Timothy Leary’s Eight-Circuit Model of Consciousness: An Overview and Critique

The psychedelic guru Timothy Leary proposed a theory of human consciousness, known as the eight-circuit model of consciousness, in his books Neurologic (1973), Exo-Psychology (1977), The Intelligence Agents (1979), and The Game of Life (1979). This theory reflects Leary’s deep interest in mind expansion and psychedelics; the theory itself – which is presented as psychological…

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Psychedelics, Child-Like Wonder, and the Will to Novelty

A commonly reported feature of the psychedelic experience is seeing the world with fresh eyes – as if for the first time. This has also been likened to a child-like state of wonder, where everything in the world is transformed from dull and lifeless to fascinating and animated.  While reverting back to this child-like form…

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Why Does Social Anxiety Exist?

Social anxiety is a debilitating nervousness of being in social situations, which affects up to 12% of people in the UK. This makes it the most common type of anxiety disorder (for comparison, generalised anxiety disorder is present in 6% of the UK population). Common symptoms of social anxiety disorder include intense worrying about interactions…

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The Effects of the Internet on the Brain

From my own personal experience, I find it more difficult to concentrate on something which requires sustained attention – when reading a book, for example – than I used to in the past. I believe that this diminishing ability to concentrate is a result of the internet; more specifically, the way in which I (and…

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The Illusion of the Self

No one really doubts that there is a self. In our day-to-day lives, it always appears that there is an ‘I’ who is thinking, perceiving, and interacting with the world. Even the language we use assumes that there is a self – a distinct, separate entity – which exists. When we talk to each other…

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