Psychedelics and the Rogansphere

The Rogansphere – consisting of Joe Rogan and like-minded comedians orbiting around him – faces steady and consistent criticism from YouTubers (whose focus and most popular content is criticising the Rogansphere). Popular critiques of the Rogansphere began with Mike David/Redbar (at redbarradio.net), and he (and fans) uploaded clips of these to YouTube. Today, the most impressive…

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The Rise of Self-Proclaimed Shamans

In the search for alternative forms of healing, people may want to turn to what is seen as a more natural, human, holistic, and deeper form of healing – namely, shamanism. Shamanism can, quite broadly, be defined as a tradition of religious specialists who act as mediators with spirits and the spirit realm. Through the…

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Are There Enough Secular Psychedelic Retreats?

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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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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Why the Term ‘Drug’ is Difficult to Clearly Define

‘Drugs’, much like ‘religion’, evade a precise definition. There are standard, dictionary definitions of the term ‘drug’, either a substance (other than food) that influences motor, sensory, cognitive, or other bodily processes, or a substance that is used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease. Drugs are generally understood to be either psychoactive…

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