Could Psychedelics Be the Next Solution for a Better Life? |
At this time of year, when the dark shadow of depression affects many in the global north and New Year’s resolutions abound with promises to eat healthy, exercise more, and be nicer to our family and friends, the fact is that most of us will fail and continue to behave exactly like we did in 2025. Even as new GLP-1 agonists with brand names like Wegovy and Zepbound make it easier to achieve weight loss, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft provide a hedge against depression, there is growing interest in an old idea: psychedelics.
The drugs are not being researched as a diversion from life, but instead as a therapeutic intervention to help us handle life’s challenges in more creative ways. With ketamine, one of this class of psychedelics in the news a lot these days (given rumors of who uses it and the death of the actor Matthew Perry in October 2023 in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home from a likely overdose), one can’t help but be intrigued by research into possible benefits from these obviously dangerous substances that remain........