Colours, not visions
Groundings July 29, 2024 Sophie Barcan
The current surge of interest in psychedelics is not a new Renaissance but a continuation of one that began in the 1930s with Richard Evans Schultes' ethnobotanical research and peaked in the 1960s counterculture. Indigenous peoples have used these substances since prehistoric times within meaningful cultural contexts, but contemporary research and practices increasingly commodify psychedelics and their associated traditions, transforming them into pharmacological solutions. This shift risks losing the authenticity of meaningful psychedelic use. The essay outlines a brief history of psychedelics, compares the current resurgence to that of the 1950s-60s, examines the loss of authenticity, and discusses possible solutions to preserve it.