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Navigating the “Psychedelic Renaissance”: From Research to Reality

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Abstract

The field of psychedelics is in an important era, with a significant focus on the potential role of psychedelic compounds in the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. In 2022, a scientific research conference was held in Toronto to bring together stakeholders from a variety of disciplines and to promote dialogue and collaboration. This Special Issue includes 8 papers based on presentations from the conference, which showcase the breadth of topics that were brought forward. Included are both quantitative and qualitative works, as well as two letters to the editors which further advance these important conversations. These articles not only present the current state of research into psychedelics, but also present viewpoints about their impacts on underrepresented communities, the need to recognize the history of these compounds that extends beyond this new Western “renaissance,” and the complexities of integrating psychedelics into mainstream medicine. This Special Issue serves as both an exploration of a much-discussed topic and a reminder that collaboration can advance the field in order to harness its potential impact.

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Notes

  1. For a list of organizing and advisory group members, see https://fromresearchtoreality.com/about/

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Centre On Substance Use and Addiction, 75 Albert Street, Suite 500, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5E7, Canada

    Doris Payer

  2. Division of Addiction Medicine, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sukhpreet Klaire

  3. Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sukhpreet Klaire

  4. British Columbia Centre On Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sukhpreet Klaire

  5. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Dominique Morisano & Brian Rush

  6. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Dominique Morisano & Brian Rush

  7. Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Dominique Morisano & Monnica Williams

  8. Mental Health Commission of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Mary Bartram

  9. School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Mary Bartram

Authors
  1. Doris Payer
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  2. Sukhpreet Klaire
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  3. Dominique Morisano
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  4. Mary Bartram
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  5. Monnica Williams
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  6. Brian Rush
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Doris Payer.

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Conflict of interest

Doris Payer, Mary Bartram, and Brian Rush declare that they have no conflict of interest. Sukhpreet Klaire has received financial compensation from Numinus Wellness, an organization providing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, for work as a clinical trial investigator. Dominique Morisano owns stock in Reunion Neuroscience and Numinus. She is currently in paid contract educational roles (re: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy) with Journey Clinical, Fluence, Psychedelics Today, California Institute of Integral Studies (nonprofit), Naropa University (non-profit), and The MIND Foundation (non-profit). She is also a paid part-time contract facilitator with Beckley Retreats.

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Payer, D., Klaire, S., Morisano, D. et al. Navigating the “Psychedelic Renaissance”: From Research to Reality. Int J Ment Health Addiction 22, 801–805 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-024-01288-y

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