Return to the Real, Part I
Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition October 30, 2025 Jos Ten Berge
This article identifies a recurring discourse in 20th-century Western culture, especially before the 1960s, in which psychedelic drugs are described as revealing a fundamental reality hidden by enculturation. Analyzing several drug accounts, the author argues that this view aligns closely with definitions of primitivist Modernism. This correspondence suggests that drug experiences are more strongly shaped by culture than the usual interpretation of set and setting allows. The author proposes that other cultural set and settings, such as Romanticism, can be identified within Western culture. A companion article discusses implications for drug studies and the concept of set and setting.