Defining Psychedelics

Catalog description

This course seeks to explore, map, and frame the parameters of the field of "contemporary psychedelic work". With the re-emergence of psychoactive substances as novel mental health treatments, "the psychedelic renaissance" is upon us. Yet a series of questions remain to be answered, including the very nature of the field itself. What are psychedelics? Medicine? Drug? Sacrament? This class engages in a high-level survey of the framework behind the field, looking at who are the key players engaged in shaping its emergence are and what their biases might be. It addresses the intersection of traditions and disciplines occurring in the field today, with the intention of understanding both the historical roots of "psychedelic work" and how the field emerging today is informed by those roots, while also exploring possibilities for future directions. RESTRICTED TO RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGY AND EWP PhD STUDENTS