Altered States of Consciousness and New Horizons of the Sacred
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Humanities January 1, 2019 Philipp Tagirov
The article examines the varied and contradictory discourse surrounding altered states of consciousness and the "emerging scientific paradigm" that claims these states can restore transcendental meaning and reconnect humans to sacred reality. The psychedelic movement includes approaches ranging from the use of psychoactive substances advocated by figures like Aldous Huxley, Terence McKenna, and Timothy Leary to yogic breathing practices promoted by Stanislav Grof. Despite their differences, proponents agree that altered states of consciousness provide access to cosmic sacred reality, making the discourse inherently ambiguous.