Altered Mates is a podcast where two mates, each fascinated by altered states, meet to discuss the psychedelic experience and its implications for society, culture, health, science, and philosophy.
Alejandro is novelist and a teacher of english and psychology. Tobias is an academic and a lecturer in social work and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Our conversations are always grounded in our own direct experiences with a range of āalteredā states of consciousness.
Hero of the podcast, William James, suggests that,Ā āOur normal waking consciousnessā¦ is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely differentā¦ No account of the universe in its totality can be final which leaves these other forms of consciousness quite disregarded.ā
You could say that we are trying to construct a better account of our universe, and we are taking Jamesā advice to heart, by seriously regarding those āotherā forms of consciousness.
Through our research and our subsequent discussions, we seek to find, update, and/or create, working models of the mind, and of reality, that help us to make sense of our world.
We endeavour to integrate our own psychedelic experiences through the power of conversation. But we also seek to integrate the revelations of ātheā psychedelic experience, and come to terms with the implications, from cultural, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives.
Having said all that, weāre also just two normal blokes who enjoy each otherās company. And our fancy Socratic dialogues are filtered through our own unique brand of Australian banter. After all, weāre just two mates trying to enjoy our limited time on this planet, and to create a more meaningful life for ourselves and our community while weāre here.
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