At Chacruna: Psychedelic Masculinities: Reflections on Power, Violence and Privilege

Gabriel Amezcua

There is no doubt that the growing interest in the use of psychedelic substances has triggered a wave of increasingly critical attitudes toward the neoliberal way of life and towards the social systems that shelter it, where the patriarchy is of major concern. Characterized by attitudes of domination, extractivism, and competition, the negative aspects of patriarchy as a social system become more evident from the perspective of a person under the extreme sensitivity of psychedelics. No wonder, then, that many of the groups of the so-called “new masculinities” that I have met are made up of a majority of people who use or have used these substances. I do not think it’s naïve to say that psychedelic substances have helped to build masculinities that are more sensitive to our environment and more willing to empathize with others... continue reading.