Altered States Series: Workshop Four (Contemplative Practice)

Overview

The Altered States Series is a collection of seminars, symposia and workshops in Perth that was launched by the Australian Psychedelic Society in August 2020. Altered States aims to provide the Perth community with the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience about how to best utilise altered states of consciousness to manage mental health issues and improve psychological wellness. This will be approached using the same framework that is used to provide psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: preparation, altered state and then integration.

Session 4 - Contemplative Practices

The fourth seminar in the Altered States Series explores the relationships between psychedelic experiences and contemplative practices such as mindfulness meditation. The idea of a connection between psychedelic states and Eastern meditative practices has persisted since the early days of psychedelic science. Recent research has documented psychological and neural commonalities between psychedelic and meditative states, and synergistic interactions between psychedelic ingestion and meditative practice. Moreover, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies sometimes employ concepts (such as “psychological flexibility”) that have strong connections to contemplative practices. The session will be led by Dr Chris Letheby and Tobias Penno, both of whom have conducted academic research into connections between psychedelics and contemplative practices. Letheby and Penno will present and explore philosophical, scientific, and clinical perspectives on the relationships between psychedelics and contemplative practices such as mindfulness.

Sharing can occur formally during the interactive session, or informally afterwards when lunch will be provided to allow people the opportunity to connect with members of existing networks and develop new connections

Dr Chris Letheby is a philosopher of mind and cognitive science, working on issues arising from the use of psychedelic drugs in psychiatry and neuroscience. His doctoral research, conducted at the University of Adelaide, presented the first systematic analysis of psychedelic experience within the framework of 21st century philosophy of cognitive science. He is currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Western Australia and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Adelaide on the Australian government-funded project 'Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry'. His monograph Philosophy of Psychedelics is forthcoming with Oxford University Press.

Tobias is a social worker who is undertaking a PhD at UWA where he completed his Masters charting the phenomenology of the Ayahuasca experience. Tobias currently works in private practice where he provides consultative services to people who are seeking out psychedelic experiences in an effort to support their emotional health.

Altered States Terms and Conditions

By purchasing a ticket, you agree to our terms and condition:

1. We are not promoting, condoning or advising drug taking of any kind.
2. We will not tolerate dealing or the promotion of medicine circles of any kind.
3. We will not tolerate offers of coaching or mentoring individuals.

Location

Austin Lecture Theatre (Arts building room 1.59)