CFP: Special Issue Psychedelics and Religion (journal: Religions)

Dear Colleagues,

Research into psychedelics is booming. An ever-increasing number of studies in psychology and neuroscience are investigating the therapeutic potential of these substances. Most studies tend to conclude that psychedelics are harmless if administered under the right conditions (see: Langlitz and Gearin 2024). More and more research is also being conducted on how psychedelics produce the effects they do (Carhart-Harris 2018).

This “psychedelic renaissance” has also attracted the attention of the humanities. Some scholars have discussed the philosophical ramifications of psychedelic experiences (Hauskeller and Sjöstedt-Hughes 2022), and others have focused more broadly on the cultural importance of psychedelics in our society (Sanchez Petrement 2023).

Apart from some exceptions (Cole-Turner 2022; van der Braak 2023), the psychedelic renaissance has not yet reached theology or philosophy of religion. This is somewhat surprising since the relevance of psychedelics for religion is broadly recognized. Though not all psychedelic experiences have religious relevance, some religious traditions have been making use of psychedelics for religious purposes for centuries (e.g., use of ayahuasca in Santo Daime and use of Peyote in Native American traditions). The relevance of psychedelics for religion and spirituality was also noted in the famous Good Friday experiment where participants were administered LSD before a Good Friday service (Roberts and Jesse 1997).

The aim of this Special Issue is to reflect on the relevance of new insights into psychedelic experience for theology and philosophy of religion. Potential questions to be explored are as follows:

• Are religious experiences induced by psychedelics reliable or trustworthy means of gaining religious knowledge?
• Can psychedelically induced religious experiences count as authentic?
• Is spiritual use of psychedelics deceptive?
• What dangers are involved in religious or spiritual use of psychedelics?
• Do psychedelic experiences favor non-traditional forms of religiosity (e.g., pantheism, animism, etc.)?
• Are there reasons to be distrustful of the religious use of psychedelics?
• How do psychedelics affect lived religion and what are the implications?
• Do psychedelics have a form of agency?
• What is the role of psychedelics in the emergence of religious traditions?
• Are religious experiences induced by psychedelics unique or are they similar to experiences induced by prayer or meditation?
• Can psychedelic experience serve as a bridge between religious traditions and foster inter-religious dialog?

Other questions that fall into this Special Issue’s scope can also be the topic of a contribution. Inquiries can be sent to the editors:

Hans van Eyghen: [email protected]

Alberto Cavallarin: [email protected]

We look forward to receiving your contribution (link below).