As we progress through the twenty first century, the ways that we approach mental health and wellness inevitably evolve. In some ways, we actually tap into our ancient roots and return to holistic medicine practices that our ancestors may have used! While therapeutic practices involving psychedelic drugs might sound intimidating, there is a lot of promising research out there that shows its potential.
If you’re skeptical about this, I understand. For a lot of us, we might hear holistic medicine and think it’s not reputable. I’m here to assure you that this is not the case – in fact, there are a lot of scientific studies about this topic that demonstrate the benefits! Let me explain.
Why Psychedelics?
When I started looking into this topic for my own mental health journey, perhaps the first question in my mind was why psychedelics in particular, anyway? It didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me until I found sources like this one from the Naturopathic Doctor News and Review. This was all it really took to convince me!
I felt the need to do this research because I grew up in the time of schooling where we were all told the horrors of drugs and what they could do to our brain. The so called “war on drugs” is still going on, although it is not in the forefront of our public consciousness yet. Still, it makes a lot of us nervous about the use of any substance like that in our therapy.
However, studies have shown that people who use psychedelic drugs are actually happier overall in their lives. They feel improved mood, most specifically. Obviously, this is something of interest for the holistic medicine community – especially now that the Food and Drug Administration has approved testing for certain psychedelic substances!
Uses in Naturopathic Medicine
It is important to understand that there is a rich history of cultures using psychedelic substances for a variety of reasons across the globe. Particularly in North and South America – many of the indigenous communities used certain mushrooms or peyote in their spirituality. While it may have been frowned upon by some of the colonizers at the time, thankfully our minds are more open in the modern day.
The way many psychedelics work is that they bind to serotonin receptors in our brains, forming new pathways and creating a psychoactive effect on our minds. I know this might sound scary, but it’s actually finding a lot of uses in terms of mental wellness and health!
Usually, it is used in exploring mystic and spiritual experiences. If you’re curious, there are places like Alinea Nashville Psychedelics that utilize these substances for this purpose. These organizations might use lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, psilocybin, peyote, MDMA, or a variety of other synthetic compounds in your holistic healing journey.
These techniques can also help people who are suffering from a variety of mental illnesses. For example, those struggling with depression often experience boosted mood in the weeks following a psychedelic therapy session. Hopefully, more research will be approved for this promising method of treatment.
Symptoms of anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and even post-traumatic stress disorder have shown to improve when treated with these substances. Clearly, this field has a lot of promise. It can even be applied to alcohol abuse and alcohol misuse disorder!
Why to Consider It
Well, like I have mentioned briefly above, there are plenty of reasons to consider investing in psychedelic therapy techniques. If you find that you’re really struggling, and other medicines or therapies are not alleviating your symptoms, this might be something for you. I know how difficult the seemingly endless cycle of prescription drugs to treat mental illnesses can be – it is a draining process that doesn’t even always work.
That’s why more and more of us are turning to a more holistic approach to our health. It’s simply fascinating that the COVID-19 pandemic has actually helped open the door for these types of therapy!
In the past few years, I know I have experienced some mental health problems – leaning towards a crisis in a few situations. Being stuck inside for so long, and having to wear masks in public, takes a toll on us. While working from home is awesome, not getting to see our family and friends is very difficult to cope with.
That is without even mentioning the tragic losses many of us have experienced. Losing family members, friends, and even acquaintances is incredibly difficult. The coping process is long and arduous. Many health care workers are experiencing the brunt of this. Losing so many patients, being surrounded by death for so long – it is no wonder that many of them turn to therapies such as psychedelic therapy.
Overall, I think this option is a good one to at least research if you are uncertain. If anything, I have said today piqued your interest, there are lots of options out there for you. Because most practitioners of this method utilize something called “microdosing,” you do not need to worry about somehow getting addicted to psychedelics.
Rather, they are used in a small dose to aid in your process of exploration and healing. Using these substances in conjunction with typical talk therapy techniques can have serious benefits for us.