Chacruna is glad to invite you for a conversation exploring the intersections of humanities education and psychedelic therapy. Just as psychedelic-assisted treatments seek to transform consciousness and support healing, the study of literature, art, and culture has long worked to expand imagination, build empathy, and help us grapple with social and political realities. This forum will examine how core methods of the humanities – such as discussion, critical reflection, and encounters with art and media – overlap with the aims of contemporary psychedelic practice. We’ll ask: How can a deeper grounding in the humanities help psychedelic practitioners better understand the cultural and political consequences of their work? What might a more self-aware, ethically attuned humanities education look like, and how could it support the wellbeing of both students and psychedelic communities? Speakers include Ramzi Fawaz, cultural critic and professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Arielle Saiber, professor of Italian Studies at Johns Hopkins University; Darieck Scott, professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley; Jacob Perlson, psychiatrist and psychedelic therapist; and Nico Gusac, Chacruna’s Development and Outreach Support, and researcher in medical anthropology. Together, we’ll reflect on how integrating humanities with psychedelic practice can foster more just, ethical, and transformative approaches.

Psychedelic Humanities and Knowledge Making