In critical studies of Indigenous medicine, sacred plants, ethnobotany, and "psychedelic" hallucinogens, this panel explores how Indigenous sacred plants and medicinal knowledge been commodified to create modern medicine (e.g. psychedelics). What have been the costs for Indigenous peoples and how have they been persecuted for medicinal plant usage? Noting sacred plants' commercialization among non-Indigenous communities, how have locals fought against this knowledge theft and resource extractions? Presentations examine the "psychedelic renaissance," allopathic medicine, psychedelic holding practices, Western exploitation of Mazatec sacred mushrooms, and how to center voices such as curandera María Sabina to interrogate possibilities for reparations of commodified Indigenous sacred medicines.
The “psychedelic renaissance” has forced questions of cosmology to the foreground in allopathic medicine. Where they would have otherwise been treated as incidental, mystical experiences have suddenly become central to treatment. While providers attempt to build effective protocols for the use of chemical agents like psilocybin, foundational medical literature continues to dismiss the Indigenous practitioners from which these agents were expropriated. This paper will look to Mixteca wisewoman Maria Sabina’s traditional practices as a standard, using a ritual-focused framework of relationality to evaluate current protocols for the allopathic use of psilocybin. By comparing traditional Indigenous and allopathic practices, I will argue that skillful engagement with cosmology is prerequisite for effective work with psilocybin. In line with recent calls to respect Indigenous traditions, I will close by suggesting serious amendment for allopathic medicine’s current mode of engagement with plant entheogens and derivatives such as psilocybin.
The salient inquiry offered in the call for papers invites reflection on the constellation of psychedelic medicine/medicalization, culture, and spirituality (as differentiated from religion) and relationship among them. At the heart of this constellation is the relationship between healing and spirituality. In this paper, we will explore four forms of psychedelic holding practices: administrators/distributors, sitters, assisted psychotherapists, and curanderos. Each of these four forms require different skills, qualities of presence, spiritual partnerships and pair with different medicines. As we move forward in our collective awareness and capacity, it is not sufficient to lump all consciousness medicines under the single umbrella of “psychedelics” if we are to be clear on our intention for working with them, the setting in which they are administered, and the skill set required by the practitioner for safe and effective use—whether for spiritual growth or healing of suffering.
In 1957, Gordon Wasson published an article called “Seeking the Magic Mushroom” in Life magazine where he described his ecstatic experiences in a healing ceremony led by the indigenous shamaness María Sabina. In doing so, Wasson revealed the millennial secrets of the Mazatec shamanic tradition to the Western world. The article led to foreigners invading Huautla de Jiménez—a poor, small and remote town in the mountains of Oaxaca—in search of God. They disrupted the daily lives of the locals and profaned sacred mushrooms by failing to respect Mazatec customs and rituals. Later in her life, Sabina lamented introducing Wasson to her ancestral practices. This paper introduces the audience to the initiation and magico-religious healing of María Sabina to contextualize her critique of foreigners’ use of sacred mushrooms. It argues that centering Sabina’s voice provides a basis for conversations about reparations for exploitation of indigenous sacred medicines.