[Pauldo]

The following I wrote out in an email with a friend regarding common cognitive missteps people make within the psylics experience. It's a concept-in-progress that I will def need to work on if I plan to make it a publishable writing someday.

>>Hhhmmm…possibly I'll write such an article someday as I return to school soon, will eventually move on to post-sec, conduct research, etc. I would very much like to use psychedelics in my own therapy practice eventually. It would be professionally irresponsible to not address the common and inherent missteps that come with the use psychedelics. Some of the missteps that I'm trying to define and express are things like increased grandiosity during and lingering after an experience, misjudged boundaries and relatedness with others, self-importance, fractured ego, a sense of oneness/we are all just one/everything is connected, gullibility and a preponderance to automatically accept as true things they learn/encounter during an experience, suspension of critical thinking, simple auditory and visual issues, how one assigns meaning to their experience, how one's “meanings” of an experience are derived from their already pre-existing psychology that they brought to the experience.

One of the first examples of these kinds of cognitive missteps that I encountered when I was active in the rave community years ago is a term coined E-love. E-love being the propensity of romantic partners who met while both were having an MDMA experience to over estimate the empathy and love they actually have for the other person. Resulting in break-ups the weeks after the inherent empathetic effects of the MDMA have worn off or after the couple have stopped taking MDMA on a regular basis which was keeping the empathetic feelings at an artificial level for an extended period. Couples “waking up” years after they met their partner at a rave and realizing there wasn't any validity to the relationship.

The other drive for my thinking about this topic is that for years now I've been trying to speak out/express just exactly what it is that bothers me so much about the different psychedelic communities I've been involved with over the years and some of the common belief systems that get passed around those communities.

The one belief system that people in psy communities hold today which I have the most trouble with is Mayan 2012 related thinking; believing it to be either an apocalyptic event or a time of great human transformation and evolution, thus salvation from the human condition. Why do people think we are any more correct that “our time” is the period of apocalypse or great transformation more so than the all the other cultures throughout recorded history who thought their time was “the time” and they were the “chosen ones” to experience something extra-ordinary? The great transformation version of 2012 is the one I see running more throughout the Burning Man and psychedelic trance communities. Thrown in is usually a belief that the universe was created for our benefit, that there is an inherent benevolence to the universe or that there is a benevolent being…or beings that are looking out for our own best-interest and will bring about this great transformation.

It seems awfully egotistical to me to think that the Universe is here just for us and that our generation is the one that will experience extra-ordinary events. Why have the psytrance and BM psychedelic communities embraced this 2012 transformation belief so deeply? Perhaps they are not accounting for the inherent effects on ego that come with the use of psychedelics? Those effects being an increased grandiosity about our self-importance in history and in regards to the Universe, misjudging our relatedness to the Universe in thinking that it has love for us, not accounting for the gullibility and suspension of critical thinking during their experiences when later determining the validity of the thoughts and ideas they were introduced to by other, possibly more mature community members which occur mostly during and around the time of psychedelic festivals, when the use of psychedelics occurs en masse, and new thoughts/theories/beliefs are passed on and adopted en masse…hence why BM and psytrance communities have adopted 2012 en masse.

I am seriously concerned that these communities are making some major cognitive missteps and passing them on as true and accurate to younger/newer/inexperienced members of their communities. I'm worried that the negative aspect of these incorrect belief systems will effect all of the positives that come from the use of psychedelics as well as the BM and psytrance communities themselves, of which I have a great affinity for and am still a huge proponent of regardless of my disagreement with these beliefs. Why can't they see 2012 as just another variation on the same old apocalypse/transformation-salvation theme that has run through all of recorded history in every generation and culture? Certainly there's historical precedence of psychedelic communities making major cognitive mistakes. The psydel culture of the 60's thought their generation was the one that was going to completely transform society. That the ideals and institutions they were against would be completely replaced through their efforts, within their lifetimes and they would be fully free from the human condition. The reality being that the ideals/institutions they rallied against still firmly exist today. Nor was their young idealism above the human tendency to become more conservative with age, a greater concern for career, wealth and material possessions. Did their use of psychedelics lead to a grandiosity/inflated ego about their ability to fully transform society in their lifetimes, overshooting the reality of the time it takes to replace deeply entrenched institutions/ideals, thinking themselves above the human condition and the concerns of the material world?

By no means am I discounting all the great things that came from those of the 60's. They really made great transformative radical changes in society, greater than any changes that came before their time, set an example that current psydel communities hopefully aspire to. I wouldn't want to live in a world where the 60's didn’t happen. Foolish if we don't continue tending to the seeds they planted, must keep up a gentle but firm push on those old institutions and ideals, keep the push up even during the ebb and flow between the old ways and the new ways that has continued in the decades since the 60's. Shame on us if we forget the lessons of the 60's, repeat their mistakes, not improve upon what they started. (FYI for anyone that reads this…I may totally be talking out of my ass re: the 60's, myself having been born in 1970. My beliefs about the 60's just comes from any reading or media I've absorbed over the years. I would have to do a lot more intentional research on the 60's if I ever intend this to be a publishable work).

Are they not aware of the historical precedence for mankind en masse to make major cognitive mistakes about how the natural world works. The Earth was once thought to be flat, we are at the center of the Universe with everything revolving around us, unique and not-often-occurring astronomical alignments that result in apocalypse/transformation, there's a benevolence to the Universe…what other things are we completely wrong about and are even completely blind to being wrong about it? It would be foolish for any individual, community or society to not concede that they hold beliefs that are completely wrong or are not inline with how our natural world actually works. I'm never too egotistical to think all of my beliefs are 100% right on target and that I'm above pondering, imagining and uncovering the beliefs that I am wrong about. I think today's psydel communities and it's individual members need to make an honest self-inquiry into what they are just completely wrong about. Hopefully they'll make this a regular contemplation personally and in their communities. Making this honest self-inquiry gives an individual confidence about the beliefs that hold up to the inquiry. Communities and organizations that practice self-inquiry gain a greater credibility and validity of arguments with the greater world at large.

[zensphere]

Thanks for posting this Pauldo, I agree with much of what you're expressing.

I think it is easy for human beings to confuse the meaning we give to our inner experiences with factual truth, and that this confusion is responsible for much of the cognitive dissonance that people hold. I know that this certainly was the case for me…

Personally, at this point, I value the stories and meanings that we create, because I doubt if rational thought alone can lead to a fulfilling human experience – at least it hasn't for me to the extent that I've tried… But, I can no longer believe that my stories are true in any factual sense. They are merely useful if they assist in easing the suffering of being subject to the arbitrary winds of fortune, laws of physics, etc.

I think a big problem with the psychedelic experience is that people take the symbolic meaning of it (which they are creating) as a literal truth, when it's probably not…

[damon]

Totally agree with you Paulski 😉

[nodsamadhi]

this should really be a 1-item list:

“talking to damon”

[damon]

As long as you have Patron you don't have to talk to me.

PS. Halloween  😉

[emilybobemily]

I like the part about e-love, for sure.

it is like basing a relationship off of meeting someone in character at a renaissance fair or something. it is every part about yourself that you *want* to be, enhanced. not necessarily who the people really are.

[nodsamadhi]

As long as you have Patron you won't be able to remember where I camped

fixed.

[Machi]

I like the part about e-love, for sure.

I don't understand that part to be honest…it doesn't make much sense to me

[damon]

As long as you have Patron you won't be able to remember where I camped

fixed.

You better have some in your fridge when we'll arrive  8)

[nodsamadhi]

I like the part about e-love, for sure.

I don't understand that part to be honest…it doesn't make much sense to me

you've never known any couples that loved each other until the drugs wore off?

[aktif]

Wait….

So I am NOT a glass of orange juice??

???

[Machi]

Moreover there is a little on psychedelics in your study. E is not a psychedelic drug, at least not in my opinion. Most of the stuff is just manifestation of your intolerance towards other people's beliefs and lifestyles  8) …same shit you have been posting for years… ;D

[zensphere]

Wait….

So I am NOT a glass of orange juice??

???

Actually, that particular realization was right on the money.

Enjoy getting drunk!  ;D (get it? heh. heh… :-[)

[Pauldo]

Moreover there is a little on psychedelics in your study. E is not a psychedelic drug, at least not in my opinion. Most of the stuff is just manifestation of your intolerance towards other people's beliefs and lifestyles  8) …same shit you have been posting for years… ;D

I don't buy it Machi that you didn't understand what e-love is.  That was just your set-up response so you can trash my post like you did above.  I avoided answering it originally because I knew what your intention was. 

Just about all writings and research classify E as a psylic.  You know best though Machi so keep believing what you want. 

I hope your child turns out to be gay.  Then we'll see some real intolerance towards other people's beliefs and lifestyles.

[Machi]

I do admit there is a dose of provocation in my post hence I put  ;D behind but….

I don't buy it Machi that you didn't understand what e-love is.  

no, I truly don't know what it is, never experienced that…

Just about all writings and research classify E as a psylic.  

possibly writings are made by people  who never tried that. I have never had any psychedelic experience on mdma….did you?

I hope your child turns out to be gay.  Then we'll see some real intolerance towards other people's beliefs and lifestyles.

really? that's what you hope for? sad to say at least….well probably he will turn gay cuz i love him so much and I am not afraid to manifest that by hugging and kissing him…regardless if he does turn guy I will love him cuz he is my son…the fact many of members of our community are gay doesn't stop me from loving them as human beings…think of it

[Author]

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