Psychedelics, also called Master Plants, have long been known in indigenous communities to heal all manner of disease – often seemingly miraculously. We have only just begun to understand the science that connects early traumatic experiences and the development of physical and mental illness later in life. New research has begun to show that adverse childhood events (ACEs) impact even our physical bodies, and can lead to not just mental illness but also some of the most difficult-to-treat physical ailments we suffer from today – autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndromes like diabetes and obesity, ADHD, dementia, and even chronic pain and cancer.
We know much about what happens in the brain and body as a result of individual trauma from studying a variety of childhood events, such as exposure to divorce; addiction; incarceration; physical, mental, or sexual abuse; and loss of a family member, many of which are not uncommon life experiences.
These experiences embed by way of cellular memory and lead to mitochondrial dysfunction that can ultimately manifest as physical and mental illness. Until recently, it has not been well understood how that happens and whether anything can be done to shift these processes.
As extensive psychedelic research has been underway over the past many years in the most prestigious academic institutions from around the world – Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford, NYU, the Imperial College of London – thousands of papers have been published that show that psychedelics can impact these previously untreatable conditions – by addressing trauma on a physiological as well as mental/emotional level.
Clinical trials show that those suffering from intractable depression, severe anxiety associated with terminal cancer, crippling PTSD, and significant tobacco, alcohol, and drug addictions report that mystical experiences in particular can be profoundly life-changing for both mental and physical health conditions. And for many of these study participants, the benefits even from one dose of psilocybe mushrooms – with professional support before, during and after – can be long-lasting.
Research is starting to reveal the unique ways that psychedelic molecules can activate intracellular serotonin receptors to boost plasticity, stimulate the SIGMA1 receptor to boost mitochondrial function, enhance neuronal connectivity as well as improving overall brain integration, and more.
Studies conducted by NYU and Johns Hopkins, published concurrently in November 2016, about 80 percent of cancer patients showed clinically significant reductions in anxiety and depression lasting some eight months after an initial dose. The paper concludes that “discovering how these mystical and altered-consciousness states arise in the brain could have major therapeutic possibilities” and “it would be scientifically shortsighted not to pursue them.”
And yet, as promising as they are, it’s absolutely essential to be educated and intentional in the way we offer these medicines – particularly given their growing popularity and availability. Master Plants are much more than a mere pharmaceutical or natural supplement, and as such, education, guidance, and support around how to engage with them is paramount.
In this session, neurologist Dr. Maya Shetreat, author of award-winning book The Master Plant Experience and founder of The Portal, a training program for psychedelic-informed practitioners, will explore how psychedelics can interrupt cellular memory and rewire trauma through a scientific as well as sacred lens.
Session Learning Objectives:
1.) Define cellular memory and how childhood trauma can instigate physical and mental health conditions.
2.) Explain the cell danger response and the role it plays in trauma.
3.) List mechanisms by which psychedelics work on a molecular and physiological level.
4.) Evaluate safety of psychedelic medicine for low and high-risk patient populations.
