PT525 – Women and Psychedelics: History's Untold Stories, with Erika Dyck

Psychedelics Today

In this episode of Vital Psychedelic Conversations, Johanna interviews Erika Dyck: author, professor, historian, Vital instructor, and research chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dyck talks about the book she co-edited: Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices, which was released in March as a Chacruna anthology, and collects pieces from several different authors highlighting the untold or lesser known stories from women throughout psychedelic history. Albert Hofmann was the first person to intentionally ingest LSD, but who was the first woman to do so? Who were the women assisting in research or sitting with experiencers in the early days who never got the credit for their contributions? Who were the women supporting some of the biggest psychedelic names in history?

She talks about:

• The contrast in societal attitudes towards psychedelic exploration based on stereotypical gender roles
• Some of her favorite stories from the book, including a woman diagnosed with manic depression becoming one of the first guides in LSD trials
• The use of psychedelics in pregnancy and birthing practices across other cultures
• Traditional gender attributes: Are women more wired to care for others? Is there something about the psychedelic experience that’s inherently feminine?
• The importance of moving past the gender binary and implementing more diversity in research – with the challenge of needing to universalize medicine at the same time

and more! For links, head to the show notes page.