Esse quam Videre: Critical Reflections on the Use of Psilocybin as an Adjuvant in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
Polymatheia. February 15, 2025 Fábio Nogueira Pereira, Ana Carina Rothechedl Cavalieri, João Paulo Crespo Ferreira et al.
Psychology must incorporate psychedelic philosophy and Indigenous knowledge to address the ethical and technical challenges of psychedelic research. The authors argue that modern ecocidal ideologies and the regulation of psychedelics as health technologies have distanced mental health practices from Amerindian spirituality and epistemologies. Drawing on Transpersonal Ecopsychology and Gestalt Therapy from a decolonial perspective, they advocate for reintegrating people into their environment and territoriality, and for acknowledging the sacred origins of psychedelic substances. The text critiques the political erasure of Indigenous perspectives in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies.