10/11/2025
At a 2022 talk with āHow To Academy,ā trauma expert Dr. Gabor MateĢ was asked about psychedelics and didnāt hesitate.
In carefully measured words, he called them a āwonderful modalityā for healing, while warning of their potential misuse.
In the right conditions with proper guidance, clear intention, and a safe setting heās seen psychedelics support recovery from addiction, improve autoimmune symptoms, and spark transformations that leave people more grounded, more whole.
āIt all depends,ā he emphasized, āon whoās using it, and in what context, and for what purpose.ā
MateĢ has long argued that much of what we call āmental illnessā is rooted in trauma. And when used responsibly, psychedelics can surface that trauma with a clarity talk therapy often canāt reach. They help people not just manage symptoms but re-encounter their own story with compassion.
But heās also seen the darker side: the exploitation of vulnerable seekers, and the spiritual bypassing that can mask unresolved wounds. This is not a shortcut, he insists, but a path that requires preparation, integration, and care.
Yet despite mounting evidence and decades of research, these tools remain criminalized in most of the world.
In MateĢās view, thatās not just misguided itās irrational. āGiven their demonstrated potential,ā he said, āand the sparsity of other methods,ā their continued prohibition is a failure of both science and compassion.
Ultimately, psychedelics arenāt a cure-all. But they can open a door. And for many, thatās been enough to begin.
Source: How To Academy