The Psychedelic Renaissance: Reassessing the Role of Psychedelic Drugs in 21st Century Psychiatry and Society

A path-defining exploration of the history, cultural influence, pharmacology, legal aspects, safety, research, and clinical applications of psychedelic drugs

Psychedelics have played a part in human cultural evolution for thousands of years in the form of plant medicines. The Psychedelic Renaissance describes the ancient pre-history of psychedelics, and their re-emergence with the discovery of the psychotropic effects LSD in the 1940s, which led to a cultural revolution in the 1960s.

The book describes the pharmacology, legal status, dosing regimens and cultural influence of all of the major psychedelics. There is an up-to-date exploration of the recently emerged psychedelic wellbeing and healthcare industry, including new developments such as non-psychedelic hallucinogens, the industrialisation and corporatisation of psychedelics and their role in creativity and spirituality.

Supported by hundreds of citations referencing contemporary scientific studies of the last thirty years, The Psychedelic Renaissance covers a breadth of topics and issues such as safeguarding, maintaining clinical standards; the importance of diversity, inclusion and cultural respect of indigenous uses; the expansion of popular interest in psychedelics, with the plethora of contemporary psychedelic conferences, festivals and societies; the qualities and competencies of a psychedelic therapist; how to go about training to become one, are explored in the book. There is also discussion of legal matters concerning psychedelics, and the role of the ongoing War On Drugs in respect of psychedelics, with commentary about how a post-prohibition world may look.

Complete with new citations, photographs and research studies, the 3rd edition of The Psychedelic Renaissance is an essential textbook for anyone wishing to explore the legal and societal aspects of psychedelic drugs in human culture, and will be of vital use to to doctors, psychedelic users, clinicians and researchers working with psychedelics, pharmacology and medical students alike.

Dr Ben Sessa has worked for twenty years as a consultant psychiatrist specialising in childhood trauma and adult addictions and is one of the leading international experts on psychedelic therapies for treating mental disorders. He qualified from UCL medical school in 1997 and has since trained as an MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine therapist, as well as writing dozens of academic papers and textbooks on psychedelics. Dr Sessa is a former faculty member at Imperial College London, a former co-founder of the UK’s first psychedelic medical clinic, Awakn Life Sciences, former co-founder of Breaking Convention, Europe’s largest multidisciplinary psychedelic research conference, and one of the first psychiatrists to prescribe medical cannabis in the UK. He currently runs Consultancy Agency for Psychedelic Services (CAPS).