I’m Daniel [last name and face pic redacted for now]. I’m a researcher who explores and writes about psychedelics and consciousness, art, philosophy, and modernity from the standpoint of sociology and anthropology. I have a master’s degree in anthropology, although I have chosen not to pursue a PhD.
I made up the word “psychedelico” (or thought I did) to mean someone who uses psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or LSD, regularly or semi-regularly to explore so-called altered states of consciousness without, necessarily, any deeper cultural connotation outside a purely (Western) intellectual context. That is to say: someone seeking to understand the psychedelic experience from the standpoint of a contemporary Western person living in the contemporary Western world—though occasionally seeking out other modalities when there are no clear Western frameworks to navigate these experiences.
In other words, I wanted a way to describe myself and how I used and thought about psychedelics and the psychedelic experience. “Psychonaut” is generally analogous, but that word never really resonated with me. Psychedelico, capitalized and italicized, is an extension of this idea. It is one man’s self-conscious exploration of his own encounters with psychedelics, primarily psilocybin and DMT, and attempts to situate and make sense of those encounters in terms of modernity, philosophy, art, and science.
As I write this in late February 2025, my primary intellectual project is focused on erōs and the erotic (but not necessarily sexual) and poietic dimensions of the psychedelic experience. I hope to share more about this over time as I develop my ideas and understanding into a more coherent structure.
For now, welcome. This is Psychedelico.
Image: Miró 19 (2024) // Credit: Midjourney and the author // Prompt: “psychedelic visions in the style of Joan Miró –ar 16:9”