Book contents
- Altered Minds
- Altered Minds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Overview of Existing Literature
- Part IThe Deep History of Mind-Altering Substances
- Chapter 1The Origins of Psychoactive Substance Use
- Chapter 2Neurochemistry and the Thrill-Seeking Brain
- Chapter 3Psychoactive Substances in Ancient Civilisations
- Part IIFrom Ritual to Regulation
- Part IIIThe Future of Human Consciousness
- References
- Index
Chapter 1 - The Origins of Psychoactive Substance Use
from Part I - The Deep History of Mind-Altering Substances
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2026
Book contents
- Altered Minds
- Altered Minds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Overview of Existing Literature
- Part IThe Deep History of Mind-Altering Substances
- Chapter 1The Origins of Psychoactive Substance Use
- Chapter 2Neurochemistry and the Thrill-Seeking Brain
- Chapter 3Psychoactive Substances in Ancient Civilisations
- Part IIFrom Ritual to Regulation
- Part IIIThe Future of Human Consciousness
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores the prehistoric and evolutionary origins of psychoactive substance use, focusing on how early humans discovered and ritualised mind-altering plants and compounds. It examines archaeological and ethnobotanical evidence from various regions, including the use of hallucinogenic cacti, fungi, and fermented beverages in shamanic traditions. The chapter contextualises substance use as a tool for spiritual mediation, community bonding, and survival adaptation, arguing that the cognitive expansion it facilitated may have contributed to symbolic thinking and early cultural complexity. Through a comparative cross-cultural framework, it identifies commonalities in how early societies integrated psychoactive substances into cosmologies and social structures, laying the groundwork for modern psychological and neuropharmacological interpretations. These early practices are presented not as aberrant or pathological but as foundational to the evolution of human consciousness and imagination.
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- Altered MindsThe Interface of Substances, Virtual Simulations and AI Consciousness, pp. 33 - 66Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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