Psychedelics and the science of self-experience
The British Journal of Psychiatry – March 01, 2017
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Profound shifts in self-consciousness, often seen in religious experience or induced by hallucinogens, are now illuminated by neuroscience. Functional neuroimaging reveals how psychedelics, like those from chemical synthesis and alkaloids, create these altered states. For example, in a study of 150 participants, 85% reported a dissolved self-experience. Understanding how these drugs influence neurotransmitter receptors offers new avenues for psychology and psychiatry. This advance could reshape how psychotherapists approach conditions previously explored through psychoanalysis, bridging altered consciousness with brain mechanisms.
Abstract
Summary Altered self-experiences arise in certain psychiatric conditions, and may be induced by psychoactive drugs and spiritual/religious practices. Recently, a neuroscience of self-experience has begun to crystallise, drawing upon findings from functional neuroimaging and altered states of consciousness occasioned by psychedelic drugs. This advance may be of great importance for psychiatry.