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Step into the transformative era of the early 1960s with The Harvard Psilocybin Project, 1960 to 1963. What began as a course at the Harvard Extension School has evolved into a deep exploration of one of the most groundbreaking—and controversial—studies in modern academic history.
Uncover the cultural and scientific revolution ignited by pioneering researchers Timothy Leary, Frank Barron, and Richard Alpert (later known as Ram Dass) at Harvard University. In just three years, the Harvard Psilocybin Project not only pushed the boundaries of psychology and spirituality but also became a touchstone of the broader cultural upheaval that would come to define the 1960s.
This unprecedented chapter in Harvard’s history centered on the therapeutic and consciousness-expanding potential of psilocybin—a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in mushrooms. Through nearly 400 documented sessions, Leary and Alpert brought the hidden dimensions of human consciousness into the academic spotlight, stirring both excitement and alarm. Artists, intellectuals, students, and faculty all took part, as Harvard became a crucible for what Leary and Alpert described as “the educational potentialities of consciousness-expanding drugs.”
As Alpert and Leary wrote in The Harvard Crimson in 1962, “It is fitting and natural that the Harvard intellectual community be the first to grapple with this new philosophic and practical issue and that the University of William James be given the first chance to accept or reject the educational potentialities of consciousness-expanding drugs.”
Yet this bold academic experiment soon sparked intense scrutiny and concern within the university itself, culminating in the dismissal of both Leary and Alpert amid mounting controversy and widespread media attention.
More than sixty years later, the legacy of the Harvard Psilocybin Project resonates anew. Institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Law School are once again engaging with psychedelic research—this time with renewed academic rigor and clinical focus. Through a multidisciplinary lens, students will explore how psychedelics intersect with fields ranging from mental health and legal policy to theology and consciousness studies. The Harvard Divinity School’s Center for the Study of World Religions has become a key contributor to this discourse, examining how psychedelics challenge and expand traditional understandings of spirituality.
The Reawakening of Psychedelic Research
In recent years, the educational, medical, and scientific communities have revisited psychedelics, propelled by promising research into their potential for treating depression, PTSD, addiction, and existential distress. By revisiting the early findings of the Harvard Psilocybin Project, participants in this course will gain a deeper understanding of how foundational that era was to the current renaissance in psychedelic studies. From clinical trials to philosophical reflections on consciousness and the self, this renewed inquiry underscores a growing recognition of psychedelics’ potential in healing, transformation, and the exploration of human awareness.
Ed Reither
- The book is now being published by Academic Press – See here