UCSD to Host a One-Day Symposium on Psychedelics + Creativity

On Saturday, January 17, UC San Diego (UCSD) will be home to Imaginarium, a one-day interdisciplinary symposium examining how psychedelics and other non-ordinary states of consciousness can catalyze creativity, imagination, and breakthrough thinking.

Presented through the Visionary Problem Solving Initiative, the event is a collaboration between the MINDS Foundation, the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, and the Center for Psychedelic Research at UCSD. The day brings together researchers, clinicians, artists, and cultural thinkers across neuroscience, medicine, psychology, meditation, the arts, and technology, with the goal of advancing a more rigorous science of insight and creative problem-solving.

For Cassandra Vieten, PhD, a clinical professor in UCSD’s Department of Family Medicine, Director of UCSD’s Center for Mindfulness and Psychology Director at UCSD’s Center for Psychedelic Research, this symposium sits squarely at the intersection of wellness, evidence-based research, and innovation.

“I’m a psychologist and I have been working for most of my career on how people have profound experiences that change the way they view themselves and even reality and their relationship to it,” Vieten says. “These interests have led me to seeing, observing, and experiencing how people can have psychedelic catalyzed insights that change their lives, but they also lead them to discoveries or breakthrough creative ideas, novel solutions, sometimes on a personal level and sometimes on a collective level.”

Jon Dean, PhD, a postdoctoral scientist in UCSD’s Department of Anesthesiology, brings a molecular lens to this phenomenon. His research into the human body’s internal chemistry suggests that the potential for these states may already be wired into our biology.

“There’s molecules in our bodies that are endogenously the same as psychedelics,” Dean explains. “DMT is a big one that people talk about, but there are other variants on that that are naturally produced in our bodies.” Having identified endogenous DMT in rodent brains at levels comparable to major neurotransmitters, Dean is now translating that inquiry to humans, raising profound questions about the neurobiological roots of dreaming and creativity.

The goal of Imaginarium is not simply to celebrate these psychedelic or profound spiritual experiences, but to examine them scientifically. Throughout the day, speakers will dissect the mechanics behind these sudden realizations, often described by those who experience them as creative “downloads.” As Vieten describes it, “They just have like all of a sudden they have direct access to, 'I know how to do that. I know how we can fix that.'”

Furthermore, the event is not structured like a traditional academic conference. Instead, Imaginarium intentionally blends rigorous data with experiential perspectives. “We wanted to really have it rounded,” Dean says. “Like what is creativity? What is the neuroscience of creativity? The psychology of it? Like what’s going on in the brain and in the body?”

The morning kicks off with opening remarks by Vieten and Dean, Manesh Girn, PhD delivers a keynote on the current state of psychedelic and creativity research, followed by a deep dive into mind-wandering, imagination, hypnosis, and creativity with panelists Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, PhD, Jonathan Schooler, PhD, and Christine Chesebrough, PhD.

The symposium’s afternoon sessions address psychedelics and neuroplasticity, lessons from early psychedelic research, indigenous perspectives on psychedelics and creativity, and the role of psychedelics in design.

The dialogue continues with a panel moderated by Vieten featuring Dean alongside visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey, focused on DMT, visionary states, imagination, and art. Before the day closes, music industry veteran Tony Bisogno moderates a lighter, playful panel on imagination and creative culture, offering an intellectual reset through the lens of imaginative play.

Following the symposium, attendees can continue the conversation at a separately ticketed after party at The Holding Company in OB, blending humor, music, and community.

Both Vieten and Dean credit the unique collaborative nature of San Diego for supporting this kind of cross-disciplinary exploration. “The great thing about UCSD is we are always very encouraging of innovation and transdisciplinary innovation… and I think that’s a San Diego thing too.” Vieten says. 

At its core, Imaginarium reflects a belief that imagination itself may be a critical resource in times of collective challenge. 

“There really couldn’t be anything more important right now than people coming up with better solutions than we currently have to some of the major problems facing humanity,” Vieten says. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could somehow have a science of creative breakthroughs?”

For San Diego’s wellness community, already invested in consciousness, creativity, and collective well-being, Imaginarium offers a rare opportunity to engage with the leading edge of this emerging field, right at home.

Saturday, January 17
9:00am-5:00pm
The Jeannie, UCSD La Jolla
$40 in-person / $10 online

To register or stream online, visit imagination.ucsd.edu/imaginarium

After Party
The Holding Company, OB
7:30pm-12:00am
$34

Tickets on Eventbrite