Daniel

@thisispsychedelico.com

573 Followers 548 Following

Anthropologist curious about #psychedelics, #phenomenology, #art & #arthistory, #archaeology, #aesthetics, and #philosophy. Em dash, semicolon, and Oxford comma enthusiast. MA in #anthropology.

Meme-style image with the words "Kierkegaard would have killed on Twitter" above, and then an excerpt from Kierkegaard's journal (1838) that reads: “I have just returned from a party of which I was the life and the soul; witty banter flowed from my lips, everyone laughed and admired me—but I came away, indeed that dash should be as long as the radii of the earth’s orbit——————————————————wanting to shoot myself.”

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Aesthetic experience is widely believed to foster creativity, yet the neural mechanisms mediating this link remain poorly defined. Here, we propose five key brain networks that may support this process and systematically review the evidence. In the creative generation stage, immersive aesthetic stimuli first activate the default mode network (DMN), which supports memory retrieval and spontaneous divergent thinking. Concurrently, the executive control network (ECN) remains suppressed, enabling associative thinking and intuitive creativity, while the salience network (SN) monitors novel or emotionally salient features. During the creative evaluation stage, aesthetic processing synergistically engages the SN, DMN, and ECN. The SN flexibly modulates the coupling between the DMN and ECN. The DMN contributes to affective and interoceptive evaluation, retrieves prototypical events, and supports insight generation, whereas the ECN inhibits conventional ideas, facilitates mental set shifting, and promotes the formation of novel associations. In the creative expression stage, aesthetic experience recruits the sensorimotor network (SMN), enhancing creative output and improvisational capability. Across all three stages, the reward system (RS) plays a dual role in both initiating and sustaining creativity. Dopamine released in response to aesthetic pleasure increases cognitive flexibility and task persistence during the generation and evaluation stages. In the expression stage, it maintains high creative motivation, thereby driving creative implementation and reinforcing emotional resonance. Importantly, none of these stages is mediated by a single brain region or network; instead, creativity is supported by the dynamic reconfiguration of connections within and between these networks. Finally, the review addresses current challenges in the field and proposes promising future directions.

Couverture de « Les chamanes de la préhistoire : Texte intégral, polémiques et réponses » (2007) par Jean Clottes et David Lewis-Williams

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Religious experiences are important for many human traditions. A predictive processing-based approach to religious experiences previously identified sensory deprivation and the influence of authority as probable means of their induction. To observe the effects of these factors on human perception and psychology, this qualitative study focuses on the alternative-spiritual practice called Dark therapy, which combines days alone in complete darkness with the influence of authority—a guide consulting clients daily. Qualitative data were obtained via interviews and engaged field observations; interview data from 12 participants were analyzed using open and hypothesis coding. Findings demonstrate that Dark therapy induces psychologically challenging experiences and unusual perceptual phenomena. Participants who can gain a feeling of control could actively exploit the Dark by gaining perceptually active experiences related to their expectations, beliefs, and previous cultural learning. Guides could influence clients’ experiences, but clients only chose to learn from them when perceiving guides as prestigious. Combining sensory deprivation with social seclusion and the influence of authority thus seems to be a potent practice for the induction of spiritual and other special experiences. The predictive processing framework and theories on human ethology can provide a useful explanatory framework for the observed effects of these factors and point to interesting future directions in research on religious experiences.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Psychedelic therapy is commonly understood as a form of psychotherapy. However, despite promising results from clinical trials, scientific progress has been hindered by a lack of theoretical integration between the fields of psychedelic and psychotherapy research. This article seeks to bridge this divide by outlining a transtheoretical understanding of psychedelic-occasioned psychological change based on Klaus Grawe’s model of general change mechanisms—an empirically grounded framework of psychotherapeutic “common factors” that emphasizes therapeutic experiences and change processes. Drawing on extensive evidence from psychedelic research, we argue that the efficacy of psychedelic therapy is ultimately mediated by the same five general change mechanisms that underlie all effective psychotherapies: (1) resource activation, (2) therapeutic relationship, (3) problem actuation, (4) clarification, and (5) mastery. Implications for clinical practice, training, and future research are discussed.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

The paper critically discusses whether mystical experiences induced by psychedelics should be considered inauthentic or counterfeit forms of mystical experiences. It examines three arguments against the authenticity of these experiences: pimes are too easy; pimes do not have lasting spiritual or moral effects; pimes do not involve divine grace. Positive arguments for the authenticity of pimes discussed are as follows: pimes rely on similar neural mechanisms as other mystical experiences; pimes are phenomenologically similar to other mystical experiences. The paper argues that the positive arguments are more convincing than the negative ones. It thereby presents a case in favor of the authenticity of psychedelically induced mystical experiences.

An iMessage text exchange where in the first person asks, "You ever thought about getting 10,000 steps a day like me instead of gooning and playing Sega Genesis all day?" The second person replies, "You're the gooner."

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Why are certain common classes of ritually destroyed objects (persons, artifacts, or architecture), such as persecuted witches, so difficult to identify in the archaeological record? Although a common topic in cultural anthropology, witches seldom receive the attention of archaeologists. The difficulties archaeologists face in the study of religion derive, in part, from the lack of correlates linking ritual activities to the formulation of archaeological deposits. This paper defines ritual as a technology and employs an object life history approach that draws upon ethnographic, archaeological, and experimental research to begin building such linkages—including those describing the persecution and disposition of witches, sorcerers, and other victims of ritual violence. These new directions are illuminated through a case study of anomalous deposits of human skeletal remains from the North American Southwest.

Meme split into two halves. On top, it says,

Friend: So you just sit at a table and pretend to go into dungeons and fight dragons? Is it fun?

The bottom half is the response, showing Big Bob from Bob's Burgers saying, "I mean, I don't want to oversell it, but it changes you forever."

A stylish living room with books prominently displayed on the back wall and on the coffee table.

"The strangest part of tripping is realizing you already had everything you need to create the life you want."

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Psychedelic fungi have received considerable attention recently due to their promising treatment potential of several psychiatric disorders and medical conditions, both in clinical settings but also as a nutraceutical. Besides research, a growing number of companies are developing capacity to conduct research and clinical trials where these fungi and their products can be used, and to provide these fungi to the public market that are rapidly becoming legal across the world. Whereas Psilocybe species are better known as psychedelic fungi, species in Panaeolus are also reputed to contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin and used recreationally. For the novice, there is no contemporary scientific summary of all the species in this genus that are known to be psychedelic, compared to those that are not. The global distribution and species diversity of these brown to white, often inconspicuous mushrooms are also not summarised, nor is it known to what extent DNA sequence data that are needed for identification have been generated for all of the species in this genus. However, psychedelic Panaeolus species are used and moved across the world. This lack of data makes it difficult to regulate bioexploitation and apply law enforcement of these fungi and the compounds they contain, especially seen in the light of the rapid development of the related markets. The aim of this review is to summarise current scientific data and knowledge on the species biodiversity, geographical distribution, extent of sequence data for identification purposes, and the psychedelic potential of species, based on published results. The review revealed where species are mostly known from, while also indicating areas seriously lacking such biodiversity data. A significant degree of study across the world is still needed to confirm which of these species are truly psychedelic and exactly what compounds they can produce.

A Cloudflare "Verify you are human" checkbox

A meme of a stick figure man with flames covering his body as he runs away. The text reads: "I tried it at home!"

Vibrant green cannabis plants

Cover of God on Psychedelics: Tripping Across the Rubble of Old-Time Religion by Don Lattin (2023)

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Psychedelics have a profound potential to catalyze psychological transformation and support traditional cultures and ways of life. However, many naturally occurring psychoactive plants and animals are facing threats from climate change, habitat loss and other anthropogenic pressures like overharvesting. In this narrative review we examine the conservation issues pertaining to some of the most well-known naturally occurring psychedelics: peyote (Lophophora williamsii), ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi), iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) and the Sonoran Desert toad (Incilius alvarius). For each of the four species we aim to: review their conservation status; assess the sustainability of current sourcing practices; discuss pathways for sustainability of access; examine the efforts underway to preserve these medicines by Indigenous people and local communities; and propose how these efforts could be supported or expanded. This review focuses on an urgent issue of conservation of naturally occurring psychedelic plant and animal species and draws attention to their conservation needs. We conclude that despite biological and ecological differences, all four species face similar knowledge gaps limiting evidence-based conservation. Priorities across species include: long-term ecological and demographic monitoring; genetic and chemical diversity studies; sustainable harvest and management research; integration of Iindigenous knowledge and socio-cultural research into conservation frameworks.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

I take “neo-perennialists” to share the following, minimal claim: there exists a cross-cultural category of experiences that can be defined as “mystical”. I first clarify the neo-perennialist project and defend its overall feasibility. I then criticize the narrow focus on mystical experiences that has characterized much neo-perennialist research, and research based on the above-mentioned core claim. With “narrow” I refer both to the specific understanding of mystical states that has become dominant in the literature, and the tendency to focus on mystical experiences specifically, out of all possible altered states. I finally analyze some criteria, external to the phenomenology of extraordinary experiences, that one might appeal to in order to justify restricting a neo-perennialist account, or study, to (certain) mystical states. I close the essay with a call to (1) refine the definition of “mystical experience”, and (2) push the cross-cultural study of altered states of consciousness beyond mystical states.

A two panel meme showing scenes from Doctor Who s06e01 "The Impossible Astronaut."

The top panel reads: "That awkward moment when you get shot by your wife, in front of your wife, who then proceeds to try to kill your wife, while your best friend is off to the side pregnant..."

The bottom panel shows the Eleventh Doctor with a confused look on his face, and the thought continues, "...WITH YOUR WIFE."

Abstract digital artwork by @LEGIO_X (https://x.com/LEGIO_X_/status/1971597157481566622): A geometric abstract artwork featuring a series of evenly spaced black vertical bars forming a three-dimensional corner or enclosure. A sharp red beam diagonally cuts across the scene from upper left to lower right, intersected by a faint magenta glow, while a contrasting deep blue plane emerges from the lower right, enhancing the sense of depth. The bars cast shadows that form a solid black triangular shape in the center, adding a visual illusion of volume and perspective. The minimalist composition and bold use of primary colors evoke a retro-futurist or op art aesthetic.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Awe is theorized to serve a social function, enabling individuals to integrate into collaborative groups and engage in collective action. Across five studies (N = 1,124), we examined awe’s role in promoting identity fusion—an apex form of group connection. Two cross-sectional studies (1a and 1b) revealed that dispositional awe predicted stronger identity fusion. Three subsequent experiments (Studies 2–5) demonstrated that awe experiences strengthened identity fusion, with analyses revealing that the small-self sense of “vastness vis-à-vis the self” provided a significant indirect pathway linking awe (vs. controls) to increased fusion. These effects replicated across varying awe manipulations (emotion recall and virtual reality), target groups (country, university, local community, and nature), and cultural contexts (Australian and American samples). Our findings suggest that awe primes a readiness to fuse with groups, creating an openness to deeper collective bonds. Importantly, rather than diminishing personal agency, awe appears to foster an interdependent alignment where personal and collective goals converge, motivating individuals to direct their capabilities toward shared goals through mutual strengthening between self and group.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

This research addresses the gap regarding the need for a brief, state measure of awe by developing and validating the Awe Short Measure (Awe-SM). Study 1 (N = 246) utilized exploratory factor analysis, resulting in a nine-item, three-factor solution with high factor loadings and adequate internal consistency. Study 2 (N = 576) validated the Awe-SM through confirmatory factor analysis, reaffirming internal consistency and establishing convergent and divergent validity against existing measures. The Awe-SM's three-factor solution encompasses connectedness, absorption, and perception, reflecting key aspects of awe concordant with existing theoretical and empirical findings. The Awe-SM demonstrated strong correlations with subscales of the existing Awe Experience Scale, supporting its validity in capturing awe experiences. While awe is multifaceted and can contain elements of fear or threat, its predominantly positive nature was mirrored in the Awe-SM's correlations with positive and negative affect measures. The Awe-SM provides a valid, succinct measure of state awe.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

The potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic, mystical experiences, and peak spiritual experiences are of increasing interest among clinicians, researchers, and the public. Several studies have proposed potential parallels between the altered states of consciousness associated with psychedelics and hypnosis. Although there has been increased interest in psychedelics, mystical experiences, hypnosis, and non-ordinary states of consciousness, much remains unknown. The present special issue addresses many of these questions, such as: What are the similarities and differences in hypnotic and psychedelic contexts? What is the clinical utility of mystical experiences that may be facilitated without drugs? Do suggestion effects play a role in psychedelics? Can mystical experiences be induced through hypnosis and meditation? What is the potential of psychedelic and hypnosis to enhance creativity and spiritual inspiration/growth? The reader will find thought provoking answers to these questions and deepen knowledge of the intersections among psychedelics, mystical experiences and hypnosis.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Psychedelics are undergoing a clinical research renaissance, with compounds such as psilocybin advancing to Phase 3 trials for treatment-resistant depression and receiving fast-track or breakthrough designations from regulatory agencies. Despite this progress, the field lacks standardized terminology to guide clinical development, dosing, safety monitoring, and regulatory classification. Here, we present a comprehensive framework for psychedelic nomenclature based on pharmacology, subjective effects, dosing, and therapeutic use. A pharmacological classification system is described, encompassing serotonergic, glutamatergic, kappaergic, GABAergic, and atypical psychedelics. Dose-dependent categories—microdose, minidose, mididose, and macrodose—are introduced to standardize the description of dosing levels and intended subjective effects. We also standardize vague terms like “short-acting” or “long-acting” with specific pharmacokinetic parameters, including route, onset, and duration of action. Safety considerations are also explored, particularly cardiovascular and psychological effects, and we discuss the need for risk mitigation protocols in higher-risk compounds like ibogaine. The evolving role of psychotherapy in psychedelic treatment is also examined, proposing terminology to distinguish between “psychedelic therapy” and varying levels of psychological support. A three-phase treatment model—preparation, dosing, and integration—is recommended as a minimum standard for safe and effective care. The lack of comparative research on psychotherapy modalities in psychedelic therapy is identified as a critical gap. Ultimately, a standardized lexicon and clinical framework will support clearer communication, improved trial design, and more equitable access as psychedelic therapies move toward widespread clinical use.

Screenshot of an iMessage text from an unknown sender asking, "Can I ask you something about life purpose?"

Screenshot of excerpts from Huxley's The Doors of Perception with highlighted passages. The highlights read:

"But what I had expected did not happen. I had expected to lie with eyes shut, looking at visions of many-coloured geometries, of animated architectures, rich with gems and fabulously lovely, of landscapes with heroic figures, of symbolic dramas trembling perpetually on the verge of the ultimate revelation" (15).

"The change which actually took place...was in no sense revolutionary...The other world to which mescalin admitted me was not the world of visions; it existed out there, in what I could see with my eyes open. The great change was in the realm of objective fact. What happened to my subjective universe was relatively unimportant” (16).

Screenshot of the definition of palimpsest: (noun) a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.

Excerpt from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi (1883), which reads:

“In the North one hears the war mention, in social conversation, once a month; sometimes as often as once a week; but as a distinct subject for talk, it has long ago been relieved of duty. There are sufficient reasons for this. Given a dinner company of six gentlement to-day, it can easily happen that four of them—and possibly five—were not in the field at all. So the chances are four to two, or five to one, that the war will at no time during the evening become the topic of conversation; and the chances are still greater that if it become the topic it will remain so but a little while. If you add six ladies to the company, you have added six people who saw so little of the dread realities of the war that they ran out of talk concerning them years ago, and would now soon weary of the war topic if you brought it up.

“The case is surely different in the South. There, every man you meet was in the war; and every lady you meet saw the war. The war is the great chief topic of conversation. The interest in it is vivid and constant; the interest in other topics is fleeting. Mention of the war will wake up a dull company and set their tongues going, when nearly any other topic would fail. In the South, the war is what A.D. is elsewhere: they date from it. All day long you hear things “placed” as having happened since the waw; or du’in’ the waw; or befo’ the waw; or right aftah the waw; or ‘bout two yeahs or five yeahs befo’ the waw or aftah the waw. It shows how intimately every individual was visited, in his own person, by that tremendous episode.”

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogens, such as tabernanthalog (TBG), are being developed as potentially safer, more scalable alternatives to psychedelics for promoting neuronal growth and treating various brain conditions. Currently, it is unclear whether 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) receptors and immediate early gene (IEG) activation have a role in the neuroplasticity-promoting effects of nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogens. Here, we use pharmacological and genetic tools in rodents to show that nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogens promote cortical neuroplasticity through the same biochemical pathway—involving 5-HT2A, TrkB, mTOR and AMPA receptor activation—as classic psychedelics and that TBG-induced cortical spinogenesis is required for the sustained antidepressant-like behavioral effect of TBG. In contrast to psychedelics, TBG does not induce an immediate glutamate burst or IEG activation. As these effects have been assumed to be necessary for psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity, our results shed light on the mechanisms by which certain psychoplastogens can promote cortical neuroplasticity in the absence of hallucinogenic effects.

iPhone lock screen with an illustration of a lazy white cat on an orange background with a Co–Star app notification that says, "You'e doing your best."

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Exploring the intricate relationship between brain’s structure and function, and how this affects subjective experience is a fundamental pursuit in neuroscience. Psychedelic substances offer a unique insight into the influences of specific neurotransmitter systems on perception, cognition and consciousness. Specifically, their impact on brain function propagates across the structural connectome — a network of white matter pathways linking different regions. To comprehensively grasp the effects of psychedelic compounds on brain function, we used a theoretically rigorous framework known as connectome harmonic decomposition. This framework provides a robust method to characterize how brain function intricately depends on the organized network structure of the human connectome. We show that the connectome harmonic repertoire under N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is reshaped in line with other reported psychedelic compounds - psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ketamine. Furthermore, we show that the repertoire entropy of connectome harmonics increases under DMT, as with those other psychedelics. Importantly, we demonstrate for the first time that measures of energy spectrum difference and repertoire entropy of connectome harmonics index the intensity of subjective experience of the participants in a time-resolved manner reflecting close coupling between connectome harmonics and subjective experience.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Chris Letheby offers a two-factor account of psychedelic therapy in which the first of these factors is the induction of plasticity on neural, cognitive, and phenomenological levels. The second factor, which Letheby believes is crucial for lasting change, is the discovery of new forms of self-modelling within the psychedelic experience and the appropriate reinforcement thereof in the period of integration. However, even though this theory accounts for methods of action, it neglects to mention the importance of non-individualistic aspects of the experience and its influence on the value that the psychedelic experience holds for therapy. For the psychedelic experience, this interrelatedness between the subject and its environment is classically referred to as “set and setting”. This article aims to show how the principles of set and setting may critically inform Letheby’s theory by filling in the missing phenomenological components. “Set” encapsulates the notion of embodiment, given its emphasis on the role played by the embodied subject in the act of experience, that is, how the psychedelic experience is dependent on the embodied state of the experiential subject. Likewise, embeddedness is akin to “setting”, as it accounts for the role the environment plays in the content, quality and value of the psychedelic experience.

Screenshot of a section about nutmeg and its uses from St. Hildegard von Bingen's (Priscella Throop, trans., 1998). Hildegard says, in part: "If a person eats nutmeg, it will open up his heart, make his judgment free from obstruction, and give him a good disposition. Take some nutmeg and an equal weight of cinnamon and a bit of cloves, and pulverize them. Then make small cakes with this and fine wheat flour and water. Eat them often."

Cover of Julia Armfield's Our Wives Under the Sea (2022)

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

This article traces the shifting fortunes of for-profit psychedelic medicine through two phases: a boom from 2016 to late 2021, followed by a bust that continued through late 2024. It argues that the forces driving this cycle are best understood through the concept of capitalization, which links present valuations to investor expectations about future earnings. Engaging the capital-as-power framework, the article situates psychedelic companies within the broader biopharmaceutical sector, showing how the volatility of drug development is intensified by the unruliness of these substances as capitalized assets. This unruliness stems from a range of factors, including murky intellectual property claims, unpredictable and intense subjective experiences, and lingering cultural stigma. During the boom, firms attracted significant interest from venture capital and other investors by promising revolutionary breakthroughs in mental health treatment. As expectations rose, so did valuations. But disappointing results from clinical trials, regulatory setbacks, and deepening doubts about the ability to control and standardize psychedelic therapies led to sharp declines in investor confidence. Analyzing financial performance alongside investor narratives, the article underscores the tensions involved in subjecting these unruly substances to the logic of capitalist power.

Screenshot of two posts on Bluesky. The top post is from @darthputinkgb.bsky.social and reads, "My trolls far is working overtime trying to claim he was shot by a transexual, not an ammosexual."

The bottom post from @blerrycat1.bsky.social reads, "^The poster above me eats Cheetos in a bowl of milk with a fork."

Screenshot of the paper's introduction, which reads:

"Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and its metabolite psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), hallucinogenic compounds produced by Psilocybe spp mushrooms, are under investigation for treating depression and substance use disorders. The use of psilocybin mushrooms is legal under regulated conditions in Oregon and Colorado, but to ensure safety, psilocybin-containing products require standardization and production using current Good Manufacturing Practices. However, unregulated products marketed as magic mushroom edibles (eg, gummies and chocolates) often contain no psilocybin and instead contain muscimol from Amatina muscaria, synthetic tryptamines, or other adulterants. During 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 180 emergency cases, 73 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths associated with these products in 34 states. This study analyzed the constituents of unregulated magic mushroom commercial products."

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Summary—Clinicians across medical disciplines are intimately familiar with an unusual feature of descriptive diagnoses. The diagnostic terms, despite their non-aetiological nature, seem to offer an explanatory lens to many patients, at times with profound effects. These experiences highlight a striking, neglected and unchristened medical phenomenon: the therapeutic effect of a clinical diagnosis, independent of any other intervention, where clinical diagnosis refers to situating the person’s experiences into a clinical category by either a clinician or the patient. We call this the Rumpelstiltskin effect. This article describes this phenomenon and highlights its importance as a topic of empirical investigation.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Aim
Gaining a more detailed understanding of the patterns of relationship of the content of psychedelic experiences can help build a deeper understanding of the nature of consciousness and assist in navigating those extraordinary experiences for therapeutic, spiritual, exploratory and creative purposes. To help achieve this goal, this study examines the patterns of relationship between Entities and Environments found in narratives of complex psychedelic experiences resulting from smoking N,N-dimethyltryptamine.

Methods
The narrative accounts examined in this study were drawn from a variety of online sites and were analyzed in order to examine the patterns of relationships between different types of Entities and Environments encountered during psychedelic experiences resulting from inhalation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine. In this study different types of Entities were identified and charted in relation to the frequency of the different Environments they appeared within.

Results
Some consistency was found in encounters described with Entities and the Environments they appeared within. Various types of Entities were encountered with greater frequency in some Environments and various Environments had unique mixtures of dominant and less common varieties of Entities.

Conclusions
This study helps advance our understanding of the subjective psychedelic experiences resulting from ingestion of DMT. It reveals some of the distinct relationships between Entities and the Environments in which they appeared and provides a framework for developing a predictive model of those relationships and the progression of those psychedelic experiences.

Screenshot of Angels: A History by David Albert Jones (2010)

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

People typically rush past artworks in museums, limiting their ability to benefit from meaningful engagement with art. We tested the hypothesis that slow-looking allows prolonged contemplation of artworks, enhances emotional engagement, and fosters deeper cognitive understanding. To evaluate this, we examined how slow-looking influences visitors’ aesthetic experiences at the Penn Museum when engaging with select artifacts. Using a within-subjects design, participants encountered four museum objects, with two assigned to free exploration and two to a structured slow-looking condition. In the free exploration condition, participants viewed the objects without time restrictions or instructions. In the slow-looking condition, participants were guided through three 5-minute stages based on the Aesthetic Triad framework: sensory processing, emotional evaluation, and meaning-making. Slow-looking was linked to more compassion and feelings of being enraptured and edified. Participants also experienced more beauty when looking slowly. Extended, guided viewing may enhance emotional and cognitive engagement and support transformative aesthetic experiences.

The paper's abstract, which reads:

In this article, we provide a genealogy of the concept of integration and a discussion of the multiplicity of practices it encompasses in the field of psychedelic medicine. Reflecting on our observations of psychedelic integration practices, we make three key observations. The first is that integration services tend to focus on the individual, at the expense of considering how societal factors lead to dis-ease. The second observation is that integration is increasingly rendered in formulaic checklists, at the expense of remaining an open-ended praxis, which runs the risk of emptying it of their potential to bring context-dependent change for people. Our third observation is that integration services are increasingly rendered as marketable services. Understanding how we got here and what is at stake requires a genealogical analysis of integration within the field of psychedelics. This critical review of psychedelic integration discusses the divergence between psychedelic practices in traditional or Indigenous contexts and contemporary psychedelic practices in Western industrialized, capitalist societies. We suggest that this divergence has to do with the degree to which psychedelic experiences are contiguous with everyday sociality and the cosmology that dominates in a given social context. Offering a viewpoint grounded in the Global South, our perspective aims to denaturalize some of the assumptions that prevail in research settings where highly individualized approaches and technological solutionism prevail, such as the USA or Western Europe. We highlighted the dangers of integration becoming too formulaic, commodified, and disconnected from the therapeutic or ceremonial contexts in which psychedelic experiences were carefully curated for millennia. Furthermore, we underscored the importance of critically examining the assumptions underlying the infrastructures of digital psychedelia and app-based integration practices.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

Background
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability and economic loss, with high recurrence and treatment resistance. Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise in reducing depressive symptoms, but long-term effects are unknown. We aimed to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of PAT for MDD over a five-year follow-up period.

Methods
Individuals who previously participated in an RCT studying the effects of PAT for patients with MDD were contacted for a long-term follow-up (LTFU) study. This study uses a parallel convergent mixed methods design. Of the original 24 RCT participants, 21 enrolled in the LTFU study, with 18 (75%) completing it. For the six non-completers, baseline scores were used in quantitative analyses as conservative estimates. The primary outcome was clinician-rated change in depression severity from baseline to LTFU. Secondary outcomes included anxiety, functional impairment, and qualitative assessments of participants' experiences and mental health.

Results
Significant and sustained reductions in depression were observed, with 67% in remission for at least five years post-treatment. Anxiety and functional impairment also improved. Qualitative interviews revealed lasting positive changes in mindset, emotional health, and relationships. Participants reported enhanced empathy, self-acceptance, and improved interpersonal relationships. No severe adverse events were reported.

Conclusion
This study supports the long-term efficacy and safety of PAT in reducing depressive symptoms and improving mental health in patients with MDD. Further research is needed to determine if these findings can be replicated, and to explore the mechanisms behind the sustained benefits of PAT, potentially validating an approach that could transform the treatment of MDD.

Screenshot of a chapter epigraph in the book. It reads:

There is a "real" world, out there, but we do not perceive it directly. It is assembled by the sensory and nervous systems of each individual animal, and it is assembled differently by every one of them. What we perceive is a construct.

Every animal's perception of the world, constructed by its evolved sensory apparatus and nervous system to take best advantage of its environment, is subjective—there are no colors out there, as we perceive them, waiting for us. There is no sound—only waveforms.

And perhaps the strangest fact of all: Outside our bodies, there is no pain. Pain is something we create.

– Dr. Ha Nguyen, How Oceans Think

Cover of The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (2022)

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Screenshot of an except from Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source) by Pukui et al. (1974), which reads:

Did fervent prayer ever culminate in that overwhelming feeling of one-ness with a supreme deity that is termed the "great transcendental experience?"

Mrs. Pukui believes it did not. Or, if it did, it was the rare experience of the prophets (kāula) who lived as hermits.

Perhaps something approaching a transcendental experience may have occurred in the states of noho (possession) and other trance and trance-like states. But even in these, there was apparently little mystic-religious exaltation. The possessing spirits were either harmful ones to be exorcised, or the beneficent spirits of known, deceased relatives. When the ʻaumākua took partial possession in kīheipua or ho’oūlu ia, they provided the energy spurt that helped the swimmer to shore, the inspiration that caused the chanter or dancer to achieve a superlative performance. There was not, as far as we can judge, the ecstatic union-with supreme powers described in other cultures and religions.

Hawaiians, rather than feeling a kind of fusion with a deity, were more apt to receive messages. Veiled in mysticism, transported via dream or sign or vision, conveyed in allegory though they might be, the message was very often practical advice from those approachable, interested gods, the ʻaumākua.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

States like Hawai‘i are decriminalizing psychedelics based on emerging evidence linking their use to improved psychological well-being. Yet, in many cultural contexts, stigma surrounding mental illness may lead individuals to pursue non-traditional forms of healing, including psychedelics, in place of formal care. This study examines how psychedelic use relates to mental health treatment-seeking behaviors among Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs). Using the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data from 2008 to 2019 (n = 458,372), the analysis compares Non-Hispanic Whites with Asian and NHOPI respondents to assess associations between MDMA and lifetime classic psychedelic use, psychological distress (K6 scale), and formal mental health service utilization. Nested logistic regression models conducted in Stata 18 indicate that psychedelic use among White individuals is associated with a lower likelihood of seeking formal treatment. In contrast, among NHOPI individuals, psychedelic use is associated with increased odds of accessing mental health care. These findings suggest that psychedelic use may serve culturally distinct roles in coping with distress, shaped by structural stigma and the perceived trustworthiness of formal treatment systems.

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

A paradox lies at the intersection of aesthetic discourse and aesthetic value. At least one goal of aesthetic discourse is to increase aesthetic value. When aesthetic value is understood to be located in individual aesthetic experiences, occasionally aesthetic discourse leads to a reduction of that value. When this happens, one might ask whether aesthetic discourse is only morally right when it enhances the value of individual aesthetic experiences—and, so, wrong when it does the opposite, frankly something it does on a regular basis. Yet without critical aesthetic discourse, the enhancement of aesthetic value that relies on the creation and celebration of aesthetically better objects for our appreciation might not manifest. That is, if all aesthetic discourse is positive—with the goal of enhancing the value of individual aesthetic experiences—then we might well end up celebrating the mediocre, something that will dampen ambition for creating objects of greater aesthetic value. This article deals with this problem and considers five different solutions, the most potentially successful of which focuses on aesthetic education.

iPhone screenshot of a discussion on r/Philosophy

Screen grab from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 2 “Wedding Bell Blues” showing Celia Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, and Mynot Lüken as Beto Ortegas. Uhura is wearing a short orange skirt and shortsleeved orange jacket over a long sleeved, skintight psychedelic print shirt.

Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth I in "The Virgin Queen" (BBCtv, 2005).

Cover of The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar (2023).

Screenshot of Google’s overview of the movie Serial Mom (1994).

Screenshot of pages 50–52 of Loren Eiseley's The Night Country (1971) wherein he contemplates the lifelessness of the elements, such as carbon, in his body, and seeks to find the "dweller." He cannot, and concludes that he, too, is "dead."

Cartoon image of Skeleor; the caption reads: "I don't like to feel good, I like to feel evil."

Screenshot of the paper's abstract, which reads:

The interplay between psychedelic use, mental health, and spiritual, religious, or ‘mystical’ experiences continues to be investigated through clinical research. While many studies focus on general mechanisms underlying these compounds, analysis of real-life accounts from individuals is underrepresented. To fill that gap, this ethnographic study explores the question of how members of a psychedelic integration group in the Southeastern U.S. perceive the impact of psychedelics on their spiritual and religious outlook. Thematic analysis revealed that psychedelic encounters helped some to resolve religious conflicts, such as estrangement from religion or adverse religious associations, while nearly all reported a greater sense of spiritual connection. Noted challenges included perceived or actual religious condemnation of psychedelics, the absence of sought-after experiences, and difficulties interpreting ineffable occurrences. Findings reinforce the need for attention to spirituality when addressing psychedelic use and mental health, arguing that doing so reduces harm and optimizes benefits.