Hannah Farrimond is an Associate Professor in Medical Sociology at the University of Exeter, UK. She analyses the socio-cultural shifts in meanings concerning drugs and pharmaceuticals (e.g. alcohol, smoking/vaping, cannabis, psychedelics, sleeping medications). She focuses particularly on stigma change over time, so that we can better understand stigma, then challenge it through public health policy.
Colloquium Presentation: 5 December 2025, 3:30-5pm (Room G17, Mood Disorder Centre, Sir Henry Wellcome Building)
What is psychedelic stigma and why should we care about it?
Abstract
In psychedelic communities of practice, psychedelic use is usually socially valued. However, for psychedelic use and therapy to go mainstream, stigma (as a form of social devaluation) and lack of acceptability remain a barrier to widespread uptake. Beliefs such as psychedelic therapies are ‘not for people like me’ or fears about disclosure deter use. In this talk I will outline a novel theory of social mutation, or stigma change over time, which has three dimensions; a) stigma lineage or history b) stigma variability in different contexts and c) stigma strength. I will examine the dynamism of psychedelic stigma, identifying established and novel connections that are occurring both locally and globally, within and beyond traditional group boundaries. I will argue that although psychedelic stigma is being revalued in the psychedelic renaissance, other forces continue to maintain stigma; both stigmatising and counter-stigmatising narratives can exist simultaneously. I invite discussion of the implications for practice and policy.