Are psychedelic experiences transformative?

The " Are Psychedelic Experiences Transformative?" student conference, organized by the Faculty of Philosophy by the University of Bucharest (through its Department for Theoretical Philosophy), in partnership with students from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, department of Cognitive Science, BA program in Cognitive Science, aims to bring together students and researchers in philosophy of mind, epistemology, cognitive science, in order to explore whether and how psychedelic experiences may lead to transformative experiences, 

The conference will take place 18 May 2025, between 9 AM-8 PM, local time for Bucharest, Romania. Regular presentations will be 20 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes long Q&A.

It will have a mixed format, in that speakers may choose whether they present online only or face to face at the event's location (if so, their session will enjoy a live audience, but it will also be streamed to remote participants).

Panels

What are the challenges in predicting the transformative potential of psychedelic experiences in the case of psychedelics known to produce ego dissolution?

• What can psychedelic experiences that lead to transformative experiences teach us about consciousness?

• What is the epistemic status of psychedelic-induced metaphysical beliefs?

• Does culture influence psychedelic experiences? Does it bear on their potential of being transformative experiences?

• Do psychedelic experiences facilitate belief transmission, enculturation and social affiliation ? 

• What do transformative experiences, in the process of self-transformation and healing, tell us about the self ?

• Can controlled psychedelic use lead to genuine forms of knowledge gain? Can reports based on such experiences justify newly acquired beliefs that match non-physicalist views of consciousness?