In a recent interview, cognitive scientist Susan Blackmore shares her experiences at a cognition conference in Mexico, which included a session with a Huichol shaman. Despite initial discomfort, she reflects on the positive psychological effects of the experience. Blackmore, known for her work in parapsychology, distinguishes between debunking paranormal claims and acknowledging the significance of extraordinary cognitive experiences, which she investigates through hallucinogenic substances. Her insights contribute to an ongoing dialogue about consciousness and the potential insights from altered states of mind.
I very recently had the most fantastic opportunity, I was invited to give a lecture in Mexico on my latest ideas about consciousness at a cognition conference.
We had to endure it. And then, in a sweat lodge the next morning... honestly, my body was saying, 'You're dying, you're dying, you're going to die!' and my brain's saying, 'Of course you're not going to die!'.
Susan often takes a variety of hallucinogenic drugs to research 'supercognitive' experiences - those that seem to bring you out of yourself.
What doesn't interest me, and what I don't want to read about is claims of people who have had amazing experiences.
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