Psychedelics and holistic thinking: a tool for science

This commentary paper (2010) matches the tone of Sessa (2008) that also argued that psychedelics and creativity should be studied again.

Abstract

“Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorised in the UK and the US as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. Likewise, users of psychedelic drugs are falsely stereotyped as disorganised and delusional. Conversely, psychedelics have been used by leaders in a number of fields to aid creative problem-solving. This may be due to the psychedelic substances aiding dissolution of cognitive boundaries and temporarily allowing the individual to escape their reality tunnel. This aid to problem-solving may be just what we need to solve the complex problems facing us today.”

Author: Cameron Adams

Summary

Article information:

Psychedelics include substances that induce a psychotic state, hallucinogenic and psychedelic experiences, as well as entheogenic experiences. They fall into two classes: tryptamines and phenethelamines, and one substance, salvinorin A, that does not fall into either class.

Psychedelic drugs, problem-solving, etnography

Nobel Prize winners, accomplished scientists and other people who use illegal drugs, like mescaline, have admitted to using these drugs and stating that they have been invaluable tools in their work.

Psychedelics are a complex group of psychoactive agents that have eluded clear understanding and definition. Robert Anton Wilson, (1977; 1983; 1990; 2003) explains that they allow the unconscious mind to enter the conscious and displace standard egoic thought, thus promoting a holistic approach to experience.

Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorized as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. However, they have been used by leaders in a number of fields to aid creative problem-solving.

Psychedelic drugs are not the only means of achieving a psychedelic state, but they are universally effective, quick and safe. They are also quite safe relative to other drugs, with psilocybin having the least risk of dependence of all substances examined.

The above information does not begin to help understand the psychedelic experience or the people who use psychedelics, so I have been conducting a preliminary study of one online community devoted to cannabis and psychedelics. The community has 2,276 members, and includes students, academics, professionals, teachers, homemakers, media personalities, authors.

Many people in the community are concerned about the future, and many are discussing permaculture, an integrated community development and agriculture model. This thinking has been fostered by the psychedelic experience.

Aldous Huxley noted that mescaline allows the subconscious mind to break through into conscious thought, which allows the mind to work in holistic, ecological ways.

A psychedelic experience depends on what one puts into it. If one’s set includes a lifetime of hard work, being accomplished in one’s field and the consideration of one’s projects, one is more likely to have a good experience.

In light of the therapeutic advances made with psychedelics, we should reconsider their politically motivated classification as being among the most dangerous drugs with no medical value, and take the insights that psychonauts are bringing back from their experiences seriously.