TYPOGRAPHY AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY VENERA ALEXANDROVA
“PROMISE ME, IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE DOING SOMETHING TO HURT YOURSELF, YOU’LL COME FIND ME FIRST,” JERRY SAID TO HIS FRIEND REED.
It was a request made during an evening in the quiet corners of Culver Military Academy, where Jerry and Reed had met. The two were 17 years old and had been close since joining the wrestling team, sharing endless hours between the mat and the barracks.
One Saturday, Jerry wrapped up his ACTs and headed back to his dorm to find out that Reed had come by looking for him. That afternoon, he got a call that Reed passed away in a car accident.
Later, Jimmy found a goodbye note. Reed had taken his own life.
Reed was everything on the outside that might suggest he was “ok”—an athlete, a good student and someone with friends who cared deeply about him. But behind the scenes, he struggled. There had been pressures, compounded by a clinical depression diagnosis that left him trapped in a system offering few answers outside of pharmaceuticals. He’d been prescribed antidepressants, but Jerry knew that Reed was struggling to find any real relief.
“It’s heartbreaking what happened, and I wonder how things might have been different if he’d had access to options like psychedelics,” says Jerry.
Reed’s story is tragically common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates have steadily increased, particularly among young adults facing untreated or poorly managed mental health conditions. Could there have been an alternative route for Reed—a therapeutic experience beyond pharmaceuticals, something capable of unlocking a more profound and sustaining connection to life?
Following Jerry’s own discovery of and journey with psychedelics, he started asking questions that many others are beginning to ask: Can psychedelics offer an alternative to those struggling with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety? Can they serve as a lifeline when conventional medicine fails?
Fourteen years after Reed’s death, those questions sparked Jerry to found Psychedelic Passage, an advocacy organization based in Denver, that helps the psychedelic-curious find vetted psilocybin guides, treatments and psychedelic-assisted therapies across the United States.
Today, psychedelics like psilocybin (psychedelic mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy) are making waves as potential therapies for mental health conditions by facilitating deep emotional processing that may not be accessible through traditional therapies alone.
Though once relegated to the fringes of both science and law, psychedelic-assisted therapy is gradually entering the mainstream, carried by a growing body of research and compelling personal stories of transformation.
A Second Coming for Psychedelics
Psychedelic substances such as LSD and psilocybin have been in and out of favor since the 1950s, when early research showed promise for their potential in treating mental health conditions.
But by the late 1960s, these substances were pushed into the shadows.
Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence,” notes in a 2018 interview with Time magazine: “The drugs kind of escaped the laboratory and were embraced by the counterculture,” leading to a “full-scale moral panic” and the cessation of scientific exploration.
Psychedelics became symbols of the anti-establishment movement, fueling fears among politicians and conservative groups that they threatened public order and traditional values. Media coverage amplified these anxieties, portraying psychedelics as dangerously mind-altering. By 1970, the Controlled Substances Act classified them as Schedule I drugs, which are defined by the National Institutes of Health as substances with “high abuse potential with no accepted medical use.”
The legislation, which banned nearly all clinical research on psychedelics, marked the beginning of a decades-long stigma.
By the early 2010s, the United States was facing a mental health crisis that spanned every age group. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five adults now lives with a mental illness, and the rate of major depressive episodes has risen significantly in recent years. Among adolescents, the picture is even more alarming: Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide have more than doubled, with theories pointing to factors like social media use, high-pressure lives and poor lifestyle habits.
All the while, the field of mental health has seen few significant breakthroughs in more than half a century. For decades, mental health care has relied primarily on pharmaceuticals like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and other antidepressants, which were introduced in the 1980s and remain among the most commonly prescribed treatments today.
While these medications can offer help, they often come with limitations, such as delayed efficacy, side effects and a primary focus on symptom management rather than addressing underlying trauma or structural changes in the brain.
Dr. Craig Allen is the medical director at Rushford, a Hartford HeatlhCare Center and one of Connecticut’s leading providers of addiction and mental-health services. Dr. Allen has served as a subject matter expert in Connecticut’s Psilocybin Study Workgroup. He emphasizes the need for more than just symptom management in order to focus on getting back to work, back to school and back to the regular cadence of life. “The idea with psychedelics is that they affect the brain in a way that allows it to reorganize and reprioritize the way different parts of the brain work together,” he says.
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, based in Stamford, recognizes the limitations of current mental health treatment approaches and is committed to advancing more effective solutions. In fact, the foundation (led by hedge fund manager and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alexandra) has given more than $46 million to psychedelic projects and is one of the largest private funders of psychedelic research in the country.
“Research on these psychedelic compounds has been postponed for decades while millions of Americans have profoundly suffered,” reads a statement on the foundation’s website. “It’s time to unlock the potential of psychedelic medicine and improve the lives of patients and their families.”
Paradigm Shift: New Hope for Veterans With PTSD
Dr. Lynnette Averill is a clinical research psychologist who spent nine years at Yale’s National Center for PTSD before being recruited to serve as the subject matter expert for Texas House Bill 1802, which supports a clinical trial and extensive literature review of psychedelic medicine for the treatment of PTSD in U.S. veterans. She also worked alongside Dr. Allen as a subject matter expert for Connecticut’s Psilocybin Study Workgroup.
Dr. Averill’s entire career has been dedicated to exploring alternative mental health treatments for veterans and other survivors of trauma. The course of her life was largely impacted by her father, who served as an enlisted infantryman with the Marine Corps in Vietnam and struggled to cope with his experiences. He developed PTSD and died by suicide after struggling with ineffective treatments and self-medication. Lynette was only three years old when he died.
In her work, she recalls the transformative impact psychedelics have had on military veterans in particular: “Many of these folks had tried everything, from the VA’s polypharmacy approach to intensive therapy, and nothing worked,” she says. “For some, a single psychedelic experience was the difference between life and death.”
Dr. Averill’s research has highlighted a distinct neurobiological pathway through which psychedelics operate, one that differs markedly from the SSRIs (like Zoloft and Lexapro) prescribed to millions of Americans each year.
SSRIs aim to stabilize neurochemical levels over time, but they often require weeks or months to take effect, if they work at all. By contrast, Dr. Averill explains, psychedelics like psilocybin seem to “rapidly increase neuroplasticity” (the brain’s ability to reorganize itself).
This, she notes, opens a window of opportunity for patients to untangle deeply embedded trauma and emotional patterns. “The SSRIs can save lives, no doubt,” she says. “But psychedelics give people a shot at lives they actually want to live.”
Dr. Averill has collaborated with fellow researchers on observation studies of veterans of Special Operations Forces who are “wildly traumatized, complex cases.” These people, she describes, have been to the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and tried every possible intervention—some even taking 20 different prescriptions at a time.
Dr. Averill explains that, for some patients, they saw this treatment as their last hope.
Patients who participated in this three-day program reported transdiagnostic shifts in PTSD, depression, anxiety and substance use. They had an increased sense of meaning and purpose and a decreased sense of moral injury, guilt and shame.
According to Dr. Averill, some patients described the process as one of the most meaningful experiences they’ve ever had. “Challenging, difficult experiences, but very meaningful,” she adds. “I have never heard anyone say that about starting Prozac.”
In recent years, these limitations of pharmaceuticals have fueled a renewed interest in exploring more innovative strategies (including psychedelics) that might address root causes rather than just mitigating symptoms.
This represents a paradigm shift in the way we treat mental health—moving from symptom management to exploring deeper, more transformative healing processes.
Inside the Brain: How Psychedelics Work Differently
So, what exactly happens in the brain when someone takes psychedelics? Dr. Allen explains that psychedelics act on the 5-HT2A receptor in the brain, part of the serotonin system.
But unlike SSRIs, psychedelics don’t just boost serotonin levels; they reshape neural pathways, loosening rigid thought patterns and encouraging new perspectives.
Dr. Allen highlights that “hardwiring” occurs in the brain during adolescence. This period is marked by an intense phase of neural development, where the brain rapidly forms countless new connections in response to learning and experiences. As adolescents encounter new situations, challenges and relationships, their brains are busy creating pathways that reflect these experiences.
However, to maintain efficiency, the brain then undergoes a process known as synaptic pruning. During pruning, weaker or less frequently used pathways are trimmed away, allowing the brain to consolidate its most essential and frequently used connections. This process sharpens focus and strengthens patterns that help individuals navigate daily life.
With that said, “some of these pathways have developed in a way that is maladaptive and becomes hardwired,” Dr. Allen explains. “Trying to change that can take a really long time, if you can do it at all.”
Synaptic pruning can reinforce habitual thoughts or behaviors, including those that can contribute to anxiety or depression. “The idea around these psychedelics is that, somehow, they release the brain for a period of time from these tracks—these pathways—and allow for someone to consider alternative strategies,” says Dr. Allen
Another way to think about it is like a well-worn hiking trail in the mind. Over years, that path gets worn down and deeply familiar, even if it doesn’t lead to a good place. Psychedelics create a momentary shift in the brain, giving people the chance to forge a new trail—a new way of experiencing their lives.
This process allows individuals to access new perspectives and habitual thought patterns that may have previously been obscured. This “reset” effect, Dr. Allen suggests, is one reason why psychedelics can offer transformative potential, especially for those whose hardwired thought patterns have become sources of struggle.
The Psychedelic Experience
A psilocybin journey typically involves a three-phase process: preparatory, administration and integration. Each phase is guided by trained facilitators—often a pair, ideally one male and one female—who stay with the patient through the entire process to provide balance and support.
In the preparatory phase, the facilitators focus on building a trusting connection with the patient. They explore the patient’s medical and personal history, discuss their goals and set the framework for how the experience may unfold. This groundwork is essential for creating a sense of safety and openness.
The administration phase can last between six and eight hours. Patients are given the psilocybin (sometimes in the form of dried mushrooms) in a comfortable, carefully designed room, often with personal touches like familiar blankets, comfortable seating and soft lighting. They might wear eye shades and listen to music they’ve chosen. This helps guide the journey inward. The facilitators don’t direct the experience, but provide a calming presence ready to support only if needed.
Patients often find it difficult to put their experience into words. Patients in studies reported the “mystical” qualities that you’d expect out of a psychedelic trip (encounters with transcendent insights or visions) but what many found just as impactful were moments that felt deeply personal: intense catharsis, a newfound ability to forgive, a sense of self-compassion and waves of love.
The experience differs deeply from person to person, and can vary depending on the psychedelic substance.
Patients who take 5-MeO-DMT, a compound primarily found in plants native to South America, report a significant shift in time and awareness alongside auditory and visual hallucinations. This can be accompanied by physiological symptoms, like increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and nausea and vomiting. Ibogaine (found in the root bark of a West African shrub) can create similar effects, alongside a fascinating common thread: a review of a person’s history and ancestry.
“I think that’s such an interesting piece of Ibogaine—that’s often such a meaningful experience to go back and evaluate your own life and your lineage,” says Dr. Averill. “For so many people, there are sort of generational aspects of stress and trauma that are passed down. People get a lot of insights from that, feeling like they have some sense of forgiveness or a better sense of their own place in the world and where they fit.”
These lasting emotional shifts give patients the opportunity to continue healing as they enter the integration phase.
In the integration phase, facilitators work with the patient to process and unpack the experience—teasing out any insights or revelations and helping to shape how they might be applied to daily life. This phase often involves several follow-up meetings, giving patients a chance to explore the significance of their journey and the ways it may inform their choices, relationships and sense of self going forward. This phase is key to making the experience take root as a catalyst for lasting change.
Unlike traditional antidepressants, which are taken daily, psychedelic therapy is episodic. For example, a single psilocybin session can have effects that last for months, and ketamine treatments can offer relief for days to weeks. The difference is, you take what you’ve gained and carry it forward, rather than relying on daily medication to keep you afloat.
Hope Amid Caution: The Safety Debate
It was in 2021 that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill into law that called for a research committee that developed into the aforementioned Psilocybin Study Workgroup. Its mandate was to study the effects of psilocybin on mental and emotional health under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
As subject matter experts in that workgroup, both Dr. Averill and Dr. Allen came to the same conclusion: The potential of psychedelics to transform mental health treatment is undeniable, but it’s a path that requires caution.
Dr. Allen is intent on avoiding the mistakes made with medical cannabis, especially when it comes to commercialization. Early research on marijuana legalization, he points out, was limited and flawed, mostly focusing on a narrow demographic. The studies on marijuana touted the fact that medical cannabis is effective for depression, psychiatric disorders and even bipolar disorder. But, as Dr. Allen explains, we have come to find out that cannabis can also destabilize people with bipolar disorder, increase suicidal ideation and play a role in the development of schizophrenia.
“Like with cannabis, people are swayed by the billions of dollars that can be made if you get it out there,” Dr. Allen warns. He argues that in order for psychedelics to reach their full potential as therapeutic agents, regulatory measures need to prioritize healing over market value.
Dr. Andrew Gerber, president and medical director at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, echoes Allen’s concerns, underscoring the importance of controlled, medically supervised environments. “Psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin aren’t without risks,” he explains. “In unsupervised settings, they can worsen certain conditions, especially for individuals with psychological vulnerabilities.”
Lessons from Connecticut: Pioneering a Cautious Approach
Connecticut is establishing a framework for legal, regulated psilocybin therapy with experts like Dr. Allen and Dr. Averill leading the charge to bring solutions to the state that balance safety with accessibility. Still, the regulatory hurdles are high, and the stakes are even higher, as the nation grapples with how to responsibly integrate psychedelics into mental-health care.
Therapeutic psychedelics like psilocybin remain illegal in the United States outside of research. With that said, individuals are accessing psilocybin “underground,” through unauthorized means or legally in other countries. Currently, Oregon is the only state to legalize psilocybin under a state-regulated framework created through Measure 109 (also known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act), passed by voters in 2020. This act allows licensed centers to provide psilocybin therapy, supervised by trained facilitators, independently of FDA approval. While psilocybin remains a federally controlled substance, Oregon’s regulations establish a unique, legally protected pathway for its therapeutic use within the state.
Drs. Allen, Averill and Gerber are in full support of robust regulatory structures from the outset to preserve the medicinal promise of psychedelics. This perspective is particularly pertinent as Connecticut explores decriminalizing certain amounts of psilocybin. Such legislative changes aim to reduce penalties for possession, potentially paving the way for broader acceptance and use of psychedelic therapies.
In parallel with these state-level initiatives, significant progress is being made in clinical research. Dr. Gerber is collaborating with Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, on a groundbreaking study. Funded by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), this research focuses on the use of psilocybin in treating alcohol-use disorder. Patient recruitment for this study is expected to begin at Silver Hill early this year, marking a pivotal moment in the integration of psychedelic therapies into mainstream treatment options.
Dr. Gerber is especially excited for this study because of the plan to track a patient’s progress using MRI. “In cardiology, you don’t only look at chest pain. You look at the echocardiogram. In cancer, you look at the X-rays,” he explains. “Psychiatry has lagged behind just because the brain is so complicated that we haven’t had those biomarkers. If we can track progress using MRI, which is exactly what we’re aiming to do in this study, that’s a game changer for the field and one we’re proud to be a part of.”
However, the path to widespread acceptance of psychedelic therapies is not without its challenges. The FDA’s recent denial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, citing concerns with study methodologies, should serve as a cautionary tale. This decision underscores the necessity for rigorous, well-designed clinical trials to ensure both the efficacy and safety of these treatments.
Connecticut’s measured approach, characterized by thorough research and cautious legislative action, positions the state as a potential leader in the responsible adoption of psychedelic therapies.
For advocates like Jimmy, the push to integrate psychedelics into mainstream therapy extends beyond regulation to fundamental issues of bodily autonomy and personal freedom. “Do we inherently have the right to explore our consciousness?” Jimmy asks. “Shouldn’t people have the right to explore natural substances and decide for themselves what might help them heal?”
Jimmy argues that psychedelics offer not just a path to healing but also an exploration of self that is rare in modern, prescription-heavy mental-health care. Psychedelic experiences tend to center around personal insights rather than symptom management as the primary focus, which has become the modus operandi of many conventional treatments. “It’s about empowering people in their own sovereignty to make the best choices for themselves,” he says.
What Comes Next?
Though psychedelics offer hope, they’re not a cure-all. Still, Jimmy, Dr. Averill and others on the front lines are optimistic that these treatments can provide a lifeline to people who have exhausted other options. Jimmy envisions a future where psychedelics aren’t just a last resort but a respected part of the mental-health landscape, accessible to anyone willing to do the work.
“The folks who I think have the best and most transformative experiences really are the ones who go in open-minded and very much wanting to change,” says Dr. Averill. “They come out of those experiences and try to build in whatever those new insights are into their life, maintaining positive behaviors or continuing to not engage in behaviors they found weren’t working well for them.”
For those like Reed, who struggled within the limits of conventional treatment, a world where psychedelics are accessible might have offered an alternative—a chance to confront and move through his pain in a way current options couldn’t provide.
As Connecticut and the country wrestle with these questions, there’s hope that we’re on the brink of a new era in mental health.
INTERESTED IN JOINING A PSYCHEDELIC STUDY OR ACCESSING PSILOCYBIN SERVICES?
1 Search clinical trial databases such as ClinicalTrials.gov to find ongoing or upcoming studies involving psychedelics.
2 Contact research centers or institutions directly. Some universities and research hospitals like Silver Hill, Johns Hopkins, NYU and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) conduct psychedelic research.
3 Explore the Oregon Health Authority’s Licensee Directory to find licensed service centers. Clients do not need to live in Oregon to access these services.
4 Reach out to Psychedelic Passage for connections to vetted guides for therapeutic psychedelic experiences and treatments.