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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Because of the influence of ‘set and setting’, not everyone’s psychedelic experience is the same. Various aspects of ‘set’ (e.g. beliefs, expectations, mood, personality, intention, level of restfulness) and ‘setting’ (e.g. culture, environment, music, people present) interact with the drug and the dose to produce a particular kind of experience. This includes the visual qualities…
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Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a rare condition that can develop after psychedelic use. HPPD involves persisting visual changes that cause emotional distress and/or impairment to functioning. It is not clear precisely how prevalent the condition is, although its prevalence is considered low. In one study, 4.2% of participants said they experienced continued visual…
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