The Varieties of Psychedelic Epistemology Chris Letheby Published in N. Wyrd, D. Luke, A. Tollan, C. Adams, and D. King (eds.) : "Psychedelicacies: more food for thought from Breaking Convention", Strange Attractor Press, 2019. INTRODUCTION Is it possible to gain knowledge1 by taking psychedelic2 drugs? One influential answer is ‘yes’: according to this conception, by inducing mystical states of consciousness, psychedelics afford direct knowledge of supernatural, transcendent dimensions of reality. This is an entheogenic conception of the drugs as agents that “generate the divine within”. A second influential answer is ‘no’: since materialism or physicalism3 is true, there are no transcendent realities, and psychedelics [...]
Lire la suiteThe Consumption of Psychoactive Plants During Religious Rituals : The Roots of Common Symbols and Figures in Religions and Myths H. Umit Sayin NeuroQuantology, June 2014, Volume 12, Issue 2, 276-296 Doi : 10.14704/nq.2014.12.2.753 ABSTRACT Psychoactive plants which contain hallucinogenic molecules that induce a form of altered states of consciousness (HASC) have been widely used during the religious rituals of many cultures throughout the centuries, while the consumption of these plants for spiritual and religious purposes is as old as human history. Some of those cultures were shaman and pagan subcultures; African native religions; Bwiti Cult; South American native religions; Amazon Cultures; Central American Cultures; [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybine mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects SMIGIELSKI Lukasz, SCHEIDEGGER Milan, KOMETER Michael, VOLLENWEIDER Franz X. NeuroImage, 2019, 196, 207-215 Doi : 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009 A B S T R A C T Both psychedelics and meditation exert profound modulatory effects on consciousness, perception and cognition, but their combined, possibly synergistic effects on neurobiology are unknown. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 38 participants following a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (315 μg/kg p.o.) during a 5-day mindfulness retreat. Brain dynamics were quantified directly pre- and post-intervention by functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state and [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, Una McCann, Robert Jesse Psychopharmacology, 2006 DOI 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 Abstract Rationale : Although psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes, little is known scientifically about its acute and persisting effects. Objectives : This double-blind study evaluated the acute and longer-term psychological effects of a high dose of psilocybin relative to a comparison compound administered under comfortable, supportive conditions. Materials and methods : The participants were hallucinogennaïve adults reporting regular participation in religious or spiritual activities. Two or three sessions were conducted at 2-month intervals. Thirty volunteers [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards, Brian D. Richards3, Robert Jesse, Katherine A. MacLean, Frederick S. Barrett, Mary P. Cosimano and Maggie A. Klinedinst Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2018, 32, 1, 49-69. DOI: 10.1177/0269881117731279 Abstract Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences with participant-attributed increases in well-being. However, little research has examined enduring changes in traits. This study administered psilocybin to participants who undertook a program of meditation/spiritual practices. Healthy participants were randomized to three groups (25 each): [...]
Lire la suiteMystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personnality domain of openness Katherine A. MacLean, Matthew W. Johnson and Roland R. Griffiths Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2011, 25, (11), 1453-1461. doi: 10.1177/0269881111420188. Abstract A large body of evidence, including longitudinal analyses of personality change, suggests that core personality traits are predominantly stable after age 30. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated changes in personality in healthy adults after an experimentally manipulated discrete event. Intriguingly, double-blind controlled studies have shown that the classic hallucinogen psilocybin occasions personally and spiritually significant mystical experiences that predict longterm changes in behaviors, attitudes and values. In [...]
Lire la suiteMystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Roland R. Griffiths ,W.A. Richards , Matthew W. Johnson, Una D. McCann, R. Jesse Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008, 1–12. Doi : 10.1177/0269881108094300 Abstract Psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes; however, little is known scientifically about its long-term effects. We previously reported the effects of a double-blind study evaluating the psychological effects of a high psilocybin dose. This report presents the 14-month follow-up and examines the relationship of the follow-up results to data obtained at screening and on drug session days. Participants were 36 hallucinogen-naïve adults [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences : immediate and persisting dose-related effects Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards, Brian D. Richards, Una McCann, Robert Jesse Psychopharmacology, 2011 DOI 10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5 Abstract Rationale : This dose-effect study extends previous observations showing that psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. Objectives : This double-blind study evaluated psilocybin (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/70 kg, p.o.) administered under supportive conditions. Methods : Participants were 18 adults (17 hallucinogennaïve). Five 8-h sessions were conducted individually for each participant at 1-month intervals. Participants were randomized to receive the four active doses in either ascending or [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics as a treatment for disorders of consciousness Gregory SCOTT and Robin L. CARHART-HARRIS Neuroscience of Consciousness, 2019, 5, (1), niz003 doi: 10.1093/nc/niz003 Abstract Based on its ability to increase brain complexity, a seemingly reliable index of conscious level, we propose testing the capacity of the classic psychedelic, psilocybin, to increase conscious awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness. We also confront the considerable ethical and practical challenges this proposal must address, if this hypothesis is to be directly assessed. Key words : disorders of consciousness; psychedelics; psilocybin; complexity Introduction Disorders of consciousness (DoC) are the most devastating form of impairment that may follow acquired brain injury. In [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy : A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development Eduardo Ekman Schenberg Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018, Volume 9, Article 733, 1-11 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00733 Abstract Mental disorders are rising while development of novel psychiatric medications is declining. This stall in innovation has also been linked with intense debates on the current diagnostics and explanations for mental disorders, together constituting a paradigmatic crisis. A radical innovation is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP): professionally supervised use of ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD and ibogaine as part of elaborated psychotherapy programs. Clinical results so far have shown safety and efficacy, even for “treatment resistant” conditions, and thus deserve increasing attention [...]
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