Are You Ready to Find Healing Using Psychedelics?

As the health, healing, and addiction crises continue to deeply affect many people, some are turning to psychedelic substances as a last resort to find relief, to find healing. Oftentimes, these crises are interconnected and people sometimes find traditional methods (therapy, medications, 12-step programs, etc.) ineffective.

That’s why many people turn to psychedelics. They are hurting (suffering often), lost, and simply looking for relief, for healing – not just symptom management. Psychedelics are also used for spiritual growth – and spiritual healing – as well as personal enlightenment.

Interestingly, psychedelic substances (particularly LSD) were used in conjunction with talk therapy more than 70 years ago in the 1950s and 1960s, and researchers published thousands of papers on the positive effects of these substances. But when LSD “escaped” to the general population in the late 1960s, President Nixon requested Congress to ban all of these healing substances for purely political reasons.

While government hearts and minds are slowly changing because of the powerful research results from hundreds of new studies all over the world, these substances are still illegal at the federal level. (Some states have moved to make them legal, while a growing number of cities have decriminalized them.)

Psychedelics are NOT for everyone, but they are, in general, quite safe medicines – certainly safer than alcohol, hard/street drugs, and tobacco. If you are open to them, these compounds can offer physical, psychological, and spiritual healing. Many of these medicines are also heart-opening, making you more receptive to what you see and learn from the experience.

But psychedelics are not magic pills either. They will not heal you without you committing time to reflect deeply on the psychedelic experience. You MUST be willing to do the work to find the healing you seek.

This article looks at the what, the how, and the when of using psychedelic substances as a tool for healing.

What Are Psychedelics?

Psychedelics, also referred to as hallucinogens, entheogens, or empathogens, are psychoactive substances that produce alterations in conscious experience. Traditional psychedelics (including LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT) affect the brain’s serotonin system, primarily by binding to the serotonin 2A (5HT-2A) receptor. Other substances with known hallucinogenic properties (such as ketamine, MDMA, and others) have different targets in the brain but still produce some psychedelic effects.

Psychedelics, while not a miracle cure, do have the potential to help people cut through all the layers of protective coverings to get at the root cause of the trauma, the root of the anxiety, fear, and depression. Psychedelics are a window to our souls – a window into things we have suppressed so deeply that we do not consciously understand or remember.

We have the potential for true and complete healing, and the unearthing of our authentic self, free of the hurt, anger, shame, fear. Psychedelic medicines are mind-altering substances that produce changes in perception, mood/emotions, and cognitive processes, resulting in deeper self-awareness and knowledge of who we are.

Here are the major psychedelics used for healing.

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms: More formally known as psilocybin to get away from the recreational use stigma of “magic mushrooms,” fungi with psychoactive properties have been used for as many as 10,000 years – maybe even longer.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms include more than 200 species that contain psychedelic substances, mainly psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. These mushrooms can be found across the globe: 53 are found in Mexico, 22 in the United States and Canada, 19 in Australia and the surrounding islands, 16 in Europe, 15 in Asia, and 4 in Africa. (Varieties include Copelandia, Gymnopilus, Inocybe, Panaeolus, Pholiotina, Pluteus, and Psilocybe.)

MDMA: First developed by scientists at Merck in 1912 when they were looking for a parent compound to synthesize medications that control bleeding.

MDMA has been described by some as an "empathogenic" drug because of its empathy-producing effects. Results of several studies show the effects of increased empathy with others. When an individual ingests MDMA, three neurotransmitters are released – serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine – meaning that there are more “feel-good” chemicals in the brain causing feelings of intense happiness, pleasure, and euphoria.

LSD: Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman first derived LSD in 1938 from a chemical (lysergic acid) derived from ergot, a fungus that infects grain. However, he did not discover the drug’s hallucinogenic effect until five years later when he accidentally ingested a small amount of LSD and saw “extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.”

A few days later, Hoffman intentionally took a larger dose of the drug and rode his bike home – one of the most famous bike rides in history! (Years later, April 19 came to be celebrated by some recreational LSD users as Bicycle Day.) Hoffman’s work became a catalyst for other researchers in studying other psychedelics, such as psilocybin and DMT.

Ketamine: A more recent discovery, ketamine dates back to 1962 when it was first synthesized by American scientist Calvin Stevens at the Parke Davis Laboratories; it’s a medication primarily used for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It was originally developed as a replacement for PCP. It induces dissociative anesthesia, a trance-like state providing pain relief, sedation, and amnesia – and is considered a hallucinogen – but not a classic psychedelic (such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, DMT). As a dissociative, ketamine can make people feel disconnected from their physical bodies.

The FDA approved ketamine as an anesthetic agent in 1970, and it has been used safely in adults, children, pets, and livestock for more than 50 years.

Ibogaine: A naturally-occurring psychoactive substance with dissociative properties found in the roots of shrubs in the family Apocynaceae such as Tabernanthe iboga (as well as Voacanga africana, and Tabernaemontana undulata), and native to the rain forest of central and west Africa. Ibogaine has been used for centuries by Indigenous peoples in low doses to combat fatigue, hunger, and thirst, and in higher doses, as a sacrament in religious rituals.

Researchers now understand that Ibogaine rewires the brain, relieves withdrawal symptoms, and gets rid of opioid cravings in just a few hours. The results can last for weeks, months, or sometimes longer.

Ayahuasca: A plant-medicine brew known as the “vine of the soul” is prepared from the combination of the Ayahuasca vine and the leaves of the Chacruna shrub that grows naturally in the Amazon in South America. This DMT-infused “tea” has been used for healing and community-building for thousands of years, though traditionally, only the shaman (or healers) drank the tea. Numerous Indigenous people use Ayahuasca, but the Shipibo are credited with protecting the sacredness of the medicine – especially after Spanish Jesuit missionaries called out Ayahuasca as the work of the devil and attempted to ban its use.

By the 1960s, Ayahuasca quests were in full effect, with Western tourists traveling to Peru, Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil seeking healing – and as the decades passed, more and more people have gone on healing quests to South America.

Mescaline: This psychedelic medicine is found in just a handful of cacti and its use can be traced back 6,000 years, to prehistoric peoples participating in ceremonies in the Rio Grande area of Texas. It also has a long history of use by Indigenous peoples in Central and South America. Mescaline became a “thing” when Aldous Huxley took the medicine for the first time in the 1950s and wrote a series of essays that were then published in book form with the title The Doors of Perception.

The two cacti with the highest amounts of mescaline are the San Pedro (also known as Huachuma) and peyote cacti, though it is also found in the Peruvian torch, the Bolivian torch, and to an even lesser amount in other species of cacti.

The How of Psychedelics

Perhaps the most important decision surrounding psychedelics is the how. People within psychedelics label this “the container,” meaning that best practices must ideally be followed in the administration and use of psychedelic substances.

For your first psychedelic experience, the ideal scenario is working with a therapist or coach who can help you prepare and understand the process. Another option is working with a trained psychedelic facilitator who coaches you before and sits with you during your psychedelic experience.

Unless you live in just a handful of states or cities that have legalized or decriminalized these substances, the biggest issue you will face is actually sourcing the psychedelic substance.

In terms of preparing a safe place – what’s referred to as the “setting” -- here’s a sample checklist of materials and things you should have at hand before you start an intentional psychedelic medicine journey:

• Medicine (verified purity, dosage)

• Relaxing, private, and safe sitting/lounging space

• Comfortable, loose clothing (or naked if you like)

• Cozy blankets, pillows

• Integration supplies (journal, paper, pens, paints, recorder, etc.)

• Water, juice, electrolytes

• Tissues

• Music selection (timed to length of journey)

• Headphones (optional)

• Eye covering/mask (optional)

• Bucket (just in case, for purging)

• Phone (silenced, but nearby for emergencies)

• Sober friend or tripsitter/facilitator/ceremonialist

• Intentions/mantra

When to Consume Psychedelics

You have to be in a stable place emotionally, be physically well, and have strong support from at least a few friends/family when you decide to try a psychedelic substance. The support is crucial because you will most likely feel and think differently about yourself, life, and other things after your psychedelic experience.

One of the most important things to understand is that if you are taking any medications – including both prescription and some over-the-counter – you may have to safely taper off of some or all so that the psychedelic effect is not blunted or reduced. Here again, using a trained coach can really help guide you, along with a trusted medical professional.

Otherwise, once you complete all the preparation for having a psychedelic experience, the when is really whenever you feel ready and called to proceed.

Final Thoughts on Finding Healing Through Psychedelics

The psychedelic experience does NOT end with taking the substances. Far from it. In fact, the real work on healing comes from integrating the lessons, messages, images, and conversations from the experience. Integration is essential to healing and understanding, and while the bulk of integrating will come in the weeks after the experience, integration is truly a lifelong pursuit to work on continually bettering yourself.

Finally, for those wary of a full psychedelic experience, the other option, which is also showing great promise, is microdosing one of the psychedelic substances. Microdosing involves using very low dosages of a psychedelic compound to foster healing and transformation without having to experience a full-blown psychedelic experience when using the full dose.

If you have more questions about psychedelics, please see the additional resources section below.

Additional Psychedelic Articles From Dr. Randall

• Common Psychedelic Pitfalls to Avoid

• Five Things to Consider Before Jumping into Healing Through Plant Medicines

• Frequently Asked Questions About Psychedelic Medicines: 1-10

• Frequently Asked Questions About Psychedelic Medicines: 11-20

• How to Prepare for Your First Psychedelic Experience

• Integration: It's What Must Be Done After Psychedelics

• Misconceptions and Myths About Psychedelics

• Not Sure About Psychedelics? Try Microdosing

• Reasons to Consider Using a Trip Sitter for Your Psychedelic Experience

• What Are Psychedelics? A Primer for the Curious

• What Should I Expect With a Psychedelic Journey?

• Why Should I Consider Psychedelics?

Additional Psychedelic Resources

• Fireside Project

• Psychedelic Passage

• Psychedelic Science Review

• Psychedelic Support

• Psychedelics

• Psychedelics Today

• Reality Sandwich

• Third Wave

• Tricycle Day

• Tripsitters