8 Ways to Learn About Psychedelics

Amidst the surge of headlines and research articles regarding psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) for trauma, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues over the past few years, it can be challenging to sort fear, fiction, and facts. Panic or panacea? Medicine or menace? Renaissance or reality? The word psychedelics alone can elicit anything from obstinate cynicism to unbridled enthusiasm.

As psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) gains popularity (currently, Ketamine is legal, and likely MDMA later this year), harm reduction has emerged as a parallel arm to help ensure the greatest care is taken. Psychedelic medicines are an amplifier and therapeutic catalyst, and, for these same reasons, including hyperplasticity of the brain and psychological vulnerability, they put people at risk for potential psychological harm¹.

Part of harm reduction is educating the public about what is known so far about these medicines as well as how and why they are being recommended in combination with psychotherapeutic support before, during, and after the medicine dosing. These key components to safe and effective PAT are often referred to as set, setting, and support. When psychedelics are used with intention and skill, research and indigenous wisdom show psychedelics can be incredible healing catalysts. However, just like a ladder or a knife, they can also be used ineptly and destructively.

There is appropriate public skepticism regarding medicines, old or new. Many patients with chronic pain with whom I've worked over the past 20 years were told opioids were safe, non-addictive, and the side effects were worth it. Many of them ended up with more pain, more complicated health problems, tolerance, and sometimes addiction. Many other people have been misinformed or are uninformed about the true risks of antidepressant, antianxiety, and antipsychotic medicines that are still commonly used.

Jessica Del Pozo/ Ladder image by Cesar Cid/Unsplash

Promises, Promises

How can the public be more informed about psychedelics and PAT and trust it isn’t just another pill being oversold? Here are some ways to stay informed about new uses of new or old medicines:

1. Read the research for yourself: Many research articles can be found on PubMed, a free search engine that accesses a database such as MEDLINE for scientific journals on biomedical and life sciences. Reading and interpreting the articles can be cumbersome, but this is one avenue to see what is going on. Check what the research says and take note of any retracted studies (studies found to be too flawed or false). One study published in 2002 claimed MDMA (ecstasy) caused toxicity to dopamine neurons, severe illness, and death in primates (Ricaurte, et al. 2002 Science). However, this study was retracted the following year as the authors inadvertently administered high doses of methamphetamine, not MDMA².
2. Check who funded the study or project: Funding is listed on the back page of most peer-reviewed published studies. Take into account who paid for the research and what results they might hope to find. Implicit or explicit bias may be present and this could affect the outcomes of the study. Psychologist Lisa Cosgrove (BMJ, 2024) recently found that over half of the members of the team who created the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of psychiatric diagnoses have financial conflicts of interest in the millions of dollars, impacting what symptoms are considered to be normal or pathological before treatment even begins³.
3. Observe how institutions manage their mistakes: Inevitably, mistakes are made, as is the case with any person or group. Observe how each institution, company, or person takes responsibility for any mistakes, failures, or blunders in their research or use of PAT. A core part of the deep therapeutic work of PAT includes working with shadow—those parts typically hidden or denied. Watch for those with transparency and compassion in communications—key ways trust is built with the public.
4. Learn about Indigenous history and wisdom: Psychedelic medicines as healing and spiritual catalysts predate Western medicine to pre-historic times. Archeological evidence throughout history shows that over 90 percent of the societies studied used expanded states of consciousness with psychedelic plants for healing and religious ceremony. This included 437 cultures worldwide (Bourguignon, 1973)⁴. It is beneficial to pay attention to Indigenous wisdom over millennia and appreciate the deep roots of many of the psychedelic medicines.
5. Be aware of advertising: Be aware of advertising messages that oversell a product as a fix-all. PAT has greatly benefited many people, but should not be considered a panacea. On the other hand, take note of who may be labeling a substance as dangerous and toxic with no medical use, as happened in the 1970s with marijuana and psychedelics. Psychedelic medicines are being shown to be safer and more effective than previously assumed, but nothing has zero risk. Beware of all or none extremes and take into account what a company or group may have to gain from their message of fear or of a magic bullet.
6. Watch other countries: Watch what other countries are doing with psychedelic medicines. MDMA and psilocybin therapy have recently been legalized in Australia. Listen to the pros and cons that patients, therapists, and other healthcare providers report from these countries. Brazil, Czeckia, the Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay, and Portugal have legalized psychedelics and have reported a reduction in crime and large savings for law enforcement.
7. Notice who benefits: Note who stands to gain short-term and long-term from PAT and what the actual impact is. Many research participants, including veterans, front-line healthcare workers, terminal cancer patients, and people with depression, suicidal thoughts, pain, and anxiety, report a great reduction in symptoms after PAT in one to three doses plus therapy⁵. Currently, there is bipartisan support to continue pursuing research for veterans with symptoms of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. A well-informed public with psychedelic literacy can keep it from becoming a divisive political issue.
8. Remember there is no one way: There are many ways to do deep healing work. Stay vigilant regarding proclaimed experts, gurus, and guides who state that they or their medicines are the only way to heal from trauma and stress. Any healthcare provider or researcher you work with should be highly skilled and approach you with unconditional positive regard and respect for your individual process. Approaching this type of work with a humble and collaborative spirit is a necessary component of its success. Any treatment that fails to empower a patient is unlikely to be a good treatment.