Julian Jaynes' theory that consciousness (specifically self-consciousness) came into being at a specific historical point can be partially validated—the way people imagine the mind actually changes the texture and quality of their thoughts, suggesting consciousness is culturally constructed.

Humans distinguish between mental and physical phenomena in all cultures, but they map this distinction differently—for example, in Vanuatu anger is mapped more to the body while love is mapped to the mind, whereas people in the United States distinguish them differently.

Evangelical Christians learn to recognize certain thoughts as coming from God rather than from themselves through a training process: they look for thoughts that are spontaneous, louder, give them peace or guidance, and practice praying with closed eyes while imagining themselves in Jesus's presence or other vivid scenarios.

Tulpamancers (people on internet forums creating 'tulpas'—invisible friend entities) use the exact same cognitive techniques as evangelical Christians (mental imagery cultivation and talking to the entity as if present) and develop the same experience of an entity that feels external and autonomous, despite having no belief in spirits or the supernatural.

The voices of spirits in religious experience are phenomenologically different from voices in mental illness—spirit voices are brief, positive, and feel richer and less alien than the frequent, harsh voices characteristic of psychosis.

The capacity to experience thoughts as not originating from oneself and not located inside oneself is part of the remarkable human capacity for self-healing—people can have relationships with their own minds that create the sense of an invisible other present and responding.

Religious observance has documented positive effects on physical health and wellbeing, suggesting that the social relationship established through experiencing God as real has tangible biological effects.

Our beliefs about consciousness change how we experience it and who we become, making the question of what consciousness really is not purely theoretical but existentially and ethically important.

The more a person imagines the boundary between mind and world as porous and permeable (like a fishnet with holes rather than a concrete wall), the more likely they are to have experiences of hearing, seeing, or feeling the presence of God or spirits.

Taking people's experiences of consciousness seriously means acknowledging the diversity and variation in how different people experience their minds—some have vivid inner voices, others minimal inner narration; some have extensive visual imagery, others none.