The Departure from Material Reality

The New Age/Hippie movement started it, now it is moving deeper and deeper into the mainstream. Unfortunately, anything in the mainstream is subject to deep scrutiny, considering nearly everything that is in the mainstream is not to be trusted. And what is it I am talking about? Mind-altering, and conscious-expanding, drugs—drugs like LSD, DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, MDMA, etc.—in a word—psychedelics.

Recently the psychotherapy industry has put the rubber stamp of approval on all sorts of “psychedelic” treatment modalities—it is the new rage. Success has been substantial and swift, and cannot be ignored. Practitioners such as Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Stanislav Grof, and Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, among others, have carved out an entirely new set of modalities for treating just about every psychological ailment from trauma, depression, drug addiction to bi-polar and anxiety. Reputable institutions such as the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Imperial College London Psychedelic Research Centre, and the renowned Heffter Research Institute have dedicated millions to further research and treatment facilities. Governments are involved in funding as well—to the tune of millions.

Is this a good thing? Yes, and no.

Certainly, in the hands of qualified, educated, compassionate, and experienced practitioners (which I know personally Maté and Grof, at least, to be), this sort of psychological treatment could be a positive approach to grappling with the psychological demons so many people are overwhelmed with. However, like anything else, it could get out of hand.

I am not very well informed about these modalities as they are used within the psychological medical model. Considering the alternatives (conventional pharmaceutical interventions) I would say they are probably a far cry better.

As far as casual use is concerned in pursuit of spiritual awareness and deeper knowledge of truth—well, even there I cannot be sure of how wise it would be to obtain inner knowledge through a chemical substance—at least not habitually.

There may be a lot of you out there who have experienced such enlightenment and are now disappointed in my words here—I must say I have never gone this route of mind expansion myself, so I am rather ignorant about it. I have toyed with the idea often, and still may “check it out” one day, so I am not at all poo-pooing this as a method to at least get a jumpstart on deeper awareness. I have many clients who have done so, and I have seen positive results. So please bear with me and don’t throw me to the lions just yet.

What bothers me about it all, quite frankly, is the “state” getting involved. The state doesn’t give a hoot about our well-being, why would anything they support be considered a good thing for us? Have I become so cynical and jaded that I can’t see any good at all in mainstream medicine and treatment?  Maybe. Needless to say, if some of these drugs are made legal for medicinal use, Big Pharma will be first in line to exploit them. Is this good? I can’t see how it would be.

I also wonder if “figuring life out” by removing oneself from conscious awareness of material reality is in a way a “hack”—sort of a cheat, like figuring out how to have limitless lives in a video game. Is it really fair and prudent? Shouldn’t we figure out this mysterious world for ourselves with no help from a “behind the scenes” peak? I even wonder at times if we are not supposed to really know the secrets of this game at all, for example, that there is without question an afterlife, and living this material life is not the end-all everyone seems to believe it is. Maybe if we know for certain we never die (and we are really not ready to know this having not put in the necessary spiritual work), then we won’t try so hard. Sure, we can be pretty sure there is more to it, but to be certain—I am not sure if that would work for us or against us. Sure, we would be pretty fearless, but isn’t facing fear an important part of the game, if we never faced it, would we evolve at all spiritually?

I see so many spiritual people who spend their entire lives avoiding the dark side of things. Somehow they think that is the purpose of the game—“look at the positive, always see the good things, don’t look at the bad things.” I think the message really is to look at everything and see God behind it. And if you don’t, then something (the devil?) is standing between you and the image of God. If the devil is indeed there, then tell him to “get thee behind me, Satan.”[1]

I think if we really see what is behind the curtain by using drugs, then we miss the essential points. We certainly can come to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes workings through our own spiritual practice, and that should be enough. If we are burdened by some other sort of chemical dependence (drug addiction) or even a dependence on the demons of psychological turmoil, then a trip into alternative consciousness world could very well be what is required to get back on the path—and maybe once or twice out of curiosity, and to get a jump start on true consciousness and enlightenment.

I do want to be very careful not to judge anyone who has done some of this work, hopefully in a very serious way, with a shaman to guide the journey, and not just for fun at some druggie party. I also want to commend anyone who has not taken this particular path, but have instead opted to go on the spiritual journey of enlightenment without drugs.

And again, understand my apprehension regarding the state suddenly becoming so interested in psychedelics for mental therapy. Most things in life that have meaning, and are healthy, are not all that easy to come by. We have to work hard for them and when it comes to mental illness, a pharmaceutical substance isn’t going to do the trick. Isn’t this possibly just another pill to take? Again, if administered in a thoughtful empathic manner, and if the need for it is serious, then it very well may be the ticket. But like anything else the state endorses, we must always be on the lookout for how this might fit into the agenda. Think “Soma” in Brave New World.

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[1] Matthew 16:23, “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’”