It’s remarkable how fast psychedelics have gone mainstream. Just look at how so many major universities are racing to set up their own psychedelic institutes. Psilocybin and MDMA are now considered the most promising treatments for depression and PTSD that we’ve had in decades. But this is not the first time psychoactive drugs were hailed as miracle cures. Heroin and cocaine were also once considered wonder drugs. Today, what’s so striking is how the public conversation about psychedelics ignores this deeper history of intoxicants.
British historian Mike Jay wants to challenge this narrative of psychedelic “exceptionalism.” In his book “Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind,” he digs into the 19th century’s rich history of psychoactive experiences — and tells the story of seminal figures like Humphry Davy, Sigmund Freud and William James – and lots of other people I’d never heard of.
Jay is also upfront about his own psychedelic experiences. He’s had plenty of them. And he believes the scientists and doctors who study psychedelics should talk more openly about their own mind-altering experiences — which is definitely not the case for most of them.
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