It’s about that time - I hope you’ve had a good year. Here’s mine in brief: I lived in San Francisco for about four months, which was quite an experience. There I (self) published a book and attended Psychedelic Science 2017. I applied to a master's program in New York, got in, then was convinced by friends at the last minute not to go. I went to Montreal instead and started … [Read more...] about Final Thoughts for 2017
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How to Have a Mystical Experience: A Research-Based Guide
After reading the last post on this topic, you may be wondering how to have your own mystical experience. That's understandable, as mystical experience is widely considered one of the most profound and meaningful someone can have. Mystical experience is characterized by feelings of self-transcendence and direct connection with the divine, a sense of cosmic unity, … [Read more...] about How to Have a Mystical Experience: A Research-Based Guide
Choose Beliefs That Are Beneficial (Even If Not Necessarily True)
It has often seemed a hidden truth that people can choose their beliefs much more freely than they think. Beliefs seem or feel concrete, but in reality they are quite arbitrary and liable to change based on time or circumstance. For example, imagine a person born several hundred years ago but otherwise identical to you. This person likely believed slavery was fine and that … [Read more...] about Choose Beliefs That Are Beneficial (Even If Not Necessarily True)
Why The Public Can No Longer Trust Academia
Most of us still believe academic credentials and publications have some intrinsic value. You see a citation - a bracketed name and date (Smith, 1983) or an authoritative looking little number ([1. This makes it look like my work is backed by legitimate research and scholarship. But that's not necessarily true.]) - and trust it to mean something. But what if it doesn't? We … [Read more...] about Why The Public Can No Longer Trust Academia
How Psychedelics Take Us Back to the Garden of Eden
A few weeks ago I saw a talk by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris about using psilocybin to treat depression. It was fascinating and the video is below if you want to watch. Carhart-Harris works at Imperial College London as head of their psychedelic research group, and at around 28:00 he says something very interesting that I had never heard before. He suggests that psychedelics might … [Read more...] about How Psychedelics Take Us Back to the Garden of Eden