Love and Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Divide

Dr. Adele Lafrance and Dr. Paul Uy

There is incredible potential for the psychedelic renaissance to rehabilitate and revitalize the concept of love in psychotherapy and beyond. But what is love? For centuries, people interested in every form of knowledge—from artists to philosophers, scientists, and sages—have made attempts to define love, a concept that varies across historical periods and cultures. Bill Richards observed that “the challenge here may be one of language and the many different meanings the word “love” has for different people—sort of like the word ‘God’” (W. Richards, personal communication, August 31, 2020). The steady love of a parent is different than the love felt between partners, lifelong friends, and different still from the communion one feels among others called to ceremony. We sing songs of love to the land we call home, to the mystery we come from, and the wonder to which we will return... continue reading.