Ecodelics
Ecodelic is that which allow us to receive the message of the whole, or to manifest the Gaian Mind. The term refers to a category of psychoactive substances which enable us to begin a process that can be defined as the unfolding of our conception of self, a state in which we eventually perceive ourselves as part of a complex web of relationships that includes not only every one of us, but all of life, and ultimately the entire cosmos.
Ancient spiritual traditions have been telling us that in order to reach this cosmic unity one must delve into the inner world. Still, for the rational and scientific mind this proposition has always sounded difficult to legitimize, for we don’t possess tools that allow us to measure or scrutinize this content.
Ecodelics are these tools. Stanislav Grof, psychiatrist and one of the leading authorities on non-ordinary states, reminded us that it doesn’t seem inappropriate and exaggerated to compare these substances potential significance for psychiatry and psychology to that of the microscope for medicine or the telescope for astronomy1.
What are these substances? Medicines or drugs or sacramental foods? It is easier to say what they are not. They are not narcotics, nor intoxicants, nor energizers, nor anaesthetics, nor tranquilizers. They are, rather, biochemical keys which unlock experiences shatteringly new to most Westerners. - Timothy Leary, Ph.D.—Richard Alpert, Ph.D. Harvard University, January, 19622
Scientifically speaking, ecodelics are molecules capable of chemically modifying brain function. For a better understanding of their effects, it’s important to get acquainted with the entire class of psychoactive drugs. In order to do so, we will borrow a model designed by Doctor Alexander Shulgin that splits psychoactive drugs in three main categories: uppers, downers and psychedelics3.
Uppers are stimulants, meaning that they elicit an amplification of various psychobiological functions, including attention, motor activity and wakefulness (which intensify productivity), but also the level of anxiety. The better known ones are caffeine, cocaine, amphetamine, ritalin and nicotine.
Downers are sedatives, and have opposite effects to those of uppers: they slow down and lower in intensity our psychobiological functions. They can be referred to as anxiolytics (used to reduce overall arousal but maintain wakefulness), anesthetics (for getting into an inert, unresponsive state) or hypnotics (sleep inducers). Some examples include alcohol, opiate narcotics, anesthetics and benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium.
