Psychedelics are a hot topic everywhere, from mom groups to research labs. This is because while various governments toy with legal reform, more data emerges on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds.
As scientific studies increase, they continue to hone in on the magic afoot when people journey. Recently published research indicates that consuming mind-altering substances in a group may enhance the healing potential.
The study, published this month in Nature, gathered “strong empirical evidence” from health and social identity literature that group settings enhance therapeutic value of psychedelics. This is not the focus in western mental health procedures, where therapies are often private and personal. The “social cure” model echoes indigenous practices, where communities usually come together in times of healing rather than seclude themselves in sterile hospital rooms.
“For working purposes, you might separate the personal, the community, and the planet, but within the vision, the cosmology of Indigenous communities of the Amazon rainforest, you do not separate the individual from the community from the planet, that’s fictitious,” Miguel Evanjuanoy, human and Indigenous rights leader of the Inga people, is quoted in the paper.
“Individual health is collective health,” he continued, “collective health includes the territory. We’re talking about one ecosystem which is inseparable and it’s very important to view it as one.”
Group therapy meets psychedelia
Psychedelic studies have shown promise for pain relief, increasing brain function, and so much more, with very few adverse effects recorded. Despite successful studies and seemingly low risk, the compounds are delivered in individualized medical settings. Meanwhile, outside of psychedelia, there are promising group-based therapies for youth depression, social anxiety disorder, and more.
If ancient psychedelia was group-oriented, and modern western medicine has seen success from social mental health treatment groups, combining the two may seem like a logical next step.
Unfortunately, study authors posit that “legal barriers and fears of being seen as ‘radical’ dampen practitioners’, researchers’, and funders’ willingness to embrace innovative psychedelic practice.”
Still, there are positive examples of group psychedelic therapies, which the authors laid out in the extensive paper. They iterate that it is not only Indigenous people who consume these compounds in groups. Underground psychedelic communities often host trips with multiple people, and neo-shaman do the same.
Though group tripping is common outside of western medicine, social cure psychedelic therapies are not as simple as throwing interested parties into a room. Participants must have a shared identity or similar bond.
“Beyond group therapy sessions that merely facilitate group contact, the social cure approach suggests that, above all else, participants must identify with any group they join to realize the benefits of group membership,” the study reads.
Indigenous communities meet with fellow tribespeople for psychedelic sessions, but many Americans are not affiliated with a tribe. These researchers suggest that in order to maximize psychedelic benefits, people may want to seek out those they identify with. Whether that comes down to religion, race, musical taste, or ethical values–finding a kindred clan to journey with may add value to the mushroom trip.
