Researchers believe that psychedelics will eventually be rescheduled by the FDS and legalized for medical use for its effectiveness in treating anxiety and depression. However, this is far off.

Doctors will get to know you as a person (where you are in life and what your emotional/psychological health looks like) before deciding to try this treatment. The goal is to work with patients to determine what is holding them back in their lives and how they can overcome it. Like any treatment, this form is not for everyone. Specifically, doctors avoid prescribing to people who are on the spectrum of psychosis.

These sessions can be rather intense, and sometimes last all day. To make the session as comfortable as possible, the rooms are decorated appropriately. Typically there are neutral furniture pieces with colorful pillows and accessories. It is important that patients feel as calm as possible. Doctors will sometimes encourage patients to bring personal items with them (letters, or anything that elicits an emotional response). When patients go in feeling at ease and safe, the less likely they will be to have a ‘bad trip’.

Sessions can happen in a variety of ways, depending on the depth of the experience and where the patient is mentally. Most patients will lay on a couch with a sleep mask covering their eyes while a doctor holds their hand and helps them process what they are experiencing and translating what it means. Everyone’s journey is different.

At Johns Hopkins, the institute doing the most research on the topic, the drug experience is only part of the treatment. The therapy that follows is equally important. Participants report that these experiences are so personal and spiritual. That is to say, it is not enough to just let patients have the experience and move on, but rather establish new patterns, habits, and ways of being. Psychedelics are used to start this process, but not to finish it.