The impetus for this call for papers and anthology is there are valuable stories out there of Mormons who have used psychedelics to heal, strengthen and develop (or change) faith, and given them a new outlook on life. I hear these stories all the time! I also have people asking if I know of other Mormons who have used psychedelics and what stories I’ve heard. Due to the nature of the experiences, the stigma of sharing sacred experiences within Mormon culture, and the stigma surrounding psychedelic use there’s a need for a place to encounter other’s experiences in order to help make sense of your own. An essential part of integrating psychedelic experiences is sharing your own and hearing other’s so we can understand what is veridical, what is helpful, and what might be a less important detail.
These substances will not be going away. As more people learn of them and our culture realizes their uses there is a need for education, for people to understand what they might experience or what might happen to them if they use these substances. Informed consent is key. It’s my hope that this anthology will help individuals realize there are other Mormons out there using these substances and having meaningful experiences. I hope it will help individuals feel encouraged to share what they experience so we can have an increased dialogue regarding how they can help and transform our spiritual lives.
Call For Papers: On the Mormon Experience of Psychedelics
Are you Mormon or have ever been Mormon (of any branch)? Have you used psychedelics? If so, we’d love to hear about your experience!
We’re seeking submissions for personal essays about your experiences with psychedelics to be published in an anthology.
Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Sharing your psychedelic experiences, encounters with the divine, or mystical visions in their raw or narrative form
- How these experiences might have impacted or transformed your faith and your life
- Insights into your faith they might have provided
- Whether they changed how you experienced your faith and what it meant being Mormon or a Latter-day Saint
- How you navigated the theological and ethical tensions within the faith of using these substances
- Reflections on how encounters with psychedelics challenge or affirm Mormon ideas of authority, personal revelation, and divine communication for you
- Challenging experiences you faced
- How psychedelics helped reconnect you to your ancestors
- Religious trauma, psychological, spiritual, or physical healing through psychedelics
- New insights into sacred texts
- Faith transitions, leaving the faith, or reinvigorating faith
- Any other facets of psychedelics that were meaningful to you and your life
This is a sensitive topic for many so if you wish all personal identifying details can be anonymized or changed in the publication for those who would like to share but feel uncomfortable doing so in a public setting or might face repercussions for their openness.
Contributions can be anywhere from 1,000–10,000 words.
Submissions are due to alexcriddle1@gmail.com by APRIL 6, 2025. Accepted submissions will be notified by April 30, 2025.
Contributions submitted as a Word, RTF, or Google Doc format with Chicago style full footnotes (if any) are preferred.
Questions or Feedback? Contact Alex Criddle at alexcriddle1@gmail.com