The generation that came of age in the 60s and 70s is now aging into our 60s and 70s. And young at heart as we boomers may feel, we are sorely ill-prepared for the realities of aging and dying.
But now, with remarkably auspicious timing, the psychedelic drugs of our youth are making a comeback. And while we may have approached them recklessly in the past, it looks like this time, things may turn out differently.
Back in the day, psychedelics opened up our generation to an entirely new youth culture. Now, I believe they may help us envision a new way to grow old and die well.
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Within the next several years, psilocybin and MDMA are expected to transition from “highly dangerous with no medical value” to FDA-approved treatments for depression, PTSD and other mental health disorders. This dramatic rebranding reflects compelling findings from clinical trials that for some, but not all, a psychedelic experience with an intentional mindset, under a controlled and safe setting, can not only be profoundly healing, but also one of the most meaningful events in one’s life.
Psychedelic drugs are now making their cautious way back to the mainstream through the medical system. But throughout history, these powerful substances have been used to mediate between the material and spirit worlds. And we know from Indigenous cultures that these are sacred medicines, best approached by a trained shaman, curandero/a or healer, with reverence and ritual.
In our Western world, that ritual is currently being defined by the medical system. The shamans are researchers and therapists, and the format is outlined in clinical protocols.
And yet, at their very nature, psychedelics push back against a strictly medical framework. The opportunity they offer, to viscerally experience what it feels like to transcend one’s ego and connect to a larger life force, is deeply spiritual.
Whether achieved through meditation and prayer, dancing and chanting, sleep deprivation or ingestion of a psychedelic compound, our minds are wired for these types of mystical experiences. Some would say they are our birthright.
While legal therapeutic access to psychedelics may be years away, religious freedom laws and a growing number of legalization (and decriminalization) initiatives by states and jurisdictions are opening spiritual and religious pathways to psychedelic experiences already today.
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Submitting to a temporary loss of self under the influence of a psychedelic drug can be challenging but profoundly therapeutic. It is also unforgettable practice for the ultimate letting-go of dying.
Cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials for psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress poignantly describe how, after being held in the embrace of a force both infinite and beneficent, the fear of death loses its sting. Some volunteers report encounters with ancestors bearing messages of love and forgiveness, healing wounds borne over lifetimes. And many come away from the experience with gratitude and appreciation for what matters in life – the love of family and friends, the beauty and interconnectedness of the natural world, and the desire to fully be present for every day of the life they have left.
And yet, since each one of us has a terminal condition, why shouldn’t anyone be able to at least consider the opportunity to prepare their bodies and spirits for the inevitable end?
Federally legal, reimbursable psychedelic-assisted therapy for the terminally ill is probably still years away. But thanks to religious freedom laws, and legalization and decriminalization efforts at the state level, for those interested in psychedelics to deepen their experience of aging as a spiritual pursuit, the opportunities are closer at hand.
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In cultures around the world, entering into old age is a time to move away from worldly concerns towards matters of the spirit. The French have their Third Age. The Hindu’s, their Brahmins.
What if we in America could embrace our elderhood by adopting a ceremonial psychedelic rite of passage? One that would help older adults shift their attention from the corporeal to the ephemeral – from the constrictions of ego and the deteriorating physical body to the mystery of the eternal nature of consciousness?
Perhaps the circumstances are ripe for the creation of a new psychedelic ritual to help older adults embrace their mortality so they can live the rest of their lives with presence and grace.
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What would such a ritual look like? For safety and accountability, it would follow the protocol of psychedelic-assisted therapy, including medical screening and transparent disclosure of risks and side-effects. And, as in traditional cultures, the ritual would be offered to small groups. Preparation with and support from a trained facilitator would include study of elderhood in other traditions and cultures, the use of sacred medicine and the concept of sacred reciprocity in Indigenous cultures, and incorporate a mindfulness meditation component. The preparation process would be followed by a medicine session enriched with ceremony, and integration afterwards with the facilitator and in community.
To honor the Indigenous peoples whose approaches to sacred medicine inform this new practice, the groups could support an initiative benefitting Indigenous groups affected by the “psychedelic renaissance.”
The ritual could be personalized to fit the group’s cultural orientation and sensibilities. The facilitator could be a clinical therapist, nurse, a death doula, a chaplain of any faith or spiritual health clinician, or a “spiritual but not religious” support person – from a growing pool of people who are trained or in training for this work. BIPOC, veterans and LGBTQ cohorts may prefer a facilitator from their own community to help them navigate this very vulnerable state.
The group format offers participants the bonds of community created in this kind of shared experience, and the opportunity to be part of a deeply galvanized mutual support group as they integrate their insights – a process that could enrich them through the rest of their lives.
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Ritual celebration of life’s milestones is a timeless feature of every culture. And since cultures are dynamic and constantly evolving, new rituals can be created and integrated as the conditions arise. I believe that the coinciding of the aging of the largest cohort in American history and the legalizing of psychedelics in a safe and intentional context presents such an opportunity.
The baby boomers are often blamed for the dire condition the world has devolved into under our watch. Perhaps we have an opportunity to leave a more positive legacy – a way for our youth-obsessed society to reclaim its deathright. And by doing so, provide a vivid example that elderhood can be a time of spiritual growth and altruism. And dying, the revelation of life’s greatest mystery.
