11/19/2025
“Three years of therapy in one night?”
I hear this a lot around psychedelics. I understand where it comes from—under the right conditions, a single session can bring intense emotional release, fresh insight, even a sense of touching something larger than oneself.
But the more useful question, at least to me, is not “Which is better: psychedelics or psychotherapy?”
It’s: How do they actually heal—and where do they meet?
When you put good therapy next to good psychedelic work, the parallels are striking: a safe relationship, facing what hurts, new meaning, belief and behavior change, an expanded sense of self. Different tools, very similar inner movements.
In my view, psychedelics tend to amplify the process. Psychotherapy helps stabilize and integrate it over time. Together, they can do something neither can fully do alone.
I wrote a short piece about this here, for those who are curious:
About fifteen years ago, whenever someone invited me to talk about the healing value of meditation, I would start—somewhat mischievously—by saying, “If you’re still wondering whether meditation is healing, you haven’t been paying attention. Its benefits have been proven beyond reasonable d...
