Enchanting the University: The promise of altered states for creative connections

Abstract

While the creative possibilities of altered states of consciousness have been explored for decades, empirical studies on the subject have been limited and/or inconclusive. Meanwhile, practices like meditation and breathwork have entered the mainstream in academic psychology. Advances in neuroscience have accompanied developments in consciousness studies and psychedelic therapy, which has been tipped as the most promising new development in psychiatry.

Such practices provide a gateway to transcendent and ‘flow’ states that can influence habitual beliefs and behaviour. Roberts (2017) coins the term ‘ideagen’ for activities and agents that facilitate a shift in consciousness, promoting the generation of ideas and connections between ideas. He asks why we pour resources into artificial intelligence and virtual reality, seeking to model and substitute the most complex processing system known to man, when so much of it remains unexplored and potentially underused.

In this discussion paper I present altered states as a possible foil for the disenchantment that accompanied the ‘enlightenment’ of secularisation and specialisation, and the technological approach. I draw together current research to show how transcendence of the self might help us to rediscover our innate playfulness and curiosity, and to see the bigger picture with its infinite connections. I will provide examples of initiatives currently underway at other educational institutions and invite delegates to join me in discussing how the university might respond to the opportunities presented.

References

Roberts, T. 2017. Psychedelics as Ideagens: Seeding our minds in the psychedelic renaissance. Drogas, Politica Y Cultura. 30 December. Available at: http://drogaspoliticacultura.net/english/psychedelics-as-ideagens-seeding-our-minds-in-the-psychedelic-renaissance/