A Case for Altered States of Consciousness
On psychedelics, sacred plant medicine and Shamanism.
I’m officially embracing the cliché of psychonaut — with full awareness. This is my coming out. Maybe, only maybe, it’s the magic truffles I ingested yesterday that inspired me to write from my inner hippie.
I promise I’ll do my best to balance my personal enthusiasm with solid argumentation.
It’s hard though not to become overly enthusiastic, if I look at what psychedelics have done for me. My whole life has changed since my first ayahuasca ceremony in October 2020.
Psychedelics have supported me greatly in removing blockages of my past, breaking the black and white thinking of a religious upbringing, they eased my depression, helped me give up drugs and be more compassionate towards myself and my surroundings. Moreover, they’ve created profound spiritual experiences that have radically shifted the way I view the world.
I could rave on and on about them. And perhaps in the future I will. But in this article, I want to delve into the topic of altered states of consciousness. It raises fundamental questions, like:
- Why do these states exist?
- What’s the use for them?
- And why doesn’t our culture have a framework to work with these states of consciousness?
Before we dive into the argumentation, I feel I should do this quick disclaimer. Article continues below!
Disclaimer: This article is written under the assumption that you do your own research before jumping into the world of entheogens. I strongly suggest unexperienced enthusiasts seek a supervisor for their first steps into this realm. In the future, I will write about how to properly prepare for the psychedelic experience, so stay tuned.
Economic States of Consciousness
Our current capitalist society is heavily focused on productivity and efficiency. We are trained to live in the rational mind. Our educational system is oriented towards strengthening our problem solving abilities — perfectly geared to the job market.
In our workplace, there’s no room for dreamlike states and journey’s into ethereal realms. When the phone rings, we need to be firmly grounded in reality and answer it pronto. It’s no coincidence that the fostered states of consciousness effortlessly blend into our current capitalistic worldview.
I can’t help but wonder: “Why are we — as humans — wired for these states if there seems to be little use for them?”
The Way of the Shaman
In Europe, Christianity swept away Paganism, and we have little means to connect with the rituals of our ancestors. But in Shamanic cultures — alive today — people still have a strong connection to the worlds beyond.
The Shaman gains entrance into a world that is hidden from those who dwell in ordinary reality. In this other dimension lurk powers both helpful and malevolent. Its rules are not the rules of our world; they are more like the rules that operate in myth and dream (McKenna, 1992).¹
The Shaman interprets the encounters in the spirit world, to bring back power, knowledge and healing into ordinary reality. In shamanic cultures, the young are initiated by the elders, creating a strong societal framework for the interpretation of mystical experiences.
In our Western worldview on the other hand, it’s easy to write this practice off as superstitious nonsense of a non-scientific culture. Nevertheless, people report profound changes and insights after such experiences — definitely valid in their own existence.
In Western society, kids are discouraged to let their imagination run wild. On the extreme, we label someone who is unable to ground in consensual reality a schizophrenic. Contrary to Shamanic cultures, where people are empowered to explore such experiences — that are seen as equally valid to ordinary reality — and extract meaning from them.
Could it be that our cultural programming is blocking us to unlock the value in these peculiar encounters?
Douglas Gilles, PhD and a fellow writer on medium has done a great article on the layers of consciousness. It goes in depth about how our cultural context influences our everyday experiences. You can read it here.
Healing Trauma in Parallel Dimensions
Because I feel supercharged when mythical beings and aliens are involved — excuse my personal enthusiasm again.
Altered states of consciousness offer a temporary departure from one’s typical ways of being, thinking, and doing. In this non-ordinary space, we have the opportunity to experience life through a different lens, and to disrupt unhelpful mental and emotional patterns. (definition by Third Wave)
Often trauma shows up as maladaptive behavior (coping) or relationship styles based on distrust. Trauma is the programming to respond to current circumstances as if the threat that traumatized us is still present.
These patterns of thinking and behavior are rooted so deeply in the subconscious that it’s hard for a person to observe them within themselves. The patterns become the default mode of operation.
Why is this important?
The disruption of these patterns that psychedelics offer can be a huge catalyst for behavioral change. In fact, science now shows that psychedelics encourage neuroplasticity — or the generation of new pathways in our brains.
For most of us, it’s a stretch to visit a shaman instead of a medical doctor. For some of us, it’s just the next thing we try on our healing quest.
With this article, I invite you to be open to different paradigms and cultural interpretations. Who knows? You might just find a healing clue that works for you.
¹ McKenna, T. (1992). Food of the Gods: A Radical History of Plants, Psychedelics and Human Evolution. USA: Bantam Books.
