Anthropology of Consciousness
July 30, 2022
Keith Williams, Osiris Sinuhé González Romero, Michelle Braunstein et al.
68 citations
The current resurgence of interest in psychedelics for treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addictions is driven by colonial extractivism, similar to the European Renaissance. Indigenous communities, who have long used these substances ceremonially, receive few benefits from the legalization and commercialization of psychedelics. The paper argues that Indigenous philosophical traditions can help reorient the psychedelic movement toward a more equitable future for Indigenous Peoples and the medicines themselves.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
February 19, 2024
Nicholas Spiers, Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova et al.
27 citations
An annotated bibliography of 49 texts on Indigenous psilocybin mushroom practices curates academic works from anthropology, history, archaeology, ethnolinguistics, and ethnomycology. The selected books and articles foreground overlooked research and subject matter, covering contemporary practices and historical uses across cultural traditions in Mexico and other regions. The annotations provide brief summaries, contextualization, and critical appraisals, aiming to offer a diverse overview of research and an accessible resource for further exploration. The team of psychedelic researchers behind this bibliography hopes it will contribute to more nuanced dialogue around Indigenous people and practices in the context of the so-called psychedelic renaissance.
Interdisciplinary Science Reviews
September 27, 2022
Christine Hauskeller, Taline Artinian, Amelia Fiske et al.
26 citations
The study of psychedelics is troubled by dualisms—subject and object, self and other, culture and nature, synthetic and natural, colonizer and indigenous, literal and metaphorical—that appear in both colonial and decolonial thought. Drawing on feminist and decolonial theory and a discussion of metaphor, the authors argue that research often lacks critical engagement with these binaries. A narrow view of coloniality limits critiques of contemporary capitalism, including the progressive colonization of the life-world and commodification of psychedelic experiences. Fears that decolonization is becoming merely a 'metaphor' implicitly reinforce the conceptual power dynamics of colonization. As a critical metaphor, decolonization can help reassess problematic distinctions shaping thinking, material realities, and experiences.
June 16, 2025
Osiris Sinuhé González Romero, María Del Carmen Macuil García
1 citation
Psilocybin mushrooms (teonanacatl) and Mexican tarragon (yauhtli, Tagetes lucida) are used therapeutically in Nahua medicine, associated with thunderbolt and rain deities such as Tlaloc. Healers and ritual specialists often undergo initiation through being struck by lightning, dreams, visions, altered states, or persistent illness. Entheogenic healing rituals are conducted in quiet natural settings, with purification practices including fasting, ritual baths, and sexual abstinence. Mushroom use serves divinatory purposes, diagnosing illness and addressing problems like lost items, missing persons, unfaithful spouses, or enemies' actions.
Ciencias Sociales y Religión
December 19, 2023
L. Serrano, Osiris Sinuhé González Romero, Leticia Romero-Bautista
1 citation
Over the past two decades, research has explored the therapeutic effects of psilocybin on the human body and mind. This article argues that science and spirituality are not mutually exclusive, critically examining conceptual frameworks such as psychedelics, hallucinogens, entheogens, and neurotropics, as well as the role of psychoactive compounds in evolution, specifically psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Based on a bibliographic analysis, it investigates the role of Psilocybe spp. mushrooms in human evolution and offers a critical analysis of their cultural uses.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
February 29, 2024
Nicholas Spiers, Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova et al.
correction
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