Psychedelics aren’t the magic pill new age spirituality wants us to think they are
Yesterday I came across an Instagram post from somatic bodywork expert Kimberly Ann Johnson (see here) about how psychedelic experiences don’t lead to change. She stated in her post that the overuse of psychedelics leads to numbness and insights “not earned”. She went on to further say psychedelic experiences mimic nervous system responses of “I think I’m going to die” followed by “I’m so glad I survived.” She argues that the desire for so many to take psychedelics is to escape this physical reality, which isn’t “as good” as the intense psychedelic experiences. Many don’t seem to integrate what they’ve experienced from taking psychedelics, and she stated that many of these insights and spiritual experiences are not “hard-earned”.
The comments were generally supportive of Kimberly’s viewpoints, although there have been a few valid counterarguments. Psychedelics include “magic mushrooms” which contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin, MDMA (also known as "ecstasy" or "Molly"), LSD ("acid"), peyote, and Ayahuasca. Taking a fraction of a recreational dose (aka microdosing about 1/5-1/20 of a regular dose) has gained popularity, yet there is currently no way to regulate or know for certain the exact dose you’re taking. For example, the potency of magic mushrooms can vary greatly. Here are my thoughts on this matter: I largely agree with what Kimberly said, with a few exceptions. I don’t see the use of psychedelics or microdosing in such black-and-white terms. I think psychedelics can be a helpful tool among one’s toolbox (in conjunction with other mind-body-spirit healing practices) when taken in a supported, ceremonial setting that can actually helps the person move through trauma, integrate the teachings, and take meaningful action, HOWEVER:
I think there is a time and place for plant medicine when the plants are ethically sourced, used with intention, in the right dose, and the plant and its properties are known and respected. It seems like so many want to take psychedelics, including microdosing, to get out of their body or achieve some higher awareness quickly and easily without doing the spiritual work. That said, I think that psychedelics can be a useful tool in someone’s spiritual or healing toolbox when used with reverence and in moderation. I’ve never used psychedelics, mostly because I’m very sensitive to substances, have never felt the need to take them because I’ve cultivated spiritual awareness and trust my intuition, and honestly don’t even know where to look for them. However, there are a multitude of stories of people who have healed from complex traumas like PTSD that talk therapy or psychiatric drugs haven’t been able to heal. The corruption, over-prescription of, and faulty studies about psychiatric drugs is a topic for another blog post, but suffice it to say that alternative therapies are needed beyond addictive drugs like Prozac and Benzos. When can society safely embrace the use of psychedelics like our ancestors did, rather than resort to addictive psychiatric drugs or monetize psychedelics in an irreverent Capitalist way?
As with any healing process, there needs to be supported integration. If you go through a major healing, whether that’s from working with a therapist, energy healing, psychedelics, or through other methods, that person needs to be supported to help integrate and embody the healing. I don’t think it behooves a person to go on an intense Ayahuasca journey and then be sent on their way home to try to process everything alone. This goes against better healing practices in my opinion. Unfortunately, sacred plant medicine has become trendy now, and people are taking these substances willy nilly as a form of recreational drugs or as a means of escapism and get way in over their heads. It’s akin to those who’ve had unexpected Kundalini awakenings and horrible experiences without any support. Taking psychedelics intentionally to dive deep into the layers of their subconscious and subconscious to heal their shadows isn’t for everyone, and I personally think it should be given only to those who are committed to doing long-term spiritual healing. I also have a problem with these plant substances being commodified and sold like any other pharmaceutical when they have been historically used in sacred settings by shamans or medicine women/men who communicated with the plant spirit. There was an appreciation for plant medicine and an understanding of the Elemental spirits. Now you can go to any head shop in Amsterdam or in the US and practically buy magic mushrooms off the shelf.
This brings me to my next point: More often than not, psychedelics are another route of escapism and dissociation. Psychedelics shouldn’t be used to stay out of your body for prolonged periods or escape from reality. New age spirituality seems to be about getting out of your body rather than dealing with day-to-day physical reality. The so-called “3-D reality” on Earth is often criticized and deemed by New Agers as less real or important than out-of-body spiritual experiences. I am a firm believer that we have to be grounded and take care of our bodies to truly manifest on this physical plane.
About spiritual experiences having to be “hard-earned”— Ever since Jesus was hung on the cross, there has been the overarching belief that humans have to suffer, sacrifice, and work extremely hard to have spiritual experiences or understand Divine wisdom. I think that’s BS. One can have profound spiritual experiences while out in nature or while playing with kids or taking care of animals, for example. One doesn’t always have to become a martyr to understand Divine principles. How much of spiritual growth and learning have to entail suffering and tons of effort? That’s a very male-oriented way of doing things. At what point can we surrender to the teachings and healing and stop chasing, doing, working, and suffering all the time, which is the feminine way of doing things? This doesn’t mean spiritual bypassing issues and adopting the “positive vibes only” motto. Sometimes the deepest insight or healing can come from the inner knowing that we are all Divine and connected to the Divine, and this occurs in our everyday lives. We don’t have to have an Ayahuasca ceremony or go to church to know this.
It seems like everyone these days “receives downloads” or “channels” information from the “highest Divine plane” or the ether or God-knows-where when, in reality, most don’t have the discernment to know with full confidence from where or whom the information comes. Is it from a benevolent being? From your dead aunt Sally? From Archangel Michael? From an out-of-body entity whose intentions are anything but good. Most people can’t tell the difference because they haven’t done deep spiritual training or worked on developing their spiritual bodies. Instead, modern technology provides them with platforms like social media and flashy video editing, which makes them seem like authorities on the matter and people believe them. Why? Because they too don’t have the discernment to be able to tell between people with bogus claims or occasional flashes of insight, and those who are truly aligned to Divine wisdom. Pro tip: don’t be fooled by the flashy graphics.
To conclude, I’d say there are nuances with psychedelics. When someone does Ayahuasca or psilocybin regularly “to get their answers and insights” rather than cultivating a relationship and trust with their intuition while sober, I see that as a problem. I’ve “done the work” as they say, and continue to do so through meditation, working with other people doing readings and healings, and continued education in different healing and esoteric modalities to have those spiritual experiences and insights in my everyday life without the use of substances. This is all very much a work in progress and I see it being that way for the rest of my life on this planet. That is not to say that psychedelics don’t have a time and place as a profound healing tool, but it should be done in conjunction with the deeper work so that the person can embody the healing from the psychedelic experience and take empowered action.
