A new Royal Ontario Museum exhibition unites diverse perspectives on the scientific and cultural odyssey of psychedelics
My curiosity with magic mushrooms and the ‘psychedelic experience’ (I would like to preface this by pointing out that there is no universal or even expected experience that acts as a proper reference point) really began after I experimented with microdosing — consuming small doses of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, once or twice a day. It is not enough to trigger any substantial hallucinations or a ‘psychedelic trip,’ but may still elicit certain cognitive and emotional changes. For me, these small changes manifested as noticeable yet manageable bursts of greater social desires and less social anxiety: think talkativeness, longer social battery, and more motivation — which is surprising because I have a terrible habit of cancelling plans last minute due to my 4 pm energy crashes and low social battery.
I’m a neuroscience student, which means that beyond my recreational experimentations with psilocybin, I have also encountered research on recent scientific breakthroughs in depression treatment and psychotherapy literature about the emerging potential of psychedelics and their impact on our health.
But the story of psychedelics noted for their ability to trigger non-ordinary mental states characterized by changes in cognition, emotion, mood, sensation, and consciousness,often begins and ends with the question of their burgeoning scientific utility. Rarely are these conversations about their profound cultural, spiritual, or ceremonial history — especially as it relates to Indigenous frameworks of healing and knowledge — a part of mainstream discourses. This is specifically relevant within Western institutions and classrooms.
Right across from U of T students’ beloved Queen’s Park, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) currently runs an exhibit titled /Psychedelics: Art, Culture, and Science/. whose goal it is to provide an immersive insight into the unexpected and curious ways human cultures have coexisted alongside these substances across continents, spanning back thousands of years.
The exhibit is encased within walls and small rooms curving and swaying into one another, with each wall representing a different piece of the psychedelic puzzle: from their spiritual and ceremonial significance through Indigenous communities in the Americas to artistic renditions which sensationalize what a hallucinatory psychedelic trip may feel like.
An insight into healing and the brain-mind connection
Since the 70s, scientific, commercial, and recreational psychedelic use has remained illegal, heavily controlled, or scrutinized in Canada and the U.S. — and with this prohibition, research into the potential therapeutic benefits of magic mushrooms and other substances for treating treatment-resistant mental health disorders has only begun to emerge in the last decade.
Studies show that combining personalized psychological support therapies with a medium-to-high dose of psilocybin can have positive mental health benefits for depressed patients. The exhibit also stressed the importance of set and setting when undergoing psychedelic treatments or recreational use: negative emotional states, such as being plagued by feelings of anxiety or a precarious setting (like lack of safety), can compromise the mind’s ability to reap the psychological benefits of a trip.
The exhibit also shines a light on leading theories behind how psychedelics interact with the human brain. Disorders such as depression and anxiety often involve rigid and repetitive thought-patterns that are difficult to break. Through illustrations, the exhibit helps explain the Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics (REBUS) model of how psychedelics impact the brain. REBUS suggests, among other things, that psychedelics can promote greater flexibility and cross-regional communication between brain neurons and regions. This temporary loosening of the normal pathways neurons communicate information through could, in theory, allow maladaptive or negative beliefs to change. This potential for change highlights how the mind-brain connection — a theoretical perspective within neuroscience that posits that all mental activity — can ultimately be traced back to a physical source, such as the interaction between neurons and brain regions.
What’s next for the psychedelic odyssey?
What I loved about this exhibit was its emphasis on how multiple voices on psychedelics are important to acknowledge; not just the scientific or clinical. While the explosion of scientific and commercial interest into psychedelics is undoubtedly making policymakers, governments, and the public rethink these substances, it’s crucial to tell multiple stories of how these substances function and why they are so important towards a holistic understanding of the human condition.
From featuring yarn artworks that render the complex cosmic mythologies of Indigenous communities and the ways psychoactive substances fit into existential worldviews and storyboards about spiritual practices across Africa, the exhibit helps complicate the story of these substances and their Indigenous roots in a world where they risk becoming commodified and objectified through over-harvestation, commercialization, and the continued neglect of Indigenous knowledge in research.
Caption: Jose Benitez Sanchez’s yarn work brings to life the creation stories of the Huichol, an Indigenous community of Mexico who call the Sierra Madre regions their home. The Huichol believed that rituals involving peyote, a cacti with psychoactive properties, plays a significant role in spiritual connection with the divine and the natural world.
Psychedelics included an immersive, kaleidoscopic experience where I entered a dark, enclosed space where the walls dance with projections designed to imitate the visual hallucinations one might experience on a trip. Abstract and curiously shaped black and white contours flashed and swirled on the walls , and yet, as someone who has been on a real magic mushroom trip lasting approximately 2-4 hours, I would say this immersion was rather inaccurate. While some visual features may be common, everyone’s psychedelic experience is unique and having a suggestive and immersive booth filled with exaggerated visualizations may defeat the recognition that there is no universal psychedelic trip as well as create a misleading and/or negative perception of the drug.
Who knows what’s next for the psychedelic odyssey? Maybe it’s more studies or perhaps a new UofT course with an unnecessarily long title. But for now, the ROM’s exhibition stands as a solid jumping off point to learn more about the fascinating and mysterious world of psychedelics… as long as it’s taken with a grain of salt.