Page 76 - Women’s Health - Australia (February 2020)

special report
a short meditation, after which participants lie down on
mattresses, put eye masks on and eat their truffles (a kind
of magic mushroom that looks like a chestnut) together.
The ceremony lasts six to eight hours. Afterwards, food
is served as participants discuss their experiences.
Feedback is often overwhelmingly positive – one retreat
attendee recalls seeing herself as a “powerful goddess”
– but there are, inevitably, bad trips. At Imperial they’re
called “challenging experiences”, and they can still be
valuable, says Watts. “They’re an opportunity to see what’s
causing the suffering. There will be some kind of meaning
behind it, so we encourage people to open up to it.”
For Laura Morgan*, 39, who took part in a
mushroom ceremony in 2017, a challenging trip was
the key to unlocking her anxiety. “I saw myself trapped
underground, looking under tree roots and stones
for something I couldn’t find. I could sense monsters
in the shadows. It was dark and scary,” she says. One
of the trip-sitters told her to stay with the experience,
breathing into it, and she began to see things more
clearly. “It was as though a camera had panned out.
I realised then that I was being shown my anxiety –
constantly checking for dangers that didn’t exist. As
soon as I saw that, the ground opened up and I was
able to climb up into a beautiful, glittering forest.”
High risks
Such stories are compelling, so it’s easy to see why taking
an alternative route to mental wellbeing may appeal.
But doing so comes with a serious caveat. Anyone with
a personal or family history of psychosis is advised to
avoid psychedelics completely and, for everyone, it’s
crucial to have a safe setting and the support to process
the experience afterwards. “Psilocybin often gives a
strong antidepressant effect, but not always, which is
why integration afterwards is so important,” says Watts.
At Imperial, participants are given 10 therapy sessions
after psilocybin treatment, and Watts has co-founded
a support group for those returning from retreats.
The results from the Imperial trial aren’t public yet.
What the researchers will say is that early findings are
building upon what they already know, and that they’re
seeing much more variety in this trial compared with
the last. As it stands, the evidence base for psilocybin
as an antidepressant is small but promising. Experts
in the field of psychedelics are in agreement that
more research is required – but the political attitude
is showing no sign of shifting yet. As for the vision, it’s
clear: Watts hopes that, one day, psychedelics such as
psilocybin will be made legal for use in a safe, therapeutic
setting, prescribed by specialists, with therapists to
guide you through the experience. Strategies for treating
mental health issues, it seems, are mushrooming. wh
If you or someone you know suffers from
depression or anxiety, contact Beyond Blue
on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
76 womenshealth.com.au FEBRUARY 2020
“How a psilocybin
trial changed my life”
Melissa Elwin, 40, experienced
psilocybin in 2015 for Imperial’s
first trial. She shares her story...
“Depression has always been a part
of my life, but the breakdown of my
relationship with my son’s father was
a catalyst for the worst episode I’ve
experienced. When my GP asked if I’d be
interested in taking part in a psilocybin
trial, I didn’t think I could feel any worse.
I passed the trial selection process and
in August 2015, I took psilocybin for the
first time. It just made me feel irritable,
so I had low expectations going into the
second session, but this one changed
everything. I remember the sound of
Eastern-influenced music and feeling as
though I was on a mystical voyage; there
was a Chinese dragon dancing to the
music. Next, I stepped into a geometric
other world and felt myself come out
of my body. I saw myself as an orb of
light; I was part of nature, free to roam
everywhere. It helped me to see that
I was bigger than my problems – that I
was a powerful force and could fix myself.
After it wore off, I felt calm and positive,
and in the weeks and months that
followed, I inhabited a new headspace
– one in which change felt possible. I do
occasionally still experience low moods,
but it doesn’t drag on the way it used to,
and that renewed sense of power has
manifested in coping mechanisms, like
walking my dogs and spending time in
nature. I can trace every positive change
in my life back to the feeling I had during
that session. It helped me reclaim control
at a time when I felt like I had none.”
*NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED. PHOTOGRAPHY: LEVI BROWN; DAVID ARKY/TRUNK ARCHIVE