From Stigma to Science: The Evolving Understanding of Psychedelics

Join us and our partners from the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 @ 7:00 PM for a thought-provoking discussion with Berlin-based bestselling author Norman Ohler, Charles Grob, a leading expert in psychiatry and pediatrics at UCLA’s School of Medicine, and Los Angeles-based writer and freelance editor Kate Wolf. Inspired by Ohler’s research-driven book Tripped (HarperCollins, 2024), this conversation will delve into the complex history, evolvingperceptions, and groundbreaking research surrounding psychedelics.

Presented in cooperation with Thomas Mann House Los Angeles
Admission is free with RSVP below. Capacity is limited.
RSVP holders will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Light refreshments provided

EVENT SCHEDULE
6:30pm Doors open.
7:00pm Welcoming + Discussion
9:00pm End of Event
LSD began as a groundbreaking pharmaceutical developed by the Swiss company Sandoz in the 1940s, initially heralded for its potential in mental health treatment. However, its promise was quickly overshadowed by widespread abuse and government experiments in mind control, leading to prohibition and a lasting stigma. But is LSD’s current legal status still justified, or should it be reconsidered in light of new research?
What happens in the brain—specifically in the neocortex—when one takes LSD? Is it a dangerous substance or a powerful neuro-enhancer? Could it be a valuable tool for treating mental illness and trauma?
Author Norman Ohler explores these questions in his latest book, Tripped, which contextualizes the complex history of LSD. His personal perspective—his mother microdoses LSD to manage her Alzheimer’s—intersects with the extensive research of leading scientist Charles Grob, whose clinical studies examine the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in treating anxiety and other conditions. Together, their insights challenge long-standing misconceptions and open up a fascinating discussion on the past, present, and future of LSD.
Ohler’s Tripped is currently being adapted into the documentary TV series LSD for Mom.
Norman Ohler is a Berlin-based novelist and filmmaker known for his research-driven storytelling. His 2017 nonfiction bookBlitzed – Drugs in Nazi Germanybecame aNew York Timesbestseller and has been translated into 32 languages.One of hislatest books,Tripped(2024), explores the history of LSD and serves as the basis for the upcoming documentary seriesLSD for Mom. Ohler’s work uncovers hidden histories, blending investigative research with compelling narratives.His most recent release,DerZauberberg(2024), published by Diogenes, is inspired by Thomas Mann’s classic novel and explores profound questions about life, society, and the nature of human existence.
Charles S. Grob, M.D. is a Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at UCLA School of Medicine and a leading researcher in psychedelic studies. Since the early 1990s, he has conducted clinical research on psychedelics, including the first modern study on psilocybin for advanced-cancer anxiety. His work also explores the effects of MDMA and ayahuasca. Over the last 30 years, he has published extensively on psychedelics and co-edited multiple books on the subject. Dr. Grob is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing research on classic psychedelics for mental health treatment.
Kate Wolf is writer and editor based in Los Angeles. She is one of the founding editors of The Los Angeles Review of Books, where she's currently editor at large and co-host and producer of its weekly podcast, The LARB Radio Hour. Her work has appeared in exhibition catalogues, anthologies, and publications including Bidoun, Bookforum, Art in America, The Nation, n+1, East of Borneo, Frieze, Night Papers—an artists’ newspaper she created and edited with the Night Gallery in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2016—and on KCRW and Mcsweeney’s program, The Organist.
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Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Los Angeles