Alexander Beiner wrote The Bigger Picture: How Psychedelics Can Help Us Make Sense of the World. Sonja Blignaut joined me as co-host, and we asked Alexander what altered states can teach us about sensemaking.
4E cognition
Alexander explains 4E cognition, the idea that thinking is embodied, embedded, enacted and extended. He draws on shamanic traditions and on modern researchers such as Robin Carhart-Harris and Michael Pollan. Openness and creativity come up again and again.
Organizations and complexity
We ask how these states might change the way teams communicate and build empathy. Sonja brings her work on complexity to the question of how organizations adapt.
Healing and culture
We cover psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD and TBI, ego dissolution, and the hurdles facing MDMA approval. Alexander stresses that deliberate practice still matters after any breakthrough.
Sonja first came on the show in Episode 45. Having her with Alexander brought complexity and consciousness into one conversation.
This episode is not medical advice.
When did a change in your state of mind change what you could see?
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https://youtube.com/@nowayoutpodcast
Written by Ponch Rivera with AI assistance in production. The full conversation is in the player below.