The psychedelic experience: a new perspective, a new attitude towards the world
Virginia Ballesteros
Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry September 13, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780192898371.003.0009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for depression lies in their ability to shift one's experienced world from one devoid of beauty and meaning to one full of beauty and meaning, thereby changing perspective and opening new possibilities. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter provides a philosophical account of the potential of the psychedelic experience to treat depression. The main thesis is that such a potential lies in the possibility of psychedelics allowing us to experience a world diametrically opposed to that of depression: the psychedelic experience can be world-shifting. Building on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s insights and notions of aesthetics, ethics, and mysticism, the world in depression is characterized as a world devoid of beauty and meaning, from which we feel disconnected. On the contrary, the psychedelic experience immerses us in a world full of beauty and meaning, to which we feel connected. It is by changing our perspective that our whole world and attitude towards it changes, opening up new possibilities for action, as well as a new evaluation of the contingencies of our biographical self and our relationships with others.
Citations in the library
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and 21 more in the library