with Dr Derek Brown). Conference on Philosophy of Perception and Colour (University of Glasgow, 14-15 January 2020)

  • Member of Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) chapter at Glasgow

  • Lead organiser. Conference on Dreams, Hallucinations and Imagination (University of Glasgow, 23-24 February 2019)

  • Vice-President. Philosophy Society, University of Glasgow (2018-2020)         

  • Seminar convener, Philosophy Department Postgraduate Seminar, University of Glasgow (2018-2019)

  • Blogger Intern. Post Graduate Research Blog. University of Glasgow (part-time) (2018-2019)

  • Research Assistant and Project Manager of the ‘Minimal Phenomenal Experience’ project'                                         Philosophisches Seminar, Universität Mainz (Remote part-time position) (2018-2019)