PCSM News & Events

Ten years ago, Psychedemia made history as the first psychedelics conference to be sponsored and funded by an academic institution since the resurgence of psychedelic research. The second installment of Psychedemia will bring together scholars and thinkers from across disciplines to evaluate the progress of the psychedelic renaissance with the goal of forging an inclusive and evidence-based path forward. The conference will convene from August 12th to the 14th at the Ohio Union of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. We encourage the participation of scholars at all career stages and fields, including those traditionally underrepresented.

Call for Abstracts: This conference will have opportunities for presenters to share their research as 15-minute talks followed by panel discussion, 3-minute flash talks, and poster presentations. Abstracts are due April 22nd. Abstracts will be evaluated based on scholastic merit, impact on the field, and originality. During submission, you will be asked to select the preferred format of your presentation. However, you may be asked to present in another format due to limited slots for each format. During Psychedemia 2012, the poster session was a highlight event of the conference. Psychedemia 2022 will continue in this tradition: The poster gala will host the Saturday night open bar, and the flash talks will be held on the main stage with no concurrent events. As such, all non-panel events have prominent placement on our schedule.

Our Mission: Amidst an unfolding psychedelic renaissance, it is time to discuss new approaches for integrating psychedelics into both academia and society. In partnership with the newly founded Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at The Ohio State University, Psychedemia 2022 will provide a rigorous interdisciplinary symposium for exchanging ideas, evaluating dominant perspectives, and critiquing current approaches to developing social frameworks for psychedelic use. This conference will review the recent history of psychedelic research and culture; assess where we currently stand; and chart pathways for the future of the field. A richly varied program will include Lectures, Symposia, Spotlight Sessions, and a pre-conference Workshop to connect and evolve clinical practice.

Psychedelics in Academia: Psychedelic scholarship is racing forward in clinical research, neuroscience, and pharmacology. At the same time, academics in varied disciplines from history and philosophy to anthropology and the arts are developing new ideas, using the humanities to situate psychedelics within the settings of our cultural landscapes. Given that psychedelic experiences defy disciplinary bounds, psychedelic studies must develop with diverse academic perspectives in conversation through the co-creation of theory, policy, and methodology. As the field breaks into mainstream acceptance, the psychedelic medical market is projected to reach a valuation of $10.75 billion by 2027. Now is the time to think critically about how the future of psychedelics might be built according to the concerns of diverse stakeholders–with a focus on systemic change that furthers the goals of an equitable and just society.

Building on the Past: In the Fall of 2011, a handful of graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania joined together with a group of enthusiastic community members to hold the first university-sponsored, interdisciplinary academic conference on the study of psychedelics since the return of human trials in the late 20th century. Psychedemia 2012 aimed to bridge contemporary academic approaches in order to construct a rigorous foundation for the study of psychedelics as a potent catalyst of human experience. Held in September of 2012 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, the first Psychedemia conference brought together over 400 international attendees to discuss the scientific, anthropological, artistic, religious, and medicinal dimensions of psychedelics. Ten years and 11,600 peer-reviewed papers later, recognition of the significance of psychedelic experiences is leading to changes in cultural practices, funding guidelines, therapeutic modalities, and strategies of drug discovery. Psychedelic studies are at an inflection point, such that the ideas and relationships we cultivate now have the potential to shape the future of psychedelic practice. 

** “Psychedemia” is an amalgam of “psychedelic” and “academia”. “Psychedelic”, coined by Humphry Osmond in 1957, itself derives from “psyche” (mind) and “delos” (manifest) to suggest the “mind manifesting” qualities of certain psychoactive plants and chemicals. “Academia” comes from the Akademeia in ancient Greece, a sacred space dedicated to the goddess of wisdom. By extension, “academia” has come to refer to the accumulation and transmission of knowledge across communities and generations…  In total, Psychedemia is a sanctioned space for the academic and psychedelic communities to openly explore the science, art, and mysticism of psychedelic culture. (Psychedemia, 2012).

Three days dedicated to the journey after the journey. Best Practices, Insights, and Tools to serve you as you delve deeper into your psychedelic experience. 

Come together as a world wide community to celebrate the wonderful times we have in peak psychedelic experiences, and ponder the deeper meanings of our collective struggles.  We're going to cover a vast array of lovely topics such as: 

• Spiritual Emergency  

• Clinical and Ceremonial uses of Music  

• Motherhood, child-rearing and the mushroom  

• Ancient tools of integration  

• Sexual trauma, safety, and healing  

• How psychedelics guide us towards the esoteric  

• Integrating High dose journeys  

• Cultivating and maintaining integrity within holistic medicinal work  

• Meditation as integration  

• Yoga and psychedelic integration  

• Surviving and Thriving in Multidimensional Space  

• And so much more!