Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca Buddhism Psilocybin Shamanism |
| Keywords | Spirituality Appeal Consciousness Psychoactive substance Christianity Islam Subject documents Bodywork Religious studies Hallucinogen Alternative medicine Law Theology Anthropology |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key findings | The work presents objective scientific information and personal stories on the constructive medical and religious use of entheogens to expand spirituality and consciousness. |
Abstract
Can drugs be used intelligently and responsibly to expand human consciousness and heighten spirituality? This two-volume work presents objective scientific information and personal stories aiming to answer the question. The first of its kind, this intriguing two-volume set objectively reports on and assesses this modern psycho-social movement in world culture: the constructive medical use of entheogens and related mind-altering substances. Covering the use of substances such as ayahuasca, cannabis, LSD, peyote, and psilocybin, the work seeks to illuminate the topic in a scholarly and scientific fashion so as to lift the typical division between those who are supporters of research and exploration of entheogens and those who are strongly opposed to any such experimentation altogether. The volumes address the history and use of mind-altering drugs in medical research and religious practice in the endeavor to expand and heighten spirituality and the sense of the divine, providing unbiased coverage of the relevant arguments and controversies regarding the subject matter. Chapters include examinations of how psychoactive agents are used to achieve altered states in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism as well as in the rituals of shamanism and other less widely known faiths. This highly readable work will appeal to everyone from high school students to seasoned professors, in both the secular world and in devoted church groups and religious colleges.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallucinogenic Drugs and Plants in Psychotherapy and Shamanism | 1998 | Review | |
| Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in Mexico: An Overview | 2008 | Review | |
| Healing, spirituality and integrative medicine. | 2017 | Review | |
| Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions | 2019 | Review | |
| The Evolved Psychology of Psychedelic Set and Setting: Inferences Regarding the Roles of Shamanism and Entheogenic Ecopsychology | 2021 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Developing Guidelines and Competencies for the Training of Psychedelic Therapists Journal of Humanistic Psychology June 29, 2017
- Of Roots and Fruits: A Comparison of Psychedelic and Nonpsychedelic Mystical Experiences Journal of Humanistic Psychology October 24, 2016
- Indigenous Philosophies and the "Psychedelic Renaissance" Anthropology of Consciousness July 30, 2022
- Entheogenic Spirituality: Characteristics of Spiritually Motivated Psychedelics Use International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 2023
- Optimizing the immeasurable: a critical examination of neuro-meditation commodification Ai & Society October 28, 2025
and 2 more in the library