Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry

Clearly written, with an accessible overview of a wealth of recent studies, and while it explicitly undertakes to naturalise the “mystical” elements of psychedelic usage, it is nevertheless refreshing to see the phenomenological data taken seriously. There is much thought provoking material here for those interested in taking a more conventional journey through the doors of perception. * Paul Dicken, Fortean Times *Letheby’s clearly written and well-referenced text ends by offering a set of experiments designed to help readers evaluate the unique challenges presented by psychedelic therapy. * S. Krippner, California Institute of Integral Studies *Chris Letheby’s Philosophy of Psychedelics is not the first philosophical engagement with psychedelics but the most impressive in this budding subfield of the philosophy of mind. * Nicolas Langlitz, The Polyphony *…we can only hope that there will be a follow up to this interesting book… * Gunnel Minett, The Science of Psychotherapy *This excellent, well-argued, book is required reading for anyone with interests in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of psychiatry. It presents the first book-length argument for the effectiveness of psychedelic therapy and provides an account of how this effectiveness may be understood from within cognitive neuroscience. Everyone should read this book! * Richard Brown, Humanities Department, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY & M.S. program in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Graduate Center, CUNY *Philosophy of Psychedelics is really two books in one. It provides an easily understood, scholarly and detailed review of psychedelic science, spanning phenomenology, psychology, neuroscience, and medical therapeutics. But setting this book apart from other recent books in this rapidly emerging field of inquiry, Chris Letheby takes his philosopher’s scalpel to addressing intriguing philosophical implications of psychedelic research including the unsettling question of whether the claimed benefits from psychedelic experiences require the induction of delusional beliefs. This very readable volume should be of interest to scientists, philosophers, as well as those simply curious about the recent renaissance in psychedelic science and therapeutics * Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D., Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine *Philosophy of Psychedelics is a terrific, intellectually meticulous study of the nature, meaning, and effects of psychedelic experiences. The discussion ranges over the mind-brain relation, transformative experiences, the ethics of psychedelic therapy, and whether psychedelics help us to see the nature of things as they really are or just produce uplifting and therapeutically positive hallucinations. Chris Letheby is a wise and careful guide to the current state of psychedelic therapy and sets very high standards for philosophers who want to follow him in thinking responsibly about this intriguing area of research. * Owen Flanagan, Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University, and the author of How to Do Things with Emotions Princeton 2021 *Some outstanding chapters that make an important contribution to the understanding of the healing potential of psychedelics. * G. Seror III, CHOICE *

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, thephilosophical 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.