The Paisley Gate: Intersections of Buddhism & Psychedelics

As psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies march towards likely legality for therapeutic purposes, we may ask  how Buddhism and psychedelics intersect. In this episode, Kerry Helston explores some challenges and opportunities as well as the existing legacy of Buddhism and psychedelics in the West, with reference to current science and academic literature as well as personal experiences. 

Resources mentioned:

Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America by Douglas Osto

LSD and the Mind of the Universe by Christopher M. Bache 

Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayana by Mike Crowley

“Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat”

“Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness”

Chacruna Religion & Psychedelics Forum

Kerry Helston is a University of Toronto graduate student in psychotherapy and spiritual care. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.