THE 4DS: DANCE, DRUMS, DRUGS, AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Ritual and rave
People have come together for exalted, communal experiences involving music, dance, and psychedelic substances for millennia. We have identified ‘the 4Ds’ (dance, drums, drugs, and sleep deprivation) and their role in long term social bonding, particularly the role psychedelics might have on personally transformative experiences that lead to this bonding. In addition, research with British football fans shows that cocaine amplifies aggressive behaviour among highly bonded fans. We test the possibility that raves or festivals constitute a mass, ritual gathering for young people - one that may be particularly important to young people with faster life history trajectories. This research is now working with festivals in the UK and Germany to investigate physiological synchrony between participants in altered states of consciousness.
COLLABORATORS:
Dr Valerie van Mulukum (Univ. Coventry)
Dr Leor Roseman (Univ. Exeter)
Prof Catherine Haslam (Univ. Queensland)
Prof Alex Haslam (Univ. Queensland)
Prof Tegan Cruwys (Australian National Univ.)
Dr David Luke (Univ. Greenwich)
Iryana Mosina (Univ. Greenwich)
OUTPUTS:
Newson (Oct 24, 2024) Unlocking the Power of Psychedelics Through Social Connection. Springer Nature Research Communities.
Academic publications
Newson, M., Haslam, A., Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Roseman, L. (2024) Social identity processes as a vehicle for therapeutic success in psychedelic treatment: Harnessing the social cure. Nature Mental Health. DOI: 10.1038/s44220-024-00302-5
Newson, M., van Mulukom V., Johns, S. E. (2021). Future orientation is associated with less lockdown rule breaking, even during large illegal gatherings. Futures. DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2021.102883
Newson, M., Khurana, R., Cazorla, F., van Mulukom, V. (2021) ‘I Get High With a Little Help From My Friends’ - How Raves Can Invoke Identity Fusion and Lasting Co-operation via Transformative Experiences. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719596.
