My scholarly projects in graduate school have largely been driven by an interest in exploring the rhetorical dissonance between western science and “spirituality,” and especially by noticing where this gets tricky in discourses of health and medicine. I have long been fascinated by the way that scientific narratives make their way into various spheres of discourse–and when science becomes a means to validate the efficacy of “spiritual” practices, interesting things happen. Rhetorically, ethically, and scientifically. I am likewise fascinated by the way that spiritually-based narratives of healing circulate and how they gain credibility (or not) in public and technical spheres.

This line of inquiry has led me to study rhetorics of “spirituality” in the healing sciences, and specifically to begin forming a research trajectory aimed at better understanding the rhetorical and ethical landscape of psychedelics within and without officially sanctioned western science. To this end, I have been collaborating with a group of interdisciplinary researchers and stakeholders to understand the expanding relevance of psychedelics in clinical, political, and economic contexts–while also intervening to center reciprocity with indigenous psychedelic cultures; support indigenous survivance, preservation, and self-determination; and advocate for the preservation of biodiversity upon which these cultures (and psychedelic compounds) rely.

The main work in progress I’ve submitted here is an early dissertation proposal aimed at examining the ways psychedelics are positioned as therapeutic across contexts. Through critically engaged methodologies, I seek to discern the rhetorical constructions of mental health, care, healing, and spirituality that emerge from disparate psychedelic communities in Madison, WI–communities called into being by science and publics alike. This project is situated at the intersection of rhetoric of health and medicine, science and technology studies, phenomenology, and anti-oppression–and has an underlying goal to contribute to important and timely conversations around access, equity, diversity, and inclusion in psychedelic spaces.