OSHER 336 - Psychedelics and Healing

This course will explore the long history of psychedelic use and the psychedelic renaissance occurring today in America and Utah. Sophisticated medical research from institutions like John Hopkins University, Yale University, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is demonstrating that once-banned substances can be used as treatments for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and addiction. These same substances have inspired artists and technologists like Sting, Carrie Fisher, Deepak Chopra, and Steve Jobs to change the world around us as they change the world inside themselves. We will examine religious and spiritual uses intended to better people who are already well. Along with international and national trends, the course also will explore the prevalence of psychedelics in Utah, bringing in various guides and therapists who work in this field. Students will be empowered to analyze the good and the bad of the psychedelic movement as it unfolds around them.