Psychedelics & Existential Crises: Navigating Psychedelic Aftershock (Talk & Discussion)

Name: Psychedelics & Existential Crises: Navigating Psychedelic Aftershock (Talk & Discussion)
Start: 2025-03-02T19:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-03-02T21:00:00+00:00
Location: The Steam Crane

Schedule

Sun Mar 02 2025 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Steam Crane | Bristol, EN

Standing back up: Navigating post-trip existential challenges
Psychedelics can offer profound, mind-opening experiences, but they can also shake our foundational ground, our sense of reality and sense of self, to its core. In a recent study we explored the experiences of 26 people who faced deep existential distress after a psychedelic journey—confusion about the meaning of life, identity, and their place in the world. These experiences affected their thoughts, emotions, relationships, and their physical well-being.
Participants shared the difficulties they encountered as well as what helped them navigate their challenges, including practices that anchored them back in their bodies, conversations that made their experiences feel ‘normal’, and support from understanding communities. Integration after a challenging psychedelic experience isn’t just about “getting back to normal”—it’s about finding a new, stable way to make sense of the world.
This talk will explore how psychedelic-induced ‘ontological shock’ can shake our foundational understanding of reality, and how integration practices and support systems can help rebuild a sense of stability and meaning.
Join us for an open conversation about navigating the complexities of psychedelic experiences with care, curiosity, and connection.
Speaker - Eirini Ketzitzidou Argyri
Eirini Ketzitzidou Argyri is a researcher and writer with a background spanning psychology, education, and philosophy. Her PhD explores the double-edged sword inherent in the transformative potential of psychedelic experiences. She has conducted research on the challenges of post-trip distress, effective integration practices and meaning-making after challenging psychedelic experiences.
Beyond academia, she’s passionate about weaving creative expression, therapeutic insight, and community connection into her work.- Her creative projects delve into themes of identity, fate, and meaning. Committed to fostering community spaces for transformative learning and personal growth, she has been coordinating transdisciplinary psychedelic colloquia at the University of Exeter, volunteers with PsyCare UK, and co-founded a local ‘Holistic Integration’ group for those seeking to make sense of altered states and share integration practices with others.
Evening Schedule
7pm: Doors open
7.30pm: Talk begins
8.15pm: Q&A
Arrive early to grab a drink and connect with fellow consciousness explorers!