8 Where Do We Go From Here?

This chapter will attempt to integrate all the information provided in this textbook. From a historical perspective, our ancient relationships with mind altering plants may be the foundation of religion and may have contributed to human evolution. Was the sudden doubling of our human brain capacity 200,000 years ago the result of the ingestion of psilocybin mushrooms? If we learned anything from the initial rollout of psychedelics to the public in the 60’s, it is that we need to acknowledge their plant roots in indigenous cultures. In many ways, the psychedelic renaissance is the 3rd incarnation of psychedelics. The resiliency of the plant is apparent in these psychedelic comebacks.

After colonization demonized psychedelics, the movement went underground, much as it did due to Richard Nixon, DEA scheduling and the war on drugs. This third incarnation is finally taking root after careful fertilization over the last three decades.

Despite the 2024 setback caused by the FDA ruling against treating PTSD with MDMA, the research will continue with some possible adjustments to how research is conducted. Expectancy effects and difficulty of blinding are examples of the complications of psychedelic research within the current research paradigm. How this will be navigated will be left to the next round of research as the march toward medicalization continues.

Parallel with this resurgence of research is the acknowledgement of psychedelic influences in other areas of society. It is no surprise that psychedelic fueled creativity helped in the development of the personal computer.

A retrospective review of psychedelic history reinforces and acknowledges their power. This power can be used for nefarious purposes or for good. Let’s hope that the lessons of history serve us well as we integrate these powerful agents back to their rightful place in society.

Read

1. Butler, M., Jelen, L., & Rucker, J. (2022). Expectancy in placebo-controlled trials of psychedelics: if so, so what?. Psychopharmacology, 239(10), 3047–3055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-022-06221-6
2. Safron, A., & Johnson, M. (2022, September 8). Classic psychedelics: past uses, present trends, future possibilities. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/eys2j

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