Abstract
<p>This paper proposes a theoretical framework for interpreting immersive neurogastronomic experiences as a form of ambient cognitive modulation. The framework originates in the direct, informal observation of approximately 6,000 guests conducted by the first author over more than six years of operation at Sensorium — an eleven-seat neurogastronomic restaurant with a controlled multisensory architecture. The recurrence of consistent behavioural and experiential patterns across this substantial case base motivated a search for a systematic neurological and psychological interpretation, developed in collaboration with the second author drawing on his clinical expertise and the Emotional Flavour Profiles framework (Kiosses, 2026). We propose that intentional, layered sensory overstimulation may selectively inhibit dominant analytical processing — in the sense described by McGilchrist's account of hemispheric functional dominance — and reduce Default Mode Network (DMN) activity, favouring a shift in brain oscillatory states from alpha toward theta. This hypothesised neurobiological shift, potentially observable within the span of a single dining session, may correspond to a subjective experience of heightened presence, reduced critical self-monitoring, and access to ordinarily unavailable inner states. We introduce a three-stage model — Saturation, Analytical Surrender, and Incorporeal Immersion — and discuss its implications for experiential design, clinical psychology, and wellbeing research.</p>