How magic mushroom retreats are changing lives: Afghan war vet who launched them with British peeress says ‘we are on to something’
- A company’s retreats in Jamaica and The Netherlands feature psilocybin ceremonies, meditation and breathwork; clients follow a four-week pre-retreat programme
- CEO Neil Markey, who as a former US soldier fought PTSD, says: ‘We could send employees or veterans back to their families in much better shape’
“We’ve all heard really scary things about psychedelics,” says American author and journalist Michael Pollan in a new Netflix documentary based on his bestselling book, How To Change Your Mind. “They scrambled your chromosomes, they caused you to hop off of buildings, it was all terrifying.”
Pollan took a look at the true effects of these substances – and was surprised at what he found. “What if mental health problems like OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder], PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], alcoholism and depression could all be helped [by psychedelics]?” he asked.
Research supporting their benefits is stacking up; a recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine in the US state of Maryland showed psilocybin can relieve symptoms of major depressive disorders in adults for up to a year.
