The rebirth of psychedelic science has been gaining momentum since the early 2000s. Bringing together research scientists, pharmaceutical corporations, therapists, government regulators, and investors, the reemergence of scientific research into psychedelic substances has been hailed as a turning point in the treatment of mental illness. But what exactly is being reborn? This course interrogates the "rebirth" narrative at the heart of contemporary psychedelic science, setting its promises against the longer and stranger history of mind-expansion. The course asks how today's science was made, what it borrows, and what it forgets from indigenous communities and the American underground.
1-3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
The rebirth of psychedelic science has been gaining momentum since the early 2000s. Bringing together research scientists, pharmaceutical corporations, therapists, government regulators, and investors, the reemergence of scientific research into psychedelic substances has been hailed as a turning point in the treatment of mental illness. But what exactly is being reborn? This course interrogates the "rebirth" narrative at the heart of contemporary psychedelic science, setting its promises against the longer and stranger history of mind-expansion. The course asks how today's science was made, what it borrows, and what it forgets from indigenous communities and the American underground.
Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.