Sam Woolfe

I wrote about the link between psychedelics and hylozoism, a philosophical view originating in ancient Greece, which says that all matter is alive. I also look at scientific explanations of why objects look like they're breathing during psychedelic experiences.

Really enjoyed the new book by @daisydixon.bsky.social, which looks at different ways art can be 'depraved'. Lots of interesting philosophical perspectives on controversial art and immoral artists.

An excerpt from my book Altered Perspectives, where I discuss a Western tendency to romanticise Amazonian shamanism. I refer to this reinforcement of stereotypes as 'Amazonianism', drawing on Edward Said's concept of 'Orientalism'.

This study suggests more flights are resulting in over tourism and pricing locals out. When we fly LESS, every trip matters more, we stay longer, we support communities rather than overwhelming them. Tourism doesn't need to mean destruction. #ReducePollution TheArtOfSlowing

Really interesting read. Philosopher Justin Garson looks at the tension between two perspectives on madness throughout history: the view that all madness is a dysfunction and the view that it involves a kind of strategy – a function, purpose, or goal. #philosophy #books #mentalhealth

An article I wrote on the link between hot weather and challenging psychedelic experiences.

New essay exploring a concept I call 'psychedelic apophenia', where connections are made between unrelated things so that we see psychedelics' influence everywhere. I look at Terence McKenna's Stoned Ape Theory, psychedelic theories of Christianity, and DMT-pineal gland theories.

I'm pleased to announce that I've signed a contract to publish my next book, Secular Ecstasy: Making Sense of Mystical Experiences Without the Supernatural. More details on publication timing to come.

An article by writer and journalist Ed Prideaux that critically examines the claims made in Brian Muraresku's highly popular book, The Immortality Key. #psychedelics #history #religion

I wrote about Mike Leigh's 'Home Sweet Home', his first collaboration with actor Timothy Spall and the last film he contributed to the BBC's Play for Today series. I discuss how it compares to the other bleak films he's more well-known for.

Sort of spurred by this: I still think that part of the whole Post Pandemic Social Settlement should have been a huge (inter)national effort to properly ventilate our spaces and that should have included ACs and heat pumps for places in Europe, and it's just a shame we generally didn't do this.

I wrote about psychedelic #horror, looking at films such as Midsommar, Mandy, Climax, and Altered States, how they depict bad trips and psychedelic cults, and what other aspects of the psychedelic experience could be portrayed through the lens of horror.

An article I wrote about high ventilation breathwork, describing some experiences I had, as well as new research on the use of this technique to induce spiritual and therapeutic experiences.

Excited to share that Psychedelics Community is live – the new home for the Chemical Collective blog, which I've been managing for the past year.

My latest blog post explores how yoga nidra (or non-sleep deep rest) can induce hypnagogia: the trippy, transitional state between waking and sleeping.

I recently rewatched Arrival. Here are some thoughts I had. I explore the film's connection to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistics, the ontological turn in anthropology, Terence McKenna's DMT-inspired view of reality, and the tension between premonition and free will.

My latest blog post is on how cultural factors and cognitive biases may cause people to embellish their psychedelic experiences. I explore the difficulty in knowing whether memory distortion has occurred, as well as what it means to say that a psychedelic experience has been 'embellished'.

In my latest blog post, I look at what anemoia (nostalgia for an era one didn't live through) can reveal about identity and culture – how it influences trends like the Y2K aesthetic, the resurgence of 90s and 2000s-style music, the manosphere, and tradwives.

"Writing that matters will be writing that can still function as evidence of human deliberation."

An article I wrote about the recurrence of car crash imagery in emo music – in track titles, lyrics, and music videos. I look at how this trend harks back to the 'teen tragedy songs' of the 50s and 60s. I also include a list of tracks featuring this theme.

An article on my relationship to writing, and why thinking of writing in an atelic (non-goal-oriented) way can make it a more fulfilling practice.

Philosopher Timothy J. Pawl on why we need to rediscover the older meaning (and virtue) of meekness.

An article on the connections between Jung's ideas and New Age culture.

Em dashes and semicolons (more so em dashes) have become associated with AI content nowadays, to the extent that writers avoid them, or are being told to avoid using them (or at least to cut down on their use). In this article, I argue why this is a loss to human writing and should be resisted.

Some research has found that, for many people, psychedelics increase rather than decrease death anxiety. In my latest blog post, I look at whether a triggering of apeirophobia (a fear of eternity or eternal life) may be one reason for this.

An essay on the films of Mike Leigh, one of my favourite directors. I look at how Leigh portrays anxiety in Britain through his eccentric characters, in films such as Bleak Moments, Life is Sweet, Naked, and Career Girls. #film #cinema #mikeleigh #britishcinema

An excerpt from my book, published by @iai.tv. It's taken from Chapter 9, where I apply Henri Bergson's theory of dèja vu to the intense feeling of familiarity that many people experience on DMT. #philosophy #books #memory

I wrote about how we can apply Mark Fisher's theory of 'the weird' to the many weird experiences that people have on psychedelics.

An essay on why 'torture porn' horror films and deathcore bands became so popular in the 2000s.

An essay on apeirophobia (the fear of an eternal afterlife) and how certain philosophical views may help address it.

New blog post. I recently finished a new biography of #Schopenhauer from @davidbatherwoods.bsky.social (highly recommend). One part that stood out was Schopenhauer's warning about how excessive solitude can feed social anxiety. #philosophy #mentalhealth

An article I wrote on Brian Yuzna's amazing body horror films, including From Beyond (1986), Society (1989), and Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990). I also explore the question of why people enjoy films that trigger a negative emotion like disgust.

A brilliant new biography of #Schopenhauer from @davidbatherwoods.bsky.social

The (current) tell-tale signs of AI-generated content. Recently, I’ve been getting AI-generated emails about how someone’s read my book (they haven’t) and wants to help promote it. They’re full of these annoying turns of phrases and writing patterns.

It's been one year since my book came out. Time flies. Thanks to everyone who got a copy. If anyone would like a copy to review, feel free to send me a message.

I wrote about how psychedelic compounds in the future could be tweaked to offer people shorter or longer experiences, fewer side effects, and different subjective effects.