Wednesday, September 20, 2023

What psychedelics can teach us about play

Plus more health news |

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What psychedelics can teach us about play
By Rachel Sonis
Associate Editor, Ideas

Play is one of the most important aspects of being human, but it’s often seen as too frivolous an activity to partake in for busy adults. On the contrary, however, it's actually serious business. Play can expand the ways we see possibility and malleability in the world around us.

Psychedelics could play a role in helping us rediscover the long-lost art of play. As sociologist and psychotherapist Ross Ellenhorn explains in a new piece for TIME, they can also facilitate a departure from habitual thoughts and help us adopt a more flexible worldview.

Among Ellenhorn's most fascinating points:

  • Psychedelics make our brains more open to play and often result in mystical experiences—a crucial therapeutic component of these substances.
  • Play, like psychedelics, can be used as an antidote to isolation and disconnection because it's inherently collaborative and connective.
  • While psychedelics aren't magic bullets, they promote recognition of the strange and beautiful nuances of life, creating a deeper connection to play.

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Today's newsletter was written by Rachel Sonis and Oliver Staley, and edited by Angela Haupt.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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