Psychedelic Intersections 2025
Psychedelic Intersections: Betwixt & Between Chaplaincy, Plant Medicine, and Aesthetics
We are excited to announce the third annual Psychedelic Intersections conference, featuring keynote speakers Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man Project, and Elías García Méndez, co-founder of Casa Adobe Galería, Huautla de Jiménez, Mexico
This one-day academic conference was held at Harvard University on February 15, 2025, in Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave, Cambridge, MA.
Recordings of the event are now available.
About the conference
The conference brings together interdisciplinary scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the intersection of psychedelics and spirituality. Following last year’s popular Psychedelic Intersections: Cross Cultural Manifestations of the Sacred conference, the 2025 conference features three research tracks:
- Psychedelic Chaplaincy
- Indigenous Plant Medicine Traditions
- Psychedelic Aesthetics and the Transcendent
The conference asks: How can religious studies and spiritual care inform the Psychedelic “Renaissance”? What are the best practices for psychedelic chaplaincy? How can spiritual care be best integrated into psychedelic use in recreational and religious settings? How can psychedelic studies build interdisciplinary and collaborative community across traditions, cultures, and modalities? In what ways do the histories and the presents of Indigenous traditions present new relationships with the more-than-human world? Is aesthetics uniquely suited to understand and convey the activity of a psychedelic body? How can art foster and induce transcendent experiences? How can art be used in psychedelic settings as a means of integration?
Conference elements
Conference Schedule
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
8:00 – 9:00 | Registration | HDS Commons |
9:00 – 9:15 | welcome | James Room |
9:15 – 10:15 | Keynote with Elias Garcia Mendez | James Room |
10:30 – 12:30 | Panel Session | |
| James Room | |
| Cader Room | |
12:30 – 1:30 | Lunch | HDS Commons |
1:30 – 3:00 | Panel Session | |
| James Room | |
| Cader Room | |
Braun Room | ||
3:20 – 4:50 | Panel Session | |
| James Room | |
| Cader Room | |
5:00 – 6:00 | James Room | |
6:00 – 6:10 | Close | James Room |
6:15 – 8:15 | Conference Reception | HDS Commons & 1st Floor |
Psychedelics and Spirituality at the CSWR
Why psychedelics and spirituality at a divinity school?
Transcendence and Transformation
Psychedelics are but one technique to pursue an altered state of mind, body, and being.
Psychedelic Law and Religion Conference
The Petrie-Flom Center’s project on Psychedelic Use, Law, and Spiritual Experience (PULSE) will host an afternoon Conference on Psychedelic Law and Religion on February 14th from 1:30-5:00PM. This is a free afternoon event that dovetails with Psychedelic Intersections.
