Ecodelics

Figure 1. Perhaps by using psychedelics we can realize a non-dystopian future?

Several peer reviewed studies have shown that psychedelics can work as ecodelics, medicines which are positively associated with people’s sense of connectedness with the natural environment and even objective knowledge about climate change issues.. One suggested reason for this effect, is the claim that ego-death which is a common feature of the psychedelic experience, leads to the realization that all of life is interconnected, a kind of cosmic holism inducer.

Psilocybin

Whilst all psychedelics are thought to induce nature relatedness, psilocybin has been shown via a reanalysis of five independent datasets to be the most potent.

Psychedelic Environmentalism

Due to the pressing ecological crisis, there is a strong need to inculcate in individuals environmental virtues. Often, environmental problems are understood as fundamentally collective action problems, but there is also a need to change individual behavior. It is proposed that a way of meeting this need, is by the judicious, safe, and controlled administration of “classic” psychedelic drugs as a way to catalyze the development of environmental virtues – a form of moral bio-enhancement.

Rate Limiting Steps

The main rate limiting step is thought to be the legality of psychedelics, however ketamine which has shown to have psychedelic like effects is legal in the majority of countries worldwide. The next issue would be the anxiety people feel towards taking a psychedelic which stops them from taking it. This is called Psychedelic Anxiety Syndrome and can be reduced via a type of existential exposure therapy.

References