The term was first coined as a noun in 1956 by
psychiatrist Humphry Osmond as an alternative descriptor for
hallucinogenic drugs in the context of
psychedelic psychotherapy.
[3] It is irregularly
[4] derived from the
Greek words ψυχή
psychḗ 'soul, mind' and δηλείν
dēleín 'to manifest', with the meaning "mind manifesting," the implication being that psychedelics can develop unused potentials of the human mind.
[5] The term was loathed by American
ethnobotanist Richard Schultes but championed by American psychologist
Timothy Leary.
[6]
Seeking a name for the experience induced by
LSD, Osmond contacted
Aldous Huxley, a personal acquaintance and advocate for the therapeutic use of the substance. Huxley coined the term "phanerothyme," from the Greek terms for "manifest" (φανερός) and "spirit" (θύμος). In a letter to Osmond, he wrote:
To make this mundane world sublime,
Take half a gram of phanerothyme
To which Osmond responded:
To fathom Hell or soar angelic,
Just take a pinch of psychedelic
[7]
It was on this term that Osmond eventually settled, because it was "clear, euphonious and uncontaminated by other associations."