Mushrooming Opportunity: Psilocybin Reform Movement Takes Root in New York

First, to address the potential elephant in the room: No, I’ve never experimented with psychedelic mushrooms myself.

And it’s important to emphasize that recreational misuse – among vulnerable young people and others – carries with it very real psychological risk, including the potential for a mental breakdown.

With those caveats noted, here’s an exciting and important truth: psilocybin shows remarkable promise in revolutionizing mental health treatment, reinforced by rigorous, in-depth, world-class scientific research.

Looming reform could deliver game-changing hope for millions grappling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, addiction, eating disorders and more.

While certainly not a magical solution (despite the “magic mushroom” nickname), the science unambiguously proves the value of psilocybin – a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms.

Used by people for 3,000 to 5,000 years, with evidence from ancient Mesoamerican societies, some speculative theories also suggest that primates may have consumed psychedelic mushrooms millions of years ago, potentially influencing early human evolution and contributing to the disproportionately rapid growth of cognitive power during a relatively brief period in evolutionary history.

Additionally, John Marco Allegro, a British archaeologist and scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls, posited in his highly controversial 1970 book “The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross” that early Christian theology was influenced by fertility cults and hallucinogenic mushroom rituals.

Fascinated by all the research, I’ve recently wondered whether there was a local news hook – a good excuse to publish on the topic in these pages.

I then stumbled upon a bill introduced nearly five months ago by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale), who is unavailable for an interview until December. (We’ll speak then for a follow-up piece, which will hopefully be published by year’s end. Her office declined to provide a statement for this piece.)

New York State of Mind

Paulin’s effort is one small part of a broader, national movement. Action by New York could help trigger a cascade of change in other states.

Her bill would legalize the growth and regulated use of psilocybin for treating specific health conditions while establishing a system to certify providers and license those who grow the substance.

“Psilocybin has been shown to support wellbeing, resilience, and public health and may be used safely, particularly with education, health screening, safe sourcing, and support services,” the bill asserts.

In fact, in 2020, Oregon blazed the policy trail, becoming the first state to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use, paving the way for controlled psychedelic treatments.

Colorado voters, also in 2020, passed a proposition decriminalizing psilocybin, and allowing for the establishment of regulated access.

The growing momentum toward psilocybin reform is evident across the country. In states such as California, Washington, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Michigan, Florida, Vermont and Illinois there are various statewide efforts and local initiatives.

Many others are not far behind.

“Psilocybin has been shown to support wellbeing, resilience, and public health and may be used safely, particularly with education, health screening, safe sourcing, and support services.” – Language from Assemblywoman Amy Paulin’s bill

‘Miracle’ Interrupted

In 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD, although its psychoactive properties weren’t discovered until 1943, when Hofmann ingested a small amount and experienced its effects during a bike ride home.

About two decades later, R. Gordon Wasson, a banker with a passion for indigenous practices, experienced the use of psilocybin mushrooms in Mexico in 1955 and published a 1957 Life magazine article that introduced them to the West.

Hallucinogens were studied and celebrated in subsequent years by serious scientists for their therapeutic and psychological benefits in the U.S., often hailed in the 1940s and 1950s as “miracle drugs.”

But research was ultimately derailed in 1970 by the Controlled Substances Act, making psilocybin a Schedule 1 banned drug in the U.S., lumping it together illogically with various narcotics.

From a public relations standpoint, psychedelics have suffered from bad branding, associated for generations with the counterculture and hippie life. That link led to serious stigma problems before a revival of scientific interest in the 2000s.

‘Mystical’ Science

The late Dr. Roland Griffiths, a highly respected psychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins – one of the elite research centers in the world – conducted groundbreaking studies that demonstrated the profound therapeutic potential of psilocybin.

“When administered under supportive conditions, psilocybin occasioned experiences similar to spontaneously occurring mystical experiences,” Griffiths’ landmark 2006 study concluded in striking language. “The ability to occasion such experiences prospectively will allow rigorous scientific investigations of their causes and consequences.”

Griffiths’ work played a pivotal role in legitimizing psychedelic research for treating depression and anxiety, with peer-reviewed studies demonstrating how the profound mystical experiences induced by psilocybin can lead to lasting improvements in emotional well-being.

A diminished fear of death, after a mushroom trip, is often cited as residing at the root of the durable psychological benefits people enjoy, sometimes even just with one experience.

Many discuss a vivid sense of the interconnection of all living things, feeling an overwhelming presence of love and unity that transcends the individual self.

In 2020, a Hopkins study found that psilocybin led to more than 67 percent of participants enjoying a 50 percent symptom reduction in major depression within one week, with 54 percent achieving full remission after four weeks, surpassing the effects of conventional antidepressants.

The work by Hopkins spurred institutions such as NYU to initiate new research, while encouraging universities like Harvard to robustly expand and build on their existing studies.

‘Zoom In’

Eager to learn more about the latest data, I recently interviewed McGovern Medical School’s Dr. Thomas Meyer, a professor of psychiatry at UTHealth Houston, and psilocybin-assisted therapy researcher. (When I asked, Meyer indicated to me that he has never tried psilocybin himself, unlike some researchers, preferring to maintain what he calls “really a scientific view of this.”)

He stressed the need for “appropriate psychological support before, during and after the exposure with psychedelics.”

The use of music, blindfolds and focused environments during psychedelic experiences is crucial for helping people engage deeply with their inner thoughts and to manage any challenging emotions, Meyer also observed.

“They really zoom in on whatever is happening inside in their mind,” he told me in our wide-ranging interview.

Following a psilocybin experience, patients engage in therapy sessions where they can reflect on their “trip” and discuss insights, all with the goal of integrating new realizations into their life.

Interestingly, many who have struggled to find success with other treatments finally make significant progress with psilocybin.

“I think for some people where cognitive behavioral therapy and traditional psychopharmacological treatments like antidepressants do not work for them, it might be an option, but I don’t think it will be an option for everyone,” stated Meyer, who stressed the need for measured, cautious analysis while also detailing some of the extraordinary benefits.

The clinician and researcher is currently involved in a Phase 3, placebo-controlled, multisite study focused on psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression. (Participants have a 66 percent chance of receiving psilocybin.)

This study follows an earlier Phase 2 trial, which primarily aimed to determine ideal dosage levels – a single 25-milligram dose of psilocybin was identified as superior to lower doses of 1 or 10 milligrams.

Researchers ultimately concluded last year that “the findings suggest efficacy and safety of psilocybin” for bipolar II depression and “support further study of psychedelics in this population.”

Suffering Now

Meyer said scientists are still evaluating the efficacy and long-term impact, with published results in a prestigious psychiatric journal likely more than a year off.

In terms of a possible time frame for government review, he did provide an estimate.

“I would say it will take at least three, four years till this goes in front of the FDA,” Meyer approximated.

Federal approval would have seemed like a pipedream to many advocates even just a half-dozen years ago. But now that potential watershed moment hovers within sight.

Despite the encouraging landscape, I asked Meyer about those people who are suffering right now. If you’re a New Yorker who wants to explore a legal, clinically-supervised psilocybin option, what can you do?

“I would advise them to check out if there are ongoing studies (to participate in), and there are several,” Meyer replied.

In terms of overall recreational use, psilocybin mushrooms are now the most widely used psychedelic in the United States.

An estimated eight million adults – about 12 percent of the U.S. adult population – are believed to have used the substance at some point in their lives, with 3.1 percent saying they used it in the past year, according to a June report from RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

Rejected

The FDA’s rejection in August of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, involving the drug commonly known as Molly or Ecstasy, disappointed supporters. But it appears to be just a temporary setback in a process hurtling toward the eventual mainstream medical embrace of psychedelic treatment in a clinical environment.

“I think there is still some hesitation…towards psychedelics compared to other medications,” Meyer noted.

(Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects, was FDA-approved in 2019 for treatment-resistant depression, with clinics like NY Ketamine Infusions in West Harrison emerging in the area.)

Psilocybin mushrooms have also shown significant promise in treating addiction. A 2014 Johns Hopkins study revealed that 80 percent of participants successfully quit smoking after multiple failed attempts with traditional methods.

It’s also shown effectiveness in helping serious alcoholics quit drinking, as patients often gain a deeper understanding of their destructive behavior, which can lead to lasting changes that astonish family and friends.

Additionally, psilocybin has demonstrated potential in addressing cancer-related anxiety, opioid dependence and even in reducing the intensity of cluster headaches.

While there are significant psychological risks to consider, experts point out how psilocybin has no addictive properties and poses minimal physical risks; there is potential for nausea, increased heart rate and impaired coordination. Importantly, it carries no threat of toxic death, unlike many legal and illegal substances alike.

Because psilocybin in a clinical setting has already been established as fundamentally safe on balance (even though some patients confront extremely challenging, deeply emotional trips), I was most curious to hear insights from Meyer on why and how this tool from nature can help so many.

“Physiologically, people would say it works on the serotonin system,” Meyer replied in our Zoom interview. “It’s like really flooding the system with serotonin. There’s specific parts in the brain that have to do with how we see ourselves in the world. And it seems like this is down-regulated, which means you’re less (defensive), you’re more likely to allow new connections to be seen.”

‘Psychological Flexibility’

In other media coverage, I’ve heard patients and doctors equate a single psilocybin experience to years of talk therapy, pointing out how it can often help fast-track breakthroughs in mental health.

“One big term is psychological flexibility,” explained Meyer, who directs the Psychological Intervention & Research Program on Mood Spectrum Disorders at the McGovern Medical School. “So, meaning that you really start to accept all kinds of experiences that are there that you’re not trying to avoid negative emotions or challenging emotions or challenging memories, but you’re actually trying to deal with them and to see them as a part of your life.”

I also asked Meyer for any compelling anecdotes from his work in the field, and he told me about a severely depressed, anxious patient who loved baseball.

After the man’s treatment with psilocybin, the patient surprised himself by attending a Houston Astros game without being crippled by his fear of crowds.

“And then I had a follow-up with him, and (the patient said) ‘I went to an Astros game, and I walked in, and I realized my heart rate was still going, but it was okay. I went anyway,’” Meyer recounted. “He was suddenly able to face the anxiety and to override it.”

‘Mistakes from the Past’

Meyer also believes the research has come a long way from the days of Dr. Timothy Leary, the pioneering psychologist and advocate for psychedelic research in the 1960s, whose methods ultimately clouded his legacy in controversy.

Leary famously promoted LSD as a tool for personal and spiritual growth, but his controversial methods sparked significant backlash that hindered the advancement of psychedelic studies for years.

Meyer remarked that some of Leary’s work would likely fail to meet today’s publication standards due to questionable statistics and methodology.

Those missteps became a lesson learned for today’s researchers and advocates.

“I think the stigma definitely has decreased, especially in the scientific community,” Meyer said. “But I would even say outside academia, more and more people are more openly discussing if this could be an option in the future. I think also that there is now serious and stringent research being done – and that helps here. The community really tries to avoid the mistakes from the past.”

“Some have very challenging, intense experiences. Some have low intensity experiences. Some have more blissful ones.” – Dr. Thomas Meyer, professor of psychiatry at UTHealth Houston

It’s also just fundamentally bizarre, in my view, to criminalize a fungus (albeit a potentially dangerous one) while permitting the regulated sale of addictive, risky substances, including certain synthetic medications, alcohol and nicotine.

If you want a quick 81-minute primer on the broader power of mushrooms, go stream the 2019 film “Fantastic Fungi,” recently recommended to me by a local journalist friend. It’s a must watch, delving into not just psychedelics but also the benefits of non-psychedelic mushrooms.

The film highlights the vital role fungi play in nature, from breaking down organic matter and sustaining forests to their potential in healing the environment and humans through medicinal properties, emphasizing the importance of mycelium, the underground network of fungal threads that supports these functions.

Non-hallucinogenic mushroom intrigue has also been spreading in the local area. The Westchester Mushroom Company, founded in Ossining during the pandemic, trumpets a mission of becoming the premiere supplier of mushrooms in the region.

There’s also the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association, a group dedicated to the safe foraging of wild mushrooms through educational programs.

New Pinot

There’s been a media buzz lately about suburban women in particular “microdosing” psilocybin mushrooms to tackle stress – embraced as a healthier option than a couple of glasses of Pinot.

The trend has sparked bigger picture conversations about mental health and self-care.

In fact, youth interest in holistic medicine will also more than likely accelerate the pace of reform. On the local level, even some young area scientists are engaging on the subject. One of my daughter’s friends, Fox Lane High School senior Alex Montaño-Miller, is probing the topic through the school’s science research program.

If studies using clinical models confirm the results of prior research, Montaño-Miller concluded in a paper last year that “psilocybin could soon be incorporated into patients’ prescriptions and could revolutionize mental health treatment for years to come.”

It is worth noting that Big Pharma might be leery about psilocybin because it can lead to major improvements with just one or two doses, which could disrupt the profitable model of ongoing prescriptions. (That said, biotech companies like Compass are developing ways to help deliver psilocybin treatment.)

Recent sensational headlines highlighting the real dangers of unsupervised use – such as the case of a man in Austria who amputated his own genitals during a psychotic episode after consuming mushrooms – actually underscore the need for a proper legal infrastructure.

Cosmic Coaster

Public figures are also helping to destigmatize the substance by sharing their stories.

For instance, a few years ago, actress Kristen Bell, who has struggled with anxiety and depression, discussed her experience of trying mushrooms for the first time on her 40^th birthday. The idea was inspired by award-winning author Michael Pollan’s 2018 book “How to Change Your Mind.”

She shared how her mushroom experience helped her become “enamored” with her body, also highlighting that the perception-altering power of hallucinogens can allow the brain to delve “much deeper” and facilitate “more healing than anything else.”

(Pollan writes commandingly and eloquently on the topic, describing a mushroom experience of his own in a 2018 New York Times Magazine article as being like he was “strapped into the front car of a cosmic roller coaster, its heedless headlong trajectory determining moment by moment what would appear in my field of awareness.”)

Do the Work

While clinical use remains the primary focus, some advocates believe there may be a place for safe, legal and carefully regulated recreational psilocybin consumption among stable adults.

Supporters often quip that if only more world leaders would embark on a mushroom journey, they might genuinely uncover universal truths about the interconnectedness of all living things, leading to greater peace.

Lessons from New York’s cannabis legalization in 2021 could offer insights into how such a framework might be implemented effectively and responsibly, even while acknowledging significant differences between the two substances.

Yet experts like Meyer are quick to point out that effective integration of the psilocybin experience requires psychological support and ongoing personal effort, much like recovery from surgery.

“I think one of the misunderstandings from my point of view is that a lot of people see it as a fix,” Meyer said. “You go there, you take the psychedelic and everything is done and they forget that there still has to be work done.”

The nature of the experience itself also varies profoundly patient to patient.

“Some have very challenging, intense experiences,” Meyer remarked. “Some have low-intensity experiences. Some have more blissful ones.”

Hail Mary

There are also economic complexities to consider.

“What we have to specifically weigh is how health insurance will cover this, because, let’s face it, it is an expensive treatment,” Meyer pointed out in our conversation, when I asked about the future landscape. “If you think about it, you have a licensed therapist like me spending whole days with somebody, and then you have the preparation sessions, the integration sessions. You have to take off at least one day from work to be here. So how will health insurance deal with that? Will this be just in the beginning something that’s available for people who are affluent with money, or will it be really also accessible for people who really need it?”

Critics of psilocybin reform warn that risks of misuse and a lack of long-term data could overshadow the therapeutic benefits.

I have spoken with people who’ve endured deeply unsettling mushroom experiences, some leaving a mental scar.

Experts warn that trying psilocybin in the wrong environment, as a self-improvement Hail Mary, without proper preparation for a potential dissolution of the sense of self (sometimes referred to as an ego death), can trigger psychological peril, especially for people with serious mental illness.

Without the right mindset and physical surroundings, the toll can be severe.

Some spiritual leaders also contend that consciousness expansion, new psychological insights and personal growth in general can often be better achieved through meditation, breathing exercises, energy practices and various mindfulness techniques, describing mushrooms as a problematic shortcut.

But prohibiting therapeutic access simply doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, especially when you consider the long list of far more dangerous substances without a genuine upside that are already regulated by the federal government.

Seeing the Light

Will we prudently embrace one of nature’s remedies or continue to allow outdated, misinformed fears to guide public policy?

Logic seems to be prevailing more and more in this particular societal department.

The disastrous War on Drugs absurdly linked a wide range of unrelated substances, misleading large swaths of the public into believing they were all equally dangerous and should remain unquestionably banned even from medical use, despite their vast differences in effects, risks and potential benefits.

However, as Meyer made clear, it’s also centrally important to avoid framing magic mushrooms in the public discourse as actually magical.

“I totally believe the bigger the hype, the larger the disappointment will be,” he concluded.

Hype aside, it’s encouraging to know the mushroom’s role in mainstream mental health treatment is beginning to take root.

With this ancient tool emerging into the Western light, the question now is just how and when to prudently embrace its healing power.

Adam Stone is the publisher of Examiner Media. E-mail him with feedback at astone@theexaminernews.com.