Tim - I don't recall you announcing your next book but being an avid listener of your podcast, my guess would be that you're working on a new book on the topic of psychedelics and mental health. What's the strangest thing you've come across in your research related to psychedelics?
Also - Thanks for calling attention to the sustainability (or lack thereof) of various psychedelic substances in your blog as well as reminding people that we needn't fill a psychedelic passport with stamps. These are topics that deserve attention as things are getting hyped.
Dr. Johnson - After reading about your cautions about how practitioner beliefs and/or setting (e.g. use of religious/spiritual symbols, artwork, etc.), I was left wondering about your thoughts, or any evidence you've seen, about the use of nature imagery in psychedelic assisted therapy? Based on the work around nature relatedness and views on the biophilia hypothesis, my hypothesis is that nature imagery could serve as a more neutral setting (i.e. free of religious beliefs) but haven't seen this studied yet with psychedelics. Thoughts on nature imagery during psychedelic treatment?
Have you seen any evidence, or are you aware of research in design phase, that will look at the potential effects of
a) mindfulness practices (meditation, breathwork, etc.) as preparation for using psychedelics as a way to "train" for ego dissolution?
b) journaling intentions many weeks prior to a psychedelic experience as a way to improve outcomes?
Thanks for all of your thoughtful work!
Tim - I'd love to know which aspects of set and setting you're most interested in seeing researched via the forthcoming work at Adam Gazzaley's lab?