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differently, the global South (Dussel, 2012), a term used in decolonial
literature to refer to developing countries that have historically been
exploited by colonialism, houses some of these exact non-imperialist
methods for psychological care and, as a result, provides an alternative to
abnormality that is not available under the regime of capitalism on which
its Western counterpart is dependent. There are clear overlaps here with
what philosopher Enrique Dussel (1998) describes as trans-modernism—a
theoretical framework which looks to the “occluded other” of modernity,
or that which colonialism exploits but does not acknowledge. For Dussel,
this can provide a foundation for a Liberation Philosophy that transcends
the limits of Eurocentric models of individual persons.
A helpful way of talking about the kinds of non-normative experiences
described above has been introduced into the literature, most notably by
Charles Tart (1990, 2001), through the term altered states of
consciousness. Though some have argued that the phrase “altered pattern
of phenomenal properties” is more appropriate insofar as it shifts to
emphasis away from normative subjectivity and towards changes in the
content of perception (see Rock & Krippner, 2007). Such experiences can
be achieved through, for example, intensive sociocultural ritual, the
ingestion of psychedelic substances, bodily modification, and so on.
Instead of pathologizing alternative modes of being as abnormal, the very
idea of a diversity of states of consciousness, or embodied ways of being-
in-the-world, carries a potential to normalize and, indeed, bring into
acceptance what may otherwise be considered abnormal ways of
experiencing life. This perspective is buttressed by research efforts of those
like Michael Pollan (2018), who overviews countless studies and personal
accounts of how the use of psychedelics can help ease suffering for people
diagnosed with depression, addiction, and other forms of mental distress.
As he explains, such accounts are only growing in number as the social
stigma related to psychedelic substances becomes more subdued. If
nothing else, changing narratives about the use of psychedelic
substancesunderscores that experiences beyond what is considered normal
may more appropriately help us understand abnormality outside of the
biomedical model described so far.