Choosing a psychedelic retreat can be difficult. It’s always best to read reviews and get recommendations, as these can indicate a retreat’s commitment to safety, ethics, expertise, comfort, preparation, and integration. But in addition to this, one should know what kind of frameworks the facilitators use when holding ceremonies. At best, the use of certain…
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One common view in the philosophy of self sees the notion of a discrete, concrete self as an illusion. This concept is known as anatta (not-self) in Buddhism, and it was later defended by the Scottish philosopher David Hume (although he didn’t explicitly draw on Buddhism when making his arguments against the reality of self).…
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A theodicy is an attempt to justify or defend the Omni-God (an all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing god), given the fact of evil in the world. The evil in the world is of two kinds: human-caused evil and natural evil. These refer, respectively, to the sometimes atrocious and abhorrent suffering that people cause to other people or…
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One of my favourite lessons from the late spiritual teacher Ram Dass relates to his relationship with his neuroses. Based on Ram Dass’ character – who he was as a person, and how he presented himself to others – one might assume that he was untroubled by negative habitual thought patterns. But in his talks,…
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It might be assumed that the problems of mental health overdiagnosis and self-diagnosis culture would only serve to promote more openness around mental health (despite the fact they sometimes pathologise normal and understandable distress). However, the backlash against these intertwined phenomena has resulted in increased cynicism and scepticism towards a general culture of emotional openness.…
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