Current U.S. Approaches to Studying Psychedelic Medicines Compared to Psychedelics Use Among Indigenous Groups: What Are We Missing?
M. Cirillo
Journal of Humanistic Psychology March 22, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/00221678251321040 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Indigenous Psychotherapist Clinical psychology Hallucinogen |
| Key findings | Western evidence-based and Indigenous traditional psychedelic approaches differ, and incorporating traditional knowledge with proper credit and equitable reimbursement can improve both safety and cultural sensitivity. |
Abstract
There are substantial differences between the current FDA and research-driven approach to psychedelic use in Western cultures and traditional uses among Indigenous peoples. While the research-driven, evidence-based approach to identifying risks and benefits for particular conditions used in the United States and elsewhere helps ensure safety and efficacy, there is a risk of failing to incorporate useful knowledge accumulated in other cultures where psychedelics in some cases have been used for thousands of years. By carefully reviewing those benefits we can incorporate them in a culturally sensitive way into our own developing ideas about how best to utilize these medicines. We can also properly acknowledge the contributions of practitioners from other places, cultures, and times, provide proper credit to Indigenous groups, include them in discussions and decision-making when using any of their practices and if they are serving as guides during retreats or other sessions, make sure they are being reimbursed equitably. The current paper will review psychedelic utilization in the current evidence-based medical approaches versus traditional uses by Indigenous groups. The goal will be to provide fruitful ideas for incorporating the most beneficial practices from each approach.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 38
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Psilocybin in 9 Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry November 15, 2006
- Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse July 21, 2016
and 33 more in the library