Shared Psychedelic Experiences Influence Positive Mental Health
New research from Imperial College London investigates social relatedness in psychedelic trips. Does a shared psychedelic experience make for a better one?
Modern psychedelic research has the potential to revolutionise the face of psychiatry. Yet the field faces many challenges. Despite promising clinical results, researching a class of substances that have been universally criminalised for decades remains a trying task, filled with bureaucratic and legal hurdles.
What’s more, contemporary psychology and neuroscience research is seeing a bias towards the use of psychedelics in a lab setting. While administering “magic” mushrooms in a hospital is the perfect controlled environment, it may not be representative of how people typically use psychedelics.
As the interest in the clinical benefits of hallucinogens increase, so does the interest in psychedelic retreats. From shaman-led ayahuasca ceremonies in South and Central America, to psilocybin truffle retreats in the Netherlands, these getaways can consist of dozens of individuals endeavouring on a psychedelic journey together.
This special setting in which people use psychedelics-in the company of a like-minded collective, and in the presence of experienced facilitators-has unfortunately been neglected by a lot…
