Moving Past Mysticism in Psychedelic Science
Sanders, J. W., Zijlmans, J.
This commentary (2021) examines the role of mystical frameworks within psychedelic research and identifies the problem of putting subjective experiences into a black box by labeling them as 'ineffable' and inaccessible to scientific inquiry. The authors recommend a theoretic shift away from supernatural or nonempirical belief systems in favor of a secular framework that aims to measure those experiences more objectively.
Abstract
The mysticism framework is used to describe psychedelic experiences and explain the effects of psychedelic therapies. We discuss risks and difficulties stemming from the scientific use of a framework associated with supernatural or nonempirical belief systems and encourage researchers to mitigate these risks with a demystified model of the psychedelic state.