three models of psychedelic healing

8/18/2019 Three Models of Psychedelic Healing

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Three Models of Psychedelic Healing

by Martin W. Ball, Ph.D.

Those who follow health news have probably noticed a topic that appears to be popping

up across the media spectrum psychedelics and their roles in health and wellbeing. !esearch

into psychedelics is currently undergoing a profound scientific and cultural renaissance, and the

topic of their many uses is gaining interest among a diverse audience. With all this renewed

attention, it might be helpful to consider a basic overview of how psychedelics are used for

health, wellbeing, and spirituality. With this goal in mind, this essay will divide such applications

of psychedelics into three general, and often overlapping, models of health and wellbeing

scientific"medical, shamanic"religious"spiritual, and nondual. These categories have been chosen

as representative as they all have different approaches to both how and why psychedelics are

used as medicines, with different goals, practices, illness categories, and ob#ectives. $et%s begin

with the scientific"medical approach.

Due to the &.'.(lead )War on Drugs,) research into the medical applications of

psychedelics was largely brought to a dramatic halt around the world, despite early promises of

numerous medical applications that were promoted in the early half of the *+th century,

especially in psychiatry. While most psychedelic compounds remain illegal in most countries,

scientific and medical research has recently begun to flourish once more, and the results are promising and inspiring shifts in legal status-. Here, the model tends to coincide with modern

medical practice illnesses are identified by scientific criteria and psychedelics are applied on an

as(needed basis, generally with minimal applications. Depending on how broadly one construes

the term )psychedelic,) many new therapies could be included in this category MDM

)ecstasy)- for PT'D for vets, and as an ad#unct to psychotherapy/ cannabis for treatment of a

wide variety of ailments, from pain management to sei0ures, cancer, and other debilitating

conditions. 1t also includes the use of $'D and psilocybin for psychological treatment of patients

with terminal illnesses, addressing such e2istential 3uestions as fear of death. There is also the

use of iboga and ibogaine for the treatment of addictions, particularly alcohol and opiate

addictions, where withdrawal symptoms can be bypassed entirely, helping individuals become

addiction(free with only one application. 4urthermore, psilocybin has been found to be useful in

treating depression, and even relieving severely debilitating cluster headaches. s much of this


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research is still in its infancy, more applications are sure to be found in the near future as studies

increase and proliferate.

The ne2t healing model would be shamanic"religious"spiritual. While lumped together,

there are some important distinctions that could be made here, though the overall approach is that

psychedelics are treated as sacred medicines within this model, where they are often referred to

as entheogens meaning )that which generates the e2perience of 5od within)- and even more

commonly, simply as )medicine.) 4or many practitioners in this category, psychedelic use is seen

as a way of life, and as a direct means of e2periencing the sacred. &nli6e the scientific"medical

model, where use of psychedelics is largely limited to very specific treatments, in this model,

psychedelics are used as a primary means of individual and group spiritual practice, and may be

consumed on a regular basis in a ceremonial conte2t. The identification of )illness) is much more

broadly construed, covering not #ust physical or mental ailments, but also those that are deemed

to be spiritual, religious, and e2istential. 7ne of the appeals of psychedelics in this conte2t is that

they are effective at every level of a person%s being physical, mental, energetic, )spiritual,) etc.,

recogni0ing more cultural or tradition(bound categories of disease than the scientific model

would allow.

t the shamanic level, ayahuasca shamanism is probably one of the fastest growing

spiritual movements across the globe, with use of ayahuasca a tea made primarily with DMT,

though also at times including 8(Me7(DMT and brugmansia- is flourishing far beyond its origin

in the ma0on, with ayahuasca ceremonies now ta6ing place regularly across 9urope and :orth

merica. Though generally ta6en under the guidance of a shaman in a ritual conte2t, the

ayahuasca itself is seen as the primary healer which can show participants what they need to see

about themselves and their issues, bringing about greater personal awareness, while

simultaneously assisting in purging negative elements from the body in the forms of vomit and

diarrhea.

yahuasca is also spreading through various religious and church(based movements, such

as &;io Do


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through the :ative merican =hurch. Though it is a relatively recent religious movement less

than >8+ years old- it is now considered )traditional) religion for many :ative merican

communities, especially communities that have had their more culture(specific practices

disrupted by colonialism and forced assimilation and conversion. 1n this conte2t, peyote is

commonly seen as an effective treatment for alcoholism as well as a medium for addressing

personal illness, facilitation of prayer, and contact with the spirit world.

t a less(organi0ed end of the spectrum is simply the spiritual use of psychedelics by

numerous practitioners outside of any particular shamanic or religious tradition for the purposes

of growth, insight, and healing. 'uch uses include both synthetic as well as naturally available

psychedelic compounds and substances. This ta6es place both in neo(shamanic healing circles

and rituals as well as simply through individual use, e2ploration, and personal healing.

7ur final model is the nondual. While sharing some features with the previous model,

this has been separated out as a uni3ue model in that, unli6e the more broadly construed

)spiritual) application of psychedelics for healing, in the nondual model, there is only one

condition that needs addressing, and that is the ego, or the illusory sense of the individual self

that is e2perienced as separate from the fundamental nature of being and reality. Here, the use of

psychedelics coincides with the ultimate goal of the world%s mystical and nondual traditions. The

primary cause of suffering is seen as the illusory self that lac6s 6nowledge and direct e2perience

of the true nature of the 'elf that is beyond the divide of self and other, sub#ect and ob#ect,

transcendent and immanent and other such oppositional categories-. The ego is seen as a self(

generated energetic construct that binds individuals into a false perception of themselves, which

in turn creates energetic distortions, bloc6s, and suffering. The construct of the ego is understood

to be a )character) that is continually narrating and constructing its identity including one?s

@spiritualA identity-, which individuals mista6e for themselves, when in reality, it is merely a

conventional construct. Beyond this character of the self lies the uthentic 'elf, in which there is

no separation or distinction, and is therefore nondual, or encompasses all of reality, including the

apparent individual. Here, psychedelics, particularly the most powerful of psychedelics, such as

8(Me7(DMT, are used to provide a temporary suspension of the energetic bindings of the ego to

allow an individual to e2perience him or herself in a state of )union) with )5od,) the

)4undamental 5round of Being,) )1nfinite $ove,) )Pure =onsciousness,) etc.

The nondual model is grounded in the individual 3uest for enlightenment and ultimate


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liberation from illusion. 1t is not based on any specific religious or spiritual tradition. 1n fact, it is

simply resting in the fullness of being that is revealed by the mystical e2perience. 1t is also not a

system of beliefs, rituals, or spiritual practices, but rather is the raw uncovering of the universal

nature of Being. 1t is a method of introspection, self(awareness, observation, and letting go of

limiting beliefs, constructs, patterns, and choices. 1t demands deep commitment to truth and

authenticity, and re3uires individuals to overcome their lac6 of trust, embrace unconditional love,

and slough off self(created illusions to which they may be attached in the formation of their

personal identities. While the ego is not viewed as inherently bad as nonduality is ultimately

about moving beyond such conventional distinctions of )good) and )bad)-, it is seen as

potentially problematic, as it is the fundamental root of human illusion and the resulting

suffering. 1n this sense, the nondual model is directly addressing the most fundamental of human

problems the false illusions of our identities.

Whatever one%s approach to psychedelics might be, there are numerous and various ways

in which psychedelics are currently in use for spirituality and health. s practices become more

widespread, and as legal restrictions are gradually loosening, we can e2pect to see interest in

these areas of practice and wellbeing grow. 1n some ways, this is a return to origins in that

psychedelic use has been identified with many historical and pre(historic religious, spiritual, and

medical practices. 1n this conte2t, the interruption of the )War on Drugs) can be put into the

proper historical perspective as an aberration, rather than as the norm. s culture shifts, so will

openness to the many promises of psychedelic therapy and spirituality.

Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., is a visionary artist, musician, and author. He teaches !eligion at

'outhern 7regon &niversity in shland, and his most recent boo6s is Being Infinite: An

Entheogenic Odyssey into the Limitless Eternal – a memoir from Ayahuasca to Zen.

three models of psychedelic healing

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