I think its an important part of the human experience is the psychedelic experience and you go in and learn somethings about yourself and they might feel a little uncomfortable but its powerful. Its not the solution to everything but I think it can plant seeds of ideas, I think it can show you things you things you didn't consider. I've been processing and integrating my experiences. There's been great things and difficult things but I'm so glad that I went in and I'd like to think that I'd go back.
Any conclusion you reach on psychedelics you can reach with a sober mind - Deep contemplation and taking action and that some people want to think it's coming from somewhere else.
Psychedelic - Attribute that to a spiritual experience, truly is an experience some people get a tangible high from going to church.
It put you into a more reflective mindset but you can achieve that without it. It's like they want a guide to show them the way, but all that comes from within. Some people put these walls up and have this conceptualization that they need that to break them sown. But it's really about finding the courage within you. You don't need a Red Bull to run a mile.
Perhaps psychedelics and other drugs do open up the mind, but only in specific directions. It is not like it will enable free or unrestricted creativity. It is not a path to enlightenment and transcendence. Perhaps it is more akin to a pair of sunglasses; it can shield you from a brightness so that you can see what is in front of you.
It's about mindset. I find most modern Christian traditions ignore it though. I kind of like Christian mysticism in that regard. Spark of god is within each person. Essentially it's meditation.
Some people would argue differently. Your intentions have a lot to do with it. A lot of people attribute breakthroughs to them. But they won't automatically make you a creative person.
I've had many trips that are highly introspective and delved into very difficult topics. But very few where I have lost self at any point. And many with intense visuals. My most "spiritual" trip: I felt a oneness, a connection with all of nature and the world and universe at one point. And then I completely lost all awareness of my physical body later on. No awareness of the real world around me. And was watching my childhood as a floating observer feeling the emotions of every person involved in the memory.
A better term for ego death may be having a non dual experience.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism
The meditation sense is the same as psychedelic. But yeah it's more than just the belief that things are non dual. I'm really just clarifying that the same experience can be achieved through different means. Psychedelics is the easiest. A dissolution of the separation between self and experience. AKA ego death. Becoming pure awareness.
This is about ancient Greeks, and Christian's and psychedelics. The whole thing about the Mysteries of Eleusis is super interesting
https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/346-the-best-kept-secret-in-history
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries
Psychedelics can definitely take a dark turn so being prepared for that is good. I find I usually get some useful information from trips.
