Mindfulness and Psychedelics: Rethinking the Fifth Precept

Abstract

The fields of psychedelics and mindfulness have a long history of cross-pollination in the United States that dates to the counterculture movement in the 1960s. As the use of these mind-altering compounds in therapeutic and spiritual contexts has become less stigmatized and more popular in recent years, psychedelic retreats and therapies are once again drawing people who also value contemplative practices. This paper explores the historic and contemporary tension people with overlapping interests in mindfulness and psychedelics have faced as they interpreted the Fifth Precept, the Buddhist guideline that advises people to abstain from intoxicants. Taking stock of the history of the history of these fields and recent research, it argues that mindfulness and psychedelics can not only be compatible but complementary, if they are used with clear intention and adequate safeguards. The paper sets the stage for a podcast that features six interviews with experts who had a range of views about the interplay of mindfulness and mind-altering substances