Psychonautics it is a word that derives from the Greek “psyché” (soul, mind) and nautès (sailor, navigator), so it literally means “navigation in the mind”.

Psychonautics is a research methodology on human nature and essence, based on the exploration of altered states of consciousness. The psychonaut voluntarily causes himself an alteration in order to reach a greater awareness or to create. So psychonauts are not simply all the buyers of smart shop, but these are only people who use natural drugs or other techniques for a meditative purpose.

Who was the first psychonaut?

The first psychonauts were all those indigenous peoples – hundreds in history – who used psychedelic substances or sensory alteration techniques for religious purposes. But who invented the word psychonaut he was the German writer Ernst Junger, who used it to describe his acquaintance Arthur Heffter. He was a pharmacologist who in the 70s was involved in research on psychedelic substances by experimenting with them on himself; he was also the first to isolate the active principle of mescaline from the peyote cactus.

Jünger later wrote a book entitled: “Approaches: Drugs and Ecstatic Intoxication” in which he recounted Exploring the mind through hallucinogens. His theory was that: “We will not reign as masters of the house until we have opened the door of the last chamber.”

Psychonautical Methods

The methods of psychonautical research there are many and they do not necessarily involve the use of drugs. Any method that leads to a altered state of consciousness It can be used by psychonauts to achieve the knowledge they aspire to.

Here are the main ones psychonautical methods:

• Use of psychoactive substances (entheogens): In traditional cultures, the psychoactive substances used for mental journeys were all of natural origin such as peyote, ayahuasca, san pedro, cannabis, salvia divinorum and so on. Today, pure substances extracted from these plants have also become widespread, as well as synthetic hallucinogens (LSD etc.).
• Techniques for interrupting psychophysical processes: To induce mental journeys, you can also use self-deprivation techniques that disrupt natural physiological processes such as sleep deprivation, fasting, sensory deprivation, and sweat lodges.
• Shamanic and religious rituals: during religious rituals, tools such as music, dance or other techniques can lead to a slight alteration of consciousness during which it is possible to experience a spiritual journey.
• Oneironautics: dreams are also part of psychonautical exploration. There are techniques to induce so-called lucid dreams, dreams in which the “traveler” is aware of living in an altered state of consciousness.
• Hypnosis: Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness characterized by deep concentration and focused attention, accompanied by a reduction in awareness of the external world. In this state, the person may experience changes in perception, memory, and behavior.
• Meditation: psychonautics techniques also include meditation and methods of breath control and alteration which can lead to greater focus and mental clarity.
• Neural activity stimulators: such as mind machines, binaural tones, dreamachine etc.
• Prayers and mantras: even the repetition of prayer sounds or mantras can lead to a higher state of consciousness.

Famous Psychonauts

Thanks to these famous psychonauts, science, still skeptical about psychedelic substances, is slowly changing its approach to this topic.

• Timothy Leary

Timothy Leary was a clinical psychologist at Harvard University and began conducting highly successful experiments on theuse of psilocybin as an adjuvant to psychological therapy. After being fired from Harvard he became a well-known counterculture figure and an advocate for the psychiatric benefits of LSD.

• Albert Hofmann

In 1938, while searching for a new respiratory stimulant, Hofmann synthesized for the first time the'LSD, derived from ergot (a fungus that parasitizes cereals). Only five years later, in 1943, Hofmann decided to resynthesize the substance and accidentally absorbed a small amount through his skin. This experience led him to perceive psychedelic effects, such as visual distortions and an intense perception of reality, an event he later called his LSD "trip".

Hofmann subsequently decided to consciously experiment with the substance. On April 19, 1943, he voluntarily ingested 250 micrograms of LSD, a much higher dosage than was thought necessary, and documented its effects. That day became known as the "Bicycle Day" because Hofmann, during the peak of the drug's effects, pedaled home accompanied by strong hallucinations.

In the following years, LSD attracted the attention of psychiatrists, psychologists and artists. In the scientific community it was studied for its therapeutic potential in psychiatry, for example in the treatment of depression and addictions.

• Terence McKenna

McKenna is known for exploring and discussing the effects of natural psychedelics such as hallucinogenic mushrooms (containing psilocybin), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and ayahuasca. He believed that these substances could open the mind to new dimensions of consciousness and spiritual experience.

One of his best-known theories is the "Theory of the hallucinating monkey" (in English "Stoned ape theory"), according to which the evolution of human consciousness and the development of language would have been accelerated by the ingestion of psychedelic mushrooms by our ancestors. According to McKenna, exposure to these substances would have played a role in the enhancing cognitive and creative abilities of the first hominids, contributing to the evolution of our species.

• Alexander Shulgin

Alexander Shulgin was a pharmacologist, biochemist and writer. Although Shulgin did not invent the MDMA, it was he who recognized its potential as a therapeutic tool. He recommended the use of the substance in psychotherapeutic field, and several psychologists began using it in the 1970s and 1980s to help patients open up emotionally during therapy sessions. Shulgin called MDMA a "entactogenic", a term he coined to describe substances that promote internal contact and emotional connection.