Romanian Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Hypnosis

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The Type of the Paper

Psychonauts a new category of drugs users due to spiritual and autognosis

reasons
SIMION RALUCA MARIA, DRD
UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST, PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

POPOVICI FILIP ALEXANDRU, DRD

UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST, PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Abstract
Taking drugs is mostly associated with altered states of consciousness like dissociation, out of
body experiences, auditory and visual hallucinations that sometimes can be spiritual and even
mystic. All this effects are referred among drug consumers as a trip.
The word trip means journey and probably has to do with the fact that shamans, Indian sadhus
or Buddhist lamas used different entheogen (becoming divine within) substances as ways to
access divinity, illumination and to transcend.
Not all drugs have this ability, just the ones known as psychedelic. The term comes from the
well-known psyche (mind) and deloun (make visible, reveal). Such substances can be natural in
plants (psilocybin, mescaline) or synthetic in LSD, DMT, 2-CB, DOC, PCP, ketamine.
It is easy to notice that psychedelic drugs can help the user to open his mind, to experiment
different states of consciousness unavailable daily and to get to access to less known parts of his
own psyche.
This is why not only scientists, but also normal humans are interested in how these drugs work
and if they can really induce authentic spiritual experiences.
This article aims to trigger awareness in including among motivations to use drugs and even
become psychological addicted the need of spiritual pursuit and self-knowledge.
Actually, there is already a subculture that should be taken into consideration called,
,,psychonauts which consists of people who use drugs for self-exploration with religious and
spiritual motives. This kind of needs are referred as autognosis ( Moro et al, 2011).
Keywords: drug consumers, addiction, spirituality, autognisis, psychedelics , psychonauts

Corresponding author: SIMION RALUCA MARIA

Phone number: 0744794378
E-mail address: smraluca@gmail.com
References
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Paper Keyword 1 & Keyword 2

Mr, L., Simon, K., Brd, I., & Rcz, J. (2011). Voice of the Psychonauts: Coping, Life Purpose, and
Spirituality in Psychedelic Drug Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 43(3), 188-198.

Structura :
1. Background
2. Purpose of the study
3. Sources of evidence
4. Main argument
5. Conclusions

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