Culture

How Psychedelics Impact the Mind: Mysticism, Mental Health, and the Future of Psychedelic Research

February 4, 2025
Featuring: Josh Lipson

Psychedelic research is growing rapidly, but how do we study something as subjective as a mystical experience?

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Psychedelic research is growing rapidly, but how do we study something as subjective as a mystical experience?

In this episode, Joe interviews Josh Lipson, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Columbia University, whose research explores the relationship between psychedelics, mystical experiences, and mental health.

He discusses the complexities of studying psychedelics in real-world settings, the role of metaphysical perspectives in research, and why different individuals respond to psychedelics in such varied ways. Lipson shares his personal journey into psychedelic research, the challenges of interdepartmental collaboration, and the evolving landscape of modern psychedelic science.

He also talks about:

  • The importance of integration after psychedelic experiences
  • Why mystical experiences may not be the only path to healing
  • The balance between stability and the chaos psychedelics can introduce
  • The need for diverse perspectives and ways of knowing in psychedelic research
  • How psychedelics have shaped global consciousness and cultural perspectives

and more!

Links

Josh-lipson.com

Josh Lipson substack

Lucid.news: Why Psychedelics Don’t Fit The “Drug” Paradigm

Josh Lipson

In this Episode

Josh Lipson

Josh Lipson is an all-but-internship Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Columbia University, advised by Dr. Lisa Miller. He recently defended a dissertation titled, “Modeling the diverse trajectories of psychedelic-mediated mystical experiences”, powered by a data collaboration with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris. He is currently on full-time clinical internship at a state psychiatric hospital in New York. He did his master’s experimental psychology at William & Mary, and prior to that, graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is also a published poet and historical geneticist.

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