Hip Glossary: Psychedelic

The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for "mind," ψυχή (psyche), and "manifest," δήλος (delos).

A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one’s mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ordinary fetters. Psychedelic states are one of the stations on the spectrum of experiences elicited by sensory deprivation as well as by psychedelic substances. On that same spectrum will be found hallucinations, changes of perception, synesthesia, altered states of awareness, mystical states, and occasionally states resembling psychosis.

The term was first coined as a noun in 1957 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, as an alternative descriptor for hallucinogenic drugs in the context of psychedelic psychotherapy. The term featured in a now-famous exchange with Aldous Huxley, in which the little-used term phanerothyme (derived from roots relating to "spirit" or "soul") was suggested:

Osmond responded:

Timothy Leary, who was largely responsible for the popularization of the term "psychedelic", was a well known proponent of their use, as was Aldous Huxley. At the time the word was coined, Huxley argued to Osmond that it should be spelled psychodelic, in accordance with proper Greek. However, Leary thought that psychedelic sounded better and deliberately disregarded the proper spelling and pronunciation. The use of psychedelic drugs became widespread in the mid-1960s. One of the first uses of the word in the music scene of this time (who also helped popularize the term) was in 13th Floor Elevators album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators.