People who microdose psychedelics like LSD or magic mushrooms do so mainly for clinical reasons and to boost productivity, but often struggle with unknown optimal dosing. Outcomes vary widely, from strong endorsement to disappointment at no effect. The analysis of 118 survey responses identified four themes: reasons, practice, outcomes, and meta-commentary, which included warnings against overexcitement. The findings suggest that even low doses may provide a sense of meaning lacking in Western culture, likely through enhanced psychological flexibility and connectedness, though placebo-controlled experiments are needed to confirm.
Mystical-type experiences and insight problem solving both belong to a family of "realization experiences" where information suddenly becomes experienced as real or true. Both can be modeled using behavioral entropy and graph theory. When novel information conflicts with prior representations, the mind destabilizes its representational network, entering a state of altered salience and enhanced associations. After restructuring sensitive to environmental cues, the agent forms new beliefs or revises its entire framework. The phenomenology depends on the size and content of the updated network and environmental affordances. This shared vocabulary aims to facilitate discussion across these phenomena.
People who microdose psychedelics report four main themes: reasons for doing it, the practice itself, outcomes, and meta-commentary. Even at low doses, psychedelics may provide a sense of meaning, and reported benefits appear to occur regardless of motivation, likely due to enhanced psychological flexibility and connectedness. Double-blind, placebo-controlled experiments are needed to substantiate these reports.
Magical practices are already studied under different names in established scientific fields. This paper argues that phenomena historically categorized as magic—such as ritual, suggestion, meditation, and mystical experiences—are investigated in psychology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Rather than treating magic as a separate or pseudoscientific topic, the author contends that existing research on cognitive biases, body schema, and placebo effects already covers these areas. Greater integration across these disciplines could improve understanding of underlying mechanisms and open new avenues for clinical and theoretical research.