Researcher Amanda Feilding on The Effects of Psychedelic Use on the Ego

Who is Researcher Amanda Feilding on The Effects of Psychedelic Use on the Ego?

Taken from JRE 2002 w/Amanda Feilding:

Topics and Timestamps

• 01Amanda Feilding discusses how psychedelics can dissolve ego boundaries and create feelings of interconnectedness
• 02Research shows psychedelic experiences can lead to lasting personality changes and increased openness
• 03The default mode network in the brain is suppressed during psychedelic trips, explaining ego dissolution
• 04Psychedelics may help people break free from rigid self-concepts and habitual thinking patterns
• 05Amanda discusses her own research at the Beckley Foundation studying psilocybin and LSD effects
• 06Therapeutic potential of ego dissolution for treating depression, addiction, and existential anxiety
• ▶Amanda explains ego dissolution during psychedelic experiences0:00:00
• ▶Discussion of the default mode network and brain activity during trips0:15:30
• ▶How temporary ego dissolution creates lasting personality changes0:28:45
• ▶Therapeutic applications for depression and addiction treatment0:42:15
• ▶Amanda discusses research at the Beckley Foundation0:55:00

The Show

Amanda Feilding sits down with Joe to dive deep into one of the most fascinating aspects of psychedelic experience: what happens to our sense of self when we take these substances. She explains that psychedelics have a unique ability to dissolve the ego, that constant narrator in our heads that maintains our sense of separate identity. When the ego relaxes, people report feeling connected to something much larger than themselves, whether you call it nature, consciousness, or the universe.

Feilding breaks down the neuroscience behind this. The brain's default mode network, which is essentially the neural correlates of the ego and self-referential thinking, gets significantly quieted during psychedelic experiences. This isn't just some abstract spiritual concept. Brain imaging studies show real changes in how the brain communicates with itself. When that network goes quiet, you lose that sense of being a separate observer looking out at the world. Instead, there's a dissolution of boundaries.

One of the most compelling aspects she discusses is how temporary this ego dissolution can lead to lasting changes in personality and perspective. People who experience this often report increased openness, decreased materialism, and less fear of death. It's not just a temporary high. The experience seems to rewire how people see themselves and their place in the world. She talks about how rigid our self-concepts usually are, how we're locked into these habitual patterns of thinking and behaving that we rarely question. Psychedelics shake that loose.

Feilding also touches on the therapeutic applications. For people struggling with depression or addiction, that rigid sense of self can be part of the problem. Breaking those patterns, even temporarily, can allow people to see new possibilities for themselves. She mentions her work at the Beckley Foundation researching these effects systematically, trying to understand not just that these changes happen but why and how to potentially harness them therapeutically.

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