WHAT HAVE PSYCHEDELICS, MYSTICISM AND ECOLOGY GOT IN COMMON?

Maybe they seem totally unrelated, but trust me, they are intimately connected and entwined. And in the right circumstances, difficult to tease apart.

Let’s start with psychedelics and mysticism

There are very few people in Western society who are unfamiliar with some sort of altered state.  For most, their experience comes from alcohol; some have experienced altered states from other substances such as prescribed painkillers or recreational use of psychedelics.  And a few have experienced a particular type of altered state known as a mystical experience. 

Mystical experiences are a particular altered state of consciousness that is usually triggered by trauma, spiritual practices, being in nature, or psychedelics and is very different from the type of altered state experienced under the influence of alcohol.

Whilst not a huge area of research within psychology, mystical experiences have been studied both qualitatively (mainly triggered by trauma, spiritual practice, and nature) and quantitatively (engendered through psychedelics), and the research shares common findings. 

From early pioneers in the sixties, such as Stace and Pahnke, right through to the psychedelic research renaissance and the qualitative research within the field of transpersonal psychology, studies show that during this type of altered state of consciousness, people experience a sense of connection, oneness or unity with all things, the sacred or divine, positive moods of love and compassion and sense of knowing the truth of reality.  There is a sense of something greater than themselves or their limited egoic self, and the experience tends to be so profound that it changes them for life.

This experience expands people’s consciousness and changes their worldview from egoism to something more loving, more compassionate, more expansive, more connected, and more sacred.  Quantitative research has shown that these positive effects can persist, offering optimistic hope for the potential of certain types of altered states of consciousness to contribute to consciousness development and social change, especially in the area of ecology.

Mystical experiences

teach us the ecology of unity

The experience of unity of all things is a fundamental experience in mystical experiences. The experiencer feels themselves to be one and the same as all other things, both animate and inanimate.  They feel connected to nature.  This is evidenced in research into psychedelic use that has shown that people who use psychedelics increase their concern for Mother Earth and ecology. Similarly, Graham Hancock, in his banned TEDx talk, suggests that Shamans have unleashed ayahuasca on the Western world to stop Westerners from destroying our planet, suggesting that experiences of ayahuasca will reconnect the Westerner to nature, curing what C.G. Jung referred to as modern man’s dissociative disorder.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jung and feel that our dissociation from nature is causing a subtle but chronic trauma in modern society.  I love nature, and despite living surrounded by nature and growing my own vegetables, I frequently miss the cycles of the sun and moon and feel both a disconnection from nature and from my own instincts. So, how can we reconnect with nature, and how can we induce these mystical experiences?

Engendering mystical experiences through psychedelics is a delicate balance between science and grace. Psychologists have been working for years to refine their protocol to ensure a greater chance of having a mystical experience under these conditions. So, when it happens, it happens under a very specific set and setting with preparation, integration, and qualified helpers. But it is never guaranteed, as grace always plays its part. 

Having a mystical experience engendered through psychedelics will soon be common practice for people with clinical diagnoses of treatment-resistant depression, addictions, and anorexia, as there is now an overwhelming body of research that suggests these experiences are therapeutic and able to help these people back to wellness.

However, it is unlikely that these experiences will be available legally if you don’t have a clinical diagnosis.

Fear not! Mystical experiences are a by-product of inner work and the spiritual path.  This altered state of consciousness can be developed through regular breathwork and meditation practice.  In fact, experienced meditators can go into this state of consciousness at will.

Sounds like a remedy for modern man’s dissociative disorder

Spiritual psychology is a growing discipline, and spiritual psychologists are working to develop faster ways of engendering mystical experiences without psychedelics so that their benefits are available to more people.

So, while psychedelics are off limits to many people due to legalities, nature, breathwork and meditation are available to us all for free.

We are at an ecological precipice that threatens our sacred home, Mother Earth, and our sacred selves, our nature, our instincts, and our physical bodies.  Reconnect to that which holds, supports, and sustains you through meditation and nature for a more connected life of compassion and meaning.