Sean John Hinton

Track: Psychedelics – Science, Spirituality and Therapeutic Potential

Insights into Holotropic function of Altered States.

With the renaissance of psychedelic research many studies are producing insights into the activities and efficacies of classical psychedelics as therapeutic conjunctive.  The proposed presentation will focus on the current research using modern techniques of fMRI and other brain imaging technics and the implications to theories of mind, brain and consciousness.  Using this body of research as scaffolding for understanding psychedelic states, I will then talk about the phenomenal subjective experience and the unique subjective properties of the therapeutic experience using these substances.  The role of unitive experience in healing will be focused on.  Drawing on my prior work in numinous experience I will draw parallels between the mystical and psychedelic experience.  We will further look at these experiences in the role of healer and the holotropic functions of the Self.   The role of the therapist as a container for transpersonal inner work is crucial to successful inner healing and will be discussed as one of our growing roles in the coming age of psychedelic therapy.

Dr Hinton is a professional psychological consultant in private practice, author of several peer reviewed articles, researcher, and professor. He currently teaches in the graduate school of psychology at Capella University.  He studied depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and received a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Palo Alto CA, and also received a MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management Pepperdine University Malibu, California.  Sean Hinton has researched extraordinary experience that related to the phenomena of the numinous as well as imaginal realms. Interests include philosophy, consciousness studies, neurobiology, psychedelic research, and writing poetry.  He is a volunteer sitter for psychedelic research and a member of MAPS.  Sean has presented at SAC (Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness) and Eurotas on studies related to consciousness and numinous experiences.