My thoughts about psychedelic research

I was asked recently what were my thoughts on psychedelic research, since it is not the first time I was asked I though to write this:

Research on psychedelics seeks to provide scientific backing for experiences and healing processes that have long been observed in practice. However, the core of psychedelic experiences often transcends the intellect, leading to states of consciousness that defy rational explanation or measurement. While research can help validate their therapeutic potential, focusing too much on scientific understanding may limit the very essence of what psychedelics offer—a profound, direct encounter with the self or the universe beyond the mind's normal boundaries. Over-reliance on research risks reducing these transformative experiences to mere data, potentially missing the deeper, ineffable truths they reveal.


The Western medical model, which seeks to address external problems with quick solutions, fundamentally misunderstands how psychedelics work. Psychedelics do not offer a "silver bullet" cure, nor do they target an external issue that can be fixed with a single intervention. Instead, they guide individuals inward, revealing that there are no external problems—healing comes from within. This perspective shows the inherent bias in scientific research, which often aims to quantify and treat symptoms from the outside. True transformation through psychedelics requires personal insight and self-exploration, something no external agent or medical framework can fully deliver. Thus, the very premise of scientific medical research is limited, missing the essence of the psychedelic experience.

My personal view is that research serves mainly to soften our belief systems around substances we've long demonized as "drugs," helping to reduce the stigma and create a safer space, free from repression, for those who seek healing. However, research in itself does not provide the solution. The solution has been clear for generations, passed down through indigenous wisdom and ancient practices. The real issue is that we are not listening. Instead of embracing the profound teachings these substances offer, we remain trapped in a cycle of scientific validation, looking for external answers when the true healing lies within us, waiting to be acknowledged.

Going beyond the above facts, the very notion that there is a trauma to heal from is itself the first bias, an unhelpful belief system that distorts our understanding of existence. Is the sculptor traumatizing the stone as he carves it into form? Is the painter wounding the canvas as colors take shape? Does the musician violate silence when melody arises? I do not subscribe to the story of trauma; I see all experiences as brush strokes on the masterpiece that we inherently are. Once we shift that viewpoint, the illusion of brokenness dissolves, and what emerges is the divine perfection, revealing itself in ecstatic magnificence. This shift allows us to recognize that nothing has been damaged or lost—every experience is a necessary stroke of creation, making us whole, always.

With infinite Love

 

Los Angeles, October 9, 2024