On psychedelics

Sophie Benge explains how plant-based substances  can change our minds - literally

Psychedelics are now firmly rooted in the wellness conversation. What are they, how do they work and are they safe? In a nutshell, psychedelics are psychoactive compounds that, when ingested, ‘open the mind’ to allow what’s in there to be more accessible.

They have existed in their plant form as an integral way of life of indigenous tribes for centuries, especially in South America, where they are used to bring about connection, healing and reciprocity to nature.  

Sadhus and shamans throughout history have also explored mysticism and spirituality through mind-altering substances – which include ayuhuasca from the Amazonian vine, psilocybin from fungi (otherwise known as magic mushrooms), hape from tobacco and 5 me0-DMT from toad venom.                                                                          

Now we’re looking closely at this age-old wisdom to help us find peace in an era fragile with mental health concerns. 

Today there’s a fashion among tech bros and hedge funders for micro-dosing some of these substances for mental acuity, while a US-company is midway through clinical trials for prescribing magic mushrooms for treatment-resistant depression, with FDA Breakthrough Therapy status already designated for the drug. 

But the research that brought plant medicines out of the jungle and into the lab started with the pioneers of psychopharmacology – the study of drugs and the brain – with the likes of Aldous Huxley, Albert Hoffman and Freud reporting their existential experiences.  

A 1950s paper first revealed the value of LSD (chemically created, not naturally occurring) to assist in psychotherapy. Humphrey Osmond, a British psychologist in the field at that time, reported ‘to fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic’. 

This ‘soaring’ interest hit a hiatus in the 1960s, when the infamous Harvard professor Tim Leary’s study of magic mushrooms for shifting states of consciousness spilled over into a counterculture of music and anti-war sentiment. The political climate at the time of Vietnam latched onto psychedelics as a problem, anti-war drug - and banned them. They have remained underground until the renaissance of recent years. 

Much of today’s ongoing scientific evidence for the role of psychedelics to help process trauma-related conditions such as anxiety, anorexia, OCD, PTSD and depression is thanks to a passionate British countess, Amanda Feilding, who set up The Beckley Foundation in 1996 to give credence for what she’s longed believed is a helpful tool for human health and happiness. 

‘The dried-up husk of adult consciousness is suddenly flooded with new light,’ is her poetic explanation of the effects of psychedelics, which, when carefully consumed, bring on a chemical reaction in the brain that temporarily collapses restrictive patterning in our ego brain, opening the door to higher states of awareness, outside our conscious control. Due to the way the drug works on certain receptor sites, new neural pathways are created that help dismantle negative conditioning, literally changing our minds – for the better. 

But the ‘trip’ inside our head isn’t a magic bullet. A safe experience with lasting transformation relies on many factors, hence the rise of the psychedelic retreat, of which there are bulging numbers now. 

While a retreat can span five to 10 days, the best ones run a programme stretching over at least two months, starting with several weeks of preparatory group calls inviting gentle lifestyle change through meditation, detoxing diets, breath work and lots of moral support: a kind of mind-body-soul roadmap for the experience to follow. 

The best ones happen in nature-rich environments with expert, loving facilitators, too, often at a ratio of one to three guests, weaving love, care and sacred music into the ceremonial journeys with the medicine (usually two per retreat, each lasting about six hours). 

The key to imprinting the medicine’s benefits comes in weeks of post-retreat integration with prescribed wellbeing practices and more group calls – a kind of gentle accountability to prevent the post retreat ‘diamonds’ from turning back to ‘pebbles’. 

While psychedelic journeys can be challenging when they bring up suppressed emotions for healing, this isn’t necessarily so. Some element of overwhelm is certain, but so too is the aftermath: seeing your life through a brighter lens. 

Explore RETREATS that offer psychedelics

If you’d like to experience a psychedelic retreat, Beckley Retreats offer breaks in Europe and the West Indies. Choose from Hilversum near Amsterdam and Lage Vuursche near Utrecht, both in The Netherlands, or an ex-plantation estate at Trelawny near Montego Bay in Jamaica. To change your mindset without psychedelics, take a look at our therapy retreats and life coaching getaways.