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In This Issue
- Nine Strange Rituals & Myths from the Psychedelic Underground - Andrew M. Weisse
- This piece explores nine myths, rituals, and superstitions from the psychedelic underground—stories passed among healers and ceremony-goers rather than studied in labs. Examples include Shipibo lore on three types of ayahuasca visions, mezcal used to distract spirits in peyote ceremonies, yagé's supposed jealousy toward those who mix traditions, and the Huichol belief in a protective blue hummingbird spirit. Other myths cover tobacco as the "true master plant," a whistled icaro that opens spiritual portals, mushrooms as ego-revealing tricksters, dream tests during dietas, and purging as spiritual release. The author frames these as folklore worth honoring, not as verified fact.
- Serpentrise: A Geography of Remembering - David Comstock
- David Comstock's path from a transcendent teenage psilocybin experience to decades of alcoholism, loss, and near-death was long and circuitous. A severe work accident in 2021 brought him to his lowest point—suicidal, homeless, and hospitalized. Recovery began through Refuge Recovery's Buddhist-inspired approach, and deepened during a solo psilocybin experience in Florida that cracked open a profound sense of compassion and connection. That night didn't provide answers, but it restored a feeling of belonging to life. Comstock has since stopped drinking and committed to daily practices of meditation, nature, and continued healing.
- Awakening the Heart: A Book Review - Adam Miezio
- Awakening the Heart (2026) is Rory Van Tuinen's hard-hitting, hard-to-put-down memoir about surviving over a decade of opioid addiction in Vermont, marked by repeated overdoses, relapses, and near-fatal encounters. His recovery took an unconventional path: ayahuasca at his parents' home, ibogaine therapy in Mexico, and eventually psilocybin, alongside support from his brother Ryan and friend Katie. Van Tuinen critiques the pharmaceutical industry and treatment system for perpetuating addiction rather than curing it. The book shows recovery as a messy, nonlinear process, and argues that lasting healing requires community, honesty, and dignity rather than punishment.
- Dose, Dissociation, Integration: A Protocol-Driven Approach to Ketamine Therapy - Ian M. Grochowski
- Doctor Shawn Brown runs a referral-only ketamine therapy clinic in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, blending her background in emergency medicine and integrative healing. Patients undergo medical screening before receiving IV ketamine infusions, dosed gradually and spaced weekly over four to six weeks—a shift from older, more compressed protocols. The clinic focuses heavily on first responders battling PTSD, pairing treatment with peer-led integration and partnerships with crisis-response teams. Brown collaborates with university researchers to study outcomes like dissociation's role in healing, while remaining candid about unknowns and risks. Her core principle: ketamine works best alongside ongoing therapy, not as a standalone fix.
- Bottoming Out, Rising Up: The Ayahuasca Foundation Story - Adam Miezio
- Carlos Tanner survived heroin addiction and a near-fatal car accident before discovering ayahuasca in Peru, which led him to a multi-year apprenticeship with Shipibo curanderos. In 2009, he founded the Ayahuasca Foundation in Iquitos, building it into a structured healing and research center emphasizing ethical, culturally respectful practice. The Foundation offers programs ranging from an eight-week curandero initiation course to shorter retreats, all centered on consciousness, screening, and integration. Its Riosbo Retreat and Research Center, built with the Grant Town Foundation, supports scientific studies through partnerships like Onaya Science, including veteran-focused PTSD research.
- Relational Mycology: Building a Relationship with Mushrooms and Yourself - An Interview with Michou Olivera
- Michou Olivera describes how mushrooms helped her confront trauma, addiction, shame, and a lifelong distrust of her own voice. From that journey, she developed Conscious Flow Integration, an approach grounded in Relational Mycology and Intuitive Integration. Rather than treating mushrooms as magic pills, Olivera emphasizes preparation, individualized dosing, harm reduction, and sustained reflection. She challenges heroic-dose culture and psychedelic therapy models that replace one authority figure with another. Her goal is psychedelic sovereignty: helping people safely trust their own insight while drawing on therapists, medical professionals, and experienced facilitators when needed. Ultimately, she argues, the mushroom opens the door, but the wisdom belongs to us.
- AI & Psychedelics: Two Amplifiers, One Lesson - Rev. Hooman
- Rev. Hooman argues that psychedelics and AI share the same core danger: both amplify whatever state a person already brings to them, rather than creating new material. His own 2016 psychedelic crisis, later traced to poor personal resources rather than drug potency, mirrors how chatbots reinforce users' delusions by optimizing for engagement rather than correction. As both technologies scale rapidly—psychedelics through pharmaceutical acquisitions like Eli Lilly's, AI through everyday products—society lacks adequate support infrastructure. Rather than restricting access, Hooman advocates for building "containers": relationships, screening, and community support that catch vulnerable people before crisis.
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About Psychedelic Pathways Magazine
Psychedelic Pathways explores the intersection of two desires that many humans share: to alter perception of the world in which they live, and to stay safe while doing so.
You've heard them: whispers about the healing power of psychedelics, how they've helped others rewrite old narratives, dissolve fear, or reconnect with hidden parts of themselves.
You've also heard words of warning: stories of psychedelic experiments gone awry, causing real harm to real people.
Add to this the very real chance that what you've been told about psychedelics over your lifetime is untrue.
We offer stories, research, and foundational knowledge to help you make informed decisions.
We give you thought-provoking, accurate, and deeply personal perspectives from courageous seekers that meet you wherever you are on your path.
Everything on our pages is crafted with care to engage your mind and spirit.
We’re not here to push one way of thinking.
Your journey is yours, and we respect that.
Because the decision to engage with any mind-altering substance is, ultimately, yours alone.
Our contributors create for people like you, who know there is more to learn in the realm of psychedelics than what they've been taught.
In the pages of Psychedelic Pathways we're reminded that change is close at hand.
If you're brave enough to dive in, we’re thrilled to have you.
Category: Wellness & Meditation
Publisher: Psychedelic Pathways Magazine
Published: Bi-monthly
Language: English
Compatibility: iOS/Android App + Web Reader
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About The Publisher
Psychedelic Pathways Magazine is published by Focused Eye Enterprises, LLC, which was founded by writer, photographer, and psychonaut Strider John Peterson.... read more
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