Unveiling the mystical: How scholars are advancing psychedelics study

Psychedelics scholarship is expanding beyond Western clinical frames into interdisciplinary work that connects healing, spirituality, and cultural knowledge. Harvard’s Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) highlights a “psychedelic renaissance” after decades of criminalization, working within the Harvard Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture. The effort includes scholarship, programming, and collaborations with Indigenous communities, including engagement with Indigenous plant medicine traditions. As part of the Transcendence and Transformation initiative, CSWR’s Psychedelic Intersections conference (Feb. 15, 2025, at Harvard Divinity School) brings together 1,000-plus scholars and policymakers across tracks such as psychedelic chaplaincy, Indigenous plant medicine traditions, and psychedelic art and aesthetics. The article also notes Harvard’s major psychedelics-related archival holdings and emphasizes the moral imperative to conduct intelligent and sympathetic research despite ongoing criminalization of these substances.