Hallucinogens and the fringes of transhumanism

After about 160 (edit: its >200 I have surpassed 200 now oops) hallucinogenic experiences, it becomes obligatory to ask myself “Why am I Doing this so much? Why do I keep doing this? What am I gaining from this?” Has this just become comfortable routine? Possibly. Am I improving the sober life that I spend the majority of my time in? Depends on how you define improvement. Am I having fun? Not even half the time honestly. However, an interesting application materializes when one touches upon the fringes of a movement called transhumanism.

            I should begin with a disclaimer that I would not at all define myself solidly as a transhumanist. I am not immersed in transhumanist thought or behavior, I do not promote or practice transhumanist thought or behavior, and I honestly am not very knowledgeable on the subject or the extent of its definitions. This is simply me as an outsider poking into this vast world of thought and suggesting an off kilter idea.

            So to begin, what is transhumanism? Transhumanism to me is a school of thought involved with the process of human evolution not being driven externally by natural selection, but being driven internally by innovation and a desire to fully take control of our minds, bodies, and environment. It posits that humans are entirely capable of producing augmentations that will allow us to overcome our physical and mental limitations, thus evolving us into a sort of post-human. The post-human is the endgoal of transhumanism, and the movement is mostly concerned with how we will reach that state. The means with which we shall transcend humanity deal mostly in modern biotechnology. Cybernetic enhancements, medical procedures, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, bioprinting, and digitation of the mind are several of the ways which transhumanists see us achieving further evolution. Perhaps our physical and mental limitations are to be overcome through simply attaining a purely cybernetic existence in a virtual reality of our own design, one in which are can establish the parameters of our being beyond any current limits.

            There are several implications of transhumanism. One of which is the very definition of “limitations”, which in the wrong hands can lend itself to eugenics and social Darwinism. It should be stressed that this is not philosophy inherent to the movement, but rather a grimmer interpretation of it. I think “limitations” as a term in this respect can be healthily established as a subjective parameter that caps the abilities of each individual relative to their own experience. Thus transhumanism can be seen as each individual’s customization of their own existence to overcome what they themselves perceive as obstacles to their lives. The term limitation should not be assigned any objective value. Furthermore there is the fact that transhumanist technologies are overwhelmingly expensive and exclusively available to those who can afford them. There are also moral implications with toying with our fundamental being, both from a theological and biological perspective. This thinkpiece isn’t about those criticisms though, although they definitely should not be ignored. Their specters haunt all halls of thought.

            Where does tripping balls play into this? Well, we must look at the work being done recently by organizations like MAPS and the Beckley foundation. These are people who truly believe in the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens, people who believe that one of the most revolutionary things in the field of psychology has been seriously hampered by decades of stigma and irresponsible use. I am heavily inclined to agree with them on that. Therapeutic use of hallucinogens must be understood from the perspective of a highly customizable human experience. The general theory behind therapeutic use is to take advantage of the perceived mental malleability that is induced. The hallucinogen influenced mind is in a state of high suggestibility, increased cognitive interconnectedness, openness to novel ideas and experiences, and entire shifts in paradigm and perspective. Indeed, many individuals outside of formal clinical settings have cited psychedelics as being instrumental in helping them overcome addiction, depression, and many other obstacles. Unfortunately, there is an equally sized, if not larger body of people who have not experienced such amelioration or profound shifts in their lives (or sometimes quite the opposite), hinting that this area of therapy requires further study to be refined and precise in its treatment.

            Imagine if people were able to successfully harness psychedelics to overcome the limitations of their minds- People could metaphorically dissolve their cognitive structures and reconstruct them as they see fit to serve their needs. It has immense potential in everything from helping to treat severe mental illness or addiction, to smaller mundane tasks such as simply augmenting existing abilities, like focus and motivation. This is complete customization of the human mind. Now it isn’t entirely proven that psychedelics have this capability, this is all just idealist fantasies. The truth is certainly more complicated. However, various recent studies (I’ll cite them if you ask me) have shown great promise, especially for treatment of PTSD and end of life anxiety. It should be noted that this is all done in a clinical, controlled, and therapeutic setting. This isn’t a kid eating 5 tabs of acid at an EDM show. Nevertheless, the point to be drawn from this is the concept of the customizable mind, and from there, customizable experiences and feelings.

            But even beyond therapeutic uses and other applications that could be considered objectively “useful” by conservative minds, there is the sheer novelty of the potential to manufacture feelings and augment experiences, for creative, mystical, or recreational purposes. There is nothing wrong with this, every tool can be applied several ways. An example/inspiration I would like to cite is this manga titled Ultraheaven. In this story, all hallucinatory drugs have not only been legalized, but have become normalized, and treated as a natural and intractable part of the human experience. Cocktails of substances are touted as being synthetic experiences and manufactured feelings. Every mental discrepancy a person perceives in themselves can be satisfied or compensated. Novelties like feeling the ability to fly or the ability to feel as if you are soaking in a hot tub are easily available. Bartenders are experienced pharmacologists with a knowledge of what cocktails to stir up to meet customer’s needs. The society is depicted cynically, as a world crumbling under its own hubris from overcoming the emotional and mental limitations of humanity. Yet, the possibility of a psychedelic society where hallucinogens are used to compensate for the shortcomings of the human mind isn’t entirely absurd.

            One argument against such a state would be that people simply couldn’t handle it. And perhaps this society could not exist through casual usage in seedy parlors. The response to this is to simply have a structure of professional guidance for psychedelic use, an organization to provide a proper set, setting, and education for meaningful experiences. Of course, this, to a degree, axes much of the recreational and novel potential of these substances. And perhaps there still simply would be people who would not be able to handle such an experience. But perhaps these facilitations could pave the path to more normalized and responsible widespread use, lead a social shift towards a society where people could indeed make use of these experiences with limited negative effect. Furthermore, a great deal of one’s experience with hallucinogens is influenced by suggestibility and conditioning. If there’s a widespread atmosphere of acceptance and understanding towards hallucinogens, this can condition all people to go into these experiences with less anxiety and reduce the chance of pervasive negative thoughts. Several peoples throughout the world have used hallucinogenic substances for shamanic and spiritual rites, with these substances holding a place of reverent significance and non-stigmatized normalization in their society. I’m not saying that shamanic and mystical ritual use of hallucinogens is comparable to someone trying to for example, make a day at the aquarium more exciting. That’s honestly downright offensive. What I am saying however, is that a society must hold these substances in a place of normalized use and functionality as opposed to holding them in a place of stigma and abuse. This has a positive feedback loop effect in which it lays fertile ground for positive and productive experiences, and lessens the chance of negative or catastrophic effects.

            An attempt to create a codified index of the effects of each substance on my body has become my latest project with respect to psychedelics. For example, I know that 2C-B will add visual flair to an experience without too much depth, 5-APDB is for empathogenic effects without stimulation, etc etc. Everything has its uses and unique properties, and it is up to me to test out how these intermesh, so they can then be applied to augment specific situations. While this still remains entirely within the realm of recreational novelty, perhaps with the correct resources to provide the correct set and setting I can use these substances to improve myself and my life experience in truly meaningful and profound ways. 
           For a detailed survey of my personal experiences with hallucinogens and their possible applications in my life, check out The Hallucinogenic Toolkit.