samwoolfe.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

New blog post. "Just as we do not feel the health of our whole body, but only the small spot where the shoe pinches, so we do not think of all our affairs that are going on perfectly well, but only of some insignificant trifle that annoys us."

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My latest blog post is on how pro-psychedelic narratives sometimes involve stigma against antidepressants.

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Really interesting discussion on shamanism with @manvir.bsky.social.

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Controlled trials have so far found that short-term microdosing performs no better than a placebo. In this blog post, I explore the idea that long-term microdosing may lead to the benefits that people report by increasing neuroplasticity.

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

A study published last year found that intensive Fire Kasina meditation can "produce mystical experiences comparable in intensity and depth to those induced by psychedelic substances." This article explores this research, alongside personal accounts from Fire Kasina retreat attendees.

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This is wild.

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Just published this post on psychedelic-induced 'ontological shock' (a term coined by the German-American philosopher Paul Tillich). I include some findings from a new study on this by @eirini-k-a.bsky.social @philosojules.bsky.social @drdluke.bsky.social @rosmcalpine.bsky.social and others.

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

"When we’re stuck in a hard choice, the decision is difficult not because it involves equality, but because it involves difference. One option is no better or worse than the other, but they lead to different — often mutually exclusive — kinds of futures".

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My latest blog post is about the negative psychedelic experiences that early psychonauts had. I include trip reports from Henri Michaux, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Walter Benjamin.

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I wrote about Peter Tscherkassky's experimental films and the idea that 'psychedelic cinema' can involve more than just depicting psychedelic experiences.

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A useful summary of naturalism, the 'natural' vs the 'supernatural', and naturalism vs physicalism.

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My latest blog post looks at how acute psychedelic effects affect an artist's creativity and ability to draw. Henri Michaux said he couldn't draw under the full effects of a psychedelic (only in the aftermath of the experience), but other artists have tried (and produced some interesting results).

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I wrote about current theories on what's happening in the brain when people have out-of-body experiences (OBEs). I also touch on some of the philosophical questions raised by OBEs.

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Thought-provoking question on r/RationalPsychonaut based on an excerpt from @samwoolfe.bsky.socialʻs book Altered Perspectives: "Would widespread psychedelic use improve society?" Definitely some thoughtful responses, too. #psychedelics www.reddit.com/r/RationalPs...

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Just published this blog post on the #psychology behind flow states and peak experiences.

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You can get 20% off my book if you order from Hive. #philosophy #consciousness #books

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Here's an excerpt from one of the essays in my book, 'On Plant Spirits and Psychedelic Teleology, Part I'. It questions the idea that widespread psychedelic use would bring about a utopian (or near-utopian) society.

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How the Manosphere misuses Evolutionary Psychology open.spotify.com/episode/3Nfr...

submitted 34 days ago • 2 comments

From a recent trip to Connemara National Park and Inis Oírr (Inisheer).

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My latest blog post is on the value and benefits of watching bleak movies.

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"We imagine how we want to use psychedelics and then project those imaginings on to cultures we know little about." - @manvir.bsky.social

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A review of my book from @psypre.bsky.social. #bookreview #philosophy #consciousness

submitted 39 days ago • 1 comment

My latest blog post is on ‘kundalini syndrome’: the psychotic-like state that some people experience after practising kundalini yoga. I look at first-hand accounts of this from practitioners, as well as possible causes and risk factors.

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This is a wild story about one of Australia’s biggest radio networks inventing their only non-white host (it has since been confirmed this ‘broadcaster’ is AI).

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I wrote about some of the problems with comparing a psychedelic experience to X years of therapy. #mentalhealth #psychotherapy

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New qualia alert. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

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"Bonobos [one of our closest relatives] refuse to participate when faced with unequal rewards." The vast majority of people similarly want fairness between us, but almost always end up with leaders who don't. That mismatch is the single biggest barrier to a better world. phys.org/news/2025-04...

submitted 53 days ago • 12 comments

'The final analysis included 21 studies. Studies that used a non-active placebo reported large or medium antidepressant effects for psilocybin and MDMA. In contrast, studies that used an active placebo reported no antidepressant effects.' www.psypost.org/antidepressa...

submitted 52 days ago • 1 comment

Would anyone be interested in reviewing my collection of essays on psychedelics? DM me if you'd like to.

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First issue of The Ethical Trip is live! Please share and subscribe.

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I'm recruiting a Centre Manager (Impact and Administration) to help run my new Centre for Animal Sentience. This person will be so important to the Centre's mission! Please get in touch if you believe in that mission and want to help make it a reality. jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

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An article on the enhanced pareidolia that some people regularly experience on psychedelics and the psychological factors that may help explain it. #psychology #personality

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My latest post is on including Trump or Musk as the 'difficult' person during metta meditation.

submitted 56 days ago • 1 comment

My friend is selling her ticket to Breaking Convention in case anyone is planning to go and hasn't got a ticket yet. Feel free to pass this on as well.

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My latest blog post is on how to best regulate the packaging used for legal psychedelic products, drawing on recommendations from @transformdrugs.bsky.social.

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My latest blog post is on why the bittersweet feeling you get waking from certain dreams is driven by hagioptasia. @hagioptasiatheory.bsky.social #psychology #emotion

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The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College

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“The Roganified man doesn’t organize, doesn’t strike, doesn’t agitate. He trains. He supplements. He retreats. Into the self. The body becomes the only site of resistance, a final frontier of sovereignty in a world increasingly hostile to collective action. It’s the gym, not the union hall.”

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This is so cool. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

submitted 66 days ago • 1 comment

I wrote about the uses (and misuses) of the title ‘philosopher’.

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The "self-is-fake" bros

submitted 67 days ago • 12 comments

A former French military base, Vauban is a thriving neighbourhood of 5,500 residents connected to Freiburg town centre by bus and light rail. Built in the late 1990s as a radical experiment in low-car living, it forgoes virtually all on-street parking in favour of active, green, and social spaces. 🧵

submitted 69 days ago • 148 comments

Really recommend this new small exhibition in Kew's Library Reading Room exploring shifts in the practices of 18 and 19C botany and how indigenous knowledge was used and acknowledged #BotanicalRevolutions #Archives #Kew

submitted 67 days ago • 1 comment