Abstract

Many interesting theories of consciousness have been proposed, but so far, there is no unified theory capable of encompassing all aspects of this phenomenon. We are all aware of what it feels like to be conscious and what happens if there is an absence of consciousness. We are becoming more and more skilled in measuring consciousness states; nevertheless, we still don't get it in its deeper essence. How does all the processed information converge from different brain areas and structures to a common unity, giving us this very private feeling of being conscious, despite the constantly changing flow of information between internal and external states? Multistability refers to a class of perceptual phenomena where subjective awareness spontaneously and continuously alternates between different percepts, although the objective stimuli do not change, supporting the idea that the brain interprets sensorial input in a constructive way. In this perspective paper, multistability and perceptual awareness are discussed as a methodological window for understanding the local states of consciousness, a privileged position from which it is possible to observe the brain dynamics and mechanisms producing the subjective phenomena of perceptual awareness in the very moment they are happening.