Byways of Psychedelic Consciousness
Review of ‘Altered Perspectives’ by Sam Woolfe
When Humphry Osmond coined ‘psychedelic’, he famously did so in order to find a word that would infer the myriad multidisciplinary nature of the kinds of altered states of consciousness that certain drugs create in people. In an age dominated by psychotherapeutic and psychological language, Osmond wanted philosophy, the arts, literature and alike to be integral to the conversation. In this, it seems to me, he was very successful and ‘psychedelic’ has traversed the medical, cultural and social spheres in the intervening decades with fluid ease.
Attempts to simply demarcate psychedelic are bound to fail, or at the very least will restrict the utility of the word, consigning it to more rarefied, technical discussion. In an age today where specialization demands focus on detail and the specific contours of one’s own field, it is very easy to fall into the trap of missing the wood for the trees. It is both useful and insightful, therefore, to occasionally take a step back and survey the lan…