The rapid momentum in psychedelic research and legislative decriminalization efforts, combined with a massive mental health crisis exacerbated by the global pandemic, has given birth to what many term the Psychedelic Renaissance. We are collectively living through an exciting and unprecedented era that will inevitably transform how we perceive, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions.
Living in an unpredictable and volatile world, with limited to no access to effective mental health services, has created an environment ripe for exacerbating both individual and collective trauma. Furthermore, the failure of our educational systems to equip us with effective stress management strategies has left us unprepared for and overwhelmed by the challenges we face.
Against the backdrop of these dire circumstances, psychedelics emerge as a promising contrast to our current failed treatment models. The deeper we study these compounds, the more hopeful they appear.
We are living through a collective trauma contraction that manifests itself as chronic anxiety, depression, substance dependency, chronic pain, and autoimmune dysfunction, to name a few. Traditional pharmacological and psychotherapy treatments, while helpful for some, are rarely a sustainable or effective option for most. This is where the psychedelic renaissance offers perhaps the most promising glimmer of hope. To understand the impact of psychedelics and their promise for the treatment of trauma-induced responses (a preferable term over “disorders”), we must better understand trauma and its impact on every aspect of our physiological, psychological, and relational health.
Trauma is not the story of what happened in the past but the imprint of the memories and sensations that live as daily reminders within us. Trauma not only fundamentally changes how we perceive ourselves and the world but also reorganizes our central nervous system to prioritize cues of danger over safety. We experience these as emotional triggers and sensory hypersensitivities.
Trauma, at its core, is a physiological response that manifests as a loss of safety, imagination, and curiosity. To heal trauma, we need strategies that restore safety, resource the nervous system to navigate the demands of our lives more effectively and recover from stress responses more efficiently.
The more we study psychedelics, the more they appear to be a great antidote to trauma. While different psychedelic and empathogenic substances have different functional mechanisms, much of which are still not fully understood, this category of substances is uniquely positioned to deliver significant and often lasting benefits for healing trauma. Here are a few reasons why psychedelic therapy for PTSD and Trauma is the new frontier in mental health treatment:
Neuroplasticity: One symptom of trauma is a sense that the nervous system is stuck in a negative loop with intrusive thoughts, trauma memory recall, and perception of immediate danger. Psychedelics like psilocybin, DMT, and Ayahuasca appear to significantly increase neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to change itself), allowing for the formation of new neuropathways. When combined with effective therapy and integration, these psychedelic substances can deliver significant quantum leaps in healing trauma-induced responses.
Introspection: Trauma alters an individual’s perception of themselves and the world. To guarantee survival, a traumatized brain rewires to emphasize cues of danger over safety, effectively creating a rigid and hyper-reactive nervous system devoid of imagination and nuanced perception. These processes are believed to be facilitated by a group of brain regions known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). Psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and Ayahuasca are believed to modulate the functions of the DMN to induce enhanced states of introspection associated with self, others, and memories of the past, allowing the individual to access a renewed and expanded understanding and perception of their experiences. Reported clinical outcomes include reduced anxiety, depression, and substance use, and increased acceptance and mindfulness.
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Fear Override: Trauma, in its most extreme form, manifests as a debilitating neuropsychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD include vivid flashbacks, insomnia, loss of self, ongoing fear, guilt, anger, and shame, and avoidance of situations and reminders of the traumatic event, to name a few. Individuals with PTSD often report a strong and persistent sense of fear and dread overshadowing their lives. There are no known drugs or treatments that cure PTSD; however, clinical studies of MDMA offer renewed hope and a potential pathway for recovery for millions of PTSD patients. MDMA is reported to enhance empathy, improve self-awareness, and reduce fear and anxiety, allowing individuals to process traumatic memories without overwhelm and with a renewed perspective. Combined with effective psychotherapy, MDMA appears to be our most promising solution to PTSD to date.
Meaning-Making: Traumatic experiences often leave us feeling that the ground beneath our feet is shifting. We are confronted by events that challenge our identity and purpose and leave us confused, disconnected, and disoriented. In other words, we struggle to find meaning in our experiences and our lives. “Meaning-making” is one of the core strategies in healing trauma. It involves understanding and interpreting traumatic events and integrating them into our core beliefs and worldview through an empowering and positive lens. Ancient Indigenous cultures have used psychedelics as facilitators of spiritual and mystical connection with self, nature, and a force often characterized as “God” or “Spirit.” Although science has yet to understand the underlying mechanism of these states, the fact remains that these mystical experiences have a profound impact on framing the individual’s experiences in a greater context and offering deeper insights that support the meaning-making process.
Although psychedelics hold great promise for the treatment of trauma-induced responses, they can also induce and exacerbate trauma. In my practice, I often spend many months with clients preparing their nervous systems for a psychedelic experience, integrating microdosing as a stepping stone, and utilizing psychedelics as an integral piece of a larger integrative approach to healing trauma—not as a “quick fix” solution. A traumatized nervous system is delicate and must be approached with deep care, tenderness, and caution.
It is important to note that psychedelics are not a replacement for traditional pharmaceutical approaches and require preparation, expert facilitation, and, most importantly, effective integration. Some psychedelics have serious counter-interactions with pharmaceutical drugs. Anyone with a health condition must undergo medical clearance and supervision before working with psychedelics. Furthermore, the benefits outlined above apply only in a therapeutic context. Recreation and unsupervised psychedelic use poses a great risk to traumatized individuals.
Although we are collectively navigating a significant transitional period in history, I firmly believe that we are also gifted and supported by the emergence of psychedelic medicines that can accelerate our consciousness, growth, and healing as a whole. Psychedelics are the glimmers humanity needs now.
Heal Trauma and PTSD through Nervous System Fitness® with Psychedelics. Learn more here.
