The term psychonaut has become increasingly common in recent years.Introduced in 1949 by Ernst Jünger, a German author and fellow traveler of Albert Hofmann, the word is used to describe individuals dedicated to the exploration of their mind, often with use of psychedelics.Distinct to those who experiment with psychedelics haphazardly, the title 'psychonaut' suggests an aura of method,...
February 26, 2024Bruce Ecker, Robin Ticic, Laurel Hulley
It is well established that psychedelic experiences can result in potent therapeutic change when induced within a program of psychotherapy that skillfully provides preparation of mindset, an environment of accompaniment, safety, and supportiveness during the experience(s), and a subsequent process of review, reflection, and integration. The question addressed in this chapter is whether...
The religious worldview of the mantranaya (esoteric Mahāyāna or Vajrayāna) can arguably be seen as rooted in the perspective that reality (tattva) is to be self-experienced (svasamvedya) through contemplative practices, serving as both their means (upāya) and expression (caryā). The tantric path-model of Padmavajra’s Guhyasiddhi, an exegetical text in the Guhyasamāja tradition, supposedly...
Embodiment lies at the core of music cognition, prompting recent pedagogical shifts towards a multi-sensory, whole-body approach. However, the education of oral music genres that rely exclusively on direct teacher–disciple transmission through live demonstration and imitation is now undergoing a transformation by rapidly adapting to technology-mediated platforms. This paper examines challenges...
Mindfulness practice has many mental and physical well-being benefits. With the increased popularity of live stream technologies and the impact of COVID-19, many people have turned to live stream tools to participate in online meditation sessions. To better understand the practices, challenges, and opportunities in live-stream meditation, we conducted a three-month autoethnographic study,...
Contemporary Buddhism has been fashioned from cross-cultural interactions between a long history of Asian traditions and the expansionist drive of modernity. As part of this engagement, Buddhism, particularly in the West, has developed a close relation with transpersonal psychology. This essay forms an introduction to the special issue of articles approaching this relation between Buddhism and...
The term “nondual states” has gained some currency as applied to states of mind in which the sense of self is softened, expanded, or shifted from conventional experience. Nonduality is a metaphysical concept about the nature of reality, commonly associated with the Advaita Vedanta school of Indian religion. New Age religious thought has applied the term “nondual” to states of consciousness that...
This paper presents two dimensions of a bodhisattva, the ideal of Maha- ya- na Buddhism. One dimension involves contemplative practices that disclose a pure nature that is always already present; this reality is unveiled after the obscurations that cloud it are removed. I refer to this as a “top-down” approach because it is based on qualities of awakening that are already there, yet lie beyond...
Background. Interest in the use of psychedelics for mental health therapy is burgeoning. Qualitative research methods are increasingly used to understand patient's experiences; however, there is a lack of literature that explores psychedelic use from an occupational perspective. Purpose. To conduct a scoping review of qualitative literature on the experiences of psychedelic use for the purpose...
Classified by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, coordinated by the United Nations (UN) in 1971, as dangerous substances with no real therapeutic value, psychedelics have been prohibited since that date in the United States and most European countries. However, over the last two decades there has been a resurgence of interest in them – so much so that some researchers are talking about...