In Defence of Psychedelic Self-Experimentation

Jules Evans is research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London, and the author of Philosophy for Life and The Art of Losing Control.

Jules Evans

Two celebrated psychedelic authors discuss their new books, both of which explore the pain and pleasure of psychedelic self-experimentation

A recent Op-Ed in the Washington Post, ‘Please don’t self-medicate with psychedelic drugs’, inspired a strong negative reaction from many psychonauts, who saw it as an attempt to turn the unruly psychedelic culture into a safely-medicalized and controlled monoculture. Is there a place for self-experimentation in psychedelics? What’s the difference between self-medication and self-experimentation? How could self-experimentation be made safer, and vulnerable people seeking healing be protected from avoidable harm? British authors Mike Jay and Andrew Mitchell have both written recent books about the perils and pleasures of psychedelic self-experimentation. In this dialogue, they will discuss the role of self experimentation in psychedelic history, its place in the psychedelic renaissance today, its risks and joys, and what sorts of policies or public education might make it safer. Mike Jay is a leading specialist in the study of drugs across history and cultures. The author of books including Mescaline, Artificial Paradises, Emperors of Dreams, and The Atmosphere of Heaven, his critical writing on drugs has appeared in many publications, including The Guardian, New York Review of Books, London Review of Books and The International Journal of Drug Policy. He sits on the editorial board of the addiction journal Drugs and Alcohol Today and on the board of the Transform Drug Policy Foundation. His latest book, Psychonauts, is a provocative and original history of the scientists and writers, artists and philosophers who took drugs to explore the hidden regions of the mind. Andy Mitchell is a neuropsychologist and therapist. He has specialized in treating patients with rare brain conditions, head injuries and epilepsy, and in the application of mindfulness for neurological patients. In his new book Ten Trips, he takes ten different drugs in ten different settings, journeying from a London neuroimaging lab to the Colombian Amazon via Silicon Valley and his friend's basement kitchen. His encounters with scientists and gangsters, venture capitalists and con men, psychonauts and shamans, as well as with the drugs themselves, reveal the reality of psychedelics in all their strangeness, hilarity, darkness and wonder.This is the second Psychedelic Safety Seminar, a series of free online events to explore and promote psychedelic safety and harm reduction, organized by the <a href="https://www.challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project</a> in conjunction with the newsletter <a href="https://www.ecstaticintegration.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ecstatic Integration.</a>

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In Defence of Psychedelic Self-Experimentation

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In Defence of Psychedelic Self-Experimentation

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