Lately, psychedelics keep popping up in my life, in conversations with friends, colleagues and even psychotherapists. Not long ago, that might have seemed surprising. After all, in the 1960s and 70s, they were considered dangerous and fringe. Now, they’re clearly having a resurgence. And, thanks to movements around microdosing and other avenues, their integration is viewed in a more positive light.
When that happens—when I start hearing about something wellness-related in so many areas of my life, I know that means its transitioning from something niche to the mainstream, at the forefront of cultural consciousness.
Today, psychedelics are becoming a progressively more accepted tool for helping to change the mind for the better, expanding our thoughts and ideas, helping us manage trauma and even replacing certain medications.
If the topic wasn’t already squarely in the zeitgeist, the release of Michael Pollan’s Netflix docuseries How To Change Your Mind, in July 2022 catapulted the conversation onto the main stage. So, it seems like all signs point to learning more.
This month at Live The Process, we will be featuring experts in the field of psychedelics, exploring what drove them to this focus, what they’re doing to change the conversation and why it’s such an important topic.
Identifying authentic and knowledgeable people in a growing industry like this one is always hard and, in this case, it all really goes back to the knowledge of the plants and plant medicine. That’s why, at Live The Process, we like to go to the source to offer concrete information about healing through the eyes of thought leaders.
This topic in particular is actually age-old, beginning with shamans. We’re interested in focusing on these indigenous cultures and how their methods translate most organically and beneficially in the US today. This new approach to psychedelics is founded in responsibility. It’s not recreational or about partying. It’s part of the process of connecting to what’s within. Psychedelics speak to a relationship with yourself, first and foremost, which is where it all begins.
Terence McKenna, an American philosopher, ethnobotanist and psychonaut who was at the forefront of the psychedelic movement in the twentieth century, spoke about shamanism, language, imagination, consciousness, dreams, evolution and alchemy. He once said, “The problem is not to find the answer; it’s to face the answer.” So relevant in the world right now.
x Robyn