Psychedelic Myths That Stick Around
Low-risk, ego-dissolving world-saviors?
Every field collects its own myths. Psychedelics are no exception.
Some are charming, some are seductive… and some quietly warp research, policy, expectations — and even public safety.
While working on my forthcoming MIT Press book (Psychedelics: The Essential Knowledge), I’ve been thinking about the ones I hear most often.
But I really want to know - which have you come across? Which are you not sure about?
1. “Psychedelics are safe.”
Some psychedelics have no known lethal dose and aren’t habit-forming — unlike certain legal drugs. But low toxicity isn’t the same as safe: they can trigger mental health crises, catalyze accidents, or facilitate abuse.
And then there are drugs like ketamine, MDMA, and ibogaine — which some classify as psychedelics — that can be habit-forming, toxic, or both.
2. “Natural psychedelics are better.”
Psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca aren’t automatically “gentler” or “better” than LSD or MDMA. There’s no evidence that synthetics as a class are more harmful to the brain; some natural plants are outright deadly.
That said, the stories we tell about a substance can shape set and setting — and that can matter as much as the actual chemistry.
3. “Magic mushrooms helped humans evolve.”
Terrence McKenna’s ‘Stoned Ape’ theory says early humans tripped their way to bigger brains and sharper eyesight. It’s fun to tell — but there’s zero substantive evidence.
4. “Psychedelics dissolve your ego.”
Sometimes. But many people don’t experience ego dissolution, and some come out with an ego boost. You might even meet a self-appointed messiahs of the “psychedelic ego-system.”
5. “Psychedelics can save the world.”
Can they solve climate change, political divides, or war? No.
They can shift perspectives, but often in the direction someone was already leaning — and not always for the better.
Even if epiphanies were universally pro-social, lasting change requires coordinated action at scale — something psychedelics can’t deliver alone.
6. “The right way to do psychedelics is…”
Five-ish grams of shrooms in the forest? 137.6mg of MDMA with your therapist? Ayahuasca in the Amazon? At home with mail-order ketamine?
There’s no one-size-fits-all “best.” Even clinical trials haven’t settled on a single ideal. New models are emerging, old ones are being revived.
The wrong way? Anything that ignores risk and safety.
And again… this whole post was a cheeky way to ask you, dear reader, which psychedelic myths do the rounds in your circles. Shoot me a line or comment below!
All factually great points. Nice to read it from a centered view.