Psychedelic-information-theory-Shamanism-in-the-age-of-Reason

Chapter 16Physical Shamanismand Shamanic TherapyThe practice of spiritual shamanism and healing has been coveredin many texts, so here we will examine physical models of shamanictherapy only as they apply directly to Psychedelic Information Theory(PIT). According to PIT, hallucination is the spontaneous production ofnonlinear information via destabilization of multisensory perception. 1Similarly, shamanic therapy is the production of spontaneous cellularorganization via destabilization of metabolic homeostasis. An M.D. mayprescribe a specific therapy to treat a specific symptom or pathology; ashaman will look beyond the pathology and prescribe radical dietingand psychedelic drug therapy to fully reboot, re-tune, and recycle thepatient’s entire metabolic process. Shamanic therapy can be considereda nonlinear or holistic approach to diagnosis and healing.Modern Shamanic PsychotherapyIn modern clinical therapy psychedelics are employed to improvepsychological resilience in the face of stress or trauma, typically in thecase of depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Psychedelics are thought toproduce psychological resilience through the spontaneous creation ofautobiographical insights and transpersonal spiritual epiphanies whichcompress existing memories into a new holistic identity. According toPIT, the generation of salient insights in psychedelic trance is thebyproduct of nonlinear information creation and memory compression,just as dreaming is a form of associative information creation andcompression. 2 Even a single low-dose psychedelic session can producechanges in identity and transpersonal awareness that last a lifetime. 3,4,5