Not everyone in favour of changes to psychedelic drug policy has the same policy outcomes in mind. While the basis for this desire to end the criminalisation of psychedelic use may be the same – such as the defence of cognitive liberty – there can be disagreements about the best way to grant this right,…
View Post
I recently came across the term hagioptasia, coined by musician Daniel Laidler. It refers to a fleeting sense of significance and specialness, which eludes explanation. Laidler describes this experience, and how it’s a core part of nostalgia, in a blog post published last December. He challenges the commonplace notion that nostalgia is merely a sentimental…
View Post
People with a personal or family history of bipolar disorder (a condition marked by extreme mood swings) are typically excluded from being participants in psychedelic clinical trials. While research continues to show that psychedelic therapy, such as psilocybin therapy, is helpful for depression (which is an aspect of bipolar disorder), the mania that bipolar patients…
View Post
In philosophy, the ‘non-identity problem’ refers to what our moral obligations to future individuals should be, that is, to those who do not yet exist. It is a problem in moral philosophy because, typically, the ethical rightness or wrongness of an action is evaluated in terms of how it affects someone (who exists). To summarise…
View Post
Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a condition – characterised by chronic visual distortions – that can be triggered by psychedelics. It is considered a rare risk of psychedelic use, although the actual incidence of it is unknown (studies are limited and offer differing incidence rates). Many psychedelic users experience post-trip visual changes, but these…
View Post