Since the 1990s groups of therapists and neuroscientists have worked together with FDA permission to research the clinical use of psychedelics in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and death anxiety. Their research outcomes have been strikingly positive, yet the FDA is proceeding slowly and cautiously to grant permission for mainstream use of psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin by licensed therapists in strictly regulated clinics. How could psychedelics improve severe mental health challenges with the assistance of therapists? The leading theory focuses on neuroplasticity. This refers to the ability of the brain under certain circumstances to rapidly develop new circuitry that opens the door to greater cognitive flexibility and fresh insights into Self and the relationship of Self to others and the Universe. The clinical use of psychedelics is not to get patients high, but to break up rigid negative thoughts that have held them as prisoners of fear. Freed from fear patients can experience waves of forgiveness, gratitude, and connection to others. For how long have humans used psychedelics to alter their consciousness for positive purposes rather than an escape from an intolerable reality? The precise answer is lost in time. However, a paper published on 4/6/23 in Scientific Reports by Guerra-Doce and colleagues at the University of Valladolid shows that 3,000 years ago residents of the Spanish island of Menorca were using psychedelics inside Es Carritx cave. Evidence found within the cave indicates that Shamans led group rituals for people who had consumed extracts from the psychedelic plant Nightshade. Can you imagine looking at the flickering light of torches on cave paintings in the dark while chanting? There are some very intelligent people who are convinced that all major religions stem from leaders who consumed hallucinogens to have their visions. The old saying “there’s nothing new under the sun” refers to how human history moves in circles, always returning to practices and meanings of long ago in fresh ways. Consciousness expansion may threaten conservative fogies but it exists across the mammalian class. Animals like reindeer, moose, caribous, jaguars, bighorn sheep, lemurs, and monkeys eat psychedelic plants, grains, and mushrooms. It looks increasingly likely that the FDA will soon grant permission for MDMA assisted psychotherapy.
