An international ban on psychedelics initiated by the United Nations’ Convention on Psychotropic Substances in 1971 restricted the clinical use of these ancient psychoactive substances. Yet, in an era marked by rising mental health concerns and a growing “Deaths of Despair” epidemic (i.e., excess mortality and morbidity from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism), the structured psychedelic use that has long been a part of ritual healing experiences for human societies is slowly regaining credibility in Western medicine for its potential to treat various mental health conditions. We use a historical lens to examine the use of psychedelic therapies over time, translate ancient lessons to contemporary clinical and research practice, and interrogate the practical and ethical questions researchers must grapple with before they can enter mainstream medicine. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and its contributions to the global mental health burden, we also reflect on how psychedelic therapy might serve as a tool for medicine in the aftermath of collective trauma. Ultimately, it is argued that a “psychedelic renaissance” anchored in the lessons of antiquity can potentially help shift healthcare systems—and perhaps the broader society—towards practices that are more humane, attentive to underlying causes of distress, and supportive of human flourishing.

1971 年联合国《精神药物公约》发起的国际对迷幻剂的禁令限制了这些古老的精神活性物质的临床使用。然而，在一个以日益严重的心理健康问题和日益严重的“绝望之死”流行病（即自杀、吸毒过量和酗酒导致的死亡率和发病率过高）为标志的时代，结构性迷幻药的使用长期以来一直是仪式治疗的一部分人类社会的经验正在慢慢恢复西方医学的可信度，因为它具有治疗各种心理健康状况的潜力。我们使用历史镜头来检查随着时间的推移迷幻疗法的使用，将古老的教训转化为当代的临床和研究实践，并询问研究人员在进入主流医学之前必须解决的实际和伦理问题。鉴于 COVID-19 大流行及其对全球心理健康负担的贡献，我们还反思了迷幻疗法如何在集体创伤之后成为一种药物工具。最终，有人认为，以古代教训为基础的“迷幻复兴”可能有助于将医疗保健系统——也许是更广泛的社会——转变为更人道的做法，关注痛苦的根本原因，并支持人类繁荣。