Mad Thoughts on Mushrooms: Discourse and Power in the Study of Psychedelic Consciousness
Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1525/ac.2007.18.2.74 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Consciousness Phenomenon Opposition politics Aesthetics Epistemology Perspectivism Magic telescope |
| Citations | 30 |
| Key points | Argues that the animistic discourse, involving belief in mushroom-induced encounters with discarnate spirit entities, transgresses a fundamental societal boundary and is largely ignored, yet warrants further scholarly research. |
Abstract
This paper addresses the question of what happens to consciousness under the influence of psychedelic drugs—specifically of psilocybin, or “magic” mushrooms— and performs a Foucauldian discourse analysis upon the answers that have been variously proposed. Predominant societally legitimated answers (the pathological, psychological, and prohibition discourses) are those that, in Foucault's sense, are imposed from the outside as “scientific classifications,” that is, they are based upon observations of the effects of mushrooms on others. By contrast, a series of resistive discourses (the recreational, psychedelic, entheogenic, and animistic discourses) have been constructed in opposition, as a means of making sense of the subjective experience of taking mushrooms. When critiqued, only the animistic discourse— the belief that mushrooms occasion encounters with discarnate spirit entities, or animaphany—transgresses a fundamental societal boundary. In the West, to believe in the existence of spirits is to risk being labeled “mad,” and as such the phenomenon of mushroom‐induced animaphany goes largely ignored. It nevertheless remains a phenomenon in need of further scholarly research.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics | 2019 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm General population | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Theorizing that Psychedelic Assisted Therapy May Play a Role in the Treatment of Trauma-Induced Personality Disorders. | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| What Geometric Visual Hallucinations Tell Us about the Visual Cortex | 2002 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psilocybin-assisted therapy of major depressive disorder using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a therapeutic frame | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
- Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice Global Networks December 9, 2008
- Psychoactive Substances and Paranormal Phenomena: A Comprehensive Review International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2012
- The Potential Role of Psychedelic Drugs in Mental Health Care of the Future Pharmacopsychiatry May 12, 2021
- Turn on, tune in, but don't drop out: The impact of neo-liberalism on magic mushroom users' (in)ability to imagine collectivist social worlds. International Journal of Drug Policy November 1, 2010
- Transpersonal Ecodelia: Surveying Psychedelically Induced Biophilia Psychoactives May 25, 2023
and 16 more in the library