The Unmet Needs That Make Us Human

I was walking with a friend recently and we got talking about insomnia, about how strange it is that you can’t fall asleep when you’re meant to, which is one of the most basic functions of an animal. And yet so many of us (myself included) struggle to fall asleep, and if we could just…

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The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on a Psychedelic Experience

‘Set’ – what you as an individual bring to a psychedelic experience – plays a significant role in how a specific trip will turn out. This one half of ‘set and setting’ (the latter encompassing environmental factors) is often framed as your mood and emotional state going into an experience. Do you feel positive and…

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Can Philosophy Harm Your Mental Health?

The psychology of philosophy is a relatively new field. It refers to the relationship between psychological traits and philosophical beliefs. This field garnered significant attention recently with the publication of a new study from the psychologist David B. Yaden and the philosopher Derek E. Anderson.  Published in the journal Philosophical Psychology, this study asked 314…

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How to Cope With Insomnia

Insomnia is an extremely common type of sleep disorder, affecting 30-50% of people at some point. The condition is commonly thought to involve an inability to fall asleep, with lots of tossing and turning, and being wracked with anxiety and ruminative thinking. And that is definitely a core aspect of the condition for many sufferers,…

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The Influence of Insomnia on the Life and Work of Emil Cioran

Emil Cioran (1911 – 1995) was a Romanian philosopher born in the Transylvanian village of Rasinari. His early work was written in Romanian, but when he moved to Paris in adulthood, he switched to writing in French. He is an essayist and aphorist, best known for his unrelenting pessimism, lyrical prose, and acerbic wit. His…

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