Unveiling the mystical: How scholars are advancing psychedelics study

The term “psychedelics” can conjure surreal images of mind-altering journeys through a mystical realm that connects the body to the soul and the soul to divinity. Dreamlike visions can pave the way for healing and transcendence, something Indigenous communities have understood for centuries. But only in the last decade did a “psychedelic renaissance” emerge in Western culture, underscoring the therapeutic potential of entheogenic plant medicines.

The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) is at the forefront of this resurgence as the medical, recreational, and spiritual use of psychedelic drugs, plants, and fungi weaves into Western mainstream culture after decades of criminalization in the United States and beyond.

As part of the interdisciplinary Harvard Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture — bringing together collaborators from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Divinity School — the CSWR is working to advance understanding and innovation of the psychedelics landscape through scholarship, programming, and collaborative research with Indigenous communities.

“The CSWR is delighted to be a part of this cross-campus collaboration, and we are especially pleased to work alongside our partners, the Mahindra Humanities Center and the Petrie-Flom Center for Healthcare and Policy at Harvard Law School,” said Charles M. Stang, director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, and Pprofessor of Early Christian Thought at the Harvard Divinity School.

As part of the broader “Transcendence and Transformation” initiative, the CSWR’s third annual Psychedelic Intersections conference, “Psychedelic Intersections: Betwixt and Between Chaplaincy, Plant Medicine, and Aesthetics,” commenced on Feb. 15 with a one-day summit at Harvard Divinity School. Highlighting three research tracks — psychedelic chaplaincy, the traditions surrounding Indigenous plant medicines, and psychedelic art and aesthetics — the conference attracted more than 1,000 scholars, practitioners, experts, and policymakers from 24 countries, both in person and online, to advance the mission of psychedelic scholarship.

Mazatec community member Elías García Méndez opened the conference. Marian Goodell, the Chief Executive Officer of the Burning Man Project, delivered the closing address. A conference workshop on the process of psychedelic archival and research offered attendees a closer look at items in the University’s psychedelics collection. Harvard has the most extensive collection of drug-related literary paraphernalia in the world—more than 50,000 items from the 1960s and 70s—a gift from the family of Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr. in 2012. An exhibit at the Houghton Library is slated for fall 2027.

Jeffrey Breau, CSWR program lead, Psychedelics and Spirituality, said the field of psychedelic studies has advanced significantly since the onset of the War on Drugs in the 1970s. However, even amidst open and bold discussions, he emphasized the importance of recognizing how rare it is to be in a space crossing and challenging disciplinary boundaries.

“These substances remain criminalized,” he said. “We may not all agree on the best ways to balance safety and liberty, but keep in mind that intelligent and sympathetic research is not just a scholarly endeavor. It is a moral imperative.”