Let us understand what time is. Time is not an illusion, time is just a measure to record the lapse between one event and another. As you are reading the answer, time is passing - it doesn’t mean that actually time is like a train that is passing, but one moment is becoming another moment, and then another moment till it becomes a minute, an hour, a day and a year. Time records it, time is just a measure. What actually exists is only this moment because other than this moment, nothing exists. You can't go to yesterday like you can go to New York or London, you can't go to tomorrow. Tomorrow will only come when it becomes today, when it becomes now. Therefore, let us understand what exists is only the present moment and time is a measure to record moment by moment.

the cerebral cortex

Consciousness to the neural world is quite different from the real consciousness of spirituality. Consciousness of spirituality is an awareness. Today you are awake, you are reading, you are listening, you are seeing. When you are not conscious, when you are unconscious, then you can't do this. You may be subconscious which means that your body may be in a state of unconsciousness, but your mind is still conscious. You are alive, you are breathing, you are dreaming, you are sleeping, but the neural world has no real explanation of consciousness. What happens at death when the consciousness departs? Where does the consciousness go? Where does consciousness come from? Therefore we must try to understand consciousness from a spiritual point of view, that way we will understand the meaning.

Hypnosis is an 'altered state of consciousness' (ASC) that is qualitatively different from normal waking consciousness.

writers who want to let a reader into their emotional world.

neural activity

Yes, consciousness is a noun.