Patrick Smith - Salvia divinorum and "The Wheel": What Can We Learn From This Persistent Phenomenon? скачать в хорошем качестве

Patrick Smith - Salvia divinorum and "The Wheel": What Can We Learn From This Persistent Phenomenon?

Salvinorin A, the prime psychoactive compound in the Salvia divinorum plant, is the most potent naturally-occurring hallucinogen we know of. It has been an important part of Mazatec culture for generations, but has only just entered the gaze of western materialist science within the past few decades. One property of Salvia that has enthralled researchers is its ability to produce highly conserved psychological effects. Most strikingly, user accounts of the Salvia experience almost without fail mention the sensation of a distinctive rotating movement; often described as a conveyer belt, carousel, wheel, or turning pages. In this talk, we will run through what we now know about the neuropharmacology of Salvinorin A, and to what extent these discoveries can begin to explain the unique subjective effects people experience upon ingesting the plant. We will then draw parallels between the Salvia journey and various religious symbols and myths that describe similar themes. We will also look at some startling appearances of Salvia-like phenomena in sober states such as near-death and spiritual experiences. The aim of this talk is to suggest both materialist and mystical explanations for the unique subjective effects of Salvia divinorum, and consider the possibility of a non-dual ontology that combines these two modes of thinking. Patrick is a biologist and science writer who has been covering psychedelic issues for the past five years. He currently writes for EntheoNation, but has previously contributed to The Third Wave, Psymposia, Volteface, Chacruna, Kahpi and more. He has degrees in both Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, and is interested in merging the worlds of materialist science and non-dual psychedelic wisdom. Filmed at Breaking Convention 2019