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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Neoliberalism is Partly to Blame for Competitive Psychedelic Use

Competitiveness amongst psychonauts exists and can take many forms. James Nolan, in a piece for Vice, reported that competitive psychedelic users are chasing the experience of ‘ego death’ – the dissolution of one’s sense of personal identity – because this is seen as the apex of tripping. Indeed, certain hierarchies of tripping may be constructed,…

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Psychedelics and Nihilism

It’s often assumed, because of the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs, that tripping can help people shed nihilistic and depressive worldviews. In fact, this does happen for many, with feelings of existential joy and a yes-saying to the world suffusing the psychedelic state – and these feelings of optimism and life affirmation can carry over…

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Do Psychedelics Really Act as ‘Non-Specific Amplifiers’ of the Psyche?

According to the Czech psychiatrist and LSD researcher Stan Grof, psychedelics are “nonspecific amplifiers” of the human psyche – they amplify whatever contents exist in the mind, be they conscious or unconscious.  This description of these unique substances has since become a widely accepted way of thinking about them. But is it an accurate description?…

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