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A stained-glass window depicts two figures: one with a bowed head and white face, and another with a halo, dressed in blue and holding a book.

Altered states

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William James was right about our strange inner experiences

Rather than Freud’s cynicism or Jung’s enthusiasm, we need an inquisitive approach to unusual forms of consciousness

by David Yaden

Blurry photo of a large orange and red circle, with dark silhouettes of trees against a sunset or sunrise sky.

Drugs and psychedelics

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Psychedelics show religion isn’t the only route to spirituality

Secular people can have profound psychedelic experiences. What does that say about spirituality and the naturalistic worldview?

by Chris Letheby

Silhouette of an adult and two children by a body of water during twilight, with one child on the adult’s shoulders.

Drugs and psychedelics

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To learn from a psychedelic trip, explore the dreams that follow

Psychedelic experiences, properly digested, offer opportunities for change – and the dreams that follow them can help

by Mackenzie Amara

Black and white photo of two women in swimsuits, one lighting the other’s cigarette while holding a towel, vintage style.

Drugs and psychedelics

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Cigarette! Exquisite fiend, ephemeral friend, how I miss you

Melancholic and alluring, addictive and seductive, cigarettes were the excuse for a sweet pause between lovers and friends

by Caroline Eden

A dog standing near a wooden fence and shed with sunlight streaming through trees in a mountainous rural setting.

Altered states

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Altered states can help us face death with serenity and levity

Near-death and out-of-body experiences can help us embrace our impermanence, letting us live and face death with serenity

by Sam Gandy, Samantha Treasure, Jade Shaw & Alexander Beiner

A rustic room with six people engaged in various activities, drinking, eating, and conversing with a large jug on the floor and playing cards scattered around.

Drugs and psychedelics

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What can Kant tell us about the perils and promise of booze?

Drinking like a philosopher: what does Immanuel Kant have to say about the role of intoxication in our overlooked lives?

by Matthew Perkins-McVey

Medieval drawing of a mandrake root with a human-like female form, labelled “Mandragola femina”, with leafy foliage on its head

Sex and sexuality

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A long history of aphrodisiacs, from health tonic to sexual aid

Long before Viagra, people around the world and throughout history used aphrodisiacs to boost health and improve fertility

by Alison M Downham Moore

A person with hands clasped on a wooden table, with a blister pack of orange pills in the foreground.

Depression

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Why the ketamine revolution is stalling – and how to save it

Used with psychotherapy, ketamine can provide safe and effective treatment for depression when other treatments have failed

by Bita Moghaddam