New Philosophy and Psychedelics Course
I'm super excited to announce the release of my upcoming course on philosophy and psychedelics beginning in January 2024.
I'm super excited to announce the release of my upcoming course on philosophy and psychedelics! This will be a 6-week live course beginning in January 2024.
This course will consist of 6 modules:
Introduction to Philosophy and Psychedelics (With a Brief Foray into Ethics)
Psychedelics and Theories of Consciousness
The Self and Ego Dissolution
Noetic Revelations, Embodied Knowledge, and the Epistemics of Psychedelic States
What is Reality?: Strange New Worlds and Altered Beliefs of Psychedelic Experiences
Indigenous Philosophies and Psychedelics
Each module will have a series of guiding questions to consider as you do the readings, listen to the podcasts, and watch the videos; a series of vignettes to read and consider relating to the topic at hand; and will be followed by a live lecture with Q&A. This will be recorded so it can be rewatched at a later time.
Interested in psychedelics or altered states? We'll explore the different facets of the psychedelic experience and take a philosophical approach to parsing out the implications of the experiences.
This course will explore the fundamental assumptions behind the contemporary research regarding psychedelics, look at where the biases are, and provide new avenues to understand and explore the psychedelic experience.
🔍 Module 1: Introduction to Philosophy and Psychedelics (With a Brief Foray into Ethics)
We'll start the course by examining the basic philosophical assumptions informing psychedelic research. Questions of what a philosophical approach has to offer psychedelic research are common, yet the entire body of research is built on basic philosophical assumptions. Then we'll delve into the ethical considerations surrounding altered states of consciousness and what this means for contemporary use and research.
🌐 Module 2: Psychedelics and Theories of Consciousness
This module will look at how psychedelics challenge and expand the existing major theories of consciousness within philosophy. We’ll address the role psychedelics played in neuroscience research of the mid 1900s through present day, the dominant paradigms of consciousness research (materialism, dualism, idealism, etc.) and we’ll explore the role phenomenology plays in this field of study.
💫 Module 3: The Self and Ego Dissolution
Ego dissolution is one of the most recognizable and talked about facets of the psychedelic experience. We’ll spend time parsing out the phenomenon of ego dissolution. We'll look at how psychedelics seemingly unravel the boundaries of the self, and lead to a profound reevaluation of identity and existence. We'll explore the science and theories behind psychedelics and the dissolution of the self.
🌿 Module 4: Noetic Revelations, Embodied Knowledge, and the Epistemics of Psychedelic States
Here we'll canvas the epistemological landscape of psychedelic experiences. From noetic revelations to the embodiment of knowledge, we'll work to understand how altered states of consciousness can shape our understanding and notions of truth. This module will also address questions of epistemic knowledge within the context of mental illnesses and how psychedelics impact this knowledge.
🌀 Module 5: What is Reality?: Strange New Worlds and Altered Beliefs of Psychedelic Experiences
One question people always have after a psychedelic experience is “Was my experience real?” This module will look at the underlying metaphysical assumptions made by the psychedelic research, how to think about the psychedelic experience’s veridicality, and what these beings people encounter might be. We'll examine how and why psychedelics alter beliefs, cause paradigm shifts, and what this means for our understanding and perception of time and causality.
🌍 Module 6: Indigenous Philosophies and Psychedelics
In this cross-cultural exploration, we’ll delve into the rich tapestry of indigenous philosophies and their deep connection with plants. This module will help understand the philosophical presuppositions behind indigenous communities who have utilized psychedelics for hundreds of years. We'll discuss different culture’s theories of consciousness, epistemologies, relations to the world, and how different groups of people view the psychedelic experience. We’ll also address the pitfalls of trying to incorporate indigenous wisdom into the Western scientific discourse.
What You Get:
For this course you'll gain access to 6 modules containing a compilation of readings, podcasts, and videos on the topics, along with a series of discussions written by myself on the subject, 12+ hours of live instruction, access to recordings, and access to a discord community for Q&A and discussion on the topics.
How to Secure Your Spot: Purchasing Tickets via PayPal and Venmo 🎟️💳
Choose a price that aligns with your financial capacity, ranging from $150 to $250. The recommended ticket price is $200. Please include a note with your email address in your PayPal or Venmo payment and you will receive a link to the course within 24 hours. If you have not received a link within 24 hours, please email me at alexcriddle1@gmail.com and I will share it with you.
(If you are experiencing financial hardship and want to take the course, please email me and we can work something out).
PayPal: https://paypal.me/alexcriddle1?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlexCriddle
Refunds:
If you are unhappy with the course and its material or feel that you did not benefit from the experience, please say so by the end of the course and I’ll give you a full refund.
Discord Community for Discussion
Upon purchase of the course you will gain access to a Discord server where you can ask questions and have discussions about the readings or topics along with access to further information and resources.
Weekly Live Classes:
Classes will be held Wednesdays at 8 PM ET on January 17, 24, 31 and February 7, 21, 28.
Each class will consist of an initial lecture on the topic followed by an open discussion and Q&A. Classes will be recorded for those who are unable to attend and the recordings will be made available to everyone.
About The Instructor:
Alex Criddle has a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy. His Master's thesis was on the nature of healing in the psychedelic experience. Alex has hosted many discussions and talks on the subject of psychedelics in academic and public settings. He has written curriculum for psychedelic therapy certificate programs for multiple institutions and has written for psychedelic organizations including Blossom Analysis and Psychedelic Science Review. Alex has worked as a psychedelic integration guide and trained with a psychiatrist specializing in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.