The intimacy of psychedelics, language, and consciousness.

Language plays a generative role in shaping and sustaining consciousness, not merely reporting it. Cognitive neuroscientist Jeremy I. Skipper argues against localizationist models of language processing, emphasizing context-dependent and dynamic brain recruitment. Aphasic patients report loss of self-narrative and increased connectedness, paralleling psychedelic states where linguistic categories dissolve and ineffability arises. Potential neural mechanisms linking language disruption to psychedelic experiences are outlined. The UNITy Project aims to study post-acute meaning-making processes and predict changes in language and well-being after psychedelic sessions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This interview explores the intimate relationship between language and consciousness, drawing insights from aphasia phenomenology, psychedelic experiences, and neuroscientific theories. Jeremy I. Skipper, a cognitive neuroscientist, argues that language is not merely a tool for reporting conscious experiences but plays a generative role in shaping and sustaining consciousness itself. He critiques localizationist models of language processing, emphasizing the context-dependence and dynamic recruitment of brain regions. Parallels are drawn between the experiences of aphasic patients, who report a loss of self-narrative and increased connectedness, and the phenomenology of psychedelic states, which often involve a dissolution of linguistic categories and a sense of ineffability. Skipper outlines potential neural mechanisms linking language disruption to psychedelic experiences and discusses the UNITy Project, aimed in part at studying post-acute meaning-making processes and predicting changes in language and well-being after psychedelic sessions.