One of my favourite insights from the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer relates to the human negativity bias, that is, our tendency to focus on what bothers us. As he writes: Just as a brook forms no eddy so long as it meets with no obstructions, so human nature, as well as animal, is such that…
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On his site Ecstatic Integration, the writer Jules Evans published a post titled ‘Are you a psychedelic cultist?’ It features a ‘Psychedelic Cultism Questionnaire’ to help readers assess how ‘culty’ they are when it comes to psychedelics. It consists of eight statements – all in the vein of a rosy, utopian, ‘no bad vibes allowed’…
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It’s easy to find glowing accounts of microdosing. On psychedelic-related subreddits and forums, on social media, on blogs, and in real-life psychedelic circles, many people report incredible, life-changing, and wide-ranging benefits from taking tiny, sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics (typically psilocybin mushrooms and LSD). Despite reports of persistent depression fading away, not needing psychiatric medications anymore,…
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Psychedelics are typically the fastest and most reliable way to induce mystical experiences. These are the types of experiences that people often consider highly meaningful, and which they credit with causing a range of psychological benefits. However, there are also non-drug ways to induce these types of experiences, which many people will feel more comfortable…
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During or after intense psychedelic experiences – typically elicited by taking a high dose, or a synergistic drug combination – one may find oneself in a state known as ontological shock. This is when reality, or one’s experience of reality, has been transformed so profoundly that it induces a visceral feeling of shock. However, this…
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