“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear…as it is - infinite.”
― William Blake
September 13th - October 25th
A Seven-Week Online Course with Tim Willison
Both individually and collectively, human development unfolds multi-dimensionally through progressive stages that emerge within the enabling conditions of those liminal spaces that can support transformative learning. Over the millennia, the role of transformative learning in cultural evolution has included the use of psychedelics. Psychedelic experience can contribute to transforming habits, patterns, and lives. Although there have been approaches to transformative learning that demonstrably parallel the creative and transformative effects of psychedelics without their use, this course focuses on the role psychedelic compounds can have in healing and transforming individual and collective trauma.
While casual, frequent, and the non-ritualized use of psychedelic compounds can be harmful, even so and similar to mindfulness practice, the use of psychedelic compounds is on its way to becoming mainstream. The scientific study and utilization of psychedelics is at an inflection point as indicated by inclusion on the list of the top 10 annual scientific breakthroughs in the journal, Science. Both hyping and debunking distort what we do and don’t know about psychedelics and neuroplasticity, in effect problematizing the application of research to therapeutic and transformative efforts. This course reviews contemporary research on psychedelic practice in the context of cultural history, mythology, and political development.
Curriculum
Course Modules
Module One
Mindchange: Psychedelic Experience and the Developing Mind
- Ecologies of Mind: The Primacy and Presence of Experience
- Mind as the Subjective Experience of Consciousness
- The Role of Transformative Learning in Transforming Mindsets
- Psychedelics as a Catalyst for Transformative Learning
- Transformations of Consciousness: Mindfulness and Growth Mindsets
Module Two
States and Structures: The Power of Altered States
- The Ecstatic Imperative: Rediscovering Participatory Consciousness
- Psychedelic Experience: Ecstatic, Mystical and Religious
- De-integration and Disintegration: Multiplicity and Transformations of Identity
- Perspectival Shifts: Breaking Through the Trance of Normality
- Letting the Brain off the Leash: Quieting the Default Mode Network
- Activating Whole-Brain Experience through Ritualization
Module Three
Restructuring the Mind: Psychedelics and the Power of Transformative Learning
- Consciousness Develops Minds through Integrating Experience
- Critical Periods: The Magic of Neuroplasticity
- How Many Brains? The Modularity of Brain Structure
- Well-Being as State and Well-Being as Structure
- Creativity and the Ecology of Consciousness
Module Four
The Restoration of Experience: Healing and Transforming Trauma
- Seven Dimensions of Trauma
- Healing is a Learning Process
- Emotion, Cognition, and Addiction
- Frozen Minds: Numbed and Embedded in Abstraction
- Transcending Adaptive Identity: Regulating the Default Mode Network (DMN)
Module Five
Post-Traumatic Growth and Transformative Learning
- Reopening the Critical Period: Adaptive DMN versus Transformative DMN
- Peace of Mind: Liberation from Perspectival Fixation
- Reimagining Love and Conscience as Consciousness Capabilities
Module Six
Indigenous Cultures and Initiation Practices
- Language and Poesis: Participating in an Animated World
- Cultural Trauma: Cultural Crisis as a Crisis of Meaning
- Developmental Trauma: The “Mental Health Crisis” is a Cultural Crisis
- Closing the Shamanic Circle: Indigenous Roots of Psychedelic Practice
- Dynamic Equilibrium: The Emergence of Complexity
- Wisdom Journey: The Arc of Cultural Formations
Module Seven
“The Future Isn’t What it Used to be”: The Promise of Psychedelics as a Catalyst for Cultural Evolution and Human Development
- Sharing Possible Worlds: The Future Emerges in Liminal Spaces
- The Power of Possibility: Psychedelics, Creativity, and Improvisation
- Psychedelic Experience as a Window to the Inner Commons
- From Domination to Partnership: Regenerating the Cultural Commons
- The Transgressive Imagination: The Advent of the Metamodern Psychedelic Practitioner
- The Role of Transformative Learning in Enabling Individual and Collective Development
- Transformative Communities of Practice and the Emergence of Next Practices
- Collective Awakening: Gathering the Force of Goodness
*Course modules are illustrative. Faculty build dynamic course content and class structure aligned with and beyond the listed modules.
Faculty
Convening Faculty
Tim Willison
Faculty
Contributing Faculty
Jean Houston
Pier Luigi Lattuada
Aftab Omer
Melissa Schwartz
Format
Course Structure
- Seven-week online course from September 13, 2023 through October 25, 2023.
- Six, live, 75-minute Zoom sessions with faculty held Wednesdays at 10:00 am PT (Pacific Time) and recorded for participants who cannot join every session live. Note: There is no live class during Week One.
- Reading resources, networking, and emergent community outcomes.
- Content and collaboration via Meridian's social learning platform.
Schedule
Course Schedule
Sept. 13
10 AMCourse Platform Opens
Sept. 2010 AMFirst Live Course Session
Sept. 2710 AMSecond Live Course Session
Oct. 410 AMThird Live Course Session
Oct. 1110 AMFourth Live Course Session
Oct. 1810 AMFifth Live Course Session
Oct. 2510 AMSixth Live Course Session
Course Fees
$250
- Live video classes
- Access to recordings on course platform
- Course platform community and written resources
- Participant launch of ongoing Community of Practice after the course
Accreditation
Meridian University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) - a higher education accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education. WASC is also the accreditor for Stanford University, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Online Course?
Meridian's online courses are conducted via the University's own learning platform. Our online courses promote community learning, through strong interactive engagement with fellow students and faculty as well as live video sessions with faculty.
What technology do I need to take an online course?
You will need an email account, a high-speed internet connection, and access to a computer, iOS or Android device. If you are planning to attend the course video calls live, you will need a webcam and microphone for your device. (Course video calls are conducted with participants video-enabled.)
Do I need to be online at certain times for class?
Live 75 to 90-min video sessions with faculty and fellow students will be conducted throughout the course. Each week's live video call will be recorded and posted on the course platform. Video presentations, readings, discussions and learning activities will be accessible asynchronously and may be completed on participants' own schedule. Course resources and recordings will remain available up to 30 days after the close of the course.
What is Meridian's refund policy?
Full refunds are available until two (2) days before the course begins, by request via email.
Do I need to apply to Meridian graduate program to take this online course?
You do not need to apply to a Meridian graduate degree program to take this online course. This course is one of Meridian's open-enrollment courses.
How can I reach course support?
The course support team will be available to assist from start to finish. Please send your questions/requests/issues to ctl@meridianuniversity.edu
Who will teach each session?
Convening faculty generally lead each live session. Contributing faculty typically contribute in one of the live course sessions. Course resources address the work of both convening and contributing faculty.
Is financial aid available for this public online course?
Meridian has institutional and federal financial aid options for our graduate degree programs. This open enrollment course does not have financial aid or payment plans available.