Psychedelic therapy is at a historic moment, as the US state of Oregon prepares to legalize it next year, and other US states look set to follow. Companies preparing to offer psychedelic therapy have raised over $5 billion on US stock markets. Hundreds of people are training to be psychedelic therapists or facilitators, and thousands more are on waiting lists for training programs.

What shape will the psychedelic future take and what opportunities do they hold for patients and practitioners?

What theories underline psychedelic therapy?

What are the risks?

This talk will be in four parts. First, it will look at the history of psychedelic therapy, focusing particularly on the 1950s and early 1960s in the US. Second, it will look at the contemporary psychedelic renaissance, and how it builds on the research ideas of the 1950s and 60s. Third, it will speculate on how the field will develop into two different paths – medicalized psychedelic therapy, and psychedelic spirituality. Fourth, it will consider difficult psychedelic experiences and the challenge of integration.