Are you ready for the psychedelic revolution? Researchers are developing novel treatments for depression, PTSD and addiction, while biotech companies are racing to patent new psychedelic drugs. But for all the headlines, many questions still swirl around this psychedelic renaissance. Why do hallucinogens have such a remarkable capacity to transform lives? Is healing driven by the mind-bending experience itself — or by molecules rewiring the brain? Psychedelics also raise profound questions about the nature of consciousness and mystical experience. Are these simply hallucinations, or do they reveal something profound about the mind — or even about reality itself?

"Luminous" explores these questions through in-depth, intimate conversations with leading scientists, philosophers, historians and healers. Some episodes examine groundbreaking research. What happens to an octopus on MDMA? Why do psychedelics ease our fear of death? Other episodes venture into the trippier reaches of psychedelic culture and history. One week we might uncover the hidden history of ancient sacred ceremonies. Another week we'll meet a psychonaut pushing his mind to the outer limits — or rediscover Timothy Leary's "acid queen." 

Originally, these interviews aired on "To The Best Of Our Knowledge," the Peabody Award-winning Wisconsin Public Radio show that Steve co-founded with Anne Strainchamps. They eventually grew into the spinoff podcast "Luminous."

Today, "Luminous" has a new home at Wonder Cabinet Productions, produced in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Center for Psychedelic Research and Education with support from Usona Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization. This partnership reflects Madison's emergence as one of the world's most innovative psychedelic centers and marks a new chapter for "Luminous" as we continue to explore the science, philosophy and lived experience of psychedelics.

About the host

For years Steve Paulson has been fascinated by personal accounts of mystical experience. Then he met Roland Griffiths, Stan Grof and other pioneering psychedelic researchers, and realized psychedelics opened an extraordinary window onto questions about consciousness and transcendence. He kept finding remarkable people with fascinating stories to tell, so he started "Luminous" in order to talk with them — and to explore deeper questions about the science and philosophy of psychedelics.

Steve is a Peabody Award-winning journalist and podcaster based in Madison, Wisconsin. He was the co-founder and executive producer of the public radio show "To The Best Of Our Knowledge." In addition to "Luminous," he co-hosts "Wonder Cabinet," a podcast about science, nature and re-enchanting the world.

His radio stories have been broadcast on NPR, and he’s written for Nautilus, Salon, Slate, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Electric Literature. His book, "Atoms and Eden: Conversations on Religion and Science," was published by Oxford University Press. For more than a decade, he organized and moderated an annual series of public events at the New York Academy of Sciences, including "Rethinking Mortality," "From Knowledge to Wisdom," and "The Emerging Science of Consciousness." He’s also moderated panels at the International Forum on Consciousness in Madison for more than a dozen years. 

About the UW–Madison Center for Psychedelic Research and Education

The mission of the UW–Madison Center for Psychedelic Research and Education is to support research and educational activities regarding psychedelic drugs and related compounds. The Center supports the UW–Madison campus and the Wisconsin community with research infrastructure, such as drug dosing rooms, treatment facilitator training, and education.

Although some work focuses on drugs with a clear psychedelic effect, related substances may have clinical effects on mood or behavior without the psychedelic experience, thus the use of the term “psychoactive.”

The Center supports the Master of Science in Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation.

The Center also seeks to establish relationships with commercial entities that would benefit from various screening tests or early stage clinical trials.