Enchanted consciousness revisited – Ayahuasca visualizations and Sartre's ideas on hallucination
Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2026.00484 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Consciousness Phenomenology philosophy Section typography Unconscious mind Phenomenon Subconscious Typology Psychoanalysis Perspective graphical Gestalt psychology Phenomenological method Cognitive psychology Epistemology Interpretative phenomenological analysis |
| Key points | Argues that Shanon's typology of ayahuasca hallucinations and the concept of psychedelic double bookkeeping can expand Sartre's notion of enchanted consciousness beyond his original phenomenological analysis. |
Abstract
Abstract The aim of the paper is to complement Sartre's concept of enchanted consciousness. The first section of the paper studies the contradictions inherent in Sartre's mescaline experiment and the limits of his phenomenological analysis of hallucination. The second section argues that Benny Shanon's phenomenological cognitive psychology, which is based on the typology of ayahuasca hallucinations, can contribute to the phenomenological analysis of hallucinations and reveal some aspects of the enchanted consciousness that Sartre failed to discover. The third section examines the phenomenon of double bookkeeping, which originated in phenomenological psychiatry, and illustrates the characteristics of the delusional world. The fourth section expands the idea of enchanted consciousness through Shanon's study on ayahuasca hallucinations and provides a comparison between the pathological double bookkeeping and the so-called psychedelic bookkeeping. Finally, the last section actualizes Sartre's views on hallucination and offers a new way to define captivated consciousness through psychedelic double bookkeeping.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The globalization of ayahuasca: Harm reduction or benefit maximization? | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice | 2008 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2016
- Seeing with the eyes shut: Neural basis of enhanced imagery following ayahuasca ingestion Human Brain Mapping September 16, 2011
- A placebo-controlled study of the effects of ayahuasca, set and setting on mental health of participants in ayahuasca group retreats Psychopharmacology March 10, 2021
- The socialization of hallucinations: Cultural priors, social interactions, and contextual factors in the use of psychedelics. Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022
- Hallucinations Beyond Voices: A Conceptual Review of the Phenomenology of Altered Perception in Psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin February 1, 2019
and 13 more in the library