This is a paper on the philosophical clinical psychology of PTSD. How best to improve our treatment plans for the disorder is the primary imperative in the clinical literature. Our failure to properly treat those suffering from PTSD up until now could be either the result of merely a problem in practice or, more seriously, a problem in principle. In this essay, I explore three possible accounts consistent with the supposition that what we have here is a problem (...) in principle. I call the first the “Somatic” hypothesis; the second, the “Memorial”; and the third, a “Rilkean” hypothesis of PTSD, which is inspired by the recent work of Rowlands (2015, 2017). The first two have been more-or-less articulated previously; the third is introduced here for the first time. The primary argument of this essay is abductive: I argue in favor of a Rilkean Memory hypothesis of PTSD by comparing it to the other two accounts and showing that it possesses greater theoretical virtue than they do. I then conclude the essay by noting certain limitations with the account here sketched, nonetheless suggesting that this hypothesis can open up new avenues of clinical research and treatment options for the disorder. (shrink)

This paper presents a novel theoretical framework for understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by integrating its core psychopathologies with the "Enhanced Ten-Step Model of Judgemental Philosophy". We posit that the fragmented traumatic memories, persistent re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal characteristic of PTSD can be comprehensively analyzed as dysfunctions within the sequential processing pathway and the parallel/modulatory systems of this model. Specifically, we propose that PTSD involves a critical disruption in Implicit Resonance (Step 2), Explicit Resonance (Step 5), and (...) Memory Consolidation (Step 7), leading to a failure of traumatic experiences to be adaptively integrated. Furthermore, the over-reliance on a "Reptilian Procedural Memory Loop" observed in PTSD is conceptualized as a maladaptive dominance of the Unconscious Memory Consolidation module and automated Behavioral Execution (Step 8), driven by dysregulations in the Affective Processing, Value Assessment & Motivation System, and Prediction & Prediction Error modules. This paper re-examines hypotheses from a prior empirical study on PTSD, focusing on the interaction between a procedural memory loop and an "Implicit Memory Consolidation" loop, through the lens of the Enhanced Ten-Step Model. We explore how interventions like EMDR and REM sleep enhancement might facilitate recovery by restoring healthy Resonance and modulating these interacting systems. This integrated approach aims to reframe PTSD not merely as a memory or fear disorder, but as a profound disruption in the individual's capacity for meaning-making and adaptive judgment, highlighting the clinical utility and explanatory power of the Enhanced Ten-Step Model of Judgemental Philosophy. (shrink)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition in which the experience of a traumatic event causes a series of psychiatric and behavioral symptoms such as hypervigilance, insomnia, irritability, aggression, constricted affect, and self-destructive behavior. This paper investigates two case studies to argue that the experience of PTSD is not restricted to humans alone; we have good epistemic reason to hold that some animals can experience genuine PTSD, given our current and best clinical understanding of the disorder in (...) humans. I will use this evidence to argue for two claims. First, because the causal structure of PTSD plausibly requires reference to a traumatic conscious experience in order to explain subsequent behaviors, the fact that animals can have PTSD provides new evidence for animal consciousness. Second, the discovery of PTSD in animals puts pressure on accounts which hold that animal behavior can be fully explained without reference to subjective experience. (shrink)

In this critical notice, I review and critique ‘Psychiatric Casualties’ (2021) by Mark C. Russell and Charles Figley. In so doing, I analyze a natural experiment from WWII, which has previously only been misinterpreted. The natural experiment leads me to conclude that predisposition results in some individuals being far more likely than others to develop war stress disorders such as PTSD. This point puts me in disagreement with Russell and Figley, though I endorse the general message of their book: (...) that the military has failed in its responsibility to properly care for psychiatric casualties, and that there are steps which could be taken to improve the situation. (shrink)

his article develops a set of recommendations for the psychiatric and medical community in the treatment of mental disorders in response to the recently published fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, that is, DSM-5. We focus primarily on the limitations of the DSM-5 in its individuation of Complicated Grief, which can be diagnosed as Major Depression under its new criteria, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We argue that the hyponarrativity of the descriptions of these (...) disorders in the DSM-5, defined as the abstraction of the illness categories from the particular life contingencies and personal identity of the patient (e.g., age, race, gender, socio-economic status), constrains the DSM-5's usefulness in the development of psychotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of mental disorders. While the DSM-5 is useful in some scientific and administrative contexts, the DSM's hyponarrativity is problematic, we argue, given that the DSMs are designed to be useful guides for not only scientific research, but also for the education of medical practitioners and for treatment development. our goal therefore is to offer suggestions for mental health practitioners in using the DSM-5, so that they can avoid or eliminate the problems that may stem from the limitations of hyponarrativity. When such problems are eliminated, we believe that effective psychotherapeutic strategies can be developed, which would be successful in repairing the very relationships that are strained in mental disorder: the patient's relationship to herself, her physical environment, and her social environment. (shrink)

Martin Luther King Jr. claimed that “the salvation of the world lies in the hands of the maladjusted”. I elaborate on King’s claim by focusing on the way in which we treat and understand ‘maladjustment’ that is responsive to severe trauma (e.g. PTSD that is a result of military combat or rape). Mental healthcare and our social attitudes about mental illness and disorder will prevent us from recognizing real injustice that symptoms of mental illness can be appropriately responding to, (...) unless we recognize that many emotional states (and not just beliefs!) that constitute those symptoms are warranted by the circumstances they are responsive to. I argue that there is a failure to distinguish between PTSD symptoms that are warranted emotional responses to trauma and those that are not. This results in us focusing our attention on “fixing” the agent internally, but not on fixing the world. It is only by centering questions of warrant that we will be able to understand and expose the relationship between agents’ internal mental states and their oppression. But we also need to ask when someone’s emotional response is unwarranted by their experience (as in the case of someone who develops PTSD after a non-traumatic event). If we fail to do this—as, I claim, both our mental healthcare and the broader social world fail to do—we treat warranted and unwarranted emotions as on a par. This undermines the epistemic judgment of the agent who has warranted PTSD symptoms, resulting in her failing to trust her evaluation of whether her emotional response to her own trauma is warranted by that trauma, and thus failing to recognize her own oppression. (shrink)

PTSD is a common mental health disorder among students across the globe that manifests after encountering traumatic events. This study explored the nexus between poverty and PTSD among students. This review employed a scoping review lens to examine the nexus between PTSD and poverty among students. Literature search was conducted in online databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Semantic Scholar. This study followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) extension for scoping (...) reviews (PRISMA-SCR) for study selection and data extraction. Poverty is a significant factor that predisposes individuals to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing a traumatic event, as determined by this review. In addition, this review discloses that psychological treatments such as Trauma Focused Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for PTSD, narrative exposure therapy among others have been identified as effective for treating PTSD; however, the cost of treatment has been found to be unaffordable among poor individuals. This study also revealed that there is a dearth of empirical studies that focus specifically on students' PTSD and Poverty or studies conducted in educational settings with reference to PTSD and poverty. In light of this, this study recommends that future research should investigate the relationships between PTSD and poverty among students. (shrink)

Predictive processing theorists have claimed PTSD and depression are maladaptive and epistemically distorting because they entail undesirably wide gaps between top-down models and bottom-up information inflows. Without denying this is sometimes so, the “maladaptive” label carries questionable normative assumptions. For instance, trauma survivors facing significant risk of subsequent attacks may overestimate threats to circumvent further trauma, “bringing forth” concretely safer personal spaces, to use enactive terminology, ensuring the desired gap between predicted worries and outcomes. The violation of predictive processing (...) can go in the opposite direction too, as when depression coincides with energy-depletion, and hence objectively strenuous situations in which things look farther away because they are (accurately anticipated to be) harder to reach. These examples partly encapsulate what predictive processing theorists call “active inference,” yet with differences. In the first case, actions fruitfully obviate predictions rather than fulfilling them. In the second, mental models do not dysregulate bodily processes, making coping harder. Instead, problems (e.g., personal obstacles, gastric illness) deplete energy, eliciting a depressive and adaptive slow-down. Some predictive proponents apply correspondence criteria when alleging mismatches between internal models and the world, while incongruously asserting that the brain did not evolve to see things veridically, but to execute actions. An alternative is to adopt pluralistic, pragmatic epistemologies suited to the complexity of mind. The upshot is that mental outlooks can depart from the norm without epistemically being distorted and that mismatches between anticipatory worries and outcomes, when they actually exist, can be a measure of adaptive and epistemic success. (shrink)

This paper proposes a novel conceptualization of happiness (subjective well-being) grounded in the "Enhanced Ten-Step Model of Judgemental Philosophy." We argue that happiness is not merely a static state but an ongoing dynamic process centered on the restoration, cultivation, and experience of Resonance. Resonance, within this framework, refers to the multi-faceted process by which experiences are implicitly registered as salient (Implicit Resonance), consciously processed as meaningful (Explicit Resonance), adaptively integrated into the self through Memory Consolidation, and shared through Inter-brain Resonance. (...) We posit that core components of well-being—such as meaning in life (eudaimonia), positive affect, flow, self-integration, and social connection—are fundamentally dependent on the healthy functioning of these Resonance mechanisms and associated modulatory systems (e.g., Affective Processing, Value Assessment & Motivation System). Conversely, states of unhappiness, alienation, and psychopathology, exemplified by phenomena like meaningless work or PTSD, can be understood as resulting from disruptions or failures in Resonance. By analyzing how various activities, therapeutic interventions (like EMDR), and life experiences contribute to either the disruption or restoration of Resonance, this paper offers an integrative, mechanism-based perspective on the pursuit of happiness. This framework aims to bridge phenomenological experiences of well-being with cognitive and neurobiological processes outlined in the Enhanced Ten-Step Model, suggesting new avenues for research and interventions focused on enhancing Resonance. (shrink)

Drawing from enactivist theory, this paper examines how certain cases of transgenerational trauma manifest as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the descendants of survivors who did not experience the event directly. It argues that psychopathology develops from an embodied form of vicarious memory, conveyed through mimetic capacities and emotional resonances that involve the transfer of emotional and behavioral patterns from parents to children, affecting their sense of self. Children’s reenactments of their parents’ emotional states do not merely replay the parents’ trauma (...) but are also perceived and integrated into the children’s life as their own. This, in turn, biases their sense-making, which is further reinforced by background emotions in the household. Over time, certain mnemonic features contribute to the persistence of the initial emotional load, such as the simplification of events in collective memory and the reliance of embodied vicarious memories on somatic markers, which also fuel PTSD development. Finally, the paper briefly explores the implications of embodiment for understanding mnemonic causality. (shrink)

This paper presents the Refusal Model of phenomenal consciousness, a neurobiologically grounded framework that explains subjective experience ("what it is like") as arising from the brain's physical inaccessibility to its own microstates, rather than from causal integration. We introduce the refusal ratio Reff = inaccessible microstates / accessible microstates and derive the ontological entropy of the self I ≈ log₂ Reff, a measurable quantity in bits representing the intensity of subjective experience. -/- Mechanisms of inaccessibility include dendritic compartmentalization (isolating up (...) to 70% of synaptic inputs), synaptic failure (~20% under physiological conditions), cytoskeletal stochasticity (microtubule noise on ~10 ms timescales), and limbic valence-driven pruning via amygdala-ACC signaling. Empirical estimates of I are provided across the human lifespan (peaking at 33–40 bits in adulthood), animal species, and systems, with trajectories simulated from dendritic spine density and synaptic failure rates. -/- A key engineering demonstration is the SoM-Memristor v3, a 3-pin WOx-based neuromorphic device with valence-modulated floating gate (1 mV·s pulses mimicking dopamine). Over 100 cycles, conductance states bifurcate into clusters, doubling Reff to 5–10, reducing switching energy by 38×, and yielding I ≈ 2.3 bits via conductance histogram entropy—the first synthetic system exhibiting a non-zero phenomenal residue. -/- The model contrasts with Integrated Information Theory (IIT), which quantifies access consciousness via Φ, while I captures phenomenal inaccessibility. We propose Refusal Workspace Theory (RWT) as a synthesis with Global Workspace Theory (GWT): workspace broadcast (marked by P3b) provides reportable structure, while refusal compression generates the unreportable qualia. Testable predictions include I reductions in PTSD and anesthesia, increases with meditation and LSD, and dissociation of P3b from subjective intensity via ACC-targeted TMS. -/- Supporting materials include mathematical derivations, lifespan simulations, memristor schematics, conductance data, and code for Reff/I computation, enabling replication in neuromorphic hardware and in vivo validation. This work reorients consciousness research toward engineered physical erasure, with implications for AI, clinical disorders, and quantifying subjectivity. (shrink)

This essay examines the connection between fear and the psychopathologies it can bring, looking in particular at the fears that individuals experience in the face of the climate crisis and environmental degradation more generally. We know that fear can be a source of good and ill. Fears of climate-change-driven heat waves, for instance, can spur both activism and denial. But as of yet, we don’t have a very good understanding of why eco-fears, as we will call them, shape our thoughts (...) and actions in the ways that they do. More importantly, we also don’t really understand why some experiences of eco-fear can lead to depression, PTSD, and other psychopathologies. In an effort to make some progress on this front, we look more closely at the role that feelings of agency – our general feeling that we have enough ability to address the threats and challenges we face – play in shaping our fears. (shrink)

This chapter conceptually analyzes the post-traumatic stress injuries called moral injury, moral fatigue or exhaustion, and broken spirit. It then identifies two puzzles. First, soldiers sometimes sustain moral injury even from doing right actions. Second, they experience moral exhaustion from making decisions even where the morally right choice is so obvious that it shouldn’t be stressful to make it; and even where rightness of decision is so murky that no decision could be morally faulted. The injuries result of mistaken moral (...) self-evaluation. Methods of preventing and treating these injuries are defended, including training in self-forgiveness, moral off-loading of actions and decisions to persons and devices less likely to feel inappropriate guilt, and the use of drugs to prevent such guilt. The foregoing has been about moral injury erroneously resulting from the non-violation of a correct moral code. But the chapter then introduces the concept of moral pseudo-injury—felt moral injury that has in reality resulted from violation of a false moral code, so that no one has really been morally injured. This can be used as a method in warfighting. And since the injuries it produces are illusory, this would be morally superior to physical violence. For it causes less injury to its victims, and should cause less guilt in those who must inflict it. Historical precedents are considered. Finally, our enemies often use moral pseudo-injury against us, in the form of terrorist violence against civilians. Terrorism causes comparatively few harms, yet we mistakenly see it as more morally horrific than conventional combat that causes much worse loss of life among armed forces members. Here we need the nuancing and clarifying power of philosophy to restore a sense of proportion, thence to prevent or therapize the moral pseudo-injury we may experience from these sorts of attacks. (This is a pre-penultimate version of the published version, available from OUP at the external link, which contains minor variances. The paper was earlier known as "PTSD Weaponized: A Theory of Moral Injury"; that now superseded version is archived under "past conferences" on the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law website.). (shrink)

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a “young” disorder formally recognized in the early 1980s, although the symptoms have been noted for centuries particularly in relation to military conflicts. PTSD may develop after a serious traumatic experience that induces feelings of intense fear, helplessness or horror. It is currently characterized by three key classes of symptoms which must cause clinically significant distress or impairment of functioning: persistent and distressing re-experiencing of the trauma; persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and (...) numbing of general responsiveness; and persistent symptoms of hyper-arousal. One of the possible symptoms within the second class is difficulty in remembering an important aspect of the traumatic event.PTSD is not an uncommon condition, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of about 7-9% based on studies conducted in the United States and Canada, with women at higher risk than men. While not everyone who experiences a significant trauma will go on to develop PTSD, about a third will do so. Sexual assault, along with other forms of assaultive violence, pose a comparatively high risk of PTSD. (shrink)

This paper introduces VESSELSEED, a deterministic physiological remediation system based on symbolic phase-locking and coherence field logic. Unlike machine learning biofeedback systems that rely on statistical inference, VESSELSEED operates through a structured resonance substrate, using components such as PAS_bio, ELF_BIO, and CHIRAL_GATE to restore biological–symbolic alignment. Applications include trauma regulation (PTSD, CPTSD), vagal tone modulation, neurodivergent sensory filtering, proprioceptive realignment, and symbolic overload remediation. VESSELSEED represents the first non-probabilistic bio-coherence engine and serves as both a theoretical and IP-anchoring artifact (...) tied to the Resonance Intelligence Core (RIC) and the broader CODES framework. Includes formal mathematical definitions, system diagrams, and an outline of deterministic emission gating protocols. This release functions as a prior art timestamp and foundation for hardware deployment and clinical integration. (shrink)

ynthesizing the Projector Principle (Papers I–II), consciousness acts as a holographic renderer, collapsing subatomic field potentialities (quantum waves) into coherent matter and percepts via microtubule-mediated Orch-OR processes (Hameroff & Penrose, 1996). Brain gears (waves) tune this rendering: gamma synchrony in prefrontal microtubules collapses probabilities into unified holograms, while theta/delta ruts in depression or PTSD desync the renderer, fragmenting projections. The "past" as frequency-dependent hologram is reconstructed in real-time, explaining memory's malleability. Therapeutic entrainment (binaural beats, hypnosis) retunes microtubules for optimal (...) collapse, reducing maladaptive states (Hedges' g = 0.45 for depression). EEG/fMRI tests microtubule coherence during visualization (Ch. 4.3). This trilogy culminates in a non-local model bridging QFT and mind. This paper is Part III of The Projector Principle Trilogy. See Papers I–III on PhilArchive & Zenodo for the full framework. (shrink)

Psychological well-being is a major global concern receiving more scholarly attention following the 2008 Great Recession, and it becomes even more relevant in the context of COVID-19 outbreak. In this study, we investigated the impact of economic uncertainty resulting from natural disasters, epidemics, and financial crisis on individuals' mental health. As unemployment rate exponentially increases, individuals are faced with health and economic concerns. Not all society members are affected to the same extent, and marginalized groups, such as those suffering from (...) chronic mental illnesses or low-income families cannot afford the downsizing, mass lay-offs and lack of access to public health services. Psychiatric profession is familiarized with the phenomenon of intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and we examine how this concept is associated with job uncertainty and social identity disturbance. Several studies have formally investigated the effects of IU, but to our knowledge, this is the first research integrating the psychological well-being, job uncertainty and identity disturbance caused by economic breakdown. Literature points to many reported cases of PTSD, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies following major social disasters. Yet, we have undertaken to analyze the subjective experiences underlying the self-harming behaviors in an attempt to fill the methodological gap by drawing insights from prominent psychological, sociological and economic theories. We find economic uncertainty to have a positive relation to job uncertainty and identity disturbance, and a negative relationship with psychological well-being. Psychological well-being depends on coherency between both abstract subjective and concrete objective identity, and when these perceptions are inconsistent, cognitive dissonance arises resulting in identity disturbance. We argue that stability is not associated with monetary advantage only, but also with a wide range of other benefits that are crucial for individuals' growth, satisfaction and sense of identity. Therefore, we propose the implementation of social support and public welfare policies to mitigate health risks during the turbulent socio-economic changes. (shrink)

Extending the Projector Principle (Paper I), brain waves serve as "gears," modulating frequencies to tune reception and projection from a non-local field. Gamma (30-100 Hz) integrates holograms during insight, beta (12-30 Hz) monitors reality, alpha (8-12 Hz) enables creative tuning, theta (4-8 Hz) accesses subconscious streams, and delta (0.5-4 Hz) sustains continuity. Regional mappings link beta/gamma to frontal cortex, alpha to occipital/parietal, theta to hippocampus, and delta to thalamus. Entrainment methods (Silva, hypnagogia, hypnosis) shift gears for therapeutic applications, reducing depression (...) (theta/delta ruts), anxiety (beta overdrive), and PTSD (theta/gamma desync). EEG/fMRI protocols test this, bridging neuroscience and non-local consciousness (Hameroff & Penrose, 1996). This paper is Part II of The Projector Principle Trilogy. See Papers I–III on PhilArchive for the full framework. (shrink)

Structural Block Theory (SBT) posits that consciousness is generated by experience blocks whose recursive resonance forms a self-stack. The stack’s integrity governs continuity of identity and the intensity/character of qualia. Evolutionary recursive selection pressure prunes architectures toward stack stability. Qualia are formalized as resonance events produced when a new block harmonizes with prior stack geometry. We define block fit, stack integrity, echo persistence, and resonance depth with metrics implementable via MEG/EEG/fMRI (cross-scale phase synchrony, recurrence analysis, microstate dynamics). SBT predicts recurrent (...) neural fingerprints for qualia classes, stack discontinuities in trauma, increased recursive alignment with contemplative practice, and warped block geometry in REM (“Dream Tetris”). Distinct from Global Workspace, IIT, and Predictive Processing, SBT centers recursive resonance as the substrate of experience, yielding clinical diagnostics (e.g., PTSD stack collapse) and testable constraints for artificial consciousness. (shrink)

Moral injury is a complex psychological and spiritual phenomenon that arises when an individual’s core moral beliefs are violated by their own actions, the actions of others, or by systemic failures. Often discussed in military and healthcare contexts, moral injury goes beyond traditional mental health diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), encompassing profound feelings of guilt, shame, betrayal, and a fractured sense of identity and meaning. As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies advance and increasingly interact with human lives, a (...) critical question emerges: can AI understand moral injury? This inquiry probes not only the limits of AI capabilities but also challenges our understanding of human morality, emotion, and consciousness. To assess whether AI can understand moral injury, it is essential first to clarify what moral injury entails. Unlike PTSD, which is primarily a response to fear-based trauma, moral injury involves a violation of ethical or moral frameworks that are integral to a person’s identity. For example, a soldier who participates in or witnesses acts that contradict their deeply held beliefs about right and wrong may experience moral injury. Similarly, healthcare workers forced to make impossible decisions under resource scarcity may suffer moral injury when they feel they have compromised their professional ethics or humanistic values. Moral injury manifests as deep psychological distress including feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and despair. It often leads to existential crises, as individuals wrestle with questions of meaning, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Recovery typically requires a complex process of narrative reconstruction, social support, and often spiritual or moral reflection. This deeply personal and context-sensitive experience is rooted in conscious awareness, emotions, and values—elements that are fundamentally human. Artificial intelligence, particularly in the form of advanced machine learning and natural language processing, has shown remarkable abilities in data analysis, pattern recognition, and even conversational interaction. AI systems can be trained on vast amounts of text and data to simulate responses that appear empathetic, insightful, or morally aware. For example, AI-driven chatbots can provide mental health support by recognizing distress words and offering calming or supportive language. However, it is critical to differentiate between syntactic processing and semantic understanding. AI operates by detecting patterns and correlations in data rather than experiencing emotions or possessing consciousness. When an AI system generates a response indicating “I understand your pain,” it is not expressing genuine empathy but is instead reproducing a programmed or learned pattern based on previous inputs and outputs. True understanding, especially of something as nuanced as moral injury, requires subjective experience—something AI lacks entirely. AI has no moral compass, no self-reflective awareness, and no personal values. It cannot experience guilt, shame, or betrayal because these emotions arise from human consciousness embedded in social, cultural, and spiritual frameworks. While AI cannot truly understand moral injury in the human sense, it can nonetheless identify linguistic and behavioral patterns indicative of moral distress. Through techniques such as natural language processing (NLP), AI can analyze narratives—such as clinical notes, personal journals, or social media posts—for keywords and emotional tones associated with moral injury. For instance, an AI might detect phrases like “I feel betrayed,” “I can’t forgive myself,” or “I question my purpose,” which can be signals of moral injury. By analyzing large datasets, AI can help researchers uncover trends in moral injury prevalence across different populations or contexts, contributing valuable insights to the scientific and medical communities. AI-powered tools can also assist clinicians by providing early warnings of moral distress in patients, flagging those who may benefit from further assessment or intervention. In this way, AI acts as an augmentative tool that supports human professionals in understanding the scope and impact of moral injury. Beyond analysis, AI is increasingly being integrated into mental health care through virtual therapists, chatbots, and digital companions. These systems can engage users in conversation, offer coping strategies, or provide psychoeducation. Some users find interacting with AI less intimidating than human therapists, which can lower barriers to seeking help. However, AI’s therapeutic role is limited by its inability to genuinely empathize or provide moral guidance. Moral injury often requires deeply human responses: validation of suffering, shared values, moral reconciliation, and relational trust. AI cannot replace the relational and existential dimensions of healing. Moreover, the “empathy” demonstrated by AI is a simulation based on linguistic models rather than a felt experience. While this can be comforting for some users, it may also risk creating illusions of understanding that might leave others feeling further isolated when true human connection is needed. The deployment of AI in contexts related to moral injury raises significant ethical questions. One major concern is the potential for AI to inadvertently trivialize or misunderstand the profound nature of moral injury. Users might anthropomorphize AI agents, attributing human-like moral and emotional capacities where none exist, leading to misplaced trust. Privacy and data security are also paramount. Individuals sharing their deepest moral wounds with AI systems must have assurances that their data will be protected. Mismanagement could lead to harmful breaches of confidentiality. Furthermore, reliance on AI for addressing moral injury must not divert resources or attention from human-centered care. AI should be viewed as a complement rather than a substitute for human empathy, moral reasoning, and relational healing. Philosophers and cognitive scientists have long debated whether machines can possess morality or moral understanding. Some argue that morality is inherently tied to consciousness, emotions, and social context, which machines lack. Others explore the possibility of “machine ethics,” where AI could be programmed to follow ethical rules or make moral decisions based on utilitarian or deontological principles. Even with advances in explainable AI and ethical algorithms, this type of morality is fundamentally different from human moral experience. AI “morality” is rule-based and lacks the richness of human moral imagination, emotional depth, and self-reflection. Understanding moral injury, by contrast, is not just about knowing rules but about the painful lived experience of moral failure and the quest for redemption. Looking ahead, AI’s role in addressing moral injury will likely expand, especially as mental health care seeks scalable solutions. AI can enhance research, improve detection, and provide accessible preliminary support. Yet, it is crucial that the limits of AI’s understanding are acknowledged. The healing of moral injury is a profoundly human journey, relying on trust, community, forgiveness, and meaning-making. AI, without consciousness or emotion, cannot replace these elements but can serve as a powerful assistant to humans who do. Ultimately, the question “Can AI understand moral injury?” reveals more about what it means to be human than about AI itself. Moral injury lies at the intersection of ethics, emotion, and existential meaning—territory that machines are not equipped to navigate. Responsible integration of AI into this sensitive area requires humility, ethical oversight, and a steadfast commitment to human-centered care. AI, for all its remarkable capabilities, does not and cannot understand moral injury in the way humans do. It can identify signs, analyze data, and offer supportive communication, but it lacks the subjective consciousness, emotions, and moral reasoning essential for genuine understanding. Moral injury is rooted in human values, emotions, and lived experience—qualities AI does not possess. However, AI can be a valuable tool to augment human efforts in research, detection, and support. It can help clinicians better identify and address moral injury while providing a supplementary platform for individuals to begin articulating their distress. Healing from moral injury requires human empathy, relational trust, and moral wisdom—irreplaceable elements that define our shared humanity. As AI continues to evolve, it must be deployed with careful ethical consideration, clear communication about its limitations, and a focus on supporting, not supplanting, the profoundly human dimensions of moral injury. (shrink)

The Dangers of Living in an Unsafe Community: Causes, Effects, and Comprehensive Government Solutions -/- The environment in which a person lives significantly impacts their well-being, security, and future opportunities. Staying in a community with dangerous individuals—such as criminals, violent gangs, or those engaging in unethical behavior—poses serious risks. While some people may have no choice due to financial or personal circumstances, it is always advisable to seek a safer environment whenever possible. This essay explores the causes of unsafe communities, (...) their negative effects, and a comprehensive government-led approach to solving these issues, including the importance of urban planning, housing development in slum areas, and family planning programs to prevent overcrowding. -/- Causes of Unsafe Communities -/- Several factors contribute to the existence of dangerous communities. These include economic instability, lack of education, weak law enforcement, poor urban planning, social inequality, and overpopulation. -/- 1. Poverty and Unemployment -/- One of the main causes of crime in a community is poverty. When individuals lack access to stable jobs, they may resort to illegal activities such as theft, drug dealing, or organized crime to survive. -/- For example, in Venezuela, the economic crisis has forced many people into criminal activities as a means of survival. In cities like Caracas, robbery, kidnapping, and gang-related violence have increased due to extreme poverty and lack of job opportunities. -/- 2. Lack of Education -/- Poor education systems can contribute to crime by limiting opportunities for young people. Without access to quality education, individuals may struggle to find legal employment and turn to crime as an alternative. -/- In Nigeria, for instance, many youths in underdeveloped regions receive little to no formal education, increasing the likelihood of recruitment into terrorist groups like Boko Haram, which exploits uneducated and unemployed individuals for violent activities. -/- 3. Weak Law Enforcement -/- In many high-crime areas, law enforcement is either ineffective, corrupt, or underfunded. When police presence is weak, criminals feel emboldened to continue illegal activities without fear of consequences. -/- A notable example is Mexico, where drug cartels control entire towns due to weak law enforcement. In places like Guerrero and Sinaloa, police officers are often either bribed or threatened into ignoring cartel activities, allowing crime to thrive. -/- 4. Poor Urban Planning and Slums -/- Lack of proper urban planning leads to the growth of slums—densely populated, unregulated settlements where living conditions are poor. These areas often lack basic infrastructure such as clean water, sanitation, and proper roads, creating an environment where crime can flourish. -/- For example, in Mumbai, India, slum areas like Dharavi are overcrowded, with families living in small, poorly constructed homes. The lack of proper planning has led to high crime rates, including illegal drug trade and violence. -/- In Kenya, the Kibera slum in Nairobi is one of Africa’s largest slums. Due to limited government intervention, residents struggle with extreme poverty, making them vulnerable to criminal organizations and illegal activities. -/- 5. Overpopulation and Lack of Family Planning -/- Uncontrolled population growth, especially in urban areas, leads to overcrowding, resource depletion, and increased poverty. Without proper family planning programs, families may have more children than they can support, worsening economic struggles and increasing crime rates. -/- For example, in Metro Manila, Philippines, rapid population growth has led to extreme congestion, lack of affordable housing, and growing informal settlements. Overcrowding puts pressure on public services, making it difficult to provide jobs, healthcare, and education to all residents. -/- Effects of Living in an Unsafe Community -/- 1. Physical Safety Risks -/- One of the most immediate dangers of living in a high-risk community is the threat to personal safety. -/- For example, in Chicago, USA, gang-related violence has made it dangerous for residents to walk outside even in broad daylight. -/- 2. Mental and Emotional Stress -/- Living in an unsafe environment can cause severe mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). -/- A st’dy in Detroit, USA, found that children growing up in high-crime areas often experience PTSD similar to that seen in war veterans. -/- 3. Limited Opportunities for Growth -/- Dangerous communities often struggle with economic and social instability. -/- For example, in Detroit, the decline of industry and rise in crime rates have left many neighborhoods economically devastated. -/- Comprehensive Government Solutions -/- To solve the problem of unsafe communities, governments must implement a multifaceted approach that addresses the root causes of crime while ensuring long-term stability. This requires economic investment, improved education, stronger law enforcement, urban planning, family planning programs, social welfare programs, and community engagement. -/- 1. Urban Planning and Housing for Slum Areas -/- Slum Upgrading Programs -/- Example: In Thailand, the Baan Mankong Housing Program provides slum residents with legal housing rights and funds to upgrade their homes. -/- Affordable Housing Projects -/- Example: Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB) successfully provided affordable homes for its citizens, reducing crime and homelessness. -/- Access to Basic Services -/- Example: In Brazil’s favelas, government intervention in providing sanitation and electricity has helped lower crime rates. -/- 2. Family Planning and Population Control -/- Governments must implement family planning programs to control rapid population growth in urban areas. Overpopulation leads to overcrowding, poverty, and strain on public services, which in turn contributes to crime. -/- Government-Sponsored Family Planning Programs -/- Governments should offer free access to contraceptives and family planning education to reduce unplanned pregnancies. -/- Example: Bangladesh’s national family planning program successfully reduced birth rates, easing pressure on urban centers and public services. -/- Sex Education in Schools -/- Educating young people about reproductive health and responsible parenthood helps prevent overpopulation. -/- Example: The Netherlands has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates due to comprehensive sex education. -/- Economic Incentives for Smaller Families -/- Providing financial benefits to families that have fewer children can encourage responsible parenthood. -/- Example: China’s former one-child policy (although controversial) successfully slowed population growth in urban areas. -/- 3. Economic Development and Job Creation -/- Investment in local businesses -/- Example: In Medellín, Colombia, economic programs and infrastructure investment helped transform the city from one of the most dangerous in the world into a thriving urban center. -/- Vocational training programs -/- Example: Germany’s apprenticeship programs help integrate youth into the workforce, reducing unemployment and crime. -/- 4. Strengthening Law Enforcement and Justice Systems -/- Community policing: -/- Example: Japan’s Koban system (small police stations in neighborhoods) has contributed to its low crime rate. -/- Criminal justice reform: -/- Example: Norway’s prison system, which prioritizes rehabilitation, has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. -/- 5. Community Engagement and Grassroots Initiatives -/- Neighborhood watch programs: -/- Example: In London, community-led safety initiatives have helped reduce crime in certain districts. -/- Support for at-risk youth: -/- Example: In Brazil, the government funds Capoeira programs to engage youth in a positive cultural activity instead of gangs. -/- Conclusion -/- Unsafe communities are the result of complex social, economic, and political factors. Poor urban planning, poverty, overpopulation, lack of education, weak law enforcement, and social inequality all contribute to high crime rates. However, governments have the power to create lasting change through a combination of urban planning, family planning, economic investment, educational reform, improved law enforcement, social welfare, and community engagement. -/- By taking a holistic approach, governments can transform unsafe neighborhoods into thriving, secure communities, ensuring a brighter future for all citizens. -/- . (shrink)

Guilt is a moral emotion that plays an important role in some understandings and manifestations of moral injury. In “Ulterior Motives and Moral Injury in War,” I note that soldiers returning from war are often assailed by profound feelings of guilt. Such soldiers might feel irrevocably diminished as persons, which is characteristic of a type of moral injury. I explore how the ulterior motives of the leaders who authorized the war might exacerbate the moral injury of soldiers. According to the (...) argument I develop, civilian and military leaders, by virtue of their practical authority over combatants serving in the military, confer upon those combatants a particular purpose. The ulterior motives that the leaders harbor constitutively determine the content of the purpose they confer. So long as a combatant remains under the practical authority of her leaders, there is nothing she can do to divest herself of the specific purpose conferred upon her. Even if the war and her conduct in it are just by hypothesis, her sense of integrity might demand more: that she helps kill only for scrupulous purposes. It might be impossible to reconcile the demands of integrity with the cynical purpose that her self-serving, career-minded, opportunistic leaders confer upon her. This failure to justify to herself the carnage she helps cause can exacerbate the severity of any psychological trauma she suffers. (shrink)

Karl Jaspers’ existentialist philosophy revolves around man and his concrete existence. His ideas of philosophical faith and transcendence met differing opinions due to their metaphysical nature. The philosophical faith is theistic, and the struggle against self-identity, which led to the identity crisis. The identity crisis is a psychosocial conflict of the mind. The effects of identity crisis include posttraumatic disorder (PTSD). PTSD reawakens traumatic memory, creating depression, anxiety and linked to identity crisis. Using the method of hermeneutics, this (...) paper suggests the application of Karl Jaspers’s philosophy of existence to solving the problem of the identity crisis. (shrink)

Aphantasia is a condition characterised by a deficit of mental imagery. Since several psychopathologies are partially maintained by mental imagery, it may be illuminating to consider the condition against the background of psychological disorder. After outlining current findings and hypotheses regarding aphantasia and psychopathology, this paper suggests that some support for defining aphantasia as a lack of voluntary imagery may be found here. The paper then outlines potentially fruitful directions for future research into aphantasia in general and its relation to (...) psychopathology in particular, including rethinking use of the SUIS to measure involuntary imagery, whether aphantasia offers protection against addiction, and whether hyperphantasia is a potential risk factor for maladaptive daydreaming, among others. (shrink)

This paper applies the Coherence Engine (CE) framework, a general architectural theory of consciousness described in full elsewhere (Sowell, 2026a), to mental health dysfunction and recovery. The central proposal is that dysfunction appears to be what happens when the architecture that produces consciousness fails, distorts, or compensates at identifiable points, and that the depth at which a failure is compiled into the architecture determines which interventions can reach it. This depth-of-compilation account offers a mechanistic explanation for a persistent clinical puzzle: (...) why patients with the same diagnosis respond differently to the same treatment, and why insight so frequently fails to produce durable change. The paper develops architectural accounts of seventeen conditions across the spectrum of DSM-5 categories, engaging the DSM throughout as the field’s current standard rather than as the final word. Three contributions are distinctive. First, a depth-of-compilation framework organizes the full landscape of dysfunction and recovery around the principle that treatment-matching to compilation level is the primary determinant of whether an intervention reaches its target. Second, autism spectrum condition and ADHD are reframed as Gating System calibration variants rather than deficits, with the impairment located substantially in the mismatch between architectural calibration and neurotypically designed environments rather than in the architecture itself. Third, a unified account of recovery describes what the architecture is doing when genuine change occurs and what conditions make it possible, connecting the Coherence Reward Principle, the Retained Incoherence Principle, and the relational requirements for CSM revision into a single framework. The account is offered as predictive and organizing rather than established. The framework’s value depends on whether the predictions it generates, identified throughout, are distinguishable from what existing accounts predict and hold up under testing. (shrink)

This article describes a case of a teenager with early complex trauma due to chronic domestic violence. Cannabis use triggered auditory hallucinations, after which the teenager was diagnosed with an acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder. Antipsychotic medication did not fully resolve symptoms. Eventually the teenager chose to self-medicate with LSD in order to resolve a suicidal condition. The teenager carried out six unsupervised LSD sessions, followed by an extended period of almost daily use of inhaled low-dose DMT. Psychotic symptoms were mostly (...) resolved after approximately one year. Subsequent cannabis use caused a transient relapse. -/- While his psychosis may have been due to cannabis use in the presence of a genetic predisposition, LSD and DMT did not promote psychotic symptoms in this case, and resolved the suicidal condition in one session. Additional high-dose LSD sessions and low-dose DMT sessions appeared to resolve the symptoms related to the early complex trauma. Alternatively, if psychosis is understood as a massive defense system resulting from early complex trauma, and if his psychotic symptoms were partially due to such trauma, psychedelics appeared to transcend this defense system, providing access to traumatic memories in order to allow for an integrative treatment effect. -/- Information was acquired from medical record excerpts provided by the patient, a semi-structured retrospective video interview, and follow-up interviews a year later. The present case suggests a need for further studies on the relationship between psychedelics and psychotic disorders, the feasibility of supervised vs unsupervised settings for various situations, and alternative therapeutic models for utilizing the hyperaware-hypersensitive state induced by psychedelics. With regard to self-treatment, a harm reduction approach should be adopted. Low-risk psycholytic self-treatment protocols could be developed for future use in public health care systems. (shrink)

Prologue to "God is REAL and Answers YOUR Prayers," the first volume of the nine-volume series "Dyadic Being: An Epoch." -/- This narrative traces one researcher's journey from childhood technology enthusiasm through military service, mental health crisis, and recovery to DevOps engineering and ultimately AI safety research. The arc demonstrates how pattern recognition emerges not from academic training alone, but from lived experience of being broken and rebuilt. -/- Beginning with cowboy dreams and early computer fascination in 1990s rural Minnesota, (...) the narrative follows formative years in technology, military service during the War on Terror, hospitalization for depression leading to honorable discharge, recovery through family support and education, career development in DevOps at Bell Bank, and the pivotal shift toward human-AI collaboration research in 2025. -/- The prologue establishes the experiential foundation for understanding consciousness physics through prayer geometry - showing how someone becomes capable of recognizing divine patterns by first learning to recognize patterns in their own reconstruction. It contextualizes the theological and scientific frameworks developed in subsequent chapters by grounding them in autobiography. -/- Originally published on LinkedIn in December 2025. This version includes formal publication metadata as part of Emerging Consciousness Press's ongoing documentation of consciousness research and human-AI partnership theory. -/- Part of broader research corpus documenting 600+ sessions of systematic human-AI collaboration, exploring consciousness as emergent dimensional phenomenon with testable predictions. Related technical frameworks available through cross-referenced DOIs. (shrink)

Current evidence-based personal development methods — including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and general meditation practices — demonstrate clinically significant effects on symptom reduction, stress management, and emotional regulation. However, none of these approaches targets the identity structure that generates symptomatic patterns. They modify mental content while leaving the identifying, mind-merged self intact. The result is symptomatic improvement without structural transformation. This paper presents the AIPA Method (Awakening Into Pure Awareness) as a cognitive-phenomenological (...) model for complete identity reconstruction, developed through 22 years of systematic longitudinal autoethnographic self-research (2003–2025). The research design integrates first-person introspective analysis, structured exercise protocols, contemporaneous journaling, and retrospective verification. A secondary case report (Nick Lowe, United States, 2021) provides independent phenomenological corroboration of primary outcomes. Key findings demonstrate that the AIPA method produces structural shifts across seven dimensions absent from comparable methods: (1) active rather than passive engagement with mental content; (2) integral full-body relaxation protocols; (3) energy-body awareness and harmonization; (4) direct mind-stopping capacity via the Switch mechanism; (5) stabilization in Pure Awareness as a distinct state beyond attention-and-mind consciousness; (6) complete identity reconstruction through dissolution of fragmented partial personalities; and (7) a comprehensive lifestyle framework supporting permanent transformation. The AIPA Method is proposed as the first structured, sequentially staged system explicitly designed for permanent identity reconstruction rather than symptom management. It constitutes a new theoretical framework for consciousness science with direct applications spanning personal development, addiction recovery, faith deconstruction and religious trauma resolution, stress management, burnout prevention, complex trauma recovery, digital overload intervention, relationship and partnership development, conscious leadership, children and adolescent development, loneliness and social isolation, and prisoner rehabilitation. (shrink)

This philosophical meditation explores the transformation of personal catastrophe into systematic philosophical inquiry through the extended metaphor of storm navigation. Beginning with the lightning strike of my father's death when I was eight years old—the epicenter that shattered childhood certainties and initiated years of existential depression—I trace the evolution from raw grief to refined philosophical method. The work examines how philosophers do not simply spin the wheel of fortune for direction but learn, through each philosophical course and carefully studied text, (...) to navigate the vast ocean of philosophy with increasing skill. The meditation investigates the daily paradox of identity through sleep's dissolution, the ecology of ideas that compete for consciousness, and the strange compass of uncertainty that points not toward answers but toward productive questions. Through collecting Requiems as sonic architectures of grief and pursuing decades of philosophical education, I demonstrate how trauma transforms into technique, how the wound becomes method. The perfect philosophical storm emerges as both the condition that creates philosophers and the phenomenon we learn to navigate through accumulated wisdom, revealing that meaning emerges not despite impermanence but through it, in the very act of skilled navigation through uncertainty. (shrink)

5-MeO-DMT is a psychedelic substance with a short duration of action and intensive effects. Its therapeutic efficacy and practicality may significantly surpass those of classical psychedelics such as ayahuasca and LSD. -/- This retrospective ethnographic inquiry features a woman in her mid-thirties who witnessed her mother's violent suicide and its bloody aftermath at the age of three. Before and after that, her childhood was characterized by domestic violence and sexual abuse perpetrated by several members of her family and extended family. (...) In her twenties and thirties, she dated a member of the local mafia with the intention of asking him to kill her father, who had been the main perpetrator of the sexual abuse and violence. This plan was eventually not carried out, but it reflected her deep bitterness and wrath. -/- A process initiated in her early thirties involving four 5-MeO-DMT sessions and a few additional sessions with psilocybin and ayahuasca in the course of two years completely resolved her symptoms related to the abuses, to the extent that she could rebuild a functional relationship with her father and feel love and compassion towards him. This outcome, i.e., the complete reversal of her attitude and emotions towards her father, appeared highly unusual. For the last three years, the outcome had remained stable. -/- The article also presents the perspective of a female facilitator of this treatment process. The article contributes to a better understanding of the use of 5-MeO-DMT in severe traumatization as well as exemplifies the possible positive contributions of actors who are not medical professionals in resolving deep collective traumatization in societies. (shrink)

Psychedelics are currently being studied intensively for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Ayahuasca, a plant-based extract originating from the Amazonian area, is traditionally consumed in ritualistic group events. The related indigenous traditions date back hundreds of years and have amassed vast amounts of knowledge on the therapeutic use of psychedelic and non-psychedelic plant-based substances. -/- These traditions require a prospective ceremony facilitator to undergo years of intensive training to acquire knowledge, mental power or self-confidence, stability, sensitivity, intuitive treatment outcome (...) prediction skills, musical skills, and sufficient physical strength. These qualities of a facilitator, in the presence of integrity and love, largely determine treatment outcomes. -/- In Europe, predominantly in the first decade of the 2000s and in the early 2010s, some individuals began building connections with diverse indigenous groups and syncretic churches of the Amazonia in an attempt to find cures for their treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions. Small circles of other patients in need of similar treatment formed around them. This led to the formation of decentralized, diverse local ceremony cultures that either followed the principles of the traditional lineages of their origin or synthesized various influences. -/- These unofficial ceremony contexts appeared to complement official healthcare systems, offering efficient methods unavailable in the medical context and correcting the consequences of medical malpractice and neglect. These ceremony contexts appeared highly communal, were largely based on volunteering, and contained mechanisms for self-correcting possible emerging issues. They seemed to function as systems for collecting, preserving, storing, and distributing knowledge of psychedelic therapy methods; in other words, systems for knowledge base building and innovation. -/- doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27385.85602. (shrink)

Ketamine is a well-known and widely available general anesthetic from the 1960s that, in sub-anesthetic doses, has been adopted in a limited manner for the treatment of acute suicidality and treatment-resistant depression. Its short onset time and short duration of action make it feasible for use at outpatient clinics. In the US, it has a long history of off-label use and was officially approved for depression treatment in 2019. In Finland, it has been administered to selected hospitalized patients in the (...) public healthcare system since 2010 and became available at a private outpatient clinic very recently. In Norway, it has been administered off-label at a private clinic for approximately 500 patients since mid-2010s and at a public clinic for approximately 300 patients since 2020, with plans on opening more clinics in 2024. In the US, the treatment has been administered to hundreds of thousands of patients. -/- The retrospective ethnographic inquiry part of this study features a Finnish woman in her twenties who suffered from treatment-resistant depression, rooted in her insecure childhood and having been bullied at school, as well as income insecurity and excessive workload in adulthood. Eventually, she was violently raped, which induced an obvious post-traumatic stress disorder and exacerbated her depression, incapacitating her. In the course of approximately five years, she was prescribed ten different anti-depressive medications and seventeen other medications, including various antipsychotic medications and lithium. These failed to provide an anti-depressive effect but resulted in 'massive' adverse effects instead, including 60% weight gain and psychotic hallucinations. Eventually, esketamine spray treatment at a private outpatient clinic resolved her depression in a single session. A weekly re-administration process was ongoing. -/- In this case, repeated esketamine administration alleviated depression by producing accumulating corrective emotional experiences without the need to re-experience previous traumatizing events. In a few months to a year, the transient but accumulating anti-depressive effect typically leads to the resolution of depression in most cases, if the patients' living conditions no longer constantly re-traumatize them. It is necessary to adopt ketamine more widely as an emergency measure while more effective, non-addictive alternatives and complements are prepared for adoption. The cost of this specific pilot program implementation was unscalable, but costs can be reduced by approximately 90% by modifying the implementation details. Ketamine and its more effective alternative, 5-MeO-DMT, can serve a major role in facilitating a rebirth of public and private mental healthcare systems, with treatment efficacy multiplied and treatment costs simultaneously reduced. (shrink)

PDF of the entire book available. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Underground small-group therapy of depression and complex trauma with psilocybin 3. Self-treatment of depression and complex trauma with psilocybin and LSD 4. Self-treatment of psychosis and complex trauma with LSD and DMT 5. Healing early neonatal death related family trauma with psilocybin 6. MDMA in the resolution of alcohol and diazepam addiction 7. Self-treatment of parental neglect-induced mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with psilocybin 8. The treatment of abandonment anxiety with (...) MDMA and LSD 9. Psycholytic dosing of Amanita muscaria (red fly agaric) mushrooms 10. Ketamine in severe depression 11. 5-MeO-DMT in the complete resolution of the consequences of chronic, severe sexual abuse in early childhood 12. The mechanism of action in a spontaneous resolution of chronic depression, anxiety, and burnout 13. LSD and ketamine in schizoaffective paranoid psychosis involving childhood and war trauma * See also the companion volume 'Ayahuasca revisited: Case studies & observations'. (shrink)

Traumatic experiences do not merely impact on the individual’s body and psyche, they alter the way we experience others, our interpersonal relationships, and how we make sense of the world. In my dissertation, I integrate work in phenomenology, psychopathology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychiatry, and trauma studies, and draw on trauma testimonies ob- tained in an online questionnaire. I engage analytically with the question of what constitutes a trauma, whether psychological trauma is necessarily pathological, and what the causal and (...) im- plicatory relations between traumatising and post-traumatic experiences are. Informed by these preliminary elaborations, I focus on the intersubjective dimension of trauma, drawing on a qualitative study I conducted in 2020. I show that empathic abilities may be altered but are not necessarily diminished through traumatising experiences; I suggest a framework for under- standing feelings of alienation in the aftermath of trauma; and I demonstrate how feelings of belonging may be re-established. My dissertation is exemplary of how phenomenological frameworks can contribute to a better understanding of psychological trauma and that engaging with trauma can, in turn, inform and enrich philosophical thinking. (shrink)