Looking Inward and Its Excesses: Addressing the Risks of Mindfulness

Willoughby Britton, a licensed clinical psychologist, is doing important research into the dangers, or dark side, of meditation. She is also the founder of Cheetah House, an organisation that provides information and resources for those experiencing meditation-related difficulties. In a paper published in Current Opinion in Psychology, she points to evidence indicating that too much…

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The Ancient Origins of the Jester

How far back in history can we find the presence of the jester? This is a somewhat difficult (if not impossible) question to answer. While we have accounts of jesters, or similar figures (e.g. clowns), from many cultures in the world, extending far back in time, there is uncertainty as to when jesters first emerged.…

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A Review of Matt Walsh’s Documentary ‘What is a Woman?’

Matt Walsh’s documentary What is a Woman? focuses on one of the most sensitive and controversial topics that exist today: the transgender issue. This issue has made another topic especially pertinent, a question that is the central theme of the film: What is a woman? Before watching this documentary, I was aware that Walsh holds…

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Book Review: The Psychedelic Handbook by Rick Strassman

Dr Rick Strassman, currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, is one of the leading pioneers of modern psychedelic research. His studies on DMT, which took place between 1990 and 1995, broke the 20-year gap in psychedelic research. This halting of prolific and promising inquiry was because the US…

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On Travel and Escapism

The impulse to travel can be cryptic; sometimes it seems to be a kind of knee-jerk escapist tendency, while other times it is based more on a wish for expansion – for broader and more novel experiences. Actually deciphering the impulse can be tricky, though, as it’s not always clear if it – and the…

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