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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One thing that stands out about trip reports from early Western psychonauts is that they often involve unpleasant, uncomfortable experiences. Such experiences are still more frequently reported in Western countries without a tradition of ritualistic use than they are in non-Western, Indigenous cultures that do follow this kind of tradition. Julian Shea wrote an insightful…
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Peter Tscherkassky is an Austrian avante-garde filmmaker. He’s one of the few filmmakers who, through his experimental techniques, can create truly mind-altering cinema. There are certainly many films I’d describe as psychedelic – in terms of depicting trips or because of their cinematography and themes – but Tscherkassky’s experimental short films are different to films…
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Psychedelics have long been associated with the enhancement of creativity, particularly artistic creativity, in the form of drawing, painting, and music. The artwork of Alex Grey and the music of Shpongle are clear products of adventures in psychedelic mindscapes. Creating artwork is also a popular activity while tripping (during moments when one isn’t having a…
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