Cultural Neurophenomenology of Psychedelic Thought
Michael Lifshitz, Eli Oda Sheiner, Laurence J. Kirmayer
Oxford University Press eBooks April 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464745.013.4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Cognition Sociocultural evolution Cognitive science Context archaeology Hallucinogen Perception Consciousness Cognitive psychology Anthropology |
| Citations | 22 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic-induced thought patterns reflect a complex interaction of biological, cognitive, and cultural factors, including pharmacology, brain function, ritual, belief, and expectation. |
Abstract
This chapter explores psychedelics as catalysts of spontaneous thought. Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca can induce potent alterations in cognition and perception. The chapter reviews research on these substances through the lens of cultural neurophenomenology, which aims to trace how neurobiology and sociocultural factors interact to shape experience. After a decades-long hiatus, the scientific study of psychedelics is rediscovering the potential of these substances to promote creative insight, evoke mystical experiences, and improve clinical outcomes. Moreover, neuroimaging experiments have begun to unravel the influence of psychedelics on large-scale connectivity networks of the human brain. Tapping perspectives from the social sciences, the chapter underscores how culture and context constrain the flexible cognitive states brought about by psychedelics. This integrative approach suggests that seemingly spontaneous psychedelic thought patterns reflect a complex interaction of biological, cognitive, and cultural factors—from pharmacology and brain function to ritual, belief, and expectation.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Imprinting: expanding the extra-pharmacological model of psychedelic drug action to incorporate delayed influences of sets and settings Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 18, 2023
- Psychedelic Experience October 26, 2023
- Should Adolescents be Included in Emerging Psychedelic Research? Canadian Journal of Bioethics 2022
- The “Third” Eye: Ethics of Video Recording in the Context of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Canadian Journal of Bioethics December 7, 2023
- Attention Psychedelic Experience October 26, 2023
and 12 more in the library