Psychedelic renaissance in healthcare: between the biomedical and the existential
Daniel Laforest
Medical Humanities August 31, 2026 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2025-013688 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the psychedelic renaissance is spearheaded by profit-oriented technomedical initiatives focused on individual wellness, which reinforces a problematic demarcation between psychopharmaceutical and talk-therapy approaches. Proposes that this context poses unique challenges for medical humanities regarding the status of narratives in therapy and their existential implications. |
Abstract
In this review essay I outline how the current renaissance of psychedelics in mainstream discourses about medicine is spearheaded first and foremost by profit-oriented technomedical initiatives focusing on individual wellness, and how this very situation reinforces a problematic line of demarcation between the psychopharmaceutical approach to mental health, and the more classical approach that relies on intersubjective talk therapy. It will lead me to formulate brief remarks about the unique challenges that this context presents for the field of medical humanities—specifically regarding the status of narratives in therapy and their existential implications.
Citations in the library
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and 8 more in the library