An out-of-body experience (OBE) is an altered state of consciousness in which someone feels their conscious awareness has left the confines of their physical body, able to perceive the outside world from a different vantage point. During an OBE, it is common for people to report seeing their body from a distance or to be…
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A ‘flow state’ is a state of deep focus and absorption when engaged in an activity, which involves a loss of self-consciousness and alterations to one’s sense of time. Flow states are common: they can occur when we are engaged in a variety of activities – from playing music to running – and in some…
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It may seem a strange thing to say, but I love bleak films. (Here’s a Letterboxd list of the bleakest films I’ve seen and loved.) On the other hand, it’s not really that strange, given that some of the bleakest films ever made are also considered masterpieces by many, and films full of despair with…
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Kundalini yoga is one non-drug method that can be used to induce spiritual experiences. A ‘kundalini awakening’ is a specific type of spiritual experience that can occur as a result of practising this form of yoga. This is typically experienced as an intense release of (what is considered) dormant energy, leading to a range of…
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A common narrative in the psychedelic space is that having a psychedelic experience is like undergoing 10 years of therapy (or another number of years), condensed into just several hours. A headline for a 2023 piece in The i Paper reads ‘How a five-day, £4,000 psychedelic retreat saved me 10 years of intensive therapy’. Mark…
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