This is part of FJN’s Topic Briefs for Journalists series.
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Here’s background on what the terminology means, and the rich history of the use and study of psychedelics.
Etymology
The word psychedelic comes from the Greek psyche (mind) and deloun (to manifest): “mind-manifesting.” It was coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, who famously wrote to Aldous Huxley: “To fathom Hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic.”
But the substances themselves are far older than the word. Psychedelic compounds occur naturally in hundreds of plants and fungi. Among the most well-known:
- Psilocybin – Found in over 200 species of “magic” mushrooms, used for millennia in Mesoamerica.
- Mescaline – The active compound in the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii), sacred to Native American tribes for thousands of years.
- Ayahuasca / DMT (dimethyltryptamine) – A powerful molecule present in South American brews and in many plants worldwide.
- LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) – A semi-synthetic compound derived from ergot, a fungus that grows on rye, discovered accidentally by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1938.
- MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) – Developed in 1912 by Merck; though not a classic psychedelic, it shares empathogenic properties. In recreational contexts also known as ecstasy.
- Ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, and Salvinorin A are other potent examples, each with unique cultural and neurochemical profiles.
- Ketamine is legally used in medicine but also used as a recreational drug for its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects.
Cultural Traditions around Psychedelics
Ancient psychedelia: Long before modern chemistry, ancient societies used naturally occurring psychedelics as portals to the divine. These weren’t taken recreationally but reverently—bridges between the human and the sacred.
Mesoamerican Traditions: The Aztecs and Mazatecs of Mexico used psilocybin mushrooms (teonanácatl, “flesh of the gods”) in divination and healing ceremonies. Spanish chroniclers in the 16th century described rituals where participants consumed the mushrooms to communicate with deities and ancestors. In Oaxaca, Mazatec shamans still use psilocybin mushrooms ceremonially today, most famously reintroduced to Western awareness through María Sabina, whose 1950s encounters with Western researchers became legendary.
South America and Ayahuasca: In the Amazon, tribes have long prepared ayahuasca, a brew combining DMT-containing plants with Banisteriopsis caapi, which provides MAO inhibitors allowing the DMT to become orally active. For centuries, shamans used it to diagnose illness, guide decisions, and commune with spirits.
North America and Peyote: The Native American Church continues to use peyote as a sacrament. For indigenous communities, it is both medicine and teacher, facilitating visions and moral introspection.
Africa and Iboga: In Gabon, the Bwiti religion incorporates iboga root in initiation rituals. Ibogaine, its active alkaloid, produces deep introspection and physical catharsis—often described as reliving one’s life from a detached perspective.
Europe and the Eleusinian Mysteries: Some historians propose that the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries—secret rituals dedicated to Demeter and Persephone—may have involved a psychedelic potion called kykeon, possibly containing ergot derivatives related to LSD. These ceremonies shaped classical spirituality and may have influenced philosophical ideas about life, death, and rebirth.
Psychedelics and Cultural Expression in the 1970s
The 1970s represent a transitional phase in psychedelic culture. Unlike the overt experimentation and public evangelism of the late 1960s, psychedelia in the 1970s became absorbed, transformed, and institutionalized within artistic expression. Following legal prohibition (e.g., the U.S. Controlled Substances Act of 1970), psychedelics retreated from mainstream celebration into symbolic, aesthetic, and philosophical forms embedded in music, cinema, literature, and art.
1. Music: From Psychedelic Rock to Progressive and Ambient Forms
By the early 1970s, explicit references to LSD and psychedelics declined, but their aesthetic legacy expanded. Musicians internalized psychedelic principles—altered perception, ego dissolution, non-linear time, and transcendence—into compositional structure, sound design, and lyrical themes.
Examples
Pink Floyd (UK): Meddle (1971), The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975)
Can (Germany): Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyası (1972)
Brian Eno (US): Another Green World (1975), Music for Airports (1978)
2. Film: Psychedelic Aesthetics and Altered Reality
Cinema in the 1970s increasingly explored subjective reality, paranoia, mysticism, and fractured perception—reflecting psychedelic influence filtered through political disillusionment and post-1960s introspection.
Examples
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “El Topo” (1970) and “The Holy Mountain” (1973)
Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)
Donald Cammell’s “Performance” (1970)
3. Literature: (Psychedelia, Consciousness, and Post-Utopian Reflection)
While the 1960s literature often celebrated psychedelics as revolutionary, the 1970s introduced integration, critique, and philosophical depth. Writers examined psychedelics as tools for understanding mind, language, and reality—often in tension with political and social collapse.
Examples
Carlos Castaneda’s “Journey to Ixtlan” (1972), “Tales of Power” (1974)
Aldous Huxley’s “The Doors of Perception” (1954)
Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s “The Illuminatus Trilogy” a series of three novels (1975)
4. Visual Art: From Psychedelic Posters to Visionary Art
Psychedelic visual language—developed in the 1960s—evolved into visionary, surreal, and spiritual art forms in the 1970s. The emphasis shifted from political rebellion to inner cosmology.
Examples
Visionary Art Movement
- Artists such as Alex Grey (early work in late 1970s) laid the foundation for later psychedelic sacred art.
- Themes: anatomical mysticism, energy systems, cosmic unity.
Album Cover Art
- Roger Dean (Yes), Hipgnosis (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin).
- Visual metaphors for transcendence, altered perception, and otherworldly landscapes.
Underground and Poster Art: Psychedelic typography and mandala-like symmetry persisted in underground publications and festival culture.
Surrealism’s Revival: Psychedelics renewed interest in earlier surrealists (Dalí, Ernst), reframing their work through altered-state consciousness rather than Freudian psychoanalysis alone.
The Cultural Youth Rebellion of 1967–1968
During the height of the 1960s youth rebellion, psychedelics—especially LSD and psilocybin—played a central symbolic and experiential role in the counterculture movement. The summer of 1967, famously called the “Summer of Love,” saw as many as 100,000 young people converge in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district to reject mainstream values and explore alternative lifestyles centered on peace, love, and expanded consciousness.
This cultural revolt quickly spread to other parts of the world, not least Europe. Psychedelics and music were integral to this milieu, influencing how young people expressed identity, spirituality, and dissent.
The ethos of figures like Timothy Leary, with his slogan “turn on, tune in, drop out,” encouraged youth to use psychedelics not just recreationally but as tools for personal liberation and rejection of rigid societal norms. Psychedelic use was linked to a broader aesthetic of rebellion — tied to music, communal living, and anti-war sentiment — and became a hallmark of the hippie lifestyle that spread across the United States and into Europe.
Events such as mass gatherings, music festivals, and communal celebrations reinforced psychedelics’ place in youth culture, where altered states of consciousness were seen as pathways to empathy, unity, and social change. While the political goals of the rebellion varied, the widespread adoption of psychedelics helped define the counterculture’s emphasis on authenticity, freedom, and resistance to authority, leaving a lasting imprint on cultural expressions long after 1968.
From Revolution to Integration
By the mid-to-late 1970s, psychedelics were no longer framed as tools for mass social revolution. Instead, their influence became:
- Internalized (personal transformation rather than collective upheaval)
- Aestheticized (style, sound, symbolism)
- Philosophical (questions of reality, identity, and meaning)
This period laid the groundwork for:
- New Age spirituality
- Ambient and electronic music
- Contemporary consciousness studies
- The modern psychedelic renaissance in science and therapy
In the 1970s, psychedelics ceased to be slogans and became substrates of culture. Their impact was no longer shouted but integrated – shaping how artists structured time, sound, narrative, and meaning. Music became immersive, films introspective, literature recursive, and art visionary.
Written by Jesper Madsen for FJN
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