Transcendence: Why Chemicals Need Rituals

For centuries, Central and South American cultures have used psychedelics to induce mystical states. And while in the US they’ve mostly been used as recreational drugs, interest in their power to offer a rapid route to transcendence has recently been growing.

Episode 5 of the How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality podcast, hosted by PRX, titled "Transcendence: Why Chemicals Need Rituals" was published on November 28, 2021 and runs 26 minutes.

November 28, 2021 ·26m · How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality

Summary

For centuries, Central and South American cultures have used psychedelics to induce mystical states. And while in the US they’ve mostly been used as recreational drugs, interest in their power to offer a rapid route to transcendence has recently been growing. But in our haste to use these chemicals to alter, and perhaps even heal, the mind, we might be losing sight that with speed comes risk. Join Dave as he talks with author Michael Pollan and researcher David Yaden about the nature of self-transcendent experiences, the science of how psychedelics can bring them on, and the dangers of disregarding centuries of shamanic knowledge about how to use them wisely.

Episode Description