Our Psychedelic Future is community
At Journey Space we believe that a supportive community is essential to unlock the full transformative power of psychedelics. Community may be an overused word that conjures thoughts of manufactured online groups or stale neighborhood function rooms. However, historical use of psychedelic Sacred Plants are generally based in community practices, and they are the context in which people integrate meaningful changes in their lives.
On a deeper level, community may be the key ingredient to being a human. We all long for connection, recognition, and belonging. Community may be our most promising strategy to find solutions to many of the toughest problems in the emerging field of psychedelics, as individuals, and as a planet.
As we witness the rise of psychedelic medicines inside the medical system, limitations are emerging.
Modern medicine has a range of inherent problems, and clinical research shows that psychedelic medicines without accompanying support systems and integration practices are often not enough. But, perhaps the biggest drawback to the medicalization of psychedelics is cost. Today we are years from insurance coverage of psychedelic assisted modalities. This will become a greater challenge with MDMA and psilocybin as the models being used in their clinical trials are even more expensive, employing two professionals to monitor a single patient over the course of a multi-hour session.
High costs will likely shut out many from the ability to access the exploration of psychedelic-therapy — working in groups may provide a solution to help lower these costs and increase access.
The majority may not need the medical system to administer psychedelics.
In the state of Oregon psilocybin services will be legal in 2023 via licensed practitioners who will not need medical degrees. Certainly, it is important to note that there are many situations where medical supervision should be sought. More importantly, a number of mental and physical conditions contraindicate psychedelic use at all.
Still, non medical models can be seen across Latin America and the Caribbean where psychedelics remain legal for religious use. A growing diversity of retreat centers, from the very basic to five star accommodations, are proliferating and offer plant medicine immersions to international tourists. Often, despite good intentions, these offerings come with an exclusive price tag and bring up many questions of ecological sustainability, social equity, and colonization.
While respect and caution are needed, most psychedelic substances have very low risk profiles.
In 2010, the UK based Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs ranked a range of drugs and their harm to users and others as represented in the below graph. [Psilocybin] mushrooms, MDMA, and LSD are at the bottom of this list.
Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis¹
However, the freewheeling hippie mantra of the 60’s “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” which cavalierly encouraged a generation to experiment with psychedelics, may be an oversimplification of their promise and responsible use. The unfortunate consequence for a small yet highly publicized minority was taking substances like LSD without the right preparation, set & setting, support, and integration practices. These “Bad Trips” left some destabilized, uncovered masked mental illness, and reinforced patterns of trauma.
Millenia old indigenous cultures, contemporary religions, and over half a century of research can point us towards responsible practices and the vital role community has played.
Ancient wisdom traditions across the world make reference to psychedelic or sacred plant use and were often community rites of passage. Today, Indigenous healing practices still rely on three key ideas, “[a] holistic outlook, interconnectedness, and harmony.”² In addition to being key principles in contemporary theories of psychedelic assisted healing, interestingly these are all concepts typically found in healthy communities.
A growing number of established churches use psychedelics in their group practices. The Santo Daime Church, with diverse congregations across the globe, is likely the best living example of organized psychedelic use at scale. For over 80 years it has held its statement of beliefs “harmony, love, truth and justice,” and codes of conduct and ritual help to protect its participants across a broad range of contexts. Key to their varied rituals is an active congregation that helps to integrate their prayer meetings or “works” into daily life.
The author and investigative journalist Michael Pollan reviewed the large body of research dating back to the first half of the 20th century and summarized 4 common principles to successful use of psychedelics. To paraphrase:
- Seldom do them alone
- Do not use them casually
- Work with some form of guide
- Participate in some form of Ritual
Community in its best form can be smarter than the individual or institution.
One only has to look at the ecological and social challenges on the planet to understand that we face complex problems for which we are still searching for answers. Community brings varied points of view and can work together to find solutions. Community can support and validate its members. Community can call out bad actors or leaders who have been corrupted by power or delusion, as well as balance overly strong voices.
Community can advance and test different ideas and approaches. We are all figuring this out together and we have an opportunity to be inclusive of all viewpoints to come to the most promising solutions.
At Journey Space we work to build an accessible and sustainable community to proactively support people on their own paths of growth and healing.
We believe that practices which inform a healthy community include, preparation to show up for oneself and a group, setting clear intentions, holding a safe space, providing emotional support, and sharing music and ritual to create a container for the Journey. When we come together to witness and gather together, even online, we’ve found that the isolated sense of “I” can become “Us.”
Decades of research show key predictors of successful transformational outcomes to include feeling heard, being witnessed, sharing in a journey with others, as well as feeling accountable to ongoing growth and change. Journeyers ultimately create their own experiences based on their own beliefs and practices, and we support people on their own paths of growth and healing — whether they include actual psychedelics or not. There is no one religion or tradition and we do not have a spiritual leader nor dogma.
We believe that helping people to connect to their own innate healing intelligence can foster a healthy society able to work together to face our most pressing challenges.
We do not have all the answers, however we trust that working together in community will guide an intelligent path forward.
We firmly believe that one of the keys to finding these answers is to cultivate community in its many forms and listen deeply.
It is a very exciting time where numerous new modalities and approaches are quickly developing. Many important conversations are underway, not just about psychedelics, but with a broadening focus on the importance of mental health and holistic health. A key theme that is emerging is our interconnection as living beings on a living planet.
As psychedelics move into the mainstream we have an opportunity to work collectively to unlock our potential to heal ourselves and our world.
