In the last 10 years, I have noticed so many more people doing psychedelics. So many friends. So many clients. Seemingly “normal” people who are educated, have good jobs, and contribute to society. This is not the stereotype that many of us were taught about people who use psychedelics.
And then I recently found some 2019 data from Columbia University indicating that 4% of people use LSD in a given year. That’s not even including all the other psychedelics that people are using both medicinally and recreationally.
People always ask me how I feel about psychedelics, because we Ayurvedic Practitioners educate people about various herbal and food medicines that can transform mind-body-spirit health. However, in the US, we do not technically have any psychedelics in our scope of practice, though nutmeg can act as a hallucinogen in large quantities. (Remember this during next pumpkin pie season!)
Many of my colleagues do not believe it is wise to use psychedelics. There is a belief that you can get to the same place with the right yoga practices done at the right time.
However, no one has 100% figured out the secret to life, despite how dogmatic we can be at times…
And frankly, I don’t think I’d have studied Ayurveda if it wasn’t for Timothy Leary, Ram Dass and the psychedelic movements of the 1960s. And I think the Ayurvedic community can actually learn some lessons from the Psychedelic community in the United States.
So I’m happy to be opening up some dialogue between the Ayurvedic, Yogic, and Psychedelic communities to discuss the various ways we are impacting human bodies, minds, emotions and consciousness. What can we learn here?
If this topic interests you, intrigues you or even makes you uncomfortable, then check this out. I recently interviewed Zach Leary, the psychedelic medicine guide and advocate who was raised by Timothy Leary and was a longtime student of Ram Dass. If you don’t even recognize these names, and you are into yoga or Ayurveda, then it’s time for you to get a little history lesson: The psychedelic movements of the late 1960s accelerated the spread of yoga and now Ayurveda from India to the West.
For the record, I’m not suggesting you do psychedelics or recommend them to your clients if you are a practitioner, but I think we should all learn more about how they are being used medicinally.
Please reach out and tell me what you think about this episode. What more do you want to know about this topic?