Expansion and Regression in Oceanic Experience: A Model of Psychedelic Consciousness for Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalytic Dialogues November 2, 2025 Karen Peoples, Megan Rundel
The authors argue that psychedelic-assisted therapy does not simply cause regression to an earlier developmental stage, as some psychoanalytic theories suggest. Instead, they propose that psychedelics expand consciousness along a continuum from ordinary discursive thought, through dreamlike liminal states, to unitive experiences of oneness. They contend that traditional psychoanalytic regression models do not align with findings from psychedelic neuroscience or infant observation research. Oceanic experiences under psychedelics are explored as a powerful healing force from a new psychoanalytic perspective. A case example of a patient using ketamine in analytic treatment illustrates the theoretical points.