[TigersEye]

"Psychedelics are thought of as 'mind-expanding' drugs so it has commonly been assumed that they work by increasing brain activity," said David Nutt of Imperial College London,...

The error in that assumption is that brain and mind are not the same thing.

[Mother Abigail]

Your simple observation reveals the true problem in such research.

After a long lifetime in the field of medicine, it would be nice to assure you that most of my colleagues understand the mind/brain dichotomy - but it is not true.

And, as you wisely point out, when we try to use the brain to understand the mind the framework of reference is limited.

The revelation that decreasing the brains “chatter” would lead to an expansion of the mind, seems both rational and intuitive.

MA

[dmz]

The error in that assumption is that brain and mind are not the same thing.

<><><><<

The late 70s philosophy student that still resides in me is forced to ask:

Is electro-chemical activity in the brain the same thing as a thought?

Sorry - couldn’t help myself, but I actually wrote my honors thesis on issues of mind/body dualism (and no, have never taught philosophy, and have never eaten from the public trough - I got a job instead).