Humans have been working with psychedelic plants and medicines for thousands of years. Indigenous cultures developed sophisticated frameworks around these experiences long before Western science took notice. In the 1950s and 60s, researchers in the US and Europe were producing promising findings with psychedelics for depression, addiction, and end-of-life distress, until the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 effectively shut that work down.

Over the past two decades, research has re-emerged from Johns Hopkins, NYU, MAPS, and others, resuming those earlier inquiries. These studies have produced some of the most compelling findings in modern psychiatric medicine. Clinical trials have shown meaningful results for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, end-of-life anxiety, addiction, and other issues—often after just one or two sessions.

We're still early: most substances remain Schedule I, access is limited, and the science is ongoing. But the current research is compelling enough that the FDA has designated psilocybin and MDMA as breakthrough therapies.