I post a lot about psychedelic medicines, and it seems like the word is spreading through Canadian society more and more. Many clients have experimented with psychedelics, and I feel that I'd like to clarify something.
We live in a pharmaceutical culture where we are conditioned into believing that the medicine IS the cure. When we take this mindset into the psychedelic world, it can really cause trouble. I hear on a regular basis about people who have been struggling with depression, or anxiety, or any number of issues who have heard that "psychedelics can help".
So they go get themselves some psilocybin or LSD, and then, on their own, at home or they go for a walk in the woods and consume what are known as "heroic doses" of psychedelics with the idea that this will fix the issue. Please DO NOT DO THIS.
These medicines are very powerful and like anything powerful can cause harm if misused. Set, setting, context, and support are critically important.
A metaphor that came to mind that demonstrates how critical context, setting, and support are is this; imagine you were having issues with your sex drive/libido. You got some medicine that is very powerful and will absolutely make you completely aroused and highly sexually motivated. You probably should NOT take this medicine while you are visiting your grandparents in an old age home. It's inappropriate, and may have entirely negative and unwanted consequences that may be traumatic for you and for those around you.
Psychedelics can not only connect you with deep metaphysical experience, they are highly effective at surfacing deep trauma, hidden psychological shadow, and negative thought patterns. In an appropriate therapeutic or ceremonial context, this is exactly what you want them to do. Trust me when I say, you don't want this happening when you are on your own or in an unsafe environment. Many psychedelics are a 6-8 hour ride that you can't get off, so when you don't have the skills to help yourself and things get ugly... 8 hours of ugly is not a good thing.
If you are thinking about psychedelics as something you'd like to explore, please do your research and ensure that you are working in a safe way in a safe environment supported by people who know what they are doing in support of you.
At this time, most psychedelics are still illegal, and I hope this changes soon. Therapists like myself cannot offer to support outside of legal clinical trials, but I can share knowledge and advice, and I am happy to, because these medicines are too useful to be stigmatized by misuse any longer. I can share best practices, and I can help you to integrate your experiences if you choose to engage with psychedelics. Talk to me.