Citation:
Abstract:
Abstract: In recent years, a renewed scientific, public and commercial interest in psychedelic medicines can be observed across the globe. While honoring positive research findings, therapeutic promise, and spiritual possibilities in relation to the medical use of psychedelics, this presentation aims to shine a light on some underlying psycho-cultural shadow dynamics in the unfolding psychedelic renaissance. It explores whether and how the multi-layered collective fascination with psychedelics may yet be another symptom pointing towards a deeper psychological and spiritual malaise in the modern Western psyche as diagnosed by C.G. Jung. The question is posed whether the West’s feverish pursuit of psychedelic medicines—from individual consumption to entheogenic tourism and capitalist commodification—is related to a Western cultural complex. As part of the discussion, the archetypal image of the Hungry Ghost, known across Asian cultural and religious traditions, is explored to better understand the aforementioned shadow phenomena and point towards mitigating possibilities.
Presenter bio: Helge Michael Osterhold, PhD, MFT (USA) is an Associate Professor of East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and previously taught at Golden Gate University and at UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco, California. The author of The Body’s Code – Synchronicity and Meaning in Illness and Injury (2015), Dr. Osterhold teaches Masters and PhD level courses in Depth Psychology, Dreamwork, Spiritual Counseling, and the Psychology of Death and Dying. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice with a focus on life transitions. Email: hosterhold@ciis.edu
Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold is the director of facilitation for psychedelic therapy at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), a faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and a mentor at the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research (CPTR). A practicing psychotherapist for over 25 years, Gisele is specialized in the treatment of trauma, using an integrative approach rooted in Somatic, Humanistic-Existential and Transpersonal psychologies. She is dedicated to diversity and inclusion in her clinical, academic and research engagement
Presenter affiliations: California Institute of Integral Studies (Osterhold); University of California San Francisco (Fernandes-Osterhold)