The family that does psychedelics together stays together?
Jaden Smith, speaking Friday at the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver − which earlier in the week also hosted NFL star Aaron Rodgers as a featured speaker − said using psychedelics has boosted his empathy for others, from inspiring his philanthropic efforts to improving his relationship with his family.
“I think it was my mom, actually, that was really the first one to make that step for the family,” he said of Jada Pinkett Smith introducing psychedelics to the rest of the famous Smith crew. “It was just her for a really, really long time and then eventually it just trickled and evolved and everybody found it in their own ways.”
Smith, 24, credits his psychedelics use with helping him find a deep empathy for his siblings: sister Willow Smith, 22, and half-brother Trey Smith, 30.
“Siblings can argue so much and fight so much, and lord knows me and my siblings have done so much of that in the past,” he said. “But the level of love and empathy that I can feel for them inside of the (psychedelic) experiences and outside of the experiences has been something that’s profound and beautiful.”
There is some clinical research to suggest there are legitimate benefits to using psychedelic drugs in proper quantities and safe settings, experts say. But they also remind the general public that these drugs remain mostly illegal and, like any other mental health treatment, it’s important to remember nothing like this is quick fix to all your problems.
Can psychedelics help with empathy?
Multiple psychedelics, including psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD and mescaline, have been shown in studies to increase emotional empathy, at least in part because psychedelics are proven to boost open-minded thinking. Psilocybin specifically has been proven to increase emotional empathy, but not moral decision-making, according to a 2017 study in the International Journal of Neuopsychopharmacology. As this concept is fairly new, researchers have also noted that more studies need to be done on the long-term effects psychedelics can have on empathy.
Smith recalled times when he and his siblings would have an argument, share a psychedelic experience together, and then make up.
“It will actually help us to open up our minds to get out of the old ways of thinking that got us into lots of these arguments and open it up so that it just releases and makes room for you to work it out and massage it out until it’s completely gone,” Smith said.
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Dr. Alex Dimitriu specializes in psychiatry and sleep medicine but does not use psychedelic treatments with his patients because the treatments are illegal in most U.S. states, he said. But he believes they have merit.
“When people are stuck or suffering, well-guided change can be beneficial, and psychedelics are agents that encourage such transformative experiences,” he previously told USA TODAY.
The downside of psychedelic therapy
Psychedelics are illegal on the federal level, though a handful of states have legalized or decriminalized magic mushroom use.
Potential harms of psychedelic use can include psychosis and other hallucination-related disorders, memory impairment, sleep disruption and short-term depression.
There are also certain people who are at-risk for a negative experience, even with the proper setting and dosage. Dimitriu noted that anyone with any personal or family history of schizophrenia should steer clear of these substances.
Dr. Matthew W. Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, encourages the public to be both “skeptical and open.”
“Follow the follow the data and (don’t) get ahead of it, but at the same time, recognize it is an exciting development,” Johnson previously told USA TODAY. “We really have to find a balance between promise and hype. On the one hand, there is data to be very excited about psychedelics as a new paradigm within mental health treatment that can really help a lot of people that are suffering who haven’t been helped by existing treatments. On the other hand, it’s never going to be a treatment that helps everybody. Nothing is. And like all other treatments, there are risks and it’s critical that those be addressed.”
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Aaron Rodgers, Lindsay Lohan, more stars are working to make psychedelics mainstream
In addition to Jaden, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Lindsay Lohan, Chelsea Handler and Megan Fox have all helped bring psychedelics into mainstream conversations after sharing their positive experiences with the drugs.
In the sports world, Rodgers, former NBA star Lamar Odom and NFL alum Kenny Stills have spoken publicly about their use of psychedelics for mental health and substance abuse purposes. Last week, Rodgers said using ayahuasca helped him find self-love that guided him to consecutive MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021, but still faced stigma in the NFL for substance use.
“When I first did (ayahuasca) in 2020, I remember thinking afterwards, ‘I’m gonna have to talk about this at some point. Are people ready? How will it be received?’ ” Rodgers said. “Then I won MVP. Then I did it again. Then I said, ‘OK, I can probably talk about it now.’ “
Dimitriu says psychedelics can encourage users to “connect loose themes” and experience “improved lucidity and memory.” But that does not mean they are for everyone or should be used recreationally.
Contributing: Jenna Ryu, Sara M. Moniuszko
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