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

The psychedelic renaissance was sold as being safer than the wild 60s, because everything would happen under clinical conditions. In fact, the hype created demand that could only be met in the underground. www.persuasion.community/p/psychedeli...

submitted 3 hours ago • 1 comment

Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security #netzero #cimatecrisis Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...

submitted 1 day ago • 7 comments

My latest blog post is on ‘hagioptasia’ - the tendency to perceive an aura of specialness around certain things or places - and how this is expressed in emo music. @hagioptasiatheory.bsky.social #music #psychology

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

This was a great watch, very Lynchian. “The world is so different in daylight. But in the dark, your fantasies get so out of hand. In the daylight, everything falls back into place again.”

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Buildings have a philosophy that underpins them. Most cities in the world today include 'hostile architecture'. Mendelson argues urban design should be for all individuals and promote participation in society, not simply serve the interests of the powerful. iai.tv/articles/ove... #architecture

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Why Nostalgia Feels So Meaningful “Nostalgia, I realised, is not simply a longing for the past. It is also a yearning for an elusive sense of specialness — a fleeting quality that feels deeply meaningful yet defies explanation.” hagioptasia.wordpress.com/2024/12/23/w...

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Some people seem to be especially prone to see faces on psychedelics – they see them in things like wood grain, crumpled fabric, leaves, and rocks. Faces can be integrated into the geometric visions as well. Here I look at why that might be the case.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Some of Henri Michaux's Mescaline Drawings (which he produced in the aftermath of his mescaline experiences). They're currently displayed at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Very much reassured that numerous psychedelic researchers can come together and consider the much overlooked potential risk and harm of psychedelics too, and delighted to be among them. Maximising benefits is about minimising harms, and there are many potential benefits.. doi.org/10.1176/appi...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

An article on the neutral and positive experiences that people have related to post-psychedelic visual effects.

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

I wrote about what packaging for #psychedelic products should look like in a regulated legal market, drawing on recommendations from @transformdrugs.bsky.social

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

I always thought it was weird how much press was devoted to an unpublished study. Then it got weirder when the years kept passing by. Another great piece by Travis Kitchens. reason.com/2025/02/09/t...

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

My latest blog post is on the theory that ocean sounds relax us because they remind us of our peaceful existence in the womb.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

My latest for Chemical Collective. Research by @drdluke.bsky.social and Alexander Irvine has shed light on the personality traits that predict the development of HPPD Type 1 vs Type 2. Predictors of HPPD more generally include certain mental health issues, challenging trips, and heavy use.

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

The inaugural issue of Psychedelic Pathways Magazine has just been published. It features an article from myself on psychedelic drug laws and cognitive liberty. www.magsfast.com/Magazines/Ps...

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

My latest blog post is on the psychedelic elements in Meshuggah's music.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

OH HI

submitted 21 days ago • 1 comment

I wrote about an aspect of psychedelic integration that I feel is often neglected: memory recall. I look at the importance of sleep quality before and after the trip, memory cues that may improve recall, and different ways of relating to memories of the experience. #psychedelics #sleep #memory

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

First suicide in legal PAT, in Switzerland (first known case out of around 2000). History of delusions could be a red flag, not clear what the previous delusions and how psychosis-like they were. Thanks to the team for publishing this. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

“The physical structure of the universe is love.” - Teilhard de Chardin A blog post on the idea – often inspired by mystical states – that love governs the universe. I offer two objections to this idea: the problem of evil and a panpsychist perspective. #philosophy #metaphysics

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

A fascinating read on Kastrup's Idealism.

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

I didn't know what to use as a banner, so I've put my favourite review of our book about women philosophers. It's my favourite because, one, he seemed to think there would be men in a book called "The Philosopher Queens" and, two, he still gave us three stars.

submitted 24 days ago • 15 comments

I wrote about the potential risks of 5-MeO-DMT (reactivations, or 'flashbacks', seem to be common). I also share trip reports from Michael Pollan and comedian Neal Brennan. Both found benefits in their challenging experiences. #psychedelics #mentalhealth

submitted 25 days ago • 1 comment

An article I wrote on the different sides to laughing gas. Philosophers have used it and had mystical experiences. Researchers have studied it as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression. But outside the lab, uncontrolled use of nitrous oxide has led to life-altering consequences for some.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

Finished the first draft of my new book (all about mystical experiences). Now the editing begins.

submitted 27 days ago • 1 comment

#SaveThePCC Some of you may have read about the situation regarding our new landlord wishing to add a new redevelopment break clause, with only 6 months notice to our lease. For now, we're simply asking you all to share & sign the petition below; you.38degrees.org.uk/p/princechar...

submitted 28 days ago • 81 comments

The ‘doorway effect’ is when you forget why you entered a room. In this post, I apply the mechanism behind this phenomenon to the experience of crossing thresholds while tripping (e.g. going into a different room or from inside to outside) and why this can be useful for dealing with bad trips.

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

Psychedelic insights can carry a strong sense of authority. But when should we challenge them? Here I explore this question in relation to four types of insight: major life decisions, lifestyle changes, distressing insights, and grand insights.

submitted 29 days ago • 1 comment

Is a single self enough to hold together our messy, often contradictory collection of experiences and drives? | https://buff.ly/3C765XD Sam Harris, Roger Penrose and Sophie Scott met to debate The Divided Self. Tap the link to read more. #philosophy #cogpsych #socialpsych

submitted 33 days ago • 2 comments

"Right-Wing Psychedelia" (w/ @brianpace.bsky.social) was not just a call to question the oligarchs who were promising democratic utopia through psychedelic medicine. We specifically predicted that the psychedelic field would take a rightward, reactionary bend. www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy...

submitted 34 days ago • 4 comments

I wrote about how #psychedelics 'with the trip taken out' could be a safe and effective treatment for #schizophrenia.

submitted 34 days ago • 1 comment

My recent article on collective effervescence was republished on the music blog Rock n' Heavy.

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

My latest post for Chemical Collective is on the problem of self-proclaimed shamans (or pseudo-shamans) in #psychedelic and healing spaces. #shamanism #psychedelics

submitted 35 days ago • 2 comments

Enjoyed this episode on the #philosophy of bullshit with David Benatar (the topic is one of the chapters in his new book Very Practical Ethics).

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

Recently joined Bluesky? Start your exploring with our IAI Contributors Starter Pack for thought-provoking insights on philosophy, science, art, and politics. go.bsky.app/FWCj24y

submitted 36 days ago • 1 comment

In this article, I look at Durkheim's concept of collective effervescence – a feeling of group excitement and euphoria – and how concerts are an important outlet for this. I also describe my experience of collective effervescence when seeing 90s emo band Mineral play a reunion show back in 2019.

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

The need for meaning, in what can appear a meaningless world, is a cause for extreme pessimism, believed philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe. | https://buff.ly/3GEiUqt However, @samwoolfe.bsky.social argues that Zapffe forgets that human consciousness, also gives birth to existential joy. #philsci

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

The Courtauld Gallery is exhibiting Henri Michaux's mescaline-influenced drawings. Very excited to get to see them in the flesh.

submitted 38 days ago • 1 comment

As #ibogaine grows in popularity, concerns have been raised about clinics not paying close enough attention to the heart risks involved. My latest article for Chemical Collective. #psychedelics #addiction

submitted 39 days ago • 1 comment

Here is now a free PDF of my chapter on 'The Bergsonian Metaphysics Behind Huxley’s Doors' – PDF: philpapers.org/archive/SJST... DOI: doi.org/10.1007/978-...

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments