Psychedelics as affective technology to resist affective capitalism … · 2020-03-14 · Psychedelics as affective technology to resist affective capitalism By Sab Xew Breaking Convention

BreakingConventionStudentEssay2019Xew1

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Anewfocusfortranshumanism

Psychedelicsasaffectivetechnologytoresistaffectivecapitalism

BySabXew


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Intro:

Transhumanismisthepracticeofusingscientificdevelopmenttoenhancehumancapabilities–

mainlythroughmedicineandtechnology.Itisatheorythatisbecomingincreasinglyrelevantas

scientificadvancesmakefeasiblethepossibilityofreshapingandmanipulatingaspectsofhuman

biologyandcognitioninorderto‘enhance’us.Thisenhancementisbroadlyaboutmakingus‘better’

insomeway,andageneralguidetothatisinimprovingwellbeing.Oneproblemwiththegeneral

threadoftranshumanismisthatitassumesthatthisenhancementliesinmanipulatingtheindividual

–thatscientificadvancementishelpfulwhenappliedtoindividuals,andthattheenhancement-

wellbeingrelationshiptakesplaceinthesphereofeachindividual,separately.Butourmental

wellbeingislargelyaffectedbyforcesoutsideofthelimitsofourindividualhumancapabilities,like

thekindsofsocietiesthatwelivein.Theseissuesarepolitical,andmyessaystemsfromthispointof

contentionintranshumanism;thatitdepoliticisestheseissuesbypresupposingthatwellbeingisthe

responsibilityoftheindividual,andis‘enhanced’onanindividualbasis.Ifocusontheissueof

anxietyasachallengetomentalwellbeing–aswellashumanfunctioning/flourishingingeneral–

usingtheliteratureof‘affectivecapitalism’toshowthatawidespread‘stateofanxiety’istiedinto

neoliberalsocialstructureswhichpromotetheisolationoftheindividual.Ithenpresentpsychedelic

substancesas‘affectivetechnology’tocombatthis;Iarguethattheyareuniquelyplacedtoenable

theovercomingofthisanxietyintheireffectsontheself,whichthereforeeffectssocialinteractions.

Idrawonthepoolofrecentscientificresurgenceofinterestinpsychedelics,andtheorisethatthey

inducearenewedsenseofselfthatopposesthesenseofselfcultivatedbyneoliberalism.

Afterinitialresearchintotheirapplicationswasstuntedinthe60sbecauseofthe

counterculturalassociationswithpsychedelicdrugs,therehasnowbeenaresurgenceofscientific

interestinusingthemasmentalhealthtools,overthelastdecade.Cutting-edgepsychiatricresearch

istakingplaceintousingthemastherapeutictoolstohelpwithaddiction,anxietydisorders,

treatment-resistantdepression,PTSD,aswellaspersonalitydisorders.1Buttheyarehelpfulinways

thatgobeyond‘therapy’inthisconventionalsense,ofhelpingindividualsseparately.Iwillinterpret

thetherapeuticresearch,andarguethatpartandparceloftheirtherapeuticusesofcombatting

anxietyisanexperiencethatdealsdirectlywiththestructuralissuesthatsustainthisdominant

collectiveanxiousaffect.Iproposethatresearchshouldstarttofocusontheirinherentlyparadigm-

1Thelargesteverconferenceon‘PsychedelicScience’washeldinApril2017inCalifornia,withspeakersincludingTomInsel,formerdirectoroftheNationalInstituteforMentalHealth,andPaulSummergrad,pastpresidentoftheAmericanPsychiatricAssociation.(Carhart-Harrisetal2017)ImperialCollegeinUniversityofLondonfeaturesthePsychedelicResearchdepartmentwithintheCentreforNeuropsychopharmacology,leadingresearchintotheactionofpsychedelicsonthebraincombinedwiththeirclinicalutility,includingrandomisedcontroltrials.


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shiftingnature;intheircapacitytoallowustotranscendtheneoliberalstructuresthatshapework,

aswellas,insidiously,shapeourunderstandingsofourselves,othersandourownwellbeing.Ifocus

onhowtheycandothisthroughgivingindividualsthecapacitytotranscendtheanxiousfeelings

broughtaboutbyself-imageandsocialitythatourneoliberalparadigmpromotes.Theydothisby

providinganewaffect,offeringarenewed‘self’,andindoingso,havethepotentialtodisruptthe

viscouscyclethatexistsbetweenneoliberalanxietyandmaximisationofprofit,includingexposing

itsstructuralnature.Thisessaythereforepaysattentiontothenuancesofhowindividualfeelings

areconnectedtowidespreadstructures,andproposespsychedelicsasmediatorsinbothexposing

thisrelationshipandchangingitscourse.

1:Transhumanism:

Transhumanistsbelievethathumanity’spotentialfarexceedsthestandardsthatweliveatcurrently.

Theyproposethatweutilisescienceandtechnologyinordertoenhanceand‘makebetter’the

humanconditionbyovercomingourbiologicalandcognitivelimitations.(Humanity+2009)This

includesphenomenalikenanotechnology,biotechnologyandAI.Inherentinthetranshumanist

projectistheassumptionthatenhancementandmakingus‘better’liesinusingmedicineand

technologytomanipulatehumanbiology,withlittlementionofhowsocialstructurestieintothis

relationship,betweenscienceandenhancement.Focusingonthehumanlimitationofmoodand

wellbeing,theWorldTranshumanistAssociationstatesthattheconsequencesoftechnological

advancementsuchasnanotechnologycouldleadto“thebiochemicalenrichmentorredesignofour

pleasurecentressowecanenjoyaricherdiversityofemotions,life-longhappinessandexhilarating

peakexperienceseveryday”(Bergsma2000:404).DavidPearce(1995),whoinspiredthesub-

disciplineHedonisticTranshumanism,claimsthat"overthenextthousandyearsorso,thebiological

substratesofsufferingwillbeeradicatedcompletely”arguingthatthementalcorrelateofpainwill

simplybesubstitutedforadifferentsignalthatpreservesitsfunction,butminustheunpleasant

experience.Thisisanexampleoftheinherentthreadthatweshouldlooktoimprovingwellbeingby

enhancingthehumanbrain,eachindividualatatime.Althoughthereisalotoftalkof‘thespecies’

withintranshumanistliterature,thisisintermsofourindividualcapacities–‘species-normal

functioning’istheconceptgiventothestandardfunctioningofhumans,definingenhancementas

interventionsthatgobeyondthis(Chadwick2008:28)–andnotabouthowweinteract,insocial

structures,andhowtechnologycouldbeusedtoenhancethesestructures,asameanstowellbeing.

Thedirectionofrelationshipbetweenenhancementandwellbeingispresupposedtoberestrictedto

theindividualsphere,foreachperson,separately,ratherthanmediatedbysocialstructures.


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NickBostrom(2005),aleadingresearcherintheethicsofhumanenhancement,lists‘mood,

energyandself-control’asoneofthefivehumanlimitations,aswellas‘sensorymodalities,special

facultiesandsensibilities’and‘bodilyfunctionality’.Iwillarguethatourcurrentsocioeconomic

structure(Iwillrefertoasneoliberalism)especiallyconstrainsourmood(thisisitsaffect),aswellas

ourbodilyfunctionality,andthatpsychedelicscanbeharnessedtodisruptthisaffectbyintroducing

anewkindofaffect,throughutilisingoursensorymodalitiesandspecialfacultiesinadistinctive,

newway.Thismakesthemgenuinelyenhancing,bygoing‘beyond’ourcurrentneurological

capacities,butthecrucialpointisthatthiscanbeusedtocombatthestructuralnexusthatlimitsour

moodandbodies.Toclarify,Iamnotsayingthatneoliberalismlimitsourcapacitiesintermsoftheir

competence,butitlimitstheirperformance,byinducingacollectiveaffect/feeling.Andmy

argumentisthatpsychedelicscanhelptochangethisperformanceinawaythatcanbreakthehold

thatthisaffecthas.

Iwillpresenttheliteratureofaffectivecapitalisminresponsetotheindividualistic

presuppositionoftranshumanism,toshowthatwhatstandsinthewayofourwellbeinghasafar

largerdomainthanthelimitationsofourhumancapacities;suchasthestructureofsociety.

Althoughthisseemsobviousasanythingcanaffectourwellbeing,obviously,thegeneralassumption

isthatultimatelythesignificantfactorishowwelltheindividualcandealwiththis,whichismirrored

inpsychiatricunderstandingsofmentalwellbeingasbeinghinderedbyindividualdisordersofwhich

therapyisneededtoresumeone’s‘species-normalfunctioning’.Transhumanismusesthelanguage

oftherapyalot,withsomedefinitionsofenhancementasgoingbeyondtherapy,whichsetsthe

notionoftherapy–asanindividualisticendeavour–asasortofstarting‘guide’forenhancement.

Butaffectivecapitalismwillshowthatanxietycanbemorethananindividualdysfunction,itisa

‘dominantaffect’.Thisisthewidespreadstateofanxiety,ofwhichsolutionsmustliebeyondthe

domainofconventionaltherapywhichdealswithonlytheindividualandlargelyignoresstructural

frameworks.Myargumentpushesfortranshumanismtoexpanditsfocustothesestructuralissues

toconsiderhowscienceandtechnologycouldbeutilisedtoenhanceus,withthesestructuralissues

inmind.Iarguethatpsychedelicscanbeutilisedassuchmediators,betweenenhancingour

individualcapacitiesbutinawaythatdirectlyrelatesto,andcanhelpustranscend,the

interconnectedstructuresthatlimitus.

2:AffectiveCapitalism:

‘Affecttheory’hashadarecentinterdisciplinaryresurgence,rangingacrossthehumanities,social

sciencesandneurosciences,dubbedthe‘turntoaffect’.‘Affect’refersto‘feeling’,andaffecttheory

holdsthatthisfeelingisintrinsicallyconnectedtothebody.Thebodystoreseverything–feelings,


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sensations,memories–andthisinturneffectsthewaythatoneengageswiththeworld.Feelings

arenotjustmanifestedinconsciousmentalstatesbutareembodied:essentiallyassociatedwith

bodilycomportment,denyingthemind-bodydualisticsplit.Forexample,workingasasupport

workerhelpingpeopleinwheelchairsorwhoneedassistancewalkingmightbringtheaffectof

compassion,empathyandcare.Withthiscomestheembodiedstate,bundledupwithakindof

interpersonalattitude:bodypoisedreadytostretchoutahandandadapttoanotherbody.Or

practicingtheAngolandanceKuduruwhichfeatureschestandbumpumpingmovements;thismight

givethesubjectanaffectofconfidenceandsensuality,effectinghowtheycarrythemselvesand

interact.Anditworkstheotherwaytooasthisisnotalinearcausalrelationship;feelingandbodily

comportmentarenecessarilytied:feelinglonelymightmanifestinmovingandholdingoneselfina

closedoffmanner–possiblyhunchedshouldersthataccompanyawkward,restrictiveinteractions.

Affectisfeeling,andthebodilyappraisalofasituation,whichfeelsacertainway–distinctfrom

rational,conscious,intellectualunderstandingofthesituation.Ithasbeendescribedasthegut

feeling,referringtothe“half-secondlapsebetweenthebeginningofabodilyeventandits

completioninanoutwardlydirected,activeexpression”(Massumi2002:29),meaningthatithas

manifestedunconsciously,inresponsetoasituationbeforethebrainhascomputed.

Affectivecapitalismisthenotionthatcapitalism,inhowitstructuressocietyaround

economicproduction,producesaffectsthatsustaintheharnessingofcapital.Thisisthe

maximisationofprofit:itdoesn’tjustcomewithconsciousactionsbutalsofeelingsandbodily

attitudes,shapedbythesystem–themaximisationofprofit–and,importantly,whichperpetuate

thesystem.Thisiseverythingthatissymbioticwithproductionoutsideofeconomicsitself,likethe

feelingsandmovementsthatcomealongwithit,andfeedbackintoit.Forexample,feelingscared

thatyouarenottryinghardenoughtocompeteforthepromotionatyourjob:soyouspendallyour

timeworkingtowardsitbytryingyourhardesttosellasmanyproductsaspossible,doingasmuch

overtimeaspossible,whichmakesyouevenmorestressed,whichmakesyoubuyintootherareasof

lifesuchas‘successmanagement’coursesor‘quick-fix’hacks.Competitionatworkcausesfeelings

ofstressandfear,whichmakesthesubjectworkharder(perpetuatingthesystem),sleepingless,

causingmorefatigue,whichcausesmoremotivationtoseekoutexteriorformsofhelpwhichare

monetarised–alsoperpetuatingthesystem.

Affect,beingdistinctfromconsciousunderstanding,caninspireactionwhenwedon’t

necessarilyknowitorreasonaboutit,soitisnotunexpectedthatsuchaphenomenabeutilisedfor

capitalisation.Thereareindustriesthatdirectlyinvestinaffect:tabloids,socialmedia,realitytv,

throughtheirspecificagendastomakeyoufeelacertainwaysothatyoubuyintothem.Oftenthese

feelingsarenegative,likeinsecurityandfear,throughfear-mongeringnarratives.Profitismaximised


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byharnessingandmanipulatingaffectthroughpublic-facingindustries:“tocapitaliseonaffectisto

capture,structureandmodulatetheinfrastructureswhereitmoves”(Karppietal2016:2).Affective

capitalismisnotnecessarilyclaimingthatthereissomeone‘behind’thismanipulationofaffect,

schemingitall,but,becausethesystemisinplace,itnaturallysustainsitselfbyinvestinginaffect.

Theactualitiesofmaximisingprofitarenaturallyembeddedinaplethoraoffeelingswhichallsustain

thisdominantstructure.

Immediatelythisopensupdebateforthetranshumanistproject:byreshapingand

designingbiologicalhumancapacities,whateffectwillthishaveonthefeelingsthatwefeelin

regardstocapitalism?Affecttheoryseesaffect(feeling)asintrinsicallyconnectedtobodily

comportmentandinteractionsbetweenthepersonandtheworld,aswellasotherpeople.Sowe

shouldbethinkingaboutmodificationswearemakingonthemind-bodyinthecontextofthis

interactiveembodiedfieldoffeelings,notsimplyasisolatedcausaleventsthateitherinstigatea

bodilyorcognitivechange.

TheInstituteforPrecariousConsciousness(IPC)publishedthearticle‘Anxiety,affective

struggle,andprecarityconsciousness-raising’whichtheorisesthata‘dominantaffectofanxiety’is

presentinneoliberalism’sstructure.Thisstructureispredominantlyoneofprecarity–workis

unstable.Thestructureofworkasprecariousmeansthatthereisaninsecureaccesstothemeansto

surviveorflourish;anexampleofhowthisismanifestedisin0hourcontracts.Thereareno

guaranteedhoursandthehoursonedoesgetareoftensubjecttoconstantperformance

management.Thisperformancemanagementisalsotrueofthewelfaresystemaswell,intheform

ofbenefitsanctions,meaningthatevenaccesstosurvival(construingbenefitsasthebasic

minimum)isinsecure.Thiswidespreadinsecuritycausesanaffectofanxietyacrossthegeneral

public.Thenecessitiesforlivingarenotabsentbutareconstantlywithheldconditionally,creatinga

constantstateofanxietywherepeopleare“runningonthespot”(IPC2014),tryingsohardjustto

ensuretheyarekeptemployableorevenjustwithabareminimum.

Thisprecarityismanifestedinfeelingsofanxiety,throughmechanismsofeffectsontheself:

constantself-surveillanceandcritiquetostriveto‘bebetter’,aswellaseffectsonsociality:

individualsareconstantlyinarelationofcompetition,maskedbyafalsesenseofconnection

throughsocialmedia.Andcrucialtothisisthatitisa‘publicsecret’becausethedominantpublic

narrativepersonalisesthenoticeableeffectsasindividualratherthanstructuralissues.Myargument

willbearesponsetothesetwoeffects–ontheselfandsociality–byutilisingtheaffectivepotential

ofpsychedelicstoinstigatenewfeelingsthatopposethem,aswellasopposethenarrativeof

personalisation.


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2.1:TheSelf:

Thissenseofselfthatiscreatedbyinsecureaccessto‘themeanstosurviveandflourish’isonethat

isriddenwithself-critique.Thisisbecausetheconditionsforstability–constantretestingand

performancemanagementwhichrequireexcessivelabour2–areinternalised,meaningthatpeople

continuallyanalyseandgradethemselvesaccordingtotheseterms,creatingasenseofselfwhichis

riddenwithcritique:sustainedanxietyoverwhetheroneis‘goodenough’andtheneedto

constantlyprovethis.Thisisself-surveillance,andisassociatedwithFoucault’sconceptofthe

panopticon,whichwasaprisondesign,byJeremyBentham,inwhichtheprisoners’cellsare

structuredinacirclearoundawatchtower,wheretheyarewatched.Thewatchmancannotbe

lookingatallofthemsimultaneously,butbygivingtheimpressionthatheis–byoccupyingthe

centralwatchtower–theprisonerspolicethemselves.Workissimilartothis;asanemployeeyou

neverreallyknowwhetheryouarebeingheard,watched,judged(evenbyacustomerwhomay

reporttoyourmanager)soyouactasifyouareallthetime.Weinternalisethegazeofothersand

seeourselvesaccordingly,whichisespeciallyexacerbatedbysocialmedia.Internalisingthe

performancemanagementthatisexperiencedatworkisespeciallyeasybecausethemeansto

surviveandflourishrelyonit–itisnotsomethingthatcanbeeasilyignored.Theseconditions

literallyactastheconditionsforsurvivalandflourishing,soimplicitinthisistheideathatnot

meetingthemmeansyouarenotworthyofthis.Soitiseasytovalueyourselfaccordingly,andthose

thatdon’t–whohaveexternalvalues(maybereligion,spirituality,asenseofrebellionagainstthe

system,orevenjustclosefriends/familywhogivethemvalues)–stillhaveto‘playthegame’for

theirownincome.Somelevelofinternalisationandself-surveillanceisboundtohappenevenifyou

resistitswidermessage,justbysimplyensuringthatyoumeetthenecessarytargetstostay

employable.

Itmightbearguedthattheexistenceofthewelfarestateunderminesthis,sincethereisa

‘safetynet’meantforthosethatdon’tmeettheconditions,ensuringtheirsurvival(andpossibly

flourishing).However,thebenefitssystemactuallyreplicatestheseverysamestructures:thereare

manydifficultconditionsonehastomeetinordertoevenreceivethebenefits,andwhenonedoes,

evenmoreconditionstoavoidgettingsanctionedwhichishaveyourbenefitsstoppedaltogether.

2Kolinko’s2002enquiryintoGermancallcentresfoundthatconstantre-testinganddigitalmetricsincludingnumberofcallswereusedasperformancemanagementtechniqueswhichthreatenedthelossofjobs.Also,workersoftenhadtoworkfor6monthstoevenreceiveajob.


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Thismeansthatactually‘survival’isnotsecured.3Thereisnoalternativetothewidersystemwhich

perpetuatesaself-critical‘self’,ifthe‘safetynet’perpetuatestheverysameself-surveillance

throughsimilarconditions.IntheUK,theWorkCapabilityAssessmentistheconditioninplacein

ordertoreceiveEmploymentSupportAllowanceorPersonalIndependencePayment(benefitsfor

thosewithhealthneedswhichobstructtheirabilitytowork);itnecessitatesthatonemustattendan

assessmentwithagovernmenttrainedprofessional(notadoctor)whojudgeswhetherthepersonis

‘incapable’enoughforthebenefits,askingthemquestionsdemandingtheyprovejusthow

incapabletheyare,suchas“canyoutellmewhyyouhaven’tkilledyourselfyet”(Ryan04/05/2017).

Infact,oneadviserintheCitizen’sAdviceBureausaysthatsheadvisesherclientstoturnuptotheir

assessmentssmellingofurine,inordertoconveythelevelofincapabilitythatisneededtopass.4

Thisrealityshowsusthatthewelfaresystem,aswellasperpetuatinganxietyinthesamewayas

work,alsodemeanspeople:inordertobe‘deserving’ofit(passthetests),oneismadetofeel

worthless,whichonlyintensifiesthevaluingofpeopleinregardstotheirprofit-makingpotential.A

conservativeestimateof40%ofwork-relatedsicknessisstressandanxiety(HSE2016),whilstthis

sortoftreatmentistheresultforsuffererswhobecomepublicaboutit:weareforcedintoawork

systemofanxietyandstressthroughinternalisedperformancetargets,andthenwhenthisreaches

breakingpointandweneedtomoveawayfromit,weinternalisefeelingsoffailure,throughliterally

beingforcedtoprove‘failure’inordertostayalive.Thisonlyexacerbatestheneedtoconformand

stayinthesystembypassingthetests,increasinganxiety,whilstcementingtheideathateveryone

isdisposable.Ifyoudon’tmeetthequalitymetricsthenyoucanbecastawaytoproveyourfailure,

orifnot,thenexpelledfromthesystemcompletely(throughbenefitsanctions).

Anxietyistheproductofthesystemaswellaswhatkeepspeoplelockedinthesystem,

thereforeperpetuatingit-a‘viscouscycle’.TheexampleoftheWorkCapabilityAssessmentis

pertinent,astheprecariousstructurethatpervadestheclaimantsalsopervadestheworkers:DWP

callcentresaresubjecttothesameperformancemanagementethosthatcreatesanxiety.Whistle-

blowershaveexposedthis,onesummingitupwith:“WhenyoucrydownthephoneIfeellikecrying

too,butifIspeaktoyouforlongerthan23minutesandgooff-scriptIrisklosingmyjob”

(Anonymous20/08/2016),andthattheycanonlysticktoyesandnoanswerstoallthequestions

peoplehavewhentryingtonavigatethecomplexbenefitssystem.Thesameprecariouswork3TheUKgovernment(2015)wasforcedtoreleasemortalitystatisticsshowingover80peopleamontharedyingafterbeingdeclared“fitforwork”.“Thesearecomplexfiguresbutearlyanalysispointstotwonotablefacts.Firstthat2,380peoplediedbetweenDecember2011andFebruary2014shortlyafterbeingjudged“fitforwork”andrejectedforthesicknessanddisabilitybenefit,EmploymentandSupportAllowance(ESA).Wealsonowknowthat7,200claimantsdiedafterbeingawardedESAandbeingplacedinthework-relatedactivitygroup–bydefinition,peoplewhomthegovernmenthadjudgedwereableto“prepare”togetbacktowork.”(Ryan27/08/2015)4Personalcorrespondence.


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structuresresponsibleforaffectofanxietyinindividuals(onesofself-surveillanceandperformance

management)directlysustainthestructure’s‘gatekeepers’:thebenefitssystem,supposedlyfor

peoplewhoaretoostressedtowork,butwhichactuallyactsasathreatand‘noexitstrategy’,

perpetuatingthepressuretobesuccessfulwithintheworksystem,andexasperatingtheillhealthof

thoseoutsideit.Thisshowsthatmostpeoplearevictimstothesysteminsomesense,subjecttothe

affectitcreatestosustainitself.TheDWPworkersufferingfrominsomniabecauseshewillloseher

jobifsheexceedsthe23minutelimitonanotherphonecall,yetcannotallowherselftocutshort

anotherdesperateandvulnerablepatient,isinthesamesituationasthecallcentreworkerwhoalso

liesawakeatnightthinkingofthevulnerableoldpersonhemanagedtopersuadeintobuying

insurance,underpressuretoretainhisnumberofsalesperhourafteradisciplinary,wholater,after

eventuallylosingthejob,isonthephonetoDWPwomanlookingtoapplyforESAwhenthejobloss

triggersameltdown,justafterDWPwomanhashadtohanguponourvulnerableoldpersonwho

can’tunderstandwhyhisPIPallowancehassuddenlybeenrevoked.

2.2.:TheSocial:

Theaffectofanxietypervadesintothesocialspheretoo,outsideofprofessionalenvironments.This

createsbothconstantcompetitioninsocialinterrelations,aswellasinteractingintermsofa

person’svaluetoone’sownprofit-makingagenda.Thisisathoroughlyindividualisticsocial

structure.Theinsecurityofworkmeansthateveryoneisinastateofcompetitionwithoneanother:

explicitlyintermsofperformancemanagementandmetrics,like‘calleroftheweek’,butalsoin0

hourscontractswhereemployeesareconstantlyincompetitionforhours,eveniftheyarenottold

this.Thiscompetitionisalreadysetupinschoolatayoungage.Thesenseofselfthatiscreatedby

theworkplace–oneofself-judgmentandcritique–isthesameselfthatinteractswithothers,

applyingitsjudgementtoothers,creatingthecompulsiontocompareandcompete.Theneedtobe

better–tobeabetterworker–naturallyturnsintotheneedtobebetterthanx,andy,andz.The

constantsuspicionofbeingwatched,andsubsequentinternalisationofperformancebehaviour,is

generalisedfromtheworkplaceintothesociallife.Thisisexacerbatedbysocialmediaandgeneral

dissolutionofthework-lifeboundary,meaningthatitisnotsoeasytodistinguishthetwoandleave

thisethosattheworkplace.Socialmediacreatesaconstantvulnerabilitytojudgementand

comparisonbyothers,andofourselveswithothers,aswellasanobligationtobeconstantly

communicable,butofacertainkindofcommunicationthatIPCclaimpromotes“anappearanceof

simulatedhappiness”(IPC2014:276)andperformance.Neoliberalismalsotreatspeopleas

disposable–valuingintermsofprofitpotential–sotheinternalisationofthispervadeshowwe

valueoneanotheraswellasourselves.Thiscanbeseenintheobsessionwith‘networking’,advised

ofchildreninschooleven,whichistheconnectingwithothersbasedonhowtheycanbenefityou


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professionally.Generalprecarityofworkandcompetitionmakesthismoreimportant;employability

maydependonthestrengthofone’s‘network’.Again,thisistheresultoftheself-criticalselfbeing

appliedtoothers;connectingwithothersintermsofone’sownself-improvement.

Itisarguedthat,beforetheageofglobalisationandsocialmedia,‘thesocial’wasaformof

resistanceagainstthedominantcapitaliststructure–throughcounterculturewhichadvocated

‘droppingout’andalternativelifestyles(IPC2014).Butcapitalismisamacroeconomicsystemwith

thegoalofinfiniteexpansionofprofit,sonaturallyitkeepsevolvinginpursuitofnewprofit.This

happenedintheriseoftheinternetage–awholenewmediumforprofitmaking.Itisnowmuch

hardertosimply‘dropout’whensocialmediafollowsyoueverywhere,andglobalisationhasmeant

thattheriseofoutsourcinghasledtoamuchmoreprecariousworkstructure.Wearemore

‘connected’thanever,butinacertainway–acompetitiveandself-interestedway.Social

relationshipsarenotontheirownaformofresistanceastheymayhavebeenbefore;

neoliberalism’saffectofanxietyhasinfluencedthewaythatweinteracttogether,sothenew

resistancemustreclaimthesocialinnewwaysthatfightthis.

2.3:Personalisation:

Feelingsofanxietyontheindividualarepersonalised–thisistheassumptionthattheyarethesole

responsibilityoftheindividual–whichallowsthecycletocontinue.Theindividualemotionaland

physicalmanifestationsofanxietyarepathologisedascognitivedeficitsorchemicalimbalances,and

thematerialsocialfactsofprecarity(lackofwork)arealsopersonalisedasthefaultofindividuals–

likeimmigrants.5IPCstates:“precariansareblamedforprecarity”,forbothfeelinganxiousand

causinganxiety,andthisinitselfcreatesmoreanxietyasindividualstryhardertoimproveand

‘manage’theirwellbeing,andaredemeanedforseekingfinancialsupportforit.Pathologisingthe

dominantaffectalsomasksthegeneralityofprecarity(thatthereis‘noescape’–itpervadesthe

‘safetynet’aswellasthesocialsphere),sinceitframesanxietyassomethingthatanindividualhas,

possesses,carriedaroundwiththeminallareasoflife.Theeffectsofprecarityaremaskedbythis

personalisationintwoways:anxiousfeelingsareindividualisedandmaterialmanifestationsare

blamedonindividualssuchasimmigrantsor‘benefitscroungers’.Thispromotesexpectationsthat

implyworkissecure:expectationsofgettingajob,managingyourownwellbeing,andcommunity

integration,againstwhichmanyinevitablyfail,sinceworkisnotsecuresotheseexpectationsare

noteasilymet,blamingthemselvesor‘others’,thusperpetuatingtheanxiouscycle.

5Recalltheindustryoftabloidmediacapitalisingonnegativeaffect.Thisisanotherexampleofthesystemsustainingitself:industriesmakeprofitonmanipulatingaffect,andthisaffectinturnprotectsthesystemfromcritique,byinstigatingtheideathatindividualsareblameworthyforitsnegativeeffects.


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2.4:Resistance:

Iwillnowdiscusstworesistancestrategiestotheneoliberalanxiousaffect,andthengoonto

explainhowusingpsychedelicsasaffectivetechnologymeetstheaimsofboth,andinamore

efficientway.TheIPCadaptstheconsciousness-raisingframeworkthatwasusedasfeminist

resistancetopatriarchalnormsandpresentsitasaresistancestrategytocombattheaffectof

anxietybroughtaboutbyprecarity.Consciousness-raisinggroupsweregroupsoflikemindedwomen

thatwouldmeetanddiscussissuesinordertomeet7functions:speakfromandvalidatetheirown

experience,constructtheirownvoice,createasafespace,inspireaffectiveoremotional

transformation,promote‘theclick’inwhichoneunderstandsthestructuralcausesofpersonal

issues,andtointegrateandanalysetheirownexperiences.Theideaisthatonceawarenessisraised

ofanxietyasanaffectcausedbyneoliberalism,wewillbeonourwaytochangingthisstructure,in

thesamewaythatconsciousnessshiftedtounderstandingpersonalisedissuescausedbypatriarchy

asfeministissues.Forexample,‘sexualharassment’wasn’tcoinedasacollectivetermuntilfeminist

groupsgottogetheranddiscoveredthattheunsettlingexperiencewascommonamongstthemand

wereabletoattributeittowork-placepatriarchyratherthantheirownfaults,culminatingin

campaigningfortherecognisedconceptandlawsprohibitingit.6TheIPCproposesthatsimilar

groupsmustgettogethertoresistneoliberalanxiety,applyingtheabovesevenfunctionsoffeminist

consciousness-raisinginordertocombatthepersonalisationofanxietyandorganise‘precarians’in

solidarityagainstanxiety.

Consciousness-raising,however,iswhollyintellectualasitassumesthatneoliberalaffects

canbemitigatedsimplybybeingawareofthemandframingthemstructurallyratherthan

individually.Butbeingawareofaffectivecapitalismanditspersonalisationisn’tgoingtoquite

underminetheprofoundaffectithasonourbodiesandfeelings;evenifweknowthatouranxious

feelingsarepredominantlycausedbyfinancialinstability,itdoesn’tstopusfeelingthem,

accompaniedwiththeirbodilycomportment:tensemusclesandsore,fatiguedeyesthatispartand

parcelofthisfeeling.Feelingsarenotjustmentalstatesbutfullyembodied,inanunconsciousway,

soconsciousness-raisingwillnotdo‘thewholejob’.Thisbodilycomportmentalsopervadestheway

weinteractwitheachother–anxiousfeelingsofanxiousbodiescreateindividualisticinteractions.

ConsidertheinteractionthatmightbehadinthestreetbetweenapersonrushingtotheirJSA

meetinginordertonotgetsanctionedforbeinglate,amotherhurryinghometocookforher

childrenafterirregularhours,andaself-employedsole-tradervan-manstucktohisbusiness

6Fricker(2007)usesthisasaparadigmexampleofhermeneuticalinjustice:injusticecreatedbyimbalancesinpowerovertheproductionofcollectiveknowledge,causingcertainconceptsto(likesexualharassment)tonotberecognised.


12

facebookaccountinordertomaintainhis‘withinthehour’responserate,whentheyallneedto

squeezethroughtheconfinedroadworks-obstructedpassageway.Eachofthesecharactersserveas

examplesofhowthegoalofmaximisingprofitandtheanxiousaffectthatthishaspervadespeople’s

bodilycomportment.

Firth(2016)arguesthatthewaytocombatneoliberalaffectistocreatenewaffects,which

“fosterbodilycreativity,connectionsandcompassion”,andtransgressthemind-bodydualismwhich

isinherentinintellectually-basedresistancestrategiesintheirassumptionthatraisingawarenessof

anxiousaffectwillcombattheaffectitself.Sheseesthebodyitselfasasiteofresistance,andeven

goessofarastoclaimthatbodiesmaynotevennecessarilybeindividualised(asin,yourskinstarts

wheremineends)onceweappreciatetheimmanentemotionalconnectionsbetweenpeople.Firth

proposesSomatherapyasaresistivestrategy;thisisaseriesofgroupphysicalexercisesdesignedto

buildbody-awarenessandsolidaritybetweenpeople,andclaimsthatsheleftherownexperienceof

theexercise“deeplyconnectedtotheotherparticipants,andwithaprofoundsenseofeuphoria”

(ibid:132)–thisisthenewaffect,whichaimsto“salvagespontaneity,playfulness,creativity”(Goia

2011)throughmovement,playandsound;breakinghierarchiesonthephysicalandunconscious

level.Theaimistodirectlyopposeandprovideanalternativewayofusingourbodiesininteraction

withoneanotherby“usinggamestofostertrust,cooperationandsharing,andmechanismsfor

dealingconstructivelywithconflict”(Goia,2008:56),inordertoopposeandprovideanalternative

tothefeelingsof“jealousy,possessivenessandinsecurityandsituations(competition,betrayaland

lies)”thatareinfluencedbyneoliberalstructures.Thesearethefeelingsthatsheclaimsarefostered

byprecarity.AlthoughIwillfocusexplicitlyonanxietyandtheconnectionsofcompetitionandself-

gainthatthisperpetuates,itgivesanexampleofharnessingnewaffects,throughsocialinteractions,

asresistanceagainstthedominantaffect.

Iproposethatwetakethisastepfurther;wecancatalysethismethodbyactually

harnessingtheaffectivepotentialofpsychedelics.Thisproducesadirectaffectoneachindividual

whichhasthepotentialtoradicallyaltertheirconnectionstoothersbyalteringtheirsenseofself.I

maintainthatthismechanismofaction,throughinspiringanewaffectivesenseofself,ismore

suitedtoneoliberalism’saffectivemechanisminitsmanifestingself-surveillanceastherootanxiety,

whichperpetuatescompetitiveandself-interestedsocialinteractions.Aswellasinducingdirect

affect,theyalsomeetthefunctionsofconsciousness-raisingintheireffectsofpromotingreflection

ontheintellectuallevel.

3:Psychedelics


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Psychedelicsubstancescanbe‘affectivetechnology’–Ihavecoinedthistermtomeantechnology

utilizedforthepurposeofinfluencingaffectinanembodiedandcollectiveway.Thisisincontrastto

pharmaceuticalswhicharedesignedwithjusttheindividualinmindandhavespecific,mechanistic

use.SofarIhaveshownthatneoliberalismimpactsonindividuals’livesthroughaffect,limiting

individuals’potential.Thisisatranshumanistconcernbecausetranshumanismcaresabout

limitationstopotential,butalsobecauseaffectismanifestedphysically.Transhumanismapplies

scientificinquiry,whichisinterestedinthematerialworld,sotheneoliberalaffectofanxiety,being

fullyembodiedandfelt,isrelevanttoitsaims.However,transhumanism–anindividualistic

discipline–isnotsetuptodealwithsuchaphenomenonsinceneoliberalaffectconcernsthe

political,structuraldimensionsoflimitations.Iwillnowpresentpsychedelicsubstancesasableto

bridgethisgap:theyworkonthescientific,materiallevelinintroducinganewaffect,andindoing

so,canhelptobreaktheviscouscycleofneoliberalaffect.WhilstFirthsuggestscertainkindsof

collectivetherapytomeettheembodiedneedsofresistance,byrewiringhowweuseourbodies,I

arguethataffectivetechnologycanbeusedtocatalysethis‘rewiring’initsliteralrewiringonthe

cognitivelevel.Iwillshowthattheeffectsofthisfamilyofdrugsareuniquelyplacedtospecifically

countertheaffectsofneoliberalismontheselfanditsrelationtoothers,throughthreeinterlinked

mechanisms:ego-dissolution,a‘unitiveexperience’,andconnectedness.Iwillusecutting-edge

scientificresearchthatisstillinitsunderdevelopedstagesandsoisquitemurkyandunspecified,but

myaimistouseconceptualtoolstointerpretandmakesenseofthis.

3.1:Describingthemechanismsandphenomenological‘contradiction’:

‘Psychedelics’isthetermgiventohallucinogenicdrugsthathaveaspecificchemicalmakeup;they

includeLSD,psilocybin,ayahuascaandmescaline.Theyproduceauniquesetofsubjectiveeffects

andhavebeenusedforthousandsofyearsforreligiousandtherapeuticpurposes.Iwilldescribe

someoftheseeffectsbyfocusingonthethreemechanismsaforementioned,whichIshalloverview

here,priortoanalysingthem,becausetheyareallsointerlinkedconceptuallyaswellasscientifically

correlated.

Ego-dissolutionissomeformofcompromisedsenseofself,andisveryoftenexperienced

alongsidetheunitiveexperience,whichisanexperienceofaweatonenesswithone’s

surroundings/’theuniverse’/andothers.Thetwoexplicitlyrelate,asunitywithone’ssurroundingsis

clearlyassociatedwithdisturbedegoboundaries.Nouretal(2016)foundthatalleightofthe

followingitemsweresignificantlypresentacrossthepsychedelicexperienceingeneral,andtogether

validateego-dissolutionasacomponent:“Iexperiencedadissolutionofmy‘self’orego”;“Ifeltat


14

onewiththeuniverse”;“Ifeltasenseofunionwithothers”;“Iexperiencedadecreaseinmysense

ofself-importance”;“Iexperiencedadecreaseinmysenseofself-importance”;“Iexperienceda

disintegrationofmy‘self’orego”;“Ifeltfarlessabsorbedbymyownissuesandconcerns”;“Ilostall

senseofego”and“Allnotionofselfandidentitydissolvedaway”.Theymeasuredtheseitems

againstitemsintendedtosignifytheopposite(ego-inflation)andcomparedtheresultsfromcocaine

useandalcoholusewithpsychedelics.SubjectsalsoansweredsomequestionsfromtheMEQ

(MysticalExperiencesQuestionnaire)inrelationtotheirpsychedelicexperienceswhichhavebeen

showntosignifythe‘unitiveexperience’aspect.Thephenomenologyoftheunitiveexperience

overlapswiththatofego-dissolutionbutthereareyettobeformalstudiestoinvestigateexactly

whetherornottheynecessarilyentaileachother–Iwilluse‘ego-dissolution’toreference

specificallythediminishingoftheego,and‘unitiveexperience’tomeanasenseofunity.Someof

thequestionsconfirmedintheMEQpartofthestudywere:“freedomfromthelimitationsofyour

personalselfandfeelingaunityorbondwithwhatwasfelttobegreaterthanyourpersonalself”

and“experienceofthefusionofyourpersonalselfintoalargerwhole”,and“experienceofoneness

orunitywithobjectsand/orpersonsperceivedinyoursurroundings”.Theseaspectstogethershow

thatthereisageneralexperienceof‘diminishedself’inconjunctionwithanexperienceofunitywith

things/people/ideasoutsideoftheself,andthatthistendstogivesomesortoftherapeuticrelease

fromone’susualconcerns.InthefurthersectionsIwilluseconceptualtoolstoanalysethis

experiencetotrytounderstandwhatsortof‘self’isbeingdiminishedandrelateittotheaffectof

neoliberalanxiety.

FirstthoughIwillexplicatetheexperienceofconnectedness.Theconnectednessexperience

iscloselyrelatedtoego-dissolutionandunityandfeaturesinmanytherapeuticstudiesofusing

psychedelicstotreatdepression,anxiety,ocdandaddictions.Wattsetal2017conducteda6-month

follow-upqualitativestudyafterCarhart-Harrisetal’s(2016)clinicaltrialofpsilocybinusefor

treatment-resistantdepression,askingtheparticipantswhetherthetreatment‘worked’forthem,

andifitdid,‘how’?Theonethemethatcameoutconsistentlyacrossall17patientswhoanswered

positivelytothetreatment’seffectivenesswasa‘senseofconnectedness’.Thisconnectednesswas

describedintermsof3aspects:connectiontotheself,others,andtheworld,andCarhart-Harriset

alhaveaworkinghypothesisthatrenewedconnectiontotheselfisthe‘bedrock’fortheconnection

felttoothersandtheworld.Iwilltakeconnectednesstorefertothisspecificconnection(totheself,

worldandothers)andsoisdistinctfromunitiveexperiencemainlyinitsexplicitinclusionof

connectiontotheself–unitiveexperienceisthegeneralfeelingofonenesswithone’ssurroundings.

Subjectsfeltthesenseofconnectednessthroughoutthepsychedelictrip,butalsoforseveralweeks

tomonthsafterwards.


15

Asego-dissolutionisaboutone’sfreedomfromthemselvesbuttheexperienceof

connectednessactuallyconnectsthesubjecttothemselves,thereisaphenomenological

contradictionwhichhasnotyetbeenraisedordealtwithintheliterature.InmyargumentIshall

analysewhatsortofselfisbeingconnected,andwhataspectsoftheselfisbeing‘dissolved’inorder

tounderstandhowthetwofeaturescancoexist,andapplyingthistoaffectivecapitalism.Iargue

thatego-dissolutioninvolvesalossofthe‘higher-order’self(Ishallcallthe‘object-self’),and

connectednessinvolvesarenewedsenseofselfthatismoreintunewithembodiedexperienceand

identifiesitselfwithlargerentities.

3.2:TheSelf:

3.2.1:Ego-dissolutionaslossoftheobject-self:

Thepsycho-analyticperspective,whichisheavilyinvolvedinthetherapeuticapplicationof

psychedelics,interpretstheexperienceofego-dissolutionasa“blurringofthedistinctionbetween

self-representationandobject-representation,andprecludesthesynthesisofself-representations

intoacoherentwhole”(Federn1952;Savage1955;Fischman1983).Self-representationrefersto

higher-orderthinkingabouttheselfasifitisanobject.Thisisanawarenessofone’sbeingaware,

andrequiresa‘step-back’fromdirectperception;itisassociatedwith‘thinkingaboutthinking’

(metacognition)whilstobject-representationisassociatedwithperception.Iproposethatwhatis

happeningwhenonefeels‘freedomfromthelimitationsof[their]personalself’asdescribedinthe

MEQ,isthattheirstateofbeingisnotonewhichisthinkingaboutthinking–seeingthemselvesas

theobjectofthought–butinsteadisjust‘simplybeing’insomeway.Thismakessenseintermsof

theunitiveexperiencetoo,asexplainsthefeelingsofbecomingonewithyoursurroundings,ifthere

isadissolutionofthedistinctionbetweenself-representationandobject-representation.Object-

representationisactiveinperceptionbutself-representationishigher-order;ifthesetwocapacities

becomeonethentheselfismerelyperceived,likethesurroundings.Inrelationtoaffective

capitalism,the‘dysfunctionalself’outlinedistheselfofconstantcritiqueandtryingto‘bebetter’,

whichclearlyinvolveshigher-ordermetacognitiveprocessesintheconstantthinkingabouttheself

asanobject:anobjectofconcernandcritique.Ifego-dissolutioninvolvessomesortofexperienceof

theselfasnolongeranobject,likeakindofdisruptiontometacognitiveabilities(theseabilities

mightbethe‘personalself’thatisdescribedasfreedfromintheMEQquote),thenthisisauseful

tooltocombattheaffectofself-critique.Itgivesusanewlenstoseetheworld,othersand

ourselves,altogether,asnolongerintermsofaself-criticalself-image.Iwillcontinuetodevelopthis

conceptinrelationtotheotheraspectsofpsychedelicexperience,andshowhowitiscorroborated


16

bybrainimagingresearch.Iwillalso,in3.2.2,defenditagainsttheconcernthatthisisinconsistent

withthepromotionofintellectualthoughtthatisessentialtoconsciousness-raising.

3.2.2:Connectiontoselfasembodiedexperienceofidentifyingwithlargerentities:

However,itisstillunclearhowthisfitswiththeexperienceofincreasedconnectiontotheself.Iwill

nowpresentsomefindingsontheexperienceofaweandthecreationof‘thesmallself’,todevelop

theideathatbeinginastateofaweatsomethinglargerthanoneselfcanincreaseconnectiontothe

self,inawaythatisnotassociatedwiththeegointermsofitsseeingoneselfasanobject.The

unitiveexperienceisoftendescribedasoneofawe,involving“experienceoftheinsightthatallis

One”,and“experiencedeternityorinfinity”(Nouretal2016).Anexperienceofvastness,tothe

pointthatoneneedstoupdatetheirmentalschemas,isadefinitivecomponentofawe(Piffetal

2015).InastudyaboutawePiffetal(2015)foundthatpresentingsubjectswithsituationsthat

inspiredawedecreasedtheirsenseofentitlement,insteadincreasingpro-socialhelpingbehaviour.

Theyfoundthatthisisthroughanexperiencingof‘smallself’:offeelinglesssignificantandless

focusedonpersonalconcerns,insteadmoreinterestedinentitiesvasterthantheselfandthe“more

collectivedimensionsofpersonalidentity”,causingmoreprosocialbehaviour.Thiswasincontrast

topride,whichtheytesteditagainst,whichincreasedprosocialbehaviourbutforreasons

associatedwithself-achievement.Ifthisisalsotrueforpsychedelicsthroughtheaweexperience

thenitwilldirectlychallengeaffectivecapitalism’scompetitionparadigminwhichoneseesothersin

relationtotheirownself-interest,asitpresentsamechanismthathasadifferentwayofrelatingto

others.

Thusfarthe‘smallself’isjustdecreasedself-interest.Thisdoesn’tbringusanycloserto

understandingtheenhancedconnectiontooneself:the“experienceofonenessinrelationtoan

innerworldwithin”,sinceitdoesn’ttelluswhatthesmallselfis,positively,butonlywhatitisnot

(ego).(Ishallnowrefertotherenewedsenseofself–the‘connected’selffrompsychedelics–as

the‘smallself’.)Piffetalreferencestudiesthathaveassociatedawewithasensethatoneispartof

somethinglargerthanoneself,mosttypicallylargercategorieslike“community,aculture,the

humanspecies,ornature”(Ibid:884).Shiotaetal(2007)foundthatpeoplehighindispositionalawe

(butnotprideorjoy)were“lesslikelytodefinethemselvesusingindividuatedtermssuchas‘special’

or‘one-of-a-kind’andmorelikelytoemphasizetheirmembershipinlargercategories,forexample,

bydescribingthemselvesas‘aperson’or‘aninhabitantoftheEarth’”(Piffetal2015).Thisself-

definingintermsofuniversalsocialcategorieswascorroboratedbyVanCappellenandSaroglou

(2012)whofoundthatincitingfeelingsofaweinsubjectscausedthemtofeelmoreconnectedto


17

peopleingeneralonthe‘InclusionoftheOtherintheSelfScale’.Thisgivesusanideathatthe‘small

self’is,positively,anidentificationoftheselfasmemberofsomethinglarger,sothedeeper

connectionfoundwiththeselfcouldliterallybethroughanewperspectiveoftheselfasinextricably

partofsomethingbigger.‘Theself’isinherentlysomethingmorethanjusttheobjectofourown

concern,individuatedandhavingvalueasaseparateentity,ifthereisanewsenseofconnectionto

itwhichdeniesthisindividuatedobjectaspect.Thisalsomakessenseinrelationtothecharacteristic

experienceofvastnessthatisinawe:oneseesthemselvesaspartofanentityofvastness.Actually,

thatisexactlywhatishappeninginthepsychedelicexperience:“feelingthatyouexperienced

eternityorinfinity”,and“experienceofunitywithultimatereality”–theselfasbelongingtoalarger

whole.Alsodefinitivetoaweisthecreationof“newmentalschemastoaccommodatewhatisbeing

perceived”(Keltner&Haidt2003),sothefeelingofaweintheunitiveexperiencerequiressubjects

toinventnewschemastoperceivewhatisgoingon.Andbecausewhatisgoingonisanexperience

ofego-dissolutionandunity,onemustinventnewschemasinordertoperceiveoneselfas

‘dissolved’inthissense,whichtiesappropriatelytotheinventionofschemasthatthusidentifythe

selfwiththethings,entities,orstructuresaroundit.SoIproposethattherenewedselfisonewhich

associatesitselfaspartofalargerwhole.

Inrelationtothecontradictionthatwearetryingtounderstand,Haidt&Morris2009

theoriseaboutmoralelevationandadmirationofskills(astypesof‘awe’feelings)asself-

transcendentemotions–emotionsthatareaboutthevirtuesandexcellencesofothersbutnotin

relationtoourownself-advantage:“admiration,likeelevation,drawspeopleoutoftheirordinary

stateofconsciousness;therelatedmotivationalstateof‘inspiration’involvesfeelingsof

transcendence,whichhasbeendefinedas‘orientingonetowardsomethingthatisbetterormore

importantthanone’susualconcerns”.(ibid:7688)Interestingly,despitethismovingbeyondtheself,

theyciteresearchfromImmordino-Yangetal(2009)whichshowsthatbrainareasrelatedto

introceptiveprocessing(thatistheprocessinginvolvedinregulatingtheinternalbody)maybemore

activeduringself-transcendence:thesewereinternalregulationandsensingprocesses.While

evidenceisn’tconclusive,theytheorisethat“emotionswithaself-transcendent,or‘spiritual’aspect

tothem,suchasmoralelevation,maythereforeturnouttobeamplifications…ofourcarnal,

embodiednature”(Haidt&Morris2009:7688).Thislinkstotheembodiedexperiencethat

psychedelicsgive:thesubjectiveaspectsdescribedareverymuchfelt,throughsensations,andcould

givemeaningtotheideaofconnectiontothe“innerworldwithin”asaconnectiontothephysically

feltaspectsofone’sbeing.7Thisisconsistentwiththelossofthe‘object-self’asIhavetheorisedto

7EmbodiedexperiencewasalsooneofthefindingsofBelser2017phenomenologicalanalysisofpatientexperiencesonpsilocybin.


18

betheselfasanobject,sinceadeeperconnectionwithone’sphysicalprocessesdoesnotentail

onesthinkingaboutoneselfasanobject–infact,itmakessensethatamoreembodiedconnection

toyourselfmightgiveyousomerelieffromhigher-orderself-judgement.8Then,wehaveapictureof

thesmallselfasanembodiedselfthatisidentifiedwithbiggerentities/structuresthanitself:one’s

consciousnessofone’sphysicalmakeupaspartofsomethingvast.

Therearealsointerestingfindingslinkingtheexperienceofawetoanalteredperceptionof

time.Thisisinterestingsincepsychedelicsseemtodirectlypresentanalteredperceptionoftimein

theirphenomenology9,andpeopledirectlyrefertoexperiencesofvastnessoftimeasawe-inspiring

feelings.Ruddetal(2012)foundthatsubjectswhofeltaweincomparisonwithotheremotionsfelt

liketheyhadmoretimeavailableandwerelessimpatient,andthatthistimeperceptionisa

mechanismforothereffectsofaweexperiences:increasedvoluntaryprosocialbehaviour,

preferenceofexperiencesovermaterialproducts,andgreaterlifesatisfaction.Theytheorisethat

thisisbecauseaweinducesanexperienceof‘beinginthepresentmoment’whichdecreases

awarenessandsignificanceoftime,resultingin‘timeperceptionelongation’.(Vohs&Schmeichel

2003)Thissupportsmyhypothesisthatthepsychedelicexperiencereducesthe‘objectself’,through

time-elongationassociatedwithawe.Increasingfeelingsofpresent-nesssupportstheexperienceof

adissolutionawayfromhigher-orderprocesses,inwhichoneisexaminingtheirconcerns,thoughts

andgoalswhichareabstractedfromthepresentmomentandusuallyconcernthefuture.

So,theabovesectionanalysestheunitiveexperience,akeycomponentinthetherapeutic

useofpsychedelics,intermsofitscharacteristicsenseofawe,andusespreviousresearchtoreason

abouthowtheexperienceofawecanmakesenseofego-dissolutionandconnectednessas

contradictoryaspectsofthepsychedelicexperience.ThisisthroughwhatIcallthe‘smallself’;aself

thatisexperiencedasembodied,intouchwithitspresentphysicalandaffectiveprocesseswhilst

simultaneouslyidentifyingaspartofsomethinglarger,ratherthananobjectinitself.Theunitive

experienceisresponsibleforthefusionofone’sselfintoalargerwhole,andtheembodied

experienceofawethatthisinvolvesinspiresthistobeareinventionoftheself–aspartof

somethingvast,ratherthanatotaldissolutionofidentity.

8Thepracticeofmindfulnessaimstoshiftone’sthinkingawayfromself-judgementandtowardsacceptanceofthepresentmoment,byfocusingoninternalbodilyprocessessuchasbreathing.Thisisalsotrueofmanybody-basedtherapiessuchasmassagetherapy.9Wittmannetal(2007)conductedadouble-blinddesignstudy–usingacontrolgroupwithaplacebo–toactuallytestwhetherabilitytoperformtemporalactivities(e.g.tappingtoabeat,reproducingintervalsofacertainnumberofseconds)wassignificantlydifferentwhensubjectswereundertheinfluenceofpsilocybin,findingthatitsignificantlyimpairedsubjectstemporalprocessingofintervalslongerthat2-3secondsaswellastheirvoluntarycontroloftheirspeedofmovement.


19

However,animmediateworryiswhethertheidentifyingofoneselfaspartofsomething

largeractuallypresupposesthatoneseesoneselfasanobject.Surelyreinventingoneselfrequires

somelevelofhigher-ordercognition.Thiswouldmeanthatactuallythetwoexperiences(ofego-

dissolutionandconnectivity)arenotconsistent.Inresponsetosuchaworry,Ithinkitisimportantto

appreciatethenuancesintheprocessofmetacognitioncomparedtotheprocessofperceiving

oneselfinanewway;feelingoneselftobeacertainway.Thisisdifferentfromwantingtobea

certainway,andintellectuallyassessingwhetheryoumeetthat.Feelinglikeyouarepartof

somethinglargerandrespondingtoquestionsaboutthisbyhintingtowardsthisideaisnotthesame

ashigher-ordercognitionaboutyourownthoughts,goalsandself-image.

Theaffectofthis‘smallself’–embodied,inthepresent,andfeltintermsoflargerentities

includingcommunities–isthesortofselfthatneoliberalaffectactivelydiscourages,initsanxious

affectofpromotingself-surveillanceandconstantcritique.10Psychedelicspromotethis‘smallself’,

anddissolvethe‘object-self’whichistheselfassociatedwithcritiqueandself-surveillance;

harnessingthesedirectaffectswouldbeagoodresistancetotheaffectofneoliberalanxiety.Inthe

samewaythatFirtharguesweneedtobecreatingnewaffectintheformofSomatherapytoresist

thatofneoliberalism,psychedelicscouldbeashortcutintheirabilitytoactuallydirectlyinducea

wholenew,appropriateaffectinvolvinghowweperceiveourselves.Iwilllaterexplainhowthis

effectontheselfeffectsone’sconnectionstoothers.

3.2.3:Supportformytheoryontheneurallevel:

SofarIhaveconsideredtheaffective,subjectivelevelofthepsychedelicexperience.Psychedelics,

beingpsychoactivedrugs,obviouslyhavemechanismsofactionthattakeplaceona

neuropsychologicallevel–onthephysicalbrain–whichunderpinthis.Andweshouldwantthetwo

levelstomatchupwell;threeseparatefMRIscanstudies(brainscans)corroboratemytheory.

Carhart-Harrisetal2012,and2014,foundthatpsilocybininducedareducedintegrityoftheDefault

ModeNetwork(DMN)whichistheneuralnetworkimplicatedin‘ego-identity’,activatedinhigher-

order,self-referentialthinking.Thissupportsmytheorythatpsychedelicsinduceareduced‘higher-

order’self.Lebdevetal(2015)foundthattheexperienceofego-dissolutionunderpsilocybinwere

associatedwith‘disintegrationofthesaliencenetwork’.Thesaliencenetworkisthenetwork

responsiblefordecidingwhichinputsweprioritisewithourattention,byusinginternalpredictions

oftheexternalworldto‘filterout’thesensationsthatareexpected.Forexample,Ifilteroutthe

10Thereisalsoampleliteraturethatlinksneoliberalismtoakindof‘stateofdisembodiment’inwhichpeoplefeelfragmentedfromtheirbodies.Forexample,Kluwer(1992),Fisher(2014)andWilkerson(2014).


20

inputofthewhitewallbehindmebecauseIalreadypredictitwillbethere,butprioritisethefly

flyingaroundmyperipheralvisionbecauseIdonotpredictit.Thesaliencenetworkhasbeenafocus

ofresearchin‘theself’andishypothesisedtocontributeto“brainmechanismsofself-awareness,

highercognition”(ibid:3)withitsimpairmentassociatedwithpsychoses.Itisundecidedexactlyhow

thiscorrelatestothesubjectiveexperienceofego-dissolution,butIproposethatthedisintegration

ofthesystemthattestsinternalpredictionswithexternalstimuli(theresultsgrantingattention)

couldsignifyalossofthedistinctionbetweeninternalandexternalinformation,whichsupportsmy

ideaofthelossoftheobject-selfasashifttogeneralperceptionoftheself’sprocesses,ratherthan

perceptionoftheselfspecificallyasanobject(thisrequiresadistinctionbetweentheselfandthe

externalworld).Furthermore,disintegrationofthispredictionnetworkmightgenerallysignifya

radicallyalteredsenseofself,inthatmanyrootedpredictionsthatthesubjectwouldotherwise

leaveunquestionedbytheoutsideworldmaybe‘shaken’andreformulatedordisintegrated

altogether;previouslyacceptedmentalschemasarebeingseriouslychallenged.Lastly,Tagliazucchi

etal2015foundthatego-dissolutionalsocorrelatedwith‘increasedglobalfunctionalconnectivity’.

Inshort,increasedglobalfunctionalconnectivityistheconnectingtogetherofpreviouslyseparated

‘modules’inthebrain:modulesareneuralnetworksthataredistinctintermsoftheirspecific

functions–forexample,the‘frontallobes’havespecificfunctionsrelatedtohigherlevelcognitive

processessuchasplanningaccordingtoanindividual’sgoals.Globalfunctionalintegrationhasalso

beenlinkedtosomesortofradicalmentalchange,sinceitcompromisesthebrain’susual

organisationbyconnectingtogetherpreviouslydistinctnetworks,signalling“unpredictable”,“free

andunconstrained”thoughtwhichcorrespondstothecreationofnewmentalschemas.Global

functionalconnectivityhasalsobeenlinkedtoanexperiencethatfeelsmoreembodied,sinceit

challengestheperceptualboundariesbetweentheselfandenvironmentresultinginaselfthatis

experiencedasmore‘intheworld’(Ibid)–moreperceptualandlessabstract–utilisingmanymore

differentbrainregionfunctionsinaccordancewithone’sdynamicenvironment(Kiverstein&Miller

2015).Insummary,IhaveshownthattheevidenceofthreeseparatepsychedelicfMRIscorroborate

mytheorythatpsychedelicsinduceadiminishedobject-selfthroughadissolveddistinctionbetween

perceptionoftheself’songoingprocessesandhigher-orderawarenessoftheselfasanobject,as

wellasthecreationofnewmentalschemasandamoreembodiedexperience.

Onemighthaveamethodologicalworrythatthisfocusonbrainscansassumesthedualistic

mind-bodysplitthatIhavearguedagainstintheprevioussection,andactuallyconfusestheclaim

thatpsychedelicsencourageamoreembodiedexperience.Thiscouldonlybethecase,however,if

oneassumesthatthebrainisthemind,assumingthat‘themind’isrestrictedtotheinteractions

thathappenonthebrainlevel,implyingsomesortofneurologicalreductionism.However,thereis


21

noreasontoidentifythemindwiththebrain.Thisallowsforanon-dualistic,embodimentapproach,

asallowsforthemindtobeonewiththebody,involvingbodilyengagementwiththeworld.The

brainmayhaveabigroletoplayasthemechanismfortheexperience,buttheexperienceitselfis

onewhichinvolvesthewholebody,whichispartandparcelwiththemind.Andindeed,thebrain

canshowusevidencethatshowssignsofexperiencebeingfeltthatismoreconsciouslyembodied,

suchasincreasedglobalfunctionalconnectivity,asIhaveshown.

3.2.4:Thesmallselfhasareflective,‘consciousness-raising’component:

Iwouldliketohighlightthatthesmallself,initsurgingofthesubjecttocontemplatethebigger

structuresthattheyarepartof,hasacomponentthatisdirectlyconsciousness-raising.Subjectsfeel

arenewedconnection,andthisisoftenconsciousinthattheyareself-awareofitandcandescribea

newsenseofconnectednesstolargerentitiesthanthemselves.Thisdirectlyrelatestochallenging

thepersonalisationofneoliberalanxiousaffect,sinceitchallengesthisparadigmofindividualismin

whichourwellbeingisconstrainedtoourownspheresandsuchconcernsendattheindividual.If

gettingtogethertoraiseawarenessaboutstructuralaffectingeneralcaninducethesevenfunctions

thatconsciousness-raisingintends,proposedbyIPC(speakingfromexperience,validation,

constructingvoice,creatingasafespace,affective/emotionaltransformation,‘theclick’and

integrating/analysingexperiences),thendoingthisalongsideaffectivetechnologythatactually

directlypromotesfeelingsofbelongingtoalargerstructureshouldsurelyhaveeffectiveresults.

Theycouldalsobeusefulininspiringconsciousness-raisingen-masse,whengroupmeetingmaynot

beinitiallyviableorappealing.Infact,psychedelicsarewellplacedtomeetmanyofthesefunctions:

especially‘validation’throughtheirpromotionofcollectiveunderstandingsofexperience,aswellas

‘theclick’(globalintegrationcouldbeseenastheneuralmanifestationoftheclick–itisliterally

‘neuralsynthesis’)andaffective/emotionaltransformation–thisisclearthroughtheirtherapeutic

use.Ihaveaforementionedtheassociationofpsychedelicswithaweandhowthisinvolvesa

creationof‘newmentalschemas’,aswellasthebrain-imagingwhichsuggestssuchprocessesare

takingplace.Ingeneralthereisapictureofpsychedelicsasencouragingnewperspectivesandnew

thoughtpatterns,andlinkingtogetherpreviouslyindividuatedissues:thecognitiveprocessesthat

theyinspirefitswiththeframeworkforconsciousness-raisinginitsraisingawarenessofthe

interconnectedandstructuralnatureofpersonalisedissues.InCarhart-Harris2015brainimaging

studyofsubjectsonpsilocybin,onesubjectreported:“therewasadefinitesenseoflubrication,of

freedom,ofthecogsbeingloosenedandfiringoffinallsortsofunexpecteddirections”.Toclarify,

thisdoesnotcontradictmyclaimthatpsychedelicsinducealossoftheobject-self,thehigher-order


22

self,becausealthoughitinvolvesreflectivethinking,thisisnotdirectedattheselfinananalyticway.

Itisinherentlydirectedbeyondtheself(asweknowit),initsentanglementwiththeexperienceof

connectionandunity.

Thisaspectalsodefendspsychedelicdrugsasaffectivetechnologyagainsttheworrythat

theymightendupbeingutilisedtosupport,ratherthanresist,neoliberalism’sindividualistic

structure.Sincetheyarebeingresearchedintobeingusedasmedicine,onemightworrythatthis

wouldjustperpetuatetheindividualisticmodeloftherapythatframesanxietyasapersonalissue

(anemotionaldisturbanceorcognitivedeficit)sinceafterall,theirmechanismsofactionare

manifestedbyeachindividualseparately,andtheyareconsumedbyindividualsseparately.Thisis

fittingwiththecurrentparadigmwhichpromotesindividualsconsumingmedicationinorderto

correcttheirindividualillnesses,totallyignoringneoliberalism’spowerinanxiety.However,this

doesn’tneedtobethecase,sincetheexperiencethatresultsfromthisindividualuptakeactually

transcendsthedominantparadigmbyraisingquestionsaboutitsnature.Sincepsychedelics’method

oftherapeuticactionisnotin‘correcting’achemicalimbalanceunconsciously,butisthrougha

(oftensingle)consciousphenomenologicalexperienceinwhichone‘facesinnerdemons’and

experienceslastingshiftsinperspective(includingincreasedconnectedness),theycouldtranscend

thedominantindividualisticparadigmofmentalhealthandexposeitslimitations.Thisisanother

wayinwhichtheyare‘resistive’inprovidingadirectalternativeaffectfromtheneoliberalone,

whilstsimultaneously,indoingso,haveaspectsthaturgeustoquestionandcritiquethedominant

structure.Infact,theirmethodofuptakeasindividualsetsthemupwiththepossibilityofbeing

utilisedto‘infiltrate’theviscouscycleofaffectivecapitalism,astheyareinitiallyattractivefroman

individualised,transhumanistperspective.11

3.3:Sociality:

Thissectionisshort,asthewaythattherenewedsenseofselfonpsychedelicsrelatestoothershas

beenmadeevident;inthe‘smallself’asinherentlypartofalargerentity,anditsrenewed

connectednesswithothers.Butthecrucialpointisthatthisconnectiontoothersisinawaythatis

notself-interestedorcompetitive,likethenetworkingencouragedbyneoliberalism.Ifpeopleare

bothlessconcernedbytheir‘object-selves’,involvingtheirprofit-makinggoals,andinsteadmore

likelytoassociatethemselvesaspartofalargercollectivewithothers,thenconnectionstoothers

shouldbegenuinelyhelpful.Piffetal2015showedthatexperiencingaweleadstoprosocial

behaviour,whilstoneofthecriteriaoftheMEQisexplicitly‘theexperienceofonenesswithothers’.

11Onecouldimaginethembeingpresentedas‘thelatestnewself-helpcraze’.Infact,thisisalreadyhappeninginSiliconValleyinregardstomicrodosingLSD–thisistheingestingofsub-perceptualamountseverythird-dayinordertoimprovecreativity,energy,focusandrelationalskills.(Andrew2015)


23

Moreover,whenego-dissolutionwastestedasa‘validconcept’,itwastestedagainst‘ego-inflation’,

andoneoftheego-inflationcomponentswhichsubjectswhenonpsychedelicsscoredexplicitly

negativelyonwas‘Ifeltespeciallykeenandcompetitive’.(Nouretal2016)Theseeffectson

individuals’connectionstoothersstandsinexplicitcontrastwiththeeffectsIhighlightedare

promotedbyneoliberalism(competitionandself-interestednetworking),throughitsaffectof

anxiety.Hopefullybyinspiringanewkindofsocialconnection,thiscandisrupttheequilibrium

neoliberalismusestosustainitself,and‘inject’newsocialaffectsintothemix,suchasthe

“connectionsandcompassion”,and“trust,cooperationandsharing”thatFirtharguesforthrough

Somatherapy.Psychedelicsshouldbeabletocatalysesuchaffectsthroughtheirdirectactionon

individuals’cognitivemakeup,andalsobecausetheydothisthrougharenewedsenseofself.This

mirrorsneoliberalism’smechanismmoreappropriately,inwhichdysfunctionalsocialconnections

areresultsofourownanxiousprofit-drivenself-critique.

4:FurtherClarificationsandCriticisms:

FirstIwouldliketoclarifythatIamputtingforwardthisargumentasatheoreticalsuggestion.For

thistoactuallytakeplace,therearemanymorepracticalconsiderationsthatIhavenothadscopeto

dealwithhere,includingthelegalframeworkandwhowouldhavepoweroverdistributionand

productionofthesubstances.Iwanttostress,though,thatuseofthesesubstanceswouldhaveto

beinasafesettingandfollowingdetailedriskassessments,andobviouslyatthesubject’swilland

consent.Theyhavethecapacitytobeabusedsincesubjectsareinavulnerablepositionwhenunder

theinfluence,soitisvitalthatadministrationfollowsinformedresearch.Thebodyofscientific

evidencedetailingtheclinicalutilityofpsychedelicsisgrowingandthisproposalisanexpansionof

thatliterature,lookingintoitsapplicationoutsideoftheindividuated‘treatment’sphere,butitis

notadvocatingusingthemirresponsibly.Also,incaseitisnotclear,Iamnotadvocatingtotal

eradicationoftheego,ofthe‘object-self’;clearlyitisanecessarypartofexistencetobeableto

judgeoneself,anddefinitelynecessaryifwewanttothinkabouthowtobebetterandlivetogether

better.Iamjustproposingthatweutilisetoolsthatcanhelpus‘tonedown’theaffectivegripofthis

psychologicalcomponentthatissotiedtotheaimsofneoliberalism-themaximisationofcapital.I

amapplyingcutting-edge,inherentlyparadigm-shiftingscientificresearchtoaffectivecapitalismto

offeranalternativeresistancestrategythatshouldhopefullyprovidesomeaffectivereleasefrom

neoliberalanxiety,helptoexposeit,andhelptodisruptitsviscouscycle.

Anotherworryisthatutilisingdrugsinthiswaymightactuallyjustinstigate‘adapting’to

affectivecapitalismratherthanresistingit.BothIPCandFirthdescribetheriseinself-helpand


24

wellbeingresourcesasnormativediscourseswiththeroleofpromotingindividualadaptationtothe

system–promotinganacceptanceofneoliberalisminhelpingindividuals‘deal’withitwithout

critiquingit.Psychedelicscouldbeseentofitintothisdiscoursethroughtheiruseas‘medication’,

andassociationwithbeing‘faroutfromreality’andalsoacceptance:oneoftheego-dissolution

componentswas“Ifeltfarlessabsorbedbymyownissuesandconcerns”,aswellasacceptance

beingakeyfeatureofpatients’reportsaftertriallingpsilocybinfortreatment-resistantdepression

(Wattsetal2017).ItcouldalsobearguedthattheapproachIamadvocatingfuelsanacceptanceof

thedominantaffectbecauseitdoesnotdirectlydealwithanyofthestructuralissueswhichholdit

inplace,suchastheriseofsurveillancecultureandpovertyandhighunemploymentingeneral.

Peopleareanxiouspreciselybecauseworkprovidesthemeansforsurvivalsotheyarelockedinto

theviscouscyclethroughnecessity–drugsarenotgoingtochangethesestructuralandinstitutional

statesofaffairs.

FirstIwilladdresstheworryaboutpsychedelics’inefficiencytochallengeneoliberal

infrastructure:IstressagainthattheuseIamadvocatingisastoolstohelpresisttheaffectthat

helpstosustainthestructuralandinstitutionalfactsofpovertyandsurveillanceculture.Ihave

explainedhowthisanxiety,causedbysurveillanceandpoverty(amongotherfactors),helpsto

perpetuatethosestructuresbykeepingpeople‘lockedin’thesystem,whetherthatbein

competitionforworkorfightingforbenefits.Myproposalhaslimits,obviously,inthatitisaimedat

disruptingthataffectbydirectlyinducinganalternativeaffect,whichcomespartandparcelwith

raisingconsciousnessaboutthedominantaffectofanxietyanditsstructuralorigins,butdoesnot

directlyattackinstitutions.However,directactionwhichdoesattackinstitutions(forexample,

organisingtoshutdownaprisonforoneday)islimitedtoo,inthatitdoesnotchallengethewider

narrativesoraffectswhichsustainsuchinstitutionsinanaccessibleorefficientway.Thissortof

resistanceisimportant,butittoohasitsplaceinoftenbeingreceivednegativelybythemasses–

oftenbecauseofneoliberalaffect;fearaboutsucheventsisdeliberatelypushedbythemedia.But

introducingthenewaffect,ofsocialconnectednessthatisnotbasedoncompetition,mighthelpto

countersuchfearandevenpromotedisgustatit.Thisiswheremyproposalhasitsplace–in

challengingthisaffectwhichplaysitspartinsustainingthestructureswhichlimitsomanypeople’s

lives.Theaffectofanxietyisinsidious,itisnotsoeasilyfightablelikeaparticularinstitutionor

policy,asitissymptomaticofanentiresocioeconomicparadigm.Thismakesmanypeopleits

victims,evenmanyofthosewhoprofitfromneoliberalismarevictimstoitsincessantanxiety;the

self-critiqueandcompetitionthatthisinvokesisoftenafactorinwhytheyhavebecomesuccessful

andprivilegedbythesystem.Changingawholesocioeconomicparadigmisonlygoingtobepossible

throughchangesofpublicperspectivewhichneedsgeneralisedapproaches;thepervasiveaffectof


25

anxietyhelpstokeepthegeneralpublicinthisparadigmsotacticsareneededtoresistitandoffer

alternatives.Myproposaloffersthis,alsoinapervasiveway–literallythroughchanging‘heartsand

minds’(well,definitely‘minds’!).

Asfortheworrythatthedrugsthemselveswouldnotactuallyproducethisresistiveaffect

butactuallyinstigateacceptance,Iamproposingthemalongsideframeworksofconsciousness-

raising.Theyalreadyhaveatendencytopromotechangesinperspectiveandraiseawarenessofthe

structural,interconnectedaspectsofexistenceintheirevokingasenseofselfthatisinterconnected

inalargerentity,andwithexplicitliteratureabouttheaffectofneoliberalism,theyshouldhopefully

inspiretheoppositeofacceptanceoftheparadigm,insteadprovidingthe‘alternativeaffect’thatis

neededalongsidetheintellectualknowledgeofconsciousness-raisingframeworks.Asubstancethat

inducesastateofconnectedness,withourselvesaswellasothers,isn’tgoingtoeasilyderailinto

functioningasasedating‘opiumofthemasses’12ifitispromotedwithinacontextthatiscriticalof

neoliberalismandthepersonalisationofitsaffects.Andevenwithoutsuchacontext,evidence

showsthattheyinspirecharacterchangeandtransformation.Themechanismsofego-dissolution,

unityandconnectedness–thatIargueculminateinthe‘smallself’–havebeenshowntoresultin

increasedprosocialbehaviour,increased‘openness’andevenincreasedpro-environmental

behaviour.Bitbybit,experiencesofthesmallselfshouldleadtochangesratherthanacceptanceof

thesystem,whetherthatbeinmakingone’scompanygiveoutguaranteed-hourcontracts,or

transformingitintoacooperative.Theseareactionsthatdohelptochangetheprofit-driven,

anxiety-inducingparadigm.Thispointrelatestotheirgeneralisedutility–theyholdtransformative

potentialinbeingusedbyallvictimsofthesystem,evenandmaybeevenespeciallybythose

‘victims’whoarerewardedbyit.Tosumup,theyareusefulinalreadycriticalcontexts,inproviding

analternativeaffecttotheonethatpeopleareawareofbutstillfeel,tohelpmakeresistancetoit

possible.Theyarealsohelpfulwithoutthesecontexts,inageneralway,toinspireself-attitudesand

connectionstoothersthatarenotbasedonself-critiqueandcompetition,andthismightbe

especiallyeffectiveininstigatingsystemchangeinrelationtopeoplethatholdpowerwithinthe

neoliberalsocioeconomicsystem,ininspiringthemtorethinktheirownpowerinrelationtothe

renewedsenseofselfandconnectiontoothers.Ihavealreadymentionedhowtheyarewellplaced

to‘infiltrate’thesysteminthisway,especiallyfromatranshumanistperspectiveofenhancement,

anditseemsthatthisisalreadyatitsverybeginnings.Ataconferencein2015,DrRobinCarhart-

Harris(leadingpsychedelicresearcheratImperialUniversitywhoisattheforefrontofclinical

researchintotheiruses)gaveatalkentitled‘Howcanpsychedelicdrugschangetheworld?’inwhich

12‘Opiumofthemasses’referstothequotebyMarxinwhichhedescribesreligionasmakingpeoplehappybutalsodiscouragingresistancetothecapitalisteconomicsystemwhichwaskeepingtheminpoverty.


26

hetalkedaboutthewiderapplicationsoftheirtherapeuticusefortreatingtreatment-resistant

depressionthroughinitiatingchangesinperspectivethatnoantidepressantsarecapableof,ending

onthethoughtthattheyinduce“anopennesstochangeandwillingnesstolivewithuncertainty”.

Thismarkstheirinherentlyparadigm-shiftingnature:notjustforanindividualintermsoftheirsense

ofself,but,throughhavingthiseffectoneachindividual,theychallengetheparadigmsofcollective

spheresofknowledgeproduction–inthiscasepsychiatry.Thisishow,hopefullyandeventually,

theycanchangethesocioeconomicparadigmtoo.

Conclusion:

Currentlythereisanongoing‘psychedelicrenaissance’inscientificresearch,mainlyintotheir

therapeuticusesacrossawiderangeofmentalhealthissues.Threesignificantfactorsintheseuses

seemtobetheireffectsofego-dissolution,a‘unitiveexperience’andasenseofconnectednessto

oneself,othersandtheirsurroundings.However,theliteraturedoesnotfocusonhowthesethree

componentsareinconsistent:connectiontooneselfseemstocontradictthelosingofoneselfto

thingsoutsideofthem.Ihaveanalysedtheseeffectsusingthemostrecentscientificdata,and

interpretedtheminanefforttounderstandbetterwhatistakingplaceandhowthecomponents

cancoexist,proposingthattheyinitiatearenewedsenseofself:the‘smallself’whichisonethatis

lessfocusedonhigher-orderself-critique,andinsteadfeelsmoreembodiedandidentifiesitselfas

partofalargerwhole.Thisdirectlyopposestheeffectsontheselfofneoliberalism,initsbolstering

ofself-surveillanceandself-critique,manifestedbyanaffectofanxiety.Inprovidingthisalternative

affect,psychedelicsalsoinspiresocialconnectionsthatarenotrootedinself-interestand

competitionbutinsteadlooktoacommonunity,resistingneoliberalsocialitywhichisrootedinself-

interestandcompetitioninitsobsessionwithmaximisingprofit,sustainedbytheaffectofanxiety.

Theyareespeciallyinterestingbecausetheyhavethepotentialtodisrupttheviscouscycleof

neoliberalanxiety,inwhichthisaffectperpetuatesthesystemofprofitmaximisation:itiscausedby

thissystembutalsoholdsindividualsinit.Inproducinganewaffectwhichresiststhis,psychedelics

canhelptobreakthishold,allowingindividualstotranscendthedominantaffectofneoliberalism.

Thistranscendencemakesitatranshumanistconcern.Infact,affectivecapitalismisextremely

relevanttotranshumanism,asitconcernshowourindividualmind-bodiesareeffectedby,and

effect,dominantsocio-economicparadigms,inawaythatlimitsourpotential.Transhumanism

shouldthereforewidenitsscopefromindividualbiologicallimitationstoconsiderhowthesocial,

andhowcollectivepowerstructurespreventusfrom‘evolving’,andhowtechnologycouldbeused

tointerferewiththis.Psychedelicspresentasapromisingexampleofsuchanidea,andfitwellinto


27

thetranshumanistframeworkofenhancementthroughtechnology,eachindividualatatime.Infact,

usingdrugsforenhancementpurposesisalreadyafamiliartranshumanistidea.Thisshouldbe

developedtoutilisepsychedelicdrugsasaffectivetechnology,tofightaffectivecapitalism.


28

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Psychedelics as affective technology to resist affective capitalism … · 2020-03-14 · Psychedelics as affective technology to resist affective capitalism By Sab Xew Breaking Convention