One with nature: Tessa Love on psychedelics and connectedness

“[H]ippies may have been onto something.” Wow, far out. Groovy to hear it. Tessa Love, a Berlin-based writer whose work focuses on the intersection of technology and humanity, asserts that LSD and other psychedelics may facilitate communing with nature in this May 2019 essay in Elemental+, a Medium-hosted blog.

Love, “How LSD may facilitate communing with nature”

1. Love’s article establishes two principal benefits to a person’s being able to commune with nature, whether that communion is facilitated by psychedelic drugs or not. What are those benefits? Do you agree that they are important? Why or why not?
2. Love is careful not to overstate her claim. For example, the use of “may” in the title allows for other possibilities. In what other ways does Love demonstrate caution in her conclusions about the benefits of psychedelics? In your response, consider word choice as well as larger ideas.
3. In her essay, Love summarizes (and occasionally quotes from or links to) the work of academics in several disciplines. How well does she introduce her sources? How adequate are her summaries? Read or re-read Chapter 2 of your text to help you assess Love’s moves.
4. Have you ever experienced the connectedness with nature that Love describes? Whether you got there by means of psychedelics, outdoor activities, a worship service, a work of art or music, a farmers’ market, or something else, you probably have felt the connection at some time. Write an essay about your experience of feeling connected (with nature, the universe, other people). How did you arrive at the feeling? Did you experience the “ego dissolution” that Love describes? What lasting effects did the experience have on your life? Use Love and any of her sources as your They Say.

Comments

[Taylor Turman]

Having only ever heard stories of LSD trips, I'll admit the idea of becoming more connected with nature via LSD is still not something I can completely comprehend. However, I do recall a part in one of my favorite novels, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, where a portion of the main characters host a bacchanal. One of the characters goes on to describe how after taking LSD, they all felt as if where were literal aspects of nature, claiming one of the others turned into a deer. At the time, I had not given the idea much thought, but after reading this it puts a new perspective on that scene. Perhaps by allowing the mind to enter such a state, we are able to access on a new perspective of the world. Truly a shame no further research could be done on the effects of LSD on the mind

[Bonny Nicole Evans]

The psychedelic movement as with most cultural movements was a socially engineered construct. The US government created LSD and used in experiments such as mk ultra. They popularized the drug they created.
You don't need drugs to be connected to nature. You need a relationship with Yah to feel the see and connection with His Creation.

[Emily Adkins]

In the article “How LSD May Facilitate Communing with Nature” by author Tessa Love, she discusses the effects of LSD and how people after. Taking it appear to have a deeper and furthered connection to nature. She also argues that this is a case that has been studied for decades and that the effects are all the same for previous users all over the world. Her purpose for this article is to bring up the conversation that using LSD can be beneficial in not only saving the environment but enhancing oneself. She brings up multiple studies done by psychologists which have supported the ideas of her article and have found its usage as a way to help counter depression by finding the beauty in other things. She does bring up points that the research supporting this has been limited due to the illegalization of psychedelics but that the research conducted has proven that LSD allows you to feel empathy for nature and all things. And Love believes that through this level of empathy it drives out feelings of uselessness or depression by feeling a connection to the world. Love appeals to the audience through an environmental viewpoint and a mental health status to support the furthering of research on the relationship between LSD and nature.
I disagree with Love’s argument that there is a correlation between LSD and feeling a connection with nature. Although I understand the feeling of wholesomeness, I do not believe that people after tripping will feel empathetic to nature indefinitely. I personally know people who have tripped LSD and had bad trips which has caused a permanent disconnect, even an innate fear of random objects or situations. It has disrupted their lifestyle of where they once enjoyed simple things and now fear things like electronics and trees. I also disagree because LSD is a chemically engineered drug that contains very harmful chemicals in today’s doses. It can be so severe that it causes people to remain in a permanent trip or even randomly trip after visiting a chiropractor. There is nothing natural about taking LSD, however I would agree with the article had it been about psilocybin mushrooms. Since they are produced naturally and are not as potent it would be more of a realistic topic for discussion. I believe that research should be focused more so on the effects on psilocybin if there is an aim to legalize it for the benefit of the environment.

[Holly H.]

Tessa Love’s article argues that scientists and researchers are finding that people who experiment with psychedelic drugs such as LSD, are more likely to have a sense of connectedness to nature. In writing the article, she presents evidence from chemist Albert Hofmann, who was the first person to “drop LSD” in 1943 as he claims the experience of his bike ride gave him increased sensitivity to the world around him. The author highlights a study done by a postdoctoral fellow at Yale, Mathhias Forstmann, who conducted a study on how psychedelic drugs can offer a solution for mental illnesses such as depression, which do not respond to traditional treatments in some patients. She expands and explains that the drug helped patients feel a sense of connectedness to everything, not just nature, and that worked to help battle their depression. The research, however, is limited due to the drugs being highly illegal since the 1960’s. Love’s main argument is that psychedelic drugs are likely capable of great things, but would need much more research in order to have maximum benefits.
I agree with Love’s argument that drugs traditionally viewed as negative can harbor great possibilities for people who consume them either recreationally, or medicinally. Similar to strides made in recent years with medical marijuana, psychedelic drugs could prove that drugs once seen as taboo and negative may be beneficial in feeling a sense of connectedness to nature and the world around them, and in turn possibly coping better with mental illness. I believe some of this research is already underway, with states such as Colorado decriminalizing mushrooms and experimenting with microdosing, and that if researchers are finding evidence that the drug may be beneficial, more research should be done, despite assumptions from decades prior.

[William E.]

In this article, Love argues that research has found that people who use psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline, feel more connected to nature. Love brings up the Swiss chemist, Albert Hofmann, who in 1943 was the first man to ever experience an acid trip. While under the effects of the drug, Hofmann felt somewhat of a oneness with nature which was said to have lasted long after the drug wore off. Love also mentions the hypotheses of many researchers who suggest that the consumption of psychedelics causes people to have more concern for the environment. However, Love mentions how further research has been hindered, as LSD has been illegal since the 1960s. Love also brings up the research of Matthias Forstmann, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale, who conducted a study which examined the relationship between people who have used psychedelics and their connection to nature. Forstmann’s study found that those who have a history of using psychedelics tend to feel more connected to nature. Love’s main argument is that psychedelic drugs might have many benefits, but further research is necessary before any conclusions can be reached.
I agree with Love’s argument that psychedelic drugs might have potential benefits, especially regarding he environment. I believe that further research should be conducted because if there is in fact a correlation between drug use and environmental concern, maybe these drugs should become legalized again. Recently, the effects of marijuana on certain illnesses have been studied and is gradually becoming legalized, as these studies have proved the benefits of the drug. If similar studies are done with psychedelics, then these drugs might be legalized as well. If there is potentially an increase in environmentalism as a result in legalizing psychedelics, then I believe research should be conducted. Just as with marijuana, LSD might be a drug that is beneficial after all, despite years of alternate opinions.

[Kathleen Mitchell]

In the article “How LSD May Facilitate Communing With Nature,” the author Tessa Love discusses research that has been done to prove that psychedelic drugs can make a user feel more connected to nature. She discusses the inventor and first user of LSD, Albert Hofmann. He was a chemist, who after using the drug, described that his experience allowed him to feel more connected with nature and who later on became an environmentalist. Love brings up how this first account of LSD use lead to the movies and TV shows depicting psychedelic drugs as connecting a user with nature. She also mentions studies that have proven psychedelic drug users care more about the environment and are more likely to show pro-environmental behavior. Love also uses the example of hippies of the 1960’s to tie in the belief that psychedelics can not only make one feel closer to nature but that the connection felt is strong enough to make the users want to help protect their nature. Love’s main argument is that psychedelics can change a person's perception of nature and the environment but that there is not enough evidence to say every user is changed in the same way.
I agree with Love’s argument that psychedelics can change a user's perception but I disagree with her belief that it is mainly the perception of nature. I believe psychedelics can make the user feel and believe whatever they want to and whatever their life needs to balance itself at the time. Whether that is feeling closer to nature or becoming more confident in their skin after dosing. While it might be common for psychedelics to open the user's mind to nature and allow them to feel more connected it is not always the case. Users who experience this new feeling of connection need to, while others who already feel that bond between themselves and their environment, need to experience something else.

[Reed Massaro]

Reed Massaro

Throughout my lifetime I can say I've only heard about stories of people on LSD or just heard of the effects that it could have on people. Most of the stories I've heard or read usually end up with the idea of it being a life changer in the way you think. In 1943 Albert Hoffmann became the first human known to drop LSD. He originally described it as a nervous system stimulant, but soon came to realize its powerful effects when going on a bike ride. He was the first person to describe it as a oneness that lasts long after the drug has worn off. He stated “Through my LSD experience and my new picture of reality, I became aware of the wonder of creation, the magnificence of nature, and of the animal and plant kingdom”. Also, he later described how he became very sensitive to what will happen “with all of us and this”. Today, researchers are reconsidering these drugs potential to have therapeutic benefits. A researcher in this study states “ its likely not the feeling of connection to nature that is specifically driving away depression, but the sense of connection to everything”. Researchers explain that this drug can act as a treatment for depression by changing the individual from moving from a sense of disconnection from themselves, others, and the world to a sense of connection. However, before there can be conclusions around any of this, both Forstmann and Tagliazucchi say more research is needed. They believe there should be experiments conducted outside the lab and with people without a history of mental illness. But in the meantime, Hofmann’s experience lives on, and as a new generation of psychedelic enthusiasts becomes one with nature, we may see the benefits echo throughout culture within the next few decades. From my understanding of the effects of this drug stays constant with different types of people it could significantly help an individual and their perspective on the world as a whole, as well as the environment because more and more people will have an open mind to protecting the environment. On the other hand, based on the stories I heard I personally believe doing this drug is a gamble. You can either have a good trip or a bad one and this will inevitably control you perspective on life. If you were to have a bad trip, I think these effects would be reversed and the person would feel disconnected, and bring a sense of fear in their life and disrupt their daily life routines. I think the author brings up some interesting viewpoints and some true statements but I would need to have a lot more research before I could even consider this to be a solution to some people's lives. Personally weed is the only drug that I can relate to this. When I first started smoking it was great and all the little things in life stood out and began to open your mind while you were under the influence. However the difference is that it doesn't really stick with you once it wears off and in order to get that feeling of “connectedness” you would have to smoke again. Therefore, all in all, it isn't a good habit to continue with because of the negative effects as well.