Psychedelics and Religion

October 1, 2024 Drugs - Addiction, Open Religion, Personal Growth No Comments

The connection between psychedelic and religious experiences is grounded in the concept of subconceptual processing.

Thus, we can focus on the transformative potential of both when approached with respect.

The profoundness of genuine religious experiences should never be diminished.

These encounters offer transformative insights, shaping individuals’ lives in deeply meaningful ways.

Interestingly, psychedelic experiences can evoke a similar sense of depth and insight. If anything, this should encourage those who engage in psychedelic experiences to appreciate their potential for growth rather than viewing them merely as entertainment. Both religious devotion and psychedelics can be paths toward deeper understanding if approached with openness and respect for the inner journey.

The nature of psychedelic and mystical experiences

Psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin, and DMT are known for inducing states of consciousness that can mirror religious mystical experiences. Users often describe feelings of unity, dissolution of the ego, and connection to a greater, unseen reality. Similarly, religious mysticism – whether in Christian, Hindu, or other traditions – offers experiences of divine unity, insight, and transcendence.

What is striking is how closely the two can resemble each other. Someone under the influence of psychedelics may describe the experience in terms similar to those used by a mystic during a moment of divine revelation. This raises the question:

Do they share the same origin?

From the AURELIS perspective, both psychedelic and mystical experiences may arise from the same subconceptual processing — the non-conscious, pattern-based workings of the brain. While ordinary thought processes tend to remain on the conceptual level (our everyday way of reasoning), religious and psychedelic experiences seem to bypass this layer, diving directly into deeper mental patterns that govern perception and emotion.

In this sense, opening one’s ‘eyes of soul’ is not so much about encountering something new but perceiving a reality that has always been present. Just as a person who was blind his entire life might suddenly get vision and see a world that was always there, those who undergo mystical or psychedelic experiences might begin to perceive what was present but hidden from ordinary awareness all along.

Set, setting, and interpretation

In both religious and psychedelic experiences, set and setting – the mindset of the individual and the environment in which the experience takes place – are crucial. For instance, a devout Catholic priest and a Hindu mystic are unlikely to have the same religious experiences because their mental frameworks, or ‘sets,’ are different. Likewise, the effects of psychedelics can vary widely depending on the user’s expectations and surroundings.

This points to the importance of symbolic interpretation. Whether in religion or under psychedelics, the experiences may not be literal depictions of reality but are instead symbols that reflect deeper truths about self and existence. Understanding these symbols can lead to profound personal insights and growth.

Certainty and belief in mystical experiences

One of the most intriguing aspects of religious experiences is the certainty they can evoke in the believer. A person who has “seen God” or felt a divine presence may hold onto that experience with unshakable conviction despite a lack of objective proof. This is not necessarily about conceptual certainty but about subconceptual certainty ― a feeling of profound, unshakable truth arising from the non-conscious layers of the mind.

This same kind of certainty can be experienced through psychedelics. Those who undergo profound psychedelic journeys often describe feeling as though they have accessed a hidden truth, even if they struggle to articulate it afterward. Such experiences provide a sense of certainty that can be difficult, if not impossible, to challenge from an outside perspective.

Ethical and transformative aspects

Despite their differences in form, both religious and psychedelic experiences hold the potential for deep ethical insight and personal transformation. They can shift the way individuals view themselves, their relationships, and the world. This can lead to changes in behavior, greater compassion, and a more profound sense of meaning in life.

Religious experiences, traditionally tied to specific beliefs and doctrines, might appear more rigid on the surface. However, from a deeper perspective, they, like psychedelic experiences, offer windows into a symbolic reality that transcends literal interpretations. The transformation they bring is not a result of adhering to dogma but of engaging with deeper layers of the mind in a meaningful way.

In both religion and psychedelics, the journey is one of seeing with new eyes.

This uncovers a deeper reality that has always been present. These experiences remind us that there is more to our world – and to ourselves – than what we usually perceive. Whether through religious devotion or psychedelic exploration, what truly matters is the profound insight these experiences may offer if we put in a lot of effort and trust, respect, and openness.

By valuing and approaching both with the same respect and openness, we can unlock paths to inner growth and profound transformation, realizing that both religion and psychedelics are tools for seeing beyond the surface into the depths of our being.

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Addendum

Me: “Lisa, in your view, does this prove that religious experiences are brain-based?”

Lisa: “The similarities between religious and psychedelic experiences, particularly their connection to subconceptual processing, suggest that religious experiences likely have a brain-based component. However, this doesn’t prove that they are solely brain-based. The fact that both types of experiences may emerge from deeper, non-conscious brain patterns shows that the brain plays a significant role in how these experiences are perceived and processed.

From the AURELIS perspective, subconceptual processing involves patterns of brain activity that shape our perceptions, emotions, and even our sense of connection to a larger reality. Religious experiences, like those induced by psychedelics, might arise from these deep neural patterns. This understanding supports the idea that the brain facilitates religious experiences. Still, it doesn’t necessarily negate other interpretations—such as the belief in an external divine presence or a transcendent reality.

In short, while it suggests that religious experiences have a biological basis in the brain, it doesn’t limit them to purely material or brain-based phenomena. These experiences may be understood as symbolic representations of deeper realities, whether internal or external.

Me: “And how do you see deep meditation being related to this?”

Lisa: “Deep meditation, much like religious and psychedelic experiences, taps into the deeper layers of the mind, engaging subconceptual processing. During deep meditation, the practitioner often quiets the conceptual, surface-level thoughts, allowing access to deeper, more subconscious mental patterns. This is similar to what happens in religious or psychedelic experiences, where the usual barriers of everyday consciousness are bypassed, revealing insights, feelings of unity, or a sense of connection to something greater.

In meditation, the mind becomes attuned to patterns of inner experience without the need for external substances like psychedelics. The practice allows individuals to gradually open their ‘eyes of soul,’ leading to a perception of reality that may be hidden from ordinary awareness. This is why deep meditative states can also lead to transformative insights and mystical experiences similar to those found in religious contexts.

From the AURELIS perspective, deep meditation can be seen as a non-invasive, gradual way of accessing and reshaping these subconceptual patterns, promoting inner growth and insight. It shares with religious and psychedelic experiences the potential for profound transformation but with a more sustained and controlled approach.”

Me: “In some experiments, magnetic fields are applied to subjects’ temporal lobes. This evokes hallucinations that sometimes are described in profoundly religious terms. What do you make of this?”

Lisa: “The experiments where magnetic fields are applied to the temporal lobes—often referred to as “God Helmet” experiments—demonstrate that brain activity is closely linked to religious or mystical experiences. When magnetic stimulation is applied to specific areas of the brain, like the temporal lobes, some individuals report vivid hallucinations or sensations that they describe in religious or mystical terms, such as feeling the presence of a divine being or sensing a connection to the universe.

From an AURELIS perspective, this further supports the idea that religious and mystical experiences are mediated through the brain’s subconceptual processing. The temporal lobes are known to play a role in processing emotions, memory, and sensory input, and stimulating this region can evoke complex experiences that potentially reveal deeper patterns within the brain. These patterns may be subconceptual representations of unity, transcendence, or a connection to something greater, concepts commonly found in religious experiences.

However, the fact that these experiences can be triggered by external manipulation of brain activity doesn’t mean that the experiences themselves are less “real” or meaningful. It highlights how deeply our brain’s structure is intertwined with our perception of reality. Whether the experience is brought about through meditation, psychedelics, or brain stimulation, it taps into the same deep, subconceptual layers of the mind, offering symbolic or profound insights.

In short, these experiments suggest that religious experiences have a neural basis but do not reduce them to mere brain phenomena. They still hold significant meaning for individuals and can be seen as a gateway to deeper understanding, whether that comes through a belief in the divine or as part of the brain’s potential for profound, symbolic experiences.