Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CSO - Ana Flavia N Nascimento.pdf: 5408779 bytes, checksum: 34573493d0d4b2f61af407b0f6ed5c31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-10-11 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This essay presents an attempt to a further understanding of a social phenomenon known as psychedelic trance global movement which has been gaining more and more incomers in the whole country through ritualistic festivities focused on an electronic music style psychedelic trance which stimulates dancing and the altered states of consciousness. This theorical discussion implicates in penetrating the gaps within empirical scientific knowledge and expresses itself through complex articulation, the manifestations of psychedelic trance festivals, which create and recreate an altered universe that involves art and psychedelic esthetics, within nature, as the backdrop for ecstatic collective experiences. The research had guidelines such as: Is there an order in such a virtually caotic atmosphere being constructed? What does this movement reflect upon current time? Which are the symbols and myths involved in this movement? Which are the beliefs and the values that guide psychedelic imagery? What needs are implicit in this new festive manifestation? What does this complex ritual express in the planetary era? The camp research was performed in a series of psychedelic trance festivals that took place in Brazil, between year 2003 and 2006. I took part as an observer in eight festivals, in which I gathered interviews and collected material. The research also encompassed the electronic net Internet the main means of communication used by the participants of such festivities / Esta dissertação apresenta a tentativa de compreender um fenômeno social conhecido como movimento global do transe psicodélico, que vem ganhando cada vez mais adeptos em todo o país por meio de festividades ritualísticas centradas em um estilo musical eletrônico psychedelic trance que estimula a dança e os estados alterados de consciência. A discussão teórica implica penetrar nas brechas do cânone científico e expressar, por meio da articulação complexa, a manifestação dos festivais de transe psicodélico, os quais criam e recriam um universo lúdico que envolve arte e estética psicodélica em meio à natureza, como cenários para experiências extáticas coletivas. A pesquisa teve como guia algumas questões, tais como: Será que nesse ambiente de desordem existe uma nova ordem sendo construída? O que esse movimento reflete nos tempos atuais? Quais são os símbolos e mitos relacionados ao movimento? Quais são as crenças e os valores que norteiam o imaginário do grupo? Que necessidades estão implícitas nessa nova manifestação festiva? O que expressa esse complexo ritual na era planetária? Foram pesquisados os festivais de transe psicodélico que aconteceram no Brasil entre 2003 e 2006. Participei, como observadora, de oito festivais, nos quais realizei entrevistas e colhi material. A pesquisa também abrangeu a rede eletrônica Internet , principal meio de comunicação utilizado pelos participantes desses festivais

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:56:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CSO - Ana Flavia N Nascimento.pdf: 5408779 bytes, checksum: 34573493d0d4b2f61af407b0f6ed5c31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-10-11 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This essay presents an attempt to a further understanding of a social phenomenon known as psychedelic trance global movement which has been gaining more and more incomers in the whole country through ritualistic festivities focused on an electronic music style psychedelic trance which stimulates dancing and the altered states of consciousness. This theorical discussion implicates in penetrating the gaps within empirical scientific knowledge and expresses itself through complex articulation, the manifestations of psychedelic trance festivals, which create and recreate an altered universe that involves art and psychedelic esthetics, within nature, as the backdrop for ecstatic collective experiences. The research had guidelines such as: Is there an order in such a virtually caotic atmosphere being constructed? What does this movement reflect upon current time? Which are the symbols and myths involved in this movement? Which are the beliefs and the values that guide psychedelic imagery? What needs are implicit in this new festive manifestation? What does this complex ritual express in the planetary era? The camp research was performed in a series of psychedelic trance festivals that took place in Brazil, between year 2003 and 2006. I took part as an observer in eight festivals, in which I gathered interviews and collected material. The research also encompassed the electronic net Internet the main means of communication used by the participants of such festivities / Esta dissertação apresenta a tentativa de compreender um fenômeno social conhecido como movimento global do transe psicodélico, que vem ganhando cada vez mais adeptos em todo o país por meio de festividades ritualísticas centradas em um estilo musical eletrônico psychedelic trance que estimula a dança e os estados alterados de consciência. A discussão teórica implica penetrar nas brechas do cânone científico e expressar, por meio da articulação complexa, a manifestação dos festivais de transe psicodélico, os quais criam e recriam um universo lúdico que envolve arte e estética psicodélica em meio à natureza, como cenários para experiências extáticas coletivas. A pesquisa teve como guia algumas questões, tais como: Será que nesse ambiente de desordem existe uma nova ordem sendo construída? O que esse movimento reflete nos tempos atuais? Quais são os símbolos e mitos relacionados ao movimento? Quais são as crenças e os valores que norteiam o imaginário do grupo? Que necessidades estão implícitas nessa nova manifestação festiva? O que expressa esse complexo ritual na era planetária? Foram pesquisados os festivais de transe psicodélico que aconteceram no Brasil entre 2003 e 2006. Participei, como observadora, de oito festivais, nos quais realizei entrevistas e colhi material. A pesquisa também abrangeu a rede eletrônica Internet , principal meio de comunicação utilizado pelos participantes desses festivais

Psychedelics are a subset of hallucinogenic drugs that exert their characteristic effects through agonist activity at the serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A). In this study, I aimed to characterize the modulatory role of the metabotropic glutamate subtype 2 receptor (mGluR2) in the 5-HT2A-specific rodent model of hallucinogenic action, head-twitch response (HTR). Secondly, I aimed to explore if 5-HT2A agonist-induced deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, an additional model of hallucinogenic action, could be produced in mice. Though 5-HT2A agonist-induced PPI deficits, which represent interruptions in normal sensorimotor gating, have been described in both rats and humans, attempts to translate this behavior to mice are rare. In contrast to prior gene knockout studies suggesting the mGluR2 is necessary for 5-HT2A agonist-induced HTR, mGluR2 knockout (Grm2-/-) mice still displayed HTR upon administration of the psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). Additionally, DOI and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) produced unexpected improvements in PPI in male 126S6/Sv wild-type mice, depending on the experimental protocol used and the origin of the animals. Sex differences were observed as DOI-induced improvements in PPI were present in female 129S6/Sv mice of the same origin and tested with the same protocol as their male counterparts; this effect in females was absent in 5-HT2A knockout (Htr2a-/-) mice. The results of this study shed light on issues with replicability and reproducibility in science, the importance of highlighting the origin and background of animal subjects, and potential sex differences in hallucinogenic drug action.

2 Abstract In this text, we are asking if it is possible to think the 'psychedelic' without labelling it as 'different', 'imaginary', 'fantastic' or 'unreal', and without thinking it as a particular experiential region belonging specifically to human experience. By first thinking 'experience', we are then attempting to relate the psychedelic experience to human experience considered in the simple joining of its basic dimensions, and to think both of these experiential modalities through the same motives. If we think 'experience' as opening itself through its boundaries, which limit and thus open the dimensions through which the fundamental relation of presencing and apprehension plays, then we can think the psychedelic using the concept of 'layer' derived from the concept of 'boundary'. We first think the phenomena of transparency of time, of transparent attunement and of transparent clarity, which belong to human experience in its simplicity. We then think the phenomenon of disjoining of the basic dimensions of human experience, which takes us from human experience in its simplicity, through strangeness, towards the psychedelic. Lastly, we think the phenomenon of permeating, taking us to the simply joined or disjoined dimensions of human and non-human experience being played out in their layeredness...

[pt] As substâncias psicodélicas clássicas são agonistas serotoninérgicos que atuam essencialmente no sistema de neurotransmissão 5HT2A. Essas substâncias podem promover estados alterados de consciência, bem como alterações visuais, afetivas, de humor e alterações cognitivas. Historicamente, eles têm sido usados para fins ritualísticos, recreativos e medicinais. Estudos indicam que essas substâncias apresentam baixa toxicidade, baixo risco de dependência e overdose. Existe um interesse científico atual no uso dessas substâncias como tratamento para uma variedade de condições e, embora muitos estudos busquem investigar objetivamente os resultados vinculados ao seu uso, os conteúdos subjetivos da experiência dos usuários ainda são pouco explorados. Considerando que a perspectiva de primeira pessoa é central para a experiência psicodélica, esta tese buscou investigar experiências subjetivas ligadas a psicodélicos por meio de uma variedade de abordagens. Primeiramente, buscou-se adaptar e validar o Ego Dissolution Inventory (EDI), instrumento amplamente utilizado por pesquisadores para avaliar um fenômeno essencial da experiência psicodélica, para o contexto brasileiro (Artigo 1). Em seguida, buscou-se explorar relatos públicos negativos (Artigo 2) e positivos (Artigo 3) de usuários de psilocibina (princípio ativo dos cogumelos mágicos), por meio do método Reinert, que analisa quantitativamente as falas transcritas. Por fim, discutiu-se a possível influência dos estados alterados de consciência (ASC), incluindo aqueles relacionados ao uso de substâncias psicoativas, na evolução humana (Artigo 4), sugerindo futuras pesquisas para explorar essa hipótese. / [en] Classical psychedelic substances are serotonergic agonists that act essentially on the 5HT2A neurotransmission system. These substances can promote altered states of consciousness, as well as visual, affective, mood, and cognitive changes. Historically, they have been used for ritualistic, recreational, and medicinal purposes. Studies indicate that these substances have low toxicity, low risk of dependence and overdose. There is current scientific interest in the use of these substances as a treatment for a variety of conditions, and while many studies seek to objectively investigate outcomes linked to their use, the subjective contents of the experience of users is seldom explored. Since a first-person perspective is central to the psychedelic experience, this thesis sought to investigate subjective experiences linked to psychedelics through a variety of approaches. First, we sought to adapt and validate the Ego Dissolution Inventory (EDI), an instrument widely used by researchers to assess a central feature of the psychedelic experience, to the Brazilian context (Article 1). Then, we sought to explore public negative (Article 2) and positive (Article 3) reports of psilocybin (the active principle of magic mushrooms) users, through the Reinert method, which quantitatively analyses transcribed speeches. Finally, the possible influence of altered states of consciousness (ASC), including those linked to use of psychoactive substances, in human evolution was discussed (Article 4), suggesting future research to explore this hypothesis.

Interest in psychedelic science is increasing in society. From ritual traditions to today's therapeutic use, psychedelic substances have played a role in healing, self-exploration, and spiritual understanding. Increased research activity as well as the introduction of university courses on psychedelic science at institutions such as Karolinska Institutet and Lund University also indicate an increased interest within the Swedish academy. This integrative literature review highlights the historical, scientific, and cultural dimensions of psychedelic science. The overview results in four themes; Historical background, Psychedelic assisted therapy, Challenges and risks and Ontological perspectives; the biomedical meets the spiritual. Within these themes appears a theoretical debate regarding the medical and social perspective in treatment within the field of psychedelic science, which in turn affects and mirrors the field of social work. Positive results in treatment of depression, anxiety and addictive disorders are presented, as well as methodological challenges and a complex cultural and spiritual significance. Finally, the relevance of psychedelic science in social work is discussed, where psychedelics can potentially offer new therapeutic approaches to complex mental health problems as well as highlight existential questions in a field in need of comprehensive perspectives. / Intresset kring psykedelisk vetenskap ökar i samhället. Från rituella traditioner till dagens terapeutiska användning har psykedeliska substanser spelat en roll i läkning, självutforskning och andlig förståelse. Ökad forskningsaktivitet samt införandet av universitetskurser om psykedelisk vetenskap på institutioner som Karolinska institutet och Lunds Universitet indikerar även ett ökat intresse inom den svenska akademin. Denna integrativa litteraturöversikt belyser psykedelisk vetenskap ur historiska, vetenskapliga och kulturella dimensioner. Översikten resulterar i fyra teman; Historisk bakgrund, Psykedeliskt assisterad terapi, Utmaningar och risker samt Ontologiska perspektiv; det biomedicinska möter det andliga. Positiva resultat vid behandling av depression, ångest och beroendesjukdomar presenteras, likväl metodologiska utmaningar och en komplex kulturell och spirituell signifikans. Genomgående i dessa teman framkommer en teoretisk debatt inom forskningsfältet gällande det medicinska och sociala perspektivet på behandling, som även speglas i det sociala arbetet. Slutligen diskuteras relevansen av psykedelisk vetenskap inom socialt arbete, där psykadelika potentiellt kan erbjuda nya terapeutiska tillvägagångssätt för komplexa psykiska hälsoproblem samt lyfta fram existentiella frågor i ett fält vid behov av omfattande perspektiv.

Counterculture history is often divided, with a focus on either the turbulent 1960s or the "back to the land" exodus of the 1970s. A study of Stephen Gaskin and his followers' founding of The Farm, a rural commune near Summertown, Tennessee, provides a unique insight into the commonalities and connections of these two periods. It will be the aim of this thesis to weave the separate narratives of this demographic into one complete idea. The idea that the hippies constituted a counterculture suggests that once that culture went into exile, onto numerous communes, they existed as a diaspora. The Farm's existence as a spiritual commune, with their roots in Haight-Ashbury's short-lived utopian dream, and their continuation and evolution of that dream in Tennessee, make this particular group a model for the diaspora. The Farm, with its larger profile, publishing, and outreach programs, became the preeminent post-Haight-Ashbury commune. The commune was able to preserve the counterculture in exile, while it became a leader in dictating the direction of its progress. The Farm's efforts in midwifery, sustainable living, promotion of vegetarian diets, and outreach in America's inner cities and the Third World all point to a proactive counterculture and the commune's leadership role for the remnants of the counterculture. While the profile of the counterculture has diminished, a shift in American attitudes toward natural childbirth, ecology, and a more earth-friendly diet containing a greater variety of organic and vegetarian options reveal a significant success for their agenda.

This dissertation is a theoretical study of the relationship between digitality, knowledge, and power in the age of Big Data. My argument is that human medical research on psychedelic substances supports a critique of what I call "the data episteme." I use "episteme" in the sense developed by philosopher Michel Foucault, where the term describes an apparatus for determining the properties associated with the epistemic condition of scientificity. I write that the data episteme suppresses bodies of knowledge which do not bear the epistemic virtues associated with digital data. These include but are not limited to the capacities for positivistic representation and translation into discrete digital media. Drawing from scientific reports, I demonstrate that certain forms of knowledge regarding the therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics cannot withstand positivistic representation and digitization. Henceforth, psychedelic research demands frameworks for epistemic legitimation which differ from those predicated on the criteria associated with the data episteme. I additionally claim that psychedelic inebriation promotes a form of thinking which has been called, by various theorists, "negative," "abstract," or "idiosyncratic" thought. Whereas the data episteme denies the existence of negative thought, psychedelic research suggests that this mental function is essential to the successful deposition of psychedelic substances as adjuncts to psychotherapy. For the reasons listed above, psychedelic science provides a uniquely salient lens on the normative operations of the data episteme. In the course of suppressing non-digitizable knowledge, the data episteme implements what Foucault conceptualizes "knowledge-power," a term which affirms the fact that there is no meaningful difference between knowledge and power. Here, "power" may be defined as the power to promote but also to retract conditions on which phenomena may exist across all sites of social, intellectual, and political construction. I write that the data episteme seeks to both nullify the preconditions for negative thought and to naturalize the possibility of an infinite expansion of human mental activity, which in turn figures mentality as an inexhaustible resource for the commodity of digital data. The data episteme therefore reifies the logic of ceaseless economic proliferation, and as such, abets technologized capitalism. In the event that the data episteme fulfills its teleological goal to become total, virtually all that is thinkable would yield to economic subordination. I present psychedelic science as a site where knowledge which challenges the data episteme is empirically necessary, and which, by extension, attests to the existence of that which cannot be economically subsumed. / Doctor of Philosophy / In the age of Big Data, scientists draw upon the ever-expanding quantities of data which are produced, circulated, and analyzed by digital devices every day. As data grow in number, digital tools gain in their ability to yield precise and faithful information about the objects they represent. It would appear that all forms of knowledge may one day be perfectly replicated in the form of digital data. This dissertation claims that certain forms of knowledge cannot be digitized, and that the existence of non-digitizable knowledge has important implications for both science and politics. I begin by considering the fact that digital tools can only produce knowledge about phenomena which permit digitization. I claim that this limitation necessarily restricts the sorts of information which digital devices are capable of generating. I also observe that the digital turn has inaugurated a novel mode of capitalist economic production based on the commodity of digital information. Thus, the increasing dependence of scientific authority on digital methods is also a concern for political economy. I argue that the reliance of scientific authority on digital data restricts the scope of scientific inquiry and makes ceaseless economic expansion appear both necessary and inevitable. It is therefore critical to indicate sites of research and practice where non-digitizable knowledge plays an essential role in informing scientific processes. Such an indication is not only pertinent to scientific research, but points up the ways in which data facilitate unregulated economic growth. Psychedelic drug research serves as my lens on digitality and political economy. Specifically, I explore the ways in which quantitative and computational methodologies have been used and critiqued by scientists who study the psychiatric benefit of psychedelics on human consciousness. Taking a historical approach, I demonstrate that psychedelic scientists have always faced the paradoxical task of translating the unusual and ineffable effects of psychedelics into discrete, measurable variables. This quandary has become more pronounced in the age of digital tool use, as such tools rest on the logic of metrical and discrete analysis. I suggest that the therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics can only be fully revealed by methodological techniques which explicitly address the epistemic limitations of digital data. Noting that the ascendance of Big Data is contemporaneous with a rise of interest in psychedelics as adjuncts to psychotherapy, I assert that psychedelic science provides abundant materials for a critique of the ostensive epistemic authority of digital data, which operates as an alibi for technologized capitalism.

This work studies the environment of contemporary alternative spirituality in the Czech Republic, specifically unusual spiritual experiences and techniques for inducing them. It is based on long-term field research utilizing the method of participant observation carried out primarily in the environment of neo-shamanism, but also the use of psychedelics, dark therapy, and other movements and practices. I perceive and analyze these practices both as psychotechnologies - i.e. techniques through which their users strive to alter their thinking - as well as spiritual techniques aimed at establishing and cultivating a relationship with the spiritual world. The focus of this study is a comparison of neo-shamanism and other practices in three main aspects: the induction of experiences, the connection between spiritual experiences and the actor's life as a whole, and the changes in the perception of reality brought about by long- term practicing. I point out that in all these areas, techniques traditionally thought of as closely related exhibit fundamental differences. A non-negligible part of this study consists of methodological and theoretical considerations. I show that the field of alternative spirituality has many specifics compared to other religious environments, and that mainstream methodological...

Do all conscious states structurally necessitate self-consciousness? For many, the answer is affirmative: self-consciousness is an inherent property of phenomenal consciousness. I refer to this family of theses under the denomination of Strong Subjectivity Claim (SSC). However, reports of DIED (Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution) and MIED (Meditation-InducedEgo Dissolution) seem to suggest otherwise: there are at least some extraordinary circumstances under which no sense of self contributes to the resulting phenomenology. Similarly, subjectivity is altered in depersonalisation, a condition whereby the subject feels detached from oneself. I argue that different varieties of self-consciousness are altered or missing in concomitance with ego dissolution and depersonalisation. Nonetheless, I speculate that depersonalisation per se does not involve a lack of basic self-consciousness — while some reports of ego dissolution indicate that even the most minimal formulation of phenomenal self-consciousness is not adequately present. I identify two modalities —boundlessness and centrelessness — whose implication seems to be crucial in experiences of total lack of self-consciousness. All things considered, I conclude that, while self-consciousness could be a frequent feature of our ordinary experience, SSC is not plausible. In the absence of phenomenal self-consciousness, what remains is the epistemic observation that experiences are self-bounded: no one can have access to each other’s experiences in a first-personal manner. This ontological fact, however, need not be accompanied by a corresponding “sense of self”. Finally, I propose an account explaining the conceivableness of selfless self-reports resting on the premise of the subject being conscious and on her dispositional ability for self-consciousness. / Kräver alla medvetna tillstånd strukturellt självmedvetenhet? För många är svaret jakande: självmedvetenhet är en inneboende egenskap hos fenomenalt medvetande. Jag hänvisar till denna familj av avhandlingar under benämningen Strong Subjectivity Claim (SSC). Rapporter om DIED (Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution) och MIED (Meditation-Induced Ego Dissolution) verkar dock antyda något annat: det finns åtminstone några extraordinära omständigheter när en brist av känsla av jaget bidrar till den resulterande fenomenologin. På liknande sätt förändrar depersonalisation subjektiviteten, ett tillstånd där subjektet känner sig fristående från sig själv. Jag hävdar att olika varianter av självmedvetande förändras ellersaknas i samband med ego upplösning och depersonalisering. Icke desto mindre spekulerar jag att depersonalisation i sig inte innebär brist på grundläggande självmedvetenhet – medan vissa rapporter om egoupplösning indikerar att även den mest minimala formuleringen av fenomenal självmedvetenhet inte är tillräckligt närvarande. Jag identifierar två modaliteter -gränslöshet och centerlöshet - vars implikation verkar vara avgörande i upplevelser av total avsaknad av självmedvetenhet. Sammantaget drar jag slutsatsen att även om självmedvetenhet kan vara ett vanligt inslag i vår vanliga upplevelse, är SSC inte rimligt. I frånvaro av fenomenal självmedvetenhet, kvarstår den epistemiska observationen att upplevelser är självbundna: ingen kan ha tillgång till varandras upplevelser på ett förstapersonligt sätt. Detta ontologiska faktum behöver dock inte åtföljas av en motsvarande "känsla av jaget". Slutligen föreslår jag en redogörelse som förklarar tänkbarheten av osjälviska självrapporter som vilar på premissen att subjektet är medvetet och på hennes dispositionsförmåga till självmedvetenhet.