Erika Dyck is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the author or editor of several books and articles on the history of psychedelics, including: Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); Psychedelic Prophets (2018), A Culture’s Catalyst (2016) Wonder Drug (2021), Acid Room (2022), Expanding Mindscapes (2023), and Psychedelics: A Visual Odyssey (2024). Erika was the co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Health History (2015-2023) and is currently the President of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.
Colloquium Presentation: 09 February 2024
Title: How should we study psychedelics? Reflections on science and history amidst a Renaissance
Abstract:
As psychedelic substances enjoy a resurgence in clinical and popular discussions, the reputation of these once maligned psychoactive drugs is changing. Popular books, documentaries, and social media tout the benefits of psychedelics, while clinical studies using psychedelics report breakthroughs in mental health treatments. In this presentation I examine the history of psychedelic studies; the highs and lows of past practices that have led to this renaissance moment and the methods or approaches that have been celebrated or demonized along the way. In the 1950s an earlier generation of psychedelic researchers set the stage for what has been called the first wave of psychedelic science. That psychedelic moment, of course, drew from a longer set of practices and traditions, Indigenous and non-Indigenous uses of plant and chemically inspired forms of mind alteration. Revisiting that period reveals how the prohibitions in the 1970s not only pushed psychedelic research underground, but also divided practices more clearly into clinical, religious, and cultural uses. The psychedelic renaissance of the 21st century has been to date focused on reviving the clinical applications of psychedelics, while the religious and cultural uses remain on the margins. I explore the consequences of these divisions as consider what is at stake for a psychedelic future.