The 20th century’s discovery of LSD and the subsequent use of various psychedelic medicines in both psychotherapeutic practice and, more widely, contemporary popular culture has been a deeply transformational event in modern civilization. It has carried the power of a collective initiatory rite of passage, yet often without an adequately containing ritual structure, indigenous wisdom tradition, or clinical knowledge to mediate that transformation. The resulting impact on contemporary society has been complex, ambiguous, and profound. Amid this cultural flux, many therapists and researchers, as well as lay explorers, have found the ideas and life experience of C.G. Jung, as well as the research and therapeutic practice of Stanislav Grof, to have been invaluable in guiding this dramatic journey.
Tonight’s lecture will focus on the larger historical and evolutionary context, including modern psychology and psychiatry and the mainstream modern world view generally, out of which emerged the psychedelic awakening of the 1950s and 1960s and then the current renaissance in psychedelic therapy and research. We will also address the potential larger meaning and impact this development seems to have had and still be having on our civilization in crisis.
Read Richard Tarnas’ Blog (in 2 parts):