Hallucinogens and Psychedelics - Science & Myth

The purpose of this accessible course is to provide a gentle, non-expert, introduction to the study of hallucinogens, with a historical perspective of psychedelic drug research, their use in psychiatric disorders, research restricting regulatory controls, and their recent emergence as potential breakthrough therapies for several brain-related disorders. In addition, we will explore the cultural and religious connotations of alter-state of consciousness derived from natural hallucinogens, and in particular the speculative Biblical Entheogens Hypothesis, that has recently gained traction in cognitive science. Based on the personal experience of the instructor in a cognitive study of Ayahuasca (a powerful hallucinogen from the Amazon basin) in the 1990s, the course will cover the biological, cultural, scientific and ethical aspects of introducing hallucinogenic plants as potential treatment to mild mental disorders.

The material will serve as a foil for discussing the scientific method in psychology and cognitive science, drug discovery and the role of society in regulating it, and the ethical and cultural issues surrounding alter-state of consciousness. No prior knowledge in biology or cognitive science is required. Anyone who is interested in the questions of mind and body, science and myth, society and the individual, will find this course interesting and mind opening.