Richard Tarnas: On Psychedelic Initiation in Postmodern Culture

About this episode

Richard Tarnas discusses the impact of psychedelics on modern civilization and their historical context.

The 20th century’s discovery of LSD and subsequent use of various psychedelics in both therapeutic practice and popular culture has been a deeply transformational event in modern civilization. It has carried the power of a collective initiatory rite of passage, yet often without an adequately containing ritual structure, indigenous wisdom tradition, or clinical knowledge to mediate that transformation. * In this episode CIIS Professor Emeritus and cultural historian Richard Tarnas examines the larger historical and evolutionary context that brought forth the psychedelic awakening of the 1950s and 1960s. He explores the work of therapists and researchers Stanislav Grof and C. G. Jung, and discusses the larger impact that psychedelics have had and continue to have on our civilization in crisis. * This episode was recorded during a live online event on February 5th 2026. You can also watch it on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube channel. A transcript is available at ciis.edu/podcast. To find out more about CIIS and public programs like this one, visit our website ciis.edu and connect with us on Instagram @ciispubprograms. * Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes…

People in this episode

Host: CIIS Public Programs

Guest: Richard Tarnas

Topics covered

• psychedelics
• cultural history
• therapeutic practices
• initiation rites
• civilization transformation

Keywords

• LSD
• psychedelic awakening
• therapeutic use
• cultural transformation
• indigenous wisdom

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CIIS

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