Ethical Use of Mushroomsin Nontraditional Settings
An important step in healing is acknowledging the harms of the past, and how they are still playing out today. While these harms are not “fixable” in the sense that we can ever take them back, at the very least we can acknowledge the real harms of our cultural history, and work together to alleviate suffering for all people, especially those who were harmed, moving forward. This work is worthy and will forever be an incomplete process.
This statement of acknowledgement, as imperfect as it is, is designed to begin the process of acknowledging the cultural harms associated with the nontraditional use of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as Sacred Mushrooms by the Mazatec People. At the very least we can acknowledge and empathize with what actually happened to real communities, and the very real people that were severely negatively impacted by the global trends that eventually led to mushrooms becoming accepted and legal for spiritual and therapeutic use in Colorado.
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Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic alkaloid found in nearly 200 strains of mushrooms that grow on almost every continent. The body converts psilocybin into psilocin, which is the main psychoactive compound. There is significant evidence to suggest that this compound has been used ritually, medicinally, and recreationally for at least 12,000 years. We can find depictions of their use on murals in Australia that archeologists have dated to 10,000 BCE and in Spain in 4,000 BCE. There is a history of their ceremonial use in Central America by the Aztec and Mayans, in Siberia, in ancient Greece, ancient Egypt and across Europe.
Since their popularization in the 1950s in Western culture, they were nicknamed “magic mushrooms” and became synonymous with the counterculture movement of the 1960s, along with LSD and cannabis.
Psilocybin and psilocin have been thoroughly studied for their potential benefits to mental health by reputable universities such as Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge and are actively being studied at John Hopkins University and the Imperial College of London.
Colorado legalized the personal consumption of psilocybin mushrooms as well as the regulated access for therapeutic purposes.
The community of Medicinal Mindfulness recognizes the nearly universal use of psilocybin mushrooms throughout human history, particularly in ancient times, and acknowledges that some Indigenous communities have a direct, unbroken lineage to these ancient histories. We also can’t help but openly wonder about Terence McKenna’s “Stoned Ape Theory” and the possible relationship of psilocybin containing mushrooms and the evolution of humanity in Africa.
However, even with the profound beauty of this global history and our own deeply meaningful personal experiences, we cannot ignore the more recent history of this medicine and how it became popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.
Acknowledging the real pain of what happened here, and bearing witness to it in our practice, is a necessary and essential step towards collective healing.
In 1955, CIA operative and banker, R. Gordon Wasson, on an expedition covertly funded by MK-Ultra (an illegal torture and brainwashing operation of the United States government), tricked a Mazatec healer named Maria Sabina into providing a healing session for Wasson using a mushroom strain now scientifically known as Psilocybe mexicana. After the experience, Wasson wrote an article for Life Magazine about his experience without Maria Sabina’s consent, and, as a result, beginning in 1962, an influx of hippies and other spiritual seekers descended on the community and left Maria Sabina to deal with unwanted police harassment, imprisonment, community ostracization, her house being burned down, her son murdered, and Maria dying in poverty in 1985. This was not that long ago.
The Mazatec culture was forever changed during this period as well. The influx of interest in their community was extremely harmful and disruptive, and this was compounded by discrimination from the Mexican government. While the harm done was not just from the influx of interest regarding sacred mushrooms, and the other clashes between traditional practices, modernity and colonization, Maria Sabina became a target of the angst and fear during this period of significant cultural change.
While the Mazatec are reclaiming their traditions and healing practices, these collective harms, and this generational trauma, continue to this day.
It is important to note that in addition to writing about Maria Sabina and the Mazatec mushroom practices, Wasson also provided Albert Hoffman, the scientist who discovered LSD, with samples of Psilocybe mexicana, from the Mazatec people, and these samples were used to first identify the psilocybin molecule and then synthesize it.
Explicitly speaking, there is a direct link between these historical events and our work today. Yes, maybe the psychedelic movement would have continued unabated, and mushrooms would have been discovered in another way, but that isn’t what actually happened. Real harm was caused, and it is important for us, and our integrity, to acknowledge it.
What then does it mean to be on the right side of history with this issue, particularly as a community that practices with psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics in a non-indigenous setting?
Collectively, the members of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness acknowledge and grieve this painful history. As inspired stewards for the ethical use of this medicine, in our own way, we have an active and ongoing community conversation about how to ethically work with psilocybin mushrooms in the context of Mindfulness-Based Psychedelic Therapy, and without culturally appropriating and furthering the harms caused by colonial practices.
With that being said, we recognize that we are forever embedded within a global system of extractive practices, and our work will never be separated from these larger cultural oppressions. Regardless, we remain committed to this work, and the ethical practices required to work with and deeply respect these potent allies, so that we can collectively heal from these generational traumas. As imperfect as it is, the need for collective healing appears to outweigh the very legitimate concerns related to the non-Indigenous use of these medicines, and even if our non-Indigenous practitioners never achieve full alignment with Indigenous and traditional practices due to these inherent injustices. There is a dynamic tension here with no immediate solution. Maybe this resolution will become clearer after a 100 years of intentional effort in healing and repair.
We choose to actively explore these questions and will continue to invite members of traditional lineages to teach us about their histories, cultures and practices, and to speak about this historical and ongoing harm. We are committed to doing our part and work with whomever we can to help all communities heal from this collective generational trauma.
We recognize that certain traditional community members will never consider our practice as ethical because of our non-Indigenous practitioners. We understand this too. If you would like to learn more about the Mazatec lineage, we recommend exploring the advocacy of one of our allies, Chacruna: Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, and consider joining us in donating to their work. You can also learn about Maria Sabina by watching this documentary, or reading this book. Our training program invites Indigenous speakers to speak to our students every semester, and we work to create bridges between our communities and cultures for healing and mutual exchange.
While many of us are inspired by and respect these traditions and Indigenous teachings as essential ways of healthy and ethical living, we make no collective claims to being members of these traditional lineages. We respect their legal right to practice their tradition in accordance with their teachings. We strive to be culturally appreciating, not appropriating, and acknowledge that alignment in these areas is complex with many differing and important perspectives.
Our team and community come from many cultural backgrounds and have a diverse range of previous trainings (including with Indigenous teachings and practices). We also have diverse life experiences and traditional initiations that may qualify some of us to speak from these perspectives. Fundamentally, we have listened to our elders and actively practice Earth-based philosophies and ways of living, and recognize the sacred and interconnected nature of our human experience, honor our ancestors, and strive towards balance. Although these teachings are Indigenous in their roots, we also believe these are universally understood principles and are the foundation for us healing together. These are values we strive to live by.
While the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness community acknowledges the near universal use of psychoactive mushrooms and other psychedelic substances in ancient and Indigenous cultures across the planet, we choose not to whitewash our recent history. For this reason, we recognize the real suffering caused by how this medicine was introduced to mainstream America, and we acknowledge Maria Sabina and her community in our prayers. We will continue to actively work towards healing and repair with communities affected by this difficult history.