Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry

A recent wave of research in psychiatry and neuroscience has re-examined the properties of “classic” psychedelic substances - also known as serotonergic hallucinogens - such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT. Evidence to date suggests that psychedelics can be given safely in controlled conditions, at moderate to high doses, and may have potential as therapeutic agents in the treatment of various addictive and mood disorders. The main mechanism of action appears to be the induction of a dramatically altered state of consciousness, but the details of how psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy works are hotly debated, as are the relations between psychedelic experiences themselves and the neural changes induced by the drugs.

Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry addresses the fascinating philosophical questions raised by the renewed psychiatric use of psychedelics, with chapters from leading philosophers of mind, science, and psychiatry centred around three main themes. Chapters in the “self and mind” section ask: what can we learn about the self and the mind from psychedelic science? Chapters in the “science and psychiatry” section address methodological, theoretical, and clinical questions concerning how psychedelics can best be studied scientifically and used therapeutically, and how they might work to relieve psychiatric suffering. Finally, chapters in the “ethics and spirituality” section address broader questions about the interpretation of psychedelic experience, its ethical implications, and its possible role(s) in the broader culture.

Chris Letheby, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, The University of Western Australia,Philip Gerrans, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Adelaide

Dr Chris Letheby is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at The University of Western Australia (UWA). His areas of specialization are philosophy of mind and philosophy of cognitive science. His research to date has focused mainly on the use of classic psychedelic drugs in neuroscience and psychiatry. In several articles and a book, he has argued that a traditional conception of psychedelics as agents of insight and spirituality can be reconciled with naturalism, the philosophical position that the natural world is all there is. His monograph Philosophy of Psychedelics was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press.


Dr Philip Gerrans is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide. His research interest is the relationship between philosophy and cognitive neuropsychiatry. He has written on developmental disorders, emotions, delusions and disorders of self-awareness.

1. Introduction: philosophy and psychedelic psychiatry - Chris Letheby and Philip GerransSECTION ONE SELF AND MIND2. Drug-induced body disownership - Raphaël Millière3. The self as avatar: an active inference account of ego dissolution - Philip Gerrans4. Disintegrating and reintegrating the self-(in)flexible self-models in depersonalization and psychedelic experiences - Anna Ciaunica and Adam Safron5. Psychedelics: a window into perceptual processing - Berit Brogaard and Dimitria Electra Gatzia6. Psychedelic visuals in context - Link Ray SwansonSECTION TWO SCIENCE AND PSYCHIATRY7. Classic psychedelics in translational research: addressing epistemic challenges from bench to bedside - Jaipreet Mattu and Jacqueline Sullivan8. Belief change and agnostic frames in psychedelic research and clinical contexts - David B. Yaden, Sandeep M. Nayak, and Roland R. Griffiths9. The psychedelic experience: a new perspective, a new attitude towards the world - Virginia Ballesterosx ContentsSECTION THREE ETHICS AND SPIRITUALITY10. Psychedelics and moral psychology: the case of forgiveness - Samir Chopra and Chris Letheby11. Psychedelics and naturalistic spirituality - Eric Steinhart12. The enculturation problem - Thomas Metzinger