An Encounter With the Other: A Thematic and Content Analysis of DMT Experiences From a Naturalistic Field Study

Introduction:N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the qualitative content, over and above structure, which the drug occasions. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses of experiential content, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, uncontrolled use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences, i.e., producing very strong psychoactive effects.Methods: We report on the first naturalistic field study of DMT use including its qualitative analysis. Screened, healthy, anonymised and experienced DMT users were observed during their non-clinical use of the drug at home (40–75 mg inhaled). In-depth semi-structured interviews (inspired by the micro-phenomenological technique) were employed immediately after their experience. This paper reports on the thematic analysis of one major domain of the breakthrough experiences elicited, the ‘other’. Thirty-six post-DMT experience interviews with mostly Caucasian (83%) males (eight female) of average 37 years were predominantly inductively coded.Results: Invariably, profound and highly intense experiences occurred. The first overarching category comprised the encounter with other ‘beings’ (94% of reports), encompassing super-ordinate themes including the entities’ role, appearance, demeanour, communication and interaction; while the second overarching category comprised experiences of emerging into other ‘worlds’ (100% of reports), encompassing super-ordinate themes of the scene, the contents and quality of the immersive spaces. Many further mid-level themes and subthemes also illuminate the rich content of the DMT experience.Discussion: The present study provides a systematic and in-depth analysis of the nuanced content of the otherworldly encounter within the breakthrough DMT experience, as well as elaborating on the resonances both with previous DMT studies focusing on entity encounters and other types of extraordinary experiences entailing such encounters. These include the alien abduction, folkloric, shamanic and near-death experience. Putative neural mechanisms of these features of the DMT experience and its promise as a psychotherapeutic agent are discussed in light of such findings.

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An Encounter with the Other: A Thematic Analysis of Accounts of DMT Experiences from a Naturalistic Field Study

10.31234/osf.io/8cdgs ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pascal Michael ◽

David Luke ◽

Oliver Robinson

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Conscious Experience ◽

The Other ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Death Experience ◽

Extraordinary Experiences ◽

Alien Abduction ◽

Increasing Trends

Introduction: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the phenomenology the drug may occasion. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, recreational use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences. Methods: We report on the first naturalistic field study of DMT use including its qualitative analysis. Screened, healthy, anonymised and experienced DMT users (40-75mg inhaled) were observed during their non-clinical use of the drug at home. Semi-structured interviews using the micro-phenomenological technique were employed immediately after their experience. This paper reports on the thematic analysis of one major domain of the breakthrough experiences elicited; the ‘other’. Thirty-six post-DMT experience interviews with mostly Caucasian (83%) males (8 female) of average 37 years were predominantly inductively coded. Results: Invariably, profound and highly intense experiences occurred. The main overarching category comprised the encounter with other ‘beings’ (94% of reports), with further subordinate themes including the entities’ role, appearance, demeanour, communication and interaction; while the other over-arching category comprised experiences of emerging into other ‘worlds’ (100% of reports), in turn consisting of the scene, the content and quality of the immersive spaces. Discussion: The present study provides a systematic and in-depth analysis of the features of the otherworldly encounter within the breakthrough DMT experience, as well as elaborating on the resonances with both previous DMT studies and other types of extraordinary experiences which also entail entity encounters. These include the alien abduction, folkloric, shamanic and near-death experience. Putative neural mechanisms of these features of the DMT experience and its promise as a psychotherapeutic agent are discussed in light of such findings.

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The Lonesome Mind or an attempt of an Existential Philosophy of Mind

Philosophy Journal ◽

10.21146/2072-0726-2021-14-3-184-192 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 184-192

Author(s):

Alexey S. Pavlov ◽

Keyword(s):

Philosophy Of Mind ◽

Human Life ◽

Conscious Experience ◽

Existential Philosophy ◽

Contemporary Philosophy ◽

The Past ◽

Interesting Part ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Rich ◽

Scientific Worldview

This article is a review of Ben Lazare Mijuskovic’s book Consciousness and Loneliness: Theoria and Praxis (2018). The problem of the dividedness of the contemporary philosophy into the two different traditions has recently become apparent. This is evidenced by the growth of a number of investigations aiming to embrace contemporary thought in its wholeness. Among such studies is the new work of American philosopher Ben Lazare Mijuskovic. He attempts to defend the human microcosm from the threat of its neglection by philosophical naturalism. However, it is not only Mijuskovic’s anti-naturalistic position that is interesting. He also provides an in-depth analysis of such an Existenzial of the human life as loneliness. The rich philosophical material drawn by the author is an indisputable merit of the study. However, this same merit also constitutes a problem. Mijuskovic’s arguments are reduced to a mere repetition of the philosophical ideas of the past and are thus unable to undermine contemporary naturalism. Meanwhile, the parts of the study in which the phenomenon of loneliness is discussed are the most interesting part of the book. Mijuskovic discusses loneliness as the feeling of loneliness per se and does not replace its phenomenological analysis by an economical investigation or by an evolutionary explanation. The author’s recognition of the significance of the content of conscious experience leads him to a disagreement with naturalism and to the acceptance of the position of substance dualism along with its known shortcomings. It seems that such a move is not at all necessary. In order for the content of our conscious experience to become significant, there is no need to exaggerate the ontological autonomy of the very conscious experience. It is always possible to commit to «weaker» ontological views without abandoning the scientific worldview and common sense.

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The Other Entrepreneurs - Migrant Economies as Spaces for Social Innovation?

MIGRATION LETTERS ◽

10.33182//ml.v16i2.742 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 265-271

Author(s):

Claudia Lintner

Keyword(s):

Social Innovation ◽

Close Relation ◽

The Other ◽

Structural Level ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Migrant Entrepreneurship ◽

False Dichotomy ◽

Migrant Entrepreneurs ◽

The One

This article analyses the relationship between migrant entrepreneurship, marginalisation and social innovation. It does so, by looking how their ‘otherness’ is used on the one hand to reproduce their marginalised situation in society and on the other to develop new living and working arrangements promoting social innovation in society. The paper is based on a qualitative study, which was carried out from March 2014- 2016. In this period, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with migrant entrepreneurs and experts. As the results show, migrant entrepreneurs are characterised by a false dichotomy of “native weakness” in economic self-organisation against the “classical strength” of majority entrepreneurs. It is shown that new possibilities of acting in the context of migrant entrepreneurship are mostly organised in close relation to the lifeworlds and specific needs deriving from this sphere. Social innovation processes initiated by migrant entrepreneurs through their economic activities thus develop on a micro level and are hence less apparent. Supportive networks are missing on a structural level, so it becomes difficult for single innovative initiatives to be long-lasting.

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‘Are we on the same wavelength?’ International nurses and the process of confronting and adjusting to clinical communication in Australia

Communication & Medicine ◽

10.1558/cam.28953 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 263-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tonia Crawford ◽

Peter Roger ◽

Sally Candlin

Keyword(s):

Communication Skills ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Care Setting ◽

Linguistically Diverse ◽

The Other ◽

Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽

Central Theme ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Clinical Communication ◽

Professional Experiences

Effective communication skills are important in the health care setting in order to develop rapport and trust with patients, provide reassurance, assess patients effectively and provide education in a way that patients easily understand (Candlin and Candlin, 2003). However with many nurses from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds being recruited to fill the workforce shortfall in Australia, communication across cultures with the potential for miscommunication and ensuing risks to patient safety has gained increasing focus in recent years (Shakya and Horsefall, 2000; Chiang and Crickmore, 2009). This paper reports on the first phase of a study that examines intercultural nurse patient communication from the perspective of four Registered Nurses from CALD backgrounds working in Australia. Five interrelating themes that were derived from thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews are discussed. The central theme of ‘adjustment’ was identified as fundamental to the experiences of the RNs and this theme interrelated with each of the other themes that emerged: professional experiences with communication, ways of showing respect, displaying empathy, and vulnerability.

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An Introduction to Roman Retailing

10.1093/oso/9780198769934.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Steven J. R. Ellis

Keyword(s):

The Other ◽

Methodological Framework ◽

Roman World ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Food And Drink ◽

The One ◽

Value Of It

This chapter introduces the topic of retailing in the Roman world and outlines some of the important developments in its study. It establishes why the focus of the book zooms in from retailing in general to the retailing of food and drink in particular; thus from shops to bars. Another aim is to demonstrate the scope of the study, which is an in-depth analysis of specific shops and bars at Pompeii on the one hand, and on the other a broader survey of the retail landscapes of cities throughout the Roman world. Essentially this chapter provides the theoretical and methodological framework for the book, while also arguing for the value of it in the first place.

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Metaphors and cultural narratives on adaptive responses to severe adversity: A field study among the Indigenous Pitaguary community in Brazil

Transcultural Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1363461519890435 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 332-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iara Meili ◽

Eva Heim ◽

Ana C Pelosi ◽

Andreas Maercker

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Growth ◽

Field Study ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Field Research ◽

Adaptive Responses ◽

Cultural Narratives ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

The Core ◽

Recovery Processes ◽

Context Specific

The expressions resilience and posttraumatic growth represent metaphorical concepts that are typically found in Euro-American contexts. Metaphors of severe adversity or trauma and the expressions of overcoming it vary across cultures—a lacuna, which has not been given much attention in the literature so far. This study aimed to explore the metaphorical concepts that the Indigenous Pitaguary community in Brazil uses to talk about adaptive and positive responses to severe adversity and to relate them to their socio-cultural context. We carried out 14 semi-structured interviews during field research over a one-month period of fieldwork. The data were explored with systematic metaphor analysis. The core metaphors included images of battle, unity, spirituality, journeys, balance, time, sight, transformation, and development. These metaphors were related to context-specific cultural narratives that underlie the Pitaguary ontological perspective on collectivity, nature, and cosmology. The results suggest that metaphors and cultural narratives can reveal important aspects of a culture’s collective mindset. To have a contextualized understanding of expressive nuances is an essential asset to adapt interventions to specific cultures and promote culture-specific healing and recovery processes.

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Teaching innovations in Asian higher education: perspectives of educators

Asian Association of Open Universities Journal ◽

10.1108/aaouj-12-2018-0032 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 179-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T.M. Wong

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

The Other ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Advanced Technologies ◽

The Many

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.

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Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 2) — a multi-actor qualitative study on problems of science

Research Integrity and Peer Review ◽

10.1186/s41073-020-00105-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽

Wim Pinxten

Keyword(s):

Research Misconduct ◽

Research Integrity ◽

Research Culture ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Community Members ◽

Questionable Research Practices ◽

Research Problems ◽

The Rich ◽

Research Students ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Research misconduct and questionable research practices have been the subject of increasing attention in the past few years. But despite the rich body of research available, few empirical works also include the perspectives of non-researcher stakeholders. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series with the current paper focusing on the problems that affect the integrity and research culture. We first found that different actors have different perspectives on the problems that affect the integrity and culture of research. Problems were either linked to personalities and attitudes, or to the climates in which researchers operate. Elements that were described as essential for success (in the associate paper) were often thought to accentuate the problems of research climates by disrupting research culture and research integrity. Even though all participants agreed that current research climates need to be addressed, participants generally did not feel responsible nor capable of initiating change. Instead, respondents revealed a circle of blame and mistrust between actor groups. Conclusions Our findings resonate with recent debates, and extrapolate a few action points which might help advance the discussion. First, the research integrity debate must revisit and tackle the way in which researchers are assessed. Second, approaches to promote better science need to address the impact that research climates have on research integrity and research culture rather than to capitalize on individual researchers’ compliance. Finally, inter-actor dialogues and shared decision making must be given priority to ensure that the perspectives of the full research system are captured. Understanding the relations and interdependency between these perspectives is key to be able to address the problems of science. Study registration https://osf.io/33v3m

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Ironic Reprise in Galdós' Novels

PMLA ◽

10.2307/460354 ◽

1961 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 233-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Monroe Z. Hafter

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

A field study of reproductive interactions in Bosca's newt, Triturus boscai

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/156853895x00442 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 357-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Manuel Mouta Faria

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Natural Population ◽

Wild Population ◽

Short Circuit ◽

The Other ◽

Courtship Behaviour ◽

Laboratory Studies ◽

Free Living ◽

Spermatophore Transfer ◽

Sexual Interference

AbstractObservations of a free-living population of Bosca's newt, Triturus boscai, show that courtship behaviour in nature is similar to the behaviour observed in earlier laboratory studies. Complementary evidence was obtained on the behaviour called flick, which is sometimes inserted at the end of the static display phase, and may be viewed as an equivalent behaviour to the retreat display of the other small-bodied newt species. Sexual interference in the natural population was mainly caused by males. Two characteristic male behaviour patterns were recognised, the waiting position and the push-tail. Females tend to withdraw from situations of interference. Courtship sequences solely consisting of orientation and spermatophore transfer phases, so-called short-circuit sequences, may be interpreted as a male strategy to avoid the very severe male-to-male interference that exists in a wild population.

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