James Kent Reality Sandwich interview

I knew I would one day make it to the big time. Thanks to Jedi Mind Traveler for putting this together.

Do you think the psyche is naturally drawn toward mystical attractors, even if it means going through chaotic transitions and perhaps reliving and integrating uncomfortable unconscious material?

I think some people are drawn towards mystical states, and would risk their lives to have a mystical experience, just as some would risk their lives to jump out of a plane for an adrenaline rush. But I don’t believe there is one single mystical attractor pulling all people towards transcendence, just like there is no universal attractor pulling all people towards jumping out of planes. For the most part it is self-selecting, only certain people are drawn towards mysticism and transcendence. You can take psychedelics and become paranoid and disoriented and pulled towards the wrong sort of attractor, like an anxiety spiral or a manic self-important jag, and miss the transcendent aspect altogether. So no, I don’t think the psyche is naturally drawn towards mystical attractors. Most often the mystical component of psychedelics is due to drivers in set and setting providing a mystical framework for parsing the experience. Anyone can get there, some people are naturally drawn there, but in my experience it really depends on the individual to seek it and find it.