Psychedelics: Spirituality over Science

Before I can share with you what I really want to, I need to let you know, if you don’t know already, that this issue revolves around the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision NOT to approve a treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), that uses the psychedelic MDMA (better known as Ecstasy or Molly), in a treatment called MDMA-assisted therapy. 

The agency said there wasn’t good enough data to assess whether the therapy was safe and effective and that an additional clinical trial was needed. However, this marks a substantial blow for the psychedelic science community since it’s said that another clinical trial would take years and millions of dollars,

But now, an article in Rolling Stone magazine following that decision calls into question whether people actually care about the science. The Rolling Stone headline says, “The medicalization movement is faltering. Maybe that’s because psychedelics have been spiritual tools all along.” 

The article highlights that despite the challenges faced by the scientific clinical approach, a “spiritual wind is beginning to blow, offering a way forward.” 

If you’d like to read the article, I’ll put the link in the comments section so that you can take a look. And while you’re there, leave a comment and let me know what you think about what I’m saying here. 

You know, I’ve been a true believer in looking at these plant medicines as spiritual tools – and have embraced them that way, as long as I have been working with cannabis and psilocybin or magic mushrooms, as you might call them. 

And even though I’m trained as a clinician and taught to see these interactions through the lens of science, I find that it’s far easier to appreciate and accept what’s happening by seeing it through the lens of, let’s call it, the ART of working with these esoteric practices and spirit plants. Spirituality. 

And I think it’s important to differentiate between Western science and Yogic science.

When we think of science… we go directly to the intellect. Western science is about systems… usually using scientific instruments, repeated experiments and so forth. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, right? 

So when we say science, that’s what most people think of. They’re looking for that approach with specific kinds of data and instruments.

But remember, before there was ever Western science, the world relied on wisdom traditions. They didn’t have science as we know it. They didn’t have scientific instruments. 

The instrument was consciousness itself… It was people, often yogis in deep meditation, using repeatable systematic methodologies of inquiry from within.  When you look at the Hindi, the vedantic, the Buddhist, the Tibetan systems – all these systems have many similarities because – Truth is truth.

Ultimately, in this respect, we are our own scientist for our own life, for our own existence. I believe this deeply. And so, using your own inquiry to probe into your own consciousness, your subconscious is what I teach people how to do. 

Because our assignment, as I see it as an emotions therapist, is to find and identify that voice within, that deep inner knowing within your subconscious. And I believe that the judicious use of plant medicines help this process… And, in my work, when combined with my Emotional Liberation method, the plant medicine heightens our ability to find and identify our inner voice – so that we can have a dialogue with our deep inner knowing, our Soul, and find answers to making our life better.

Western science often limits its exploration to the mechanics of how things function. It steers clear of the realm of consciousness. It provides detailed explanations of processes but stops short of exploring the deeper question of “why.” 

So, to fully engage with this inquiry, we need to venture into the domains of consciousness— the transpersonal, the metaphysical, the mystical. And often, in my work, with the help of sacred plant medicines, we can possess the keys to understanding the underlying reasons behind our emotional challenges, our existence and the universe. 

I believe there is no greater assignment in our lifetimes!

I’m Becca Williams and I want you to lead your most magnificent life, and I want to help you do that.