So, what shall we talk about?
The insula and an alternative interpretation of the psychotherapeutic use of psychodelics There is now a growing body of evidence about the potential psychotherapeutic usability of psychodelic substances, such as ketamine, LSD, ibogaine and psylocibin, in treatment of issues like depression,PTSD or substance addiction. While nothing decisive can be said yet, the treatment potential does seem…
Body maps and gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria, the distressing mismatch someone feels between their gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth, is slowly finding the recognition it deserves, with more countries and health services enabling assistance to transgender people. This progress has been made through both the incredible efforts of trans-rights activists, and by a better…
Beliefs aren t real Yeah, I know, the great wisdom of countless self-development and psychotherapeutic approaches. Beliefs aren t real, they re all in your head, the map is not the territory. Big deal! This is such a common approach Wasn t this blog supposed to be about more advanced stuff? Well, yes. It was. So when I m saying beliefs aren t real , I don t mean your beliefs are all in your head .…
Runner s high, THC and some interesting connections I don t get runner s high. That unique euphoric feeling you re supposed to get after running or exercising? I have never experienced it. Now exercise can be fun at times. (It can also be incredibly tedious, but I am a scientific sceptic, so I understand I need some level of activity now to remain physically and mentally mobile in my older age.)…
A bit on visual illusions There s an optical illusion I ve seen in one of Ramachandran s books (I think it was Phantoms), which I ve found very interesting for a long time. Both because, like many of the illusions he shows, it s very easy to do and because I could never, bloody ever get it to work for me. It worked great for others but never for me. The illusion is a fairly simple one. Stick out…
Neurons that fire together, wire together Ok, but how? One of my little pet projects is a neurology book for psychologists, coaches and the like. What most people in these fields imagine about the brain is somewhere between perplexing, preposterous and potentially poisonous. (Seriously, I could tell you stories ) So I kind of wanted to write something like this for them. Now I do consider it a…
Neurology, cognitive psychology and self observation My interest in neurology and cognitive psychology actually came fairly late in my experience with psychology and self development. I went into psychology half unsure what I d like to do with my life, and half fascinated with manipulation and planning some kind of a future corporate career. While this changed slowly over time (thank Hastur!), it…
Dancing on the edge of entropy Had a really useful chat with a friend a couple of hours ago. We talked about science and scepticism, which helped me notice something really significant. When we were talking, I mentioned my old division into science lovers and quack haters . Basically some people are in the sceptical field because they love science. They see what it can do for us and they want more…
Group theory in change Years ago, when I first encountered this material in Watzlavick s Change , I had a feeling that it s great, but I can t quite grasp it in its fullness. Like there was a lot more to be understood for changework there, but I lacked the perspective for it. I ve recently come back to it, I think I get what it s saying now, but, honestly, there are probably quite a few much…
The neurological basis of belief Let s face it the whole field of self development uses a LOT of fuzzy terms. Things that we seem to know and understand on an everyday basis, but which fall apart when put under any kind of actual scrutiny. Things like belief. I mean, we can all kind of sort of point to our beliefs, can t we? But when trying to define them, it gets a bit more troublesome. Even more…