cristinsauter
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2019
- Messages
- 1
Hello family,
I am a Ph.D. student and psychedelic traveler, so I am currently researching how stigma effects hard-to-reach populations like psychedelic travelers, and how concealable stigma effects us, if it does at all. I am reading empirical and peer-reviewed research on concealable stigma and have found certain results but have found no information about how stigma effects psychedelic travelers.
That being said, I hypothesize that stigma associated with psychedelic use contributes to depression (this has already been observed over and over in other populations with concealable stigma), and that depression drives further psychedelic use (because we experientially know that psychedelic medicine treats various mental conditions, including depression, and there are tons of empirical studies displaying the positive benefits of psychedelic use for depression especially).
I hypothesize this not only because of my own experience of stigmatization as an ambassador for psychedelic journeying in the academic world, but because of the logic of the hypothesis.
I took psychedelics to see what could be, and it removed my belief about limits. I have a strong personal association with the beauty that psychedelics can open up inside us all, and this has been evidenced for so many of us.
However, when people who take psychedelics are studied longitudinally, the positive benefits of psychedelic medicine decrease over time. Why is this? I again hypothesize that after reorganizing our mind during our journeys, we come back to this world with those positive effects. However, over time, our minds reorganize back to coping with the physical world and the sociological effects of it.
I guess I am realizing personally the effects of stigma, and navigating my way through it as an academic because of what I study does affect me because I am so passionate in my efforts to expose this medicine. I continue to understand society's current conception of psychedelic medicine as negative as well. It doesn't have to do so much with stigma against myself, but of the stigma against the very substance that continuously reminds me of my true nature.
People who have had psychedelic experiences have so much to share with the world, and can and do improve it in so many ways, but I know personally sometimes I have to hold back what I say for fear of judgement. I am wondering if this is true for anyone else.
I met with my epistemology professor last semester to discuss how psychedelics might help us understand knowledge itself and he professionalized the conversation, stigmatizing me and checking me essentially, saying "I am a professional and an academic speaking with another academic". I am not mad about this, but sad that we could not open that door together due to the stigma around this treasure.
Please let me know your thoughts via comments, messages or email at [email protected]. I am eager to know your experiences with stigma around psychedelic traveling.
It would be wrong of me not to bring the most beautiful thing I have experienced into a professional light that can help bring the experience to others.
Thanks for your time,
Cristin Marie
I am a Ph.D. student and psychedelic traveler, so I am currently researching how stigma effects hard-to-reach populations like psychedelic travelers, and how concealable stigma effects us, if it does at all. I am reading empirical and peer-reviewed research on concealable stigma and have found certain results but have found no information about how stigma effects psychedelic travelers.
That being said, I hypothesize that stigma associated with psychedelic use contributes to depression (this has already been observed over and over in other populations with concealable stigma), and that depression drives further psychedelic use (because we experientially know that psychedelic medicine treats various mental conditions, including depression, and there are tons of empirical studies displaying the positive benefits of psychedelic use for depression especially).
I hypothesize this not only because of my own experience of stigmatization as an ambassador for psychedelic journeying in the academic world, but because of the logic of the hypothesis.
I took psychedelics to see what could be, and it removed my belief about limits. I have a strong personal association with the beauty that psychedelics can open up inside us all, and this has been evidenced for so many of us.
However, when people who take psychedelics are studied longitudinally, the positive benefits of psychedelic medicine decrease over time. Why is this? I again hypothesize that after reorganizing our mind during our journeys, we come back to this world with those positive effects. However, over time, our minds reorganize back to coping with the physical world and the sociological effects of it.
I guess I am realizing personally the effects of stigma, and navigating my way through it as an academic because of what I study does affect me because I am so passionate in my efforts to expose this medicine. I continue to understand society's current conception of psychedelic medicine as negative as well. It doesn't have to do so much with stigma against myself, but of the stigma against the very substance that continuously reminds me of my true nature.
People who have had psychedelic experiences have so much to share with the world, and can and do improve it in so many ways, but I know personally sometimes I have to hold back what I say for fear of judgement. I am wondering if this is true for anyone else.
I met with my epistemology professor last semester to discuss how psychedelics might help us understand knowledge itself and he professionalized the conversation, stigmatizing me and checking me essentially, saying "I am a professional and an academic speaking with another academic". I am not mad about this, but sad that we could not open that door together due to the stigma around this treasure.
Please let me know your thoughts via comments, messages or email at [email protected]. I am eager to know your experiences with stigma around psychedelic traveling.
It would be wrong of me not to bring the most beautiful thing I have experienced into a professional light that can help bring the experience to others.
Thanks for your time,
Cristin Marie