How magic mushroom retreats are changing lives: Afghan war vet who launched them with British peeress says ‘we are on to something’

A company’s retreats in Jamaica and The Netherlands feature psilocybin ceremonies, meditation and breathwork; clients follow a four-week pre-retreat programme

CEO Neil Markey, who as a former US soldier fought PTSD, says: ‘We could send employees or veterans back to their families in much better shape’

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Psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics could be key to treating depression, PTSD and other conditions. A new psychedelic retreat has opened in the Netherlands by a former US soldier who benefited from the treatment .

Published: 6:15pm, 10 Sep 2022

“We’ve all heard really scary things about psychedelics,” says American author and journalist Michael Pollan in a new Netflix documentary based on his bestselling book, How To Change Your Mind. “They scrambled your chromosomes, they caused you to hop off of buildings, it was all terrifying.”

Pollan took a look at the true effects of these substances – and was surprised at what he found. “What if mental health problems like OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder], PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], alcoholism and depression could all be helped [by psychedelics]?” he asked.

This is no rhetorical question; the conversation around the benefits of taking psychedelics to relieve suffering has never been louder. These substances include ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew, and psilocybin, popularly known as magic mushrooms.

Research supporting their benefits is stacking up; a recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine in the US state of Maryland showed psilocybin can relieve symptoms of major depressive disorders in adults for up to a year.

Harvested Mazatapec psilocybin mushrooms in Denver, Colorado. Photo: Getty Images

Research from Imperial College London suggests psilocybin can help to “open up” depressed people’s brains, weeks after use.

Backed by science and convincing campaigns, governments are relaxing laws restricting psychedelics’ use. US president Richard Nixon’s war on drugs in the 1960s and ’70s led to psychedelics being broadly criminalised in the country, but today they are enjoying a quiet renaissance.