Cindy and I returned from Jamaica just over a week ago, arriving in what seems like a different world, a world of greater benevolence and greatly increased possibilities. Both of us have been relieved of enormous burdens that we had been carrying somewhat unconsciously. Both of us feel empowered to trust ourselves and to chart our own paths in the world, unfettered by fantastical stories about what other people might expect from us or demand of us, unlimited by the false hope that someone, perhaps a less-than-optimally-competent parent in the distant past, will finally come to save us.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds. — Bob Marley, Redemption Song
Wanting to help a family member who has been suffering from severe depression, I had been reading the reports of the many studies into the beneficial effects of psilocybin (and other psychedelic substances) on various mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Because psilocybin has not been made illegal in Jamaica, there are many psilocybin-assisted retreats being offered there, making available—to those who are lucky enough to be able to afford to travel there—the benefits of this approach to psychological integration.
