When watching street debates with the vegan activists Earthling Ed and Joey Carbstrong, it becomes apparent to me that one of the biggest barriers that they (and other activists) face is personality differences. This is because certain personality traits shape our receptivity to veganism. There are indeed general cognitive biases that can make some people… The post How Personality Shapes Our Receptivity to Veganism appeared first on Sam Woolfe.| Sam Woolfe
The climate crisis has seen, in response to it, a worsening of many people’s mental health. Climate anxiety (distress related to climate change and its effects) and eco-grief (mourning the damage and loss seen in the natural world) are on the rise, and mental health professionals are noticing that more clients are experiencing these forms…| Sam Woolfe
Listening to certain music while on psychedelics can be a highly memorable and therapeutic experience. Since the 1950s, the presence of a carefully curated playlist has been treated as an essential part of psychedelic-assisted therapy; so much so that psychedelic researchers have referred to music as ‘the hidden therapist’. (However, more recently, researchers have also…| Sam Woolfe
Several clinical trials have concluded that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy – utilised for the treatment of PTSD – is safe (as well as highly effective). But this doesn’t necessarily mean the treatment is risk-free. MDMA therapy entails unique risks, and here I don’t mean concerns about possible neurotoxicity. The subject of MDMA’s neurotoxicity is complicated; while some…| Sam Woolfe
Darknet markets, where people can browse and buy illicit drugs and forged documents, are not going anywhere. They remain highly popular and involve transactions totalling over a billion dollars. Darknet markets frequently rise and fall, with their closure seeming inevitable. The way that highly popular darknet markets cease to be, however, tends to be abrupt…| Sam Woolfe
A jester is an entertainer that a monarch or nobleman would employ to entertain him and his guests. These court jesters thrived in the medieval and Renaissance eras. These jovial entertainers wore hats featuring floppy, pointed protrusions, with a bell hanging from the tip of each protrusion. They also donned motley clothing (the traditional costume…| Sam Woolfe
The psychologist Rachel Harris, who is the author of Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground, has said “I’ve never heard of so many people tripping at home alone. People always did it but now a lot of people are doing it. There’s a generational difference.” A Twitter poll by The Archaic Revival…| Sam Woolfe
Dr Rick Strassman, currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, is one of the leading pioneers of modern psychedelic research. His studies on DMT, which took place between 1990 and 1995, broke the 20-year gap in psychedelic research. This halting of prolific and promising inquiry was because the US…| Sam Woolfe
Having control of one’s body and one’s mind – also called self-ownership – is, I believe, the most basic human right anyone can have. Mill summed up it nicely in On Liberty: “Over one’s mind and over one’s body the individual is sovereign” – although he did...| Sam Woolfe
Danny Shine, also known as the ‘Social Experimentalist’, runs a YouTube channel where he posts videos of himself out in London with a megaphone, voicing his polemical views. (His more recent content on his channel is recorded monologues on various social, cultural, and philosophical topics.) In public, he’ll interact with passersby or those standing to… The post Danny Shine: A Modern-Day Jester appeared first on Sam Woolfe.| Sam Woolfe
One night last week, as I was falling asleep, in my head I told myself – as I’ve done before – I don’t want to have weird or bad dreams, I want to have fun dreams. I’ve done this as my intention before going to sleep, as I’ve kind of convinced myself that this intention-setting does… The post Remembering Dreams While Falling Asleep appeared first on Sam Woolfe.| Sam Woolfe
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…| Sam Woolfe
Things don’t always go smoothly in psychedelic-assisted therapy or during a psychedelic retreat. In an ideal world, a psychedelic experience would unfold as one hopes. Perhaps there are difficult moments, but they are easily worked through. More generally, people hope the experience will result in catharsis, resolution, and transformation. However, the reality is that psychedelic… The post Addressing the Gaps in Participant Care in Psychedelic Therapy and Retreats appeared first on Sam Wo...| Sam Woolfe
Both somatic therapy and charismatic Christianity can involve intense physical reactions in people, such as trembling, shaking, writhing, and crying. This got me thinking about whether there might be some common ground in how both practices achieve these effects. ‘Slain in the Spirit’ in Charismatic Christianity During worship, Pentecostal and charismatic Christians might fall to…| Sam Woolfe
Integration, in the context of psychedelics, is typically defined as the process of making sense of psychedelic experiences and applying the insights contained therein to one’s everyday life. But how does this definition of integration apply to traumatic psychedelic experiences? For those unfortunate to undergo them, they can make immediate sense (in terms of why… The post What Does Integration Look Like for Traumatic Psychedelic Experiences? appeared first on Sam Woolfe.| Sam Woolfe
Joke theft is a massive taboo in the comedy world. When a stand-up comedian does it, they’re vilified and seen as a hack – unable to come up with any original and funny material of their own. But more than that, joke theft is seen as morally wrong, and it’s easy to see why. It…| Sam Woolfe
When participating in a psychedelic session becomes legal – in the form of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy or a retreat – this doesn’t open up this experience to everyone equally. In the psychedelic industry, there remains the issue of access inequality. Legal, regulated psychedelic sessions are typically expensive. The cost of psychedelic therapy differs depending on the… The post Barriers to Healing: On Psychedelic Medicine and Access Inequality appeared first on Sam Woolfe.| Sam Woolfe
Psychedelic AI art is everywhere – or at least, I’m seeing it everywhere (because many accounts/people I follow on social media are focused on psychedelics). I see psychedelicised AI art used as images for social media posts, blog posts, event listings, websites, and podcasts – in all kinds of online content, really. I mentioned one…| Sam Woolfe
Psychedelic AI art is everywhere – or at least, I’m seeing it everywhere (because many accounts/people I follow on social media are focused on psychedelics). I see psychedelicised AI art used as images for social media posts, blog posts, event listings, websites, and podcasts – in all kinds of online content, really. I mentioned one…| Sam Woolfe
In spiritual circles, a common metaphysical belief is that ‘the universe is love’, or something to that effect. Another way of phrasing this view is that the fundamental force in the universe is love, the universe is governed by love, or, as the Jesuit mystic Teilhard de Chardin opined, “The physical structure of the universe…| Sam Woolfe
Psychedelic integration refers to the process and goal of taking insights, lessons, visions, perspective shifts, and emotional breakthroughs from a psychedelic experience and applying them to one’s daily life in a positive way. This can encompass our attitudes, worldview, mental health, career, relationships, lifestyle, and so on and so forth. This process of incorporating meaningful…| Sam Woolfe
The writer Frank White popularised the term ‘overview effect’ in his book The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution (1987). This effect is the cognitive shift in awareness that takes place when viewing the Earth from space. Based on the records of hundreds of astronauts, as well as interviews with dozens of space explorers…| Sam Woolfe
We are currently experiencing a renaissance of research into psychedelics. More evidence is accumulating that point to the therapeutic effects of these fascinating substances. Chemicals like psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, have been shown to effectively alleviate the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression. Indeed, many users of psychedelics swear by their transformative properties, improving…| Sam Woolfe
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. This family of compounds also includes psilocybin and psilocin (both found in magic mushrooms), which are similar in molecular structure to DMT. DMT is also similar in molecular structure to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Indeed, this is precisely why these compounds can affect our minds in the way that…| Sam Woolfe
Ayahuasca, the hallucinogenic brew, is a combination of two plants native to the Amazon rainforest: the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of Psychotria viridis. The caapi vine contains MAOIs which allow the DMT in the leaves of the Psychotria plant species to become orally active in the human body. If DMT-containing plants are taken…| Sam Woolfe
Ketamine is a dissociative drug, meaning that it produces feelings of dissociation – dissociation from one’s environment and even dissociation from one’s own body. The drug is used in human and veterinary medicine, both as an anaesthetic (to knock the patient out) and as an analgesic (to numb any feelings of pain). Ketamine is also…| Sam Woolfe
Why are humans obsessed with sport? A common explanation is that we are tribal creatures, and so because sport involves teams, we are naturally drawn towards this form of competition. One’s team becomes part of one’s identity, and one’s emotions become intensely invested in the team’s success. Of course, sports also display a level of…| Sam Woolfe
Rupert Sheldrake is an English author and parapsychologist (someone who studies paranormal phenomena, such as telepathy, precognition, psychokinesis and other forms of ESP). In recent times he gained notoriety for having...| Sam Woolfe
Cryonics, which is usually confused with cryogenics, is the preservation of humans and animals using low temperatures. It is used on humans and animals which cannot be kept alive using modern medicine and the aim is that resuscitation would be possible at some future time. Preserving people and animals with cryonics – also called cryopreservation…| Sam Woolfe
Pulse (Kairo) is a 2001 Japanese techno-horror film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After having watched Kurosawa’s 1997 psychological thriller Cure (Kyua), widely regarded as a masterpiece, I was keen to check out more of his work. (Cure was inspired by David Fincher’s crime film Se7en; it likewise follows a series of gruesome murders and detectives…| Sam Woolfe
Terence McKenna was to DMT what Timothy Leary was to LSD. In books such as The Archaic Revival (1990) and in numerous lectures, McKenna would attach great importance and value to the DMT experience. He went to great lengths to make sense of – and translate – an experience that for him remained the most…| Sam Woolfe
People commonly report a distinct cultural theme to the visual aspect of their psychedelic experience. Based on the patterns and images seen (either with eyes open or closed), people may compare them to the art and style of many ancient cultures...| Sam Woolfe
Mudita (sympathetic/empathetic joy) is one of the four brahma-viharas (also known as the sublime attitudes or Four Immeasurables), which are the Buddha’s “heart practices” – those that develop particular emotional states, or virtuous emotions, that help to cultivate happiness in ourselves and others. “Brahma-vihara” literally means “dwelling place of brahmas”, and brahmas are gods who…| Sam Woolfe
The ‘psychedelic ego’ refers to an ego that is based on – or inflated by – psychedelics. This may seem counterintuitive since psychedelics can lead to the diminishment or complete dissolution of the ego (known as ‘ego death’). However, the ego does not disappear forever as a result of a psychedelic experience. You can experience…| Sam Woolfe
People will have different opinions about what is funny and what isn't; what makes them laugh and what doesn't. But we do know that humour and laughter exist, so the mysterious question surrounding this fact is: how did they evolve? Is there really...| Sam Woolfe
It is possible for anyone, regardless of his or her religious or metaphysical beliefs, to have a mystical experience. These mystical states of consciousness have been accessible since time immemorial. You can find accounts of profound altered states in ancient Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and in the descriptions of the Eleusinian Mysteries, those secret rituals…| Sam Woolfe
It is clear that expectations and beliefs can shape a psychedelic experience. Your ‘set’ (or mindset) is one of the vital components – along with your external setting – that can steer your psychedelic journey in a certain direction, colour it with a certain emotional tone and significance. I don’t wish to explicate all the ways in…| Sam Woolfe
‘Psychedelic integration’ is a somewhat nebulous concept. It is often broadly defined as incorporating what one experienced and learned on psychedelics into everyday life. But this loose definition raises many questions, such as how and why certain aspects of the psychedelic experience are integrated. In other words, what techniques effectively aid such integration, and what…| Sam Woolfe
The psychology of philosophy is a relatively new field. It refers to the relationship between psychological traits and philosophical beliefs. This field garnered significant attention recently with the publication of a new study from the psychologist David B. Yaden and the philosopher Derek E. Anderson. Published in the journal Philosophical Psychology, this study asked 314…| Sam Woolfe
Insomnia is an extremely common type of sleep disorder, affecting 30-50% of people at some point. The condition is commonly thought to involve an inability to fall asleep, with lots of tossing and turning, and being wracked with anxiety and ruminative thinking. And that is definitely a core aspect of the condition for many sufferers,…| Sam Woolfe
It’s difficult to define a mystical experience. What exactly does it involve? Do they all share some basic elements? It’s probably a good idea to broadly define mystical to include the different kinds of experiences that people report as being mystical. What’s also interesting is that it is common for mystical experiences to have lasting effects,…| Sam Woolfe
In philosophy, there is much debate as to what constitutes a ‘law of nature’. In this essay, I will be critically examining the Naive Regularity Theory of Laws, a popular philosophical account of laws of nature. A proponent of this theory claims that p is a statement of a law of nature if and only…| Sam Woolfe
Speciesism is discrimination on the grounds of species – or mistreating another creature because they belong to a different species than you. If a person claimed she had a right over a cow’s life just because she belonged to the species homo sapiens, then this would be an example of speciesism. The claim that a…| Sam Woolfe
When different people take the same dose of any psychedelic, some will have a more subjectively intense experience than others. This is due to dose-independent factors, or what many psychonauts, psychedelic enthusiasts, and researchers call set and setting. Set is your mindset going into the experience, whereas setting refers to all the environmental factors that…| Sam Woolfe
No parent should get away with hitting their child with a closed fist. This can easily cause serious psychological and physical injury and should rightly be considered child abuse. Corporal punishment in schools is also illegal in the UK (since 1998), meaning that no teacher is allowed to punish pupils with the use of physical…| Sam Woolfe
Willoughby Britton, a licensed clinical psychologist, is doing important research into the dangers, or dark side, of meditation. She is also the founder of Cheetah House, an organisation that provides information and resources for those experiencing meditation-related difficulties. In a paper published in Current Opinion in Psychology, she points to evidence indicating that too much…| Sam Woolfe
The urge to travel is ubiquitous. It’s something we all experience, from time to time. Often, we may get an itch to pack up and leave the country when we feel bored with our routine, burdened by the stresses of everyday modern life, or simply because we cannot shake the enticing prospect of new and…| Sam Woolfe
When trying to stave off depression, it’s important to experiment with different possible methods of amelioration. There is no single panacea for poor mental health. One solution may work for one individual but not for another. Some people also require a specific combinatory approach that works best for them. In managing my own depressive episodes…| Sam Woolfe
Sometimes your circumstances might make you want to run away. And then you do. When you are no longer entangled in an environment that you felt was making you unhappy, just the very act of changing your scenery can be a relief and an opportunity to re-evaluate aspects of your life. It might be just…| Sam Woolfe
Many anecdotal reports suggest that DMT can have antidepressant effects, both in terms of microdosing the substance and by means of larger doses, which result in mystical experiences. While we have seen a flourishing of research into the antidepressant potential of psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’), little research has been carried out into…| Sam Woolfe
It is common to associate psychedelics with environmentalism. In the popular imagination, psychedelic users might be viewed as tree-hugging hippies and Gaia worshippers. But beyond these stereotypes, there is also research to support the links between psychedelic use and connection to nature, which has led some to argue that psychedelics could help us solve the…| Sam Woolfe
I recently heard Alex O’Connor (host of the Within Reason podcast) offer an interesting perspective on the problem of divine hiddenness, or the idea that if God existed, He would make His existence more obvious to everyone. Yet God’s existence is not obvious, and it may be easy to doubt and disbelieve, which is a…| Sam Woolfe
Seneca the Younger (4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman philosopher who expounded, promoted and practised Stoicism – the philosophy that asserts that virtue is what makes us happy and that we should be calm in the face of misfortune. We are not in control of, and cannot depend on, external events – as…| Sam Woolfe
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…| Sam Woolfe
During personal, guided, or group psychedelic sessions, people will often confront a range of issues, from trauma to depression to addiction (sometimes all three together since these problems are often linked). One of the most interesting aspects of the psychedelic experiences, to me personally, is how they can feature confrontations with the key existential concerns…| Sam Woolfe
The human mission to Mars is still some time away. A report from the Science & Technology Policy Institute concluded that the earliest NASA would be able to send astronauts to Mars would be the late 2030s, although Elon Musk has remarked that SpaceX’s first Starship journey to Mars could go ahead in the next…| Sam Woolfe
The connection between psychedelics and philosophy isn’t made too often, despite the fact that there are myriad ways in which the psychedelic experience can relate to, challenge, contextualise, and add weight to various philosophical ideas and theories. There is, however, a definite history to the philosophy of psychedelics, with writers such as William James and…| Sam Woolfe
When confronted with the fact that people, or groups of people, act in ways that are palpably selfish or callous, the intuitive, knee-jerk reaction is moral outrage. Moral outrage is distinct from anger. We feel angry when we or our loved ones have been mistreated. But we feel moral outrage when others – in particular,…| Sam Woolfe
The Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung and author (and fan of Jung) Hermann Hesse have explained why other people irritate us so much. This is conveyed in quotes from the two: If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part yourself. What isn’t part ourselves doesn’t disturb us. – Hermann Hesse Everything…| Sam Woolfe
The impulse to travel can be cryptic; sometimes it seems to be a kind of knee-jerk escapist tendency, while other times it is based more on a wish for expansion – for broader and more novel experiences. Actually deciphering the impulse can be tricky, though, as it’s not always clear if it – and the…| Sam Woolfe
According to a study titled Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study (published in PLOS One), the use of LSD, magic mushrooms and peyote does not increase one’s risk of developing mental health problems. The researchers...| Sam Woolfe
