The Intersubjective Contemplative Experiment (ICE): A Neuro-Phenomenological Framework for Investigating Shared Experience via Pure Intentionality

Abstract

Background: The study of shared subjective experience, or intersubjectivity, represents a significant challenge for traditional single-brain neuroscience. The recent emergence of second-person methodologies, particularly hyperscanning, has enabled the measurement of Inter-brain Synchronization (IBS) as a neural correlate of social connection, yet most paradigms confound shared intentionality with shared sensory and motor cues.

Objective: This paper introduces the Intersubjective Contemplative Experiment (ICE) as a novel, non-physical, remote paradigm designed to isolate and investigate IBS driven purely by shared intentionality. The ICE is presented as an extreme test case for the principle that shared mental goals, stripped of all other confounding variables, can induce robust neural coupling between individuals.

Framework: A comprehensive neuro-phenomenological framework is proposed to ground the ICE in established scientific principles. This framework posits that the ICE leverages empathy-modulated IBS as its core mechanism and interprets its phenomenological outputs through a neuro-semiotic lens, connecting subjective reports to the activation of specific neural systems.

Methodology & Ethics: The paper details the two-stage ICE protocol, comprising (1) Meditative Cooperation to establish a baseline of affective resonance and (2) Directed Visualization to engage a shared, top-down cognitive goal. A bespoke ethical framework is introduced, centered on the principles of Epistemic Respect, Voluntary Intersubjective Participation, and Symbolic Anonymity, which are argued to be epistemological necessities for generating valid data within this paradigm.

Results & Implications: The high degree of "semantic convergence" reported in preliminary investigations is re-interpreted as "induced cognitive isomorphism," a predictable consequence of the cognitive constraints imposed by high-fidelity IBS. The symbolic data produced are shown to have high face validity, with a neuro-semiotic analysis grounding them in the plausible activation of targeted sensory and cognitive networks.

Conclusion & Future Direction: The ICE is presented as a scientifically tractable and ethically sound research program for the empirical study of shared consciousness. To move this paradigm from theory to practice, a concrete roadmap for empirical validation is proposed, centered on a dual-Electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning study designed to test the core, falsifiable hypothesis that the ICE protocol induces measurable IBS that correlates with reported semantic convergence.