Ontic Structural Realism, Buddhist Metaphysics, and the Self in Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Daniel Stearman
Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology August 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1353/ppp.0.a967326 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that ontic structural realism, combined with Buddhist relationist ontology, provides a framework for understanding the transformative mystical experiences in psychedelic trips as a rebuilding of identity through relationships, consistent with metaphysical naturalism. |
Abstract
This paper examines recent empirical research on the psychedelic experience and makes sense of the current literature in terms of ontic structural realism, a position in the metaphysics of science which holds that relations are fundamental. This interpretation is maintained by first providing a philosophical framework for the varieties of self-transcendent experiences by implementing a notion of self-disidentification, drawing from western and eastern sources. Then, to account for the importance of the transformative mystical experience that can occur during a trip, this paper implements Buddhist relationist ontology by showing how the psychedelic experience facilitates the rebuilding of one’s identity into an identity that can be understood by relationships to others and the natural world. The aim of this paper is to implement these diverse strains of thought to make sense of the psychedelic experience in a way that is consistent with metaphysical naturalism by way of structural realism while adequately accounting for the spiritual components of transformative mystical experiences to aid in metaphysical integration of experiences in psychedelic-assisted therapeutic contexts.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |