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Sacramental and spiritual use of hallucinogenic drugs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2011

Levente Móró
Affiliation:
Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. leve@utu.fihttp://users.utu.fi/~leve
Valdas Noreika
Affiliation:
Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. leve@utu.fihttp://users.utu.fi/~leve Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom. valnor@utu.fihttp://www.psy.utu.fi/henkilot/valdasnoreika.htm

Abstract

Arguably, the religious use of hallucinogenic drugs stems from a human search of metaphysical insight rather than from a direct need for cognitive, emotional, social, physical, or sexual improvement. Therefore, the sacramental and spiritual intake of hallucinogenic drugs goes so far beyond other biopsychosocial functions that it deserves its own category in the drug instrumentalization list.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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