View, meditation, action: A Tibetan framework to inform psychedelic-assisted therapy
Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 28, 2023 Colin H. Simonds 6 citations
Global contemplative practices have established effective systems for implementing, directing, and integrating non-ordinary experiences that are central to psychedelic use, yet these traditions are largely absent from current psychedelic therapy discourse. This paper analyzes psychedelic-assisted therapy through the Tibetan Buddhist contemplative tradition, first comparing the non-ordinary experiences of Tibetan Buddhist meditation and psychedelic states via phenomenological literature. It then applies the Tibetan framework of view, meditation, action (lta sgom spyod gsum) to suggest how this tradition directs meditative experience toward desired ends and how this framework could inform psychedelic therapy. Using this lens, the paper compares two therapy protocols and recommends more intensive preparatory sessions, repeated dosing, and a more directed psychedelic experience to increase efficacy.