Compassion and Psychedelics: A talk with workshop elements by Dennis Johnson
Psychedelic Society Vienna, April 20th 2024
“Unconditional self-acceptance and the deep sense of connection that are felt during a [psychedelic-induced] mystical experience could provoke the psychological insights that patterns of avoidance and critical self-judgments are dysfunctional and that suffering, being imperfect, making mistakes and encountering life difficulties are part of the shared human experience”. (Baptiste Fauvel et al. 2023)
Abstract: Modern competitive society has led to an individualized sense of self and self-centered attention, which comes with social comparisons that generate envy and shame, relentless striving for more and better, and self-criticism in the face of failure. As a result, many people today suffer from mental health problems such as self-rumination, shame, depression and anxiety that make it difficult to access feelings of self-worth, self-love, self-acceptance and self-compassion. Experiences of social safety and connectedness – whether induced by psychedelics and/or compassion-based interventions – can help shift from a competitive to a caring mindset with an increased sense of social safety, compassionate motivation, and prosocial behavior.
This shift from a threat-sensitive, competitive and self-centered mindset towards a safety-sensitive, collaborative and caring mindset is the primary goal of compassion-based interventions. Recent research suggests that psychedelics could be used as adjuncts to these interventions because they induce direct experience of relevant brain states, including decreased self-rumination and experiential avoidance as well as increased empathy, positive emotions, psychological flexibility and connectedness. Research also shows that an increase in self-compassion is one of the central factors in determining the therapeutic outcomes of psychedelics and that compassion-based interventions can therefore help to get the best results from psychedelic experiences.
This talk with workshop elements will explore psychedelics from the perspective of compassion and social behavior and shed light on the potential synergies between psychedelics and compassion-based interventions. I’ll present some of the recent research findings in this area, make the basic concepts understandable, and offer simple contemplative practices for the cultivation of compassion. There will also be plenty of time for your questions and discussion.