Belief Now, True Belief Later: The Epistemic Advantage of Self-Related Insights in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Philosophy and the Mind Sciences January 25, 2022 DOI: 10.33735/phimisci.2022.9310 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key points | Argues that beliefs about the self can become self-fulfilling prophecies, a factor underexplored in Letheby's account, which is key to understanding epistemic differences between insights about the self and the external world in psychedelic therapy. |
Abstract
Chris Letheby’s defence of psychedelic therapy hinges on the premise that psychedelic-facilitated insights about the self are in a better epistemic position than those about the external world. In this commentary, I argue that such a claim is not sufficiently defended. More precisely, I argue that one element is underexplored in Letheby’s otherwise compelling picture: namely, that unlike new beliefs about the external world, beliefs about oneself have the capacity to turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Recognising the psychedelic experience and the subsequent integration process as opportunities not only to apprehend certain facts about the self but also to actively shape and redetermine those facts is key to understanding the epistemic differences between insights patients have about themselves and about the external world.