Episode 5: Gender and Women in the History of Psychedelics with Dr. Erika Dyck

This episode concludes Season 1 of the MAPS Canada Podcast. What better way to end our first season than with a very special guest, Dr. Erika Dyck. Erika is a Canadian Historian, Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan, a Canadian Research Chair, and an editor with the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Erika joins us for an interview with Jaipreet Mattu to discuss her 20 years of research on Canada’s past with psychedelic psychiatry, the growing awareness of the role women played in the development of psychedelic therapy, Indigenous use of psychedelic plants and protecting their cultural rights, and lastly, the global future of psychedelic plant medicine.

Erika’s research focuses mainly on the history of medicine, health and social justice, and of course, the history of psychedelics in psychiatry. She’s taught classes on the history of medicine and psychiatry, social justice and gender equality in medicine, and eugenics. She’s also written on women’s health in other aspects of Canadian health care. More recently, Erika’s research focuses on women in the history of psychedelic psychiatry. She highlights the importance of thinking about the intersections of gender in psychedelics and incorporating new voices and discussions about gender considerations in the development of psychedelic therapy.

Links:

• Chachruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines
• Graphic Novel—"Wonder Drug: LSD in the Land of Living Skies”
• MAPS Special Bulletin—Women and Psychedelics
• Women on Psychedelics
• Société Psychédélique Française - Webinar ‘Gender, Women and Psychedelics’

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This episode was produced and edited by Brendon Campbell. Original music and audio engineering by Andrew Illmann.