“The transformation was so incredible that I decided very quickly I would dedicate the rest of my life to this fascinating world.”
This is how Graham Jack described his healing experiences using psychedelic plant medicines to treat the depression that haunted him for three decades.
The Englishman, who featured in our ayahuasca documentary in October 2020, now runs a therapy centre called Sanctum which uses psilocybin mushrooms to help people overcome anxiety, depression, addiction, and heal emotional trauma.
Graham said: “There are literally hundreds of millions of people across the world suffering from depression, and this is an appalling state of affairs when there are substances that have been used for thousands of years that can solve the problem but are highly illegal in most countries of the world.
“The irony here is that the more ‘developed’ the country is, the more chance these compounds are illegal. But thankfully it’s starting to change.”
Since the very first psychedelic experience Graham has never again experienced the same depressive episodes and continues to ‘microdose’ magic mushrooms to maintain his mental health and wellbeing.
We previously produced a documentary titled Magic Mushrooms For Depression on our YouTube channel which highlighted the overwhelming science proving their effectiveness against even the most treatment-resistant cases of depression.
Now, in the same week that boxer Mike Tyson claimed that psilocybin mushrooms “saved his life”, Graham Jack writes this blog post for YouRevolution readers to delve deeper into magic mushrooms and depression…and also to tackle the stigma surrounding them.
I’m not alone in being certain that we are at a turning point in history in terms of the way we deal with a multitude of mental health issues and global problems like climate change.
I believe that psychedelics or ‘entheogens’ hold the key. I’ll use the word entheogens from here on in as it doesn’t carry the same mass media baggage that psychedelics does.
The term ‘rennaisance’ is a little misleading as well. It should maybe be called ‘reboot’ because for thousands of years, humans have sought and obtained assistance in many facets of life from plant medicine.
Our ancestors lived in harmony with nature and our environment provided not only food, water and shelter but also spiritual nourishment and wisdom through carefully selected plant species.
Ancient tribes would respectfully use entheogens to commune with spirits, bond with each other more profoundly and even hunt more efficiently.
The Spanish ruled the Americas for over 300 years and during this time, the use of entheogens was pushed underground.
In fact, it wasn’t until a certain article appeared in Life Magazine in 1957 entitled ‘Seeking the Magic Mushroom’ by ex-investment banker Gordon Wasson that the mysterious world of entheogens was broadcast to the world.
A vivid first-person account of a spectacular trip involving beautiful architecture, stunning visions and enhanced sound transformed previous fear and trepidation into fascination with these incredibly exotic substances.
As we all know, the 1960s were a period of liberation for many things. Ironically, as the forces of capitalism were in full swing and economies were booming, exploration into alternative ways of life were also gaining momentum.
After Wasson brought back some of the mushrooms for scientist Albert Hoffman to synthesize, so began a relatively short period of scientific study into the effects and potential uses of these substances.
The Spanish ruled the Americas for over 300 years and during this time, the use of entheogens was pushed underground.
In fact, it wasn’t until a certain article appeared in Life Magazine in 1957 entitled ‘Seeking the Magic Mushroom’ by ex-investment banker Gordon Wasson that the mysterious world of entheogens was broadcast to the world.
A vivid first-person account of a spectacular trip involving beautiful architecture, stunning visions and enhanced sound transformed previous fear and trepidation into fascination with these incredibly exotic substances.
As we all know, the 1960s were a period of liberation for many things. Ironically, as the forces of capitalism were in full swing and economies were booming, exploration into alternative ways of life were also gaining momentum.
After Wasson brought back some of the mushrooms for scientist Albert Hoffman to synthesize, so began a relatively short period of scientific study into the effects and potential uses of these substances.
The study lasted from approximately 1957 to 1977, over 40,000 people were involved in some way (mainly in the US), over 1,000 research papers were written, and the results were often remarkable.
The researchers were astounded by the effects on such things as drug addiction, alcoholism and tobacco addiction.
A key research figure in the 1960’s, the psychiatrist Stanislav Grof is famous for saying “psychedelics are to the study of the mind what the telescope is for astronomy and the microscope is for biology.”
It wasn’t until the Vietnam War had been underway for over 10 years that these two worlds collided spectacularly. In the late 1960’s, with public opinion against the Vietnam War increasing exponentially, the Nixon administration decided to quickly silence their critics and wage a war of their own on the peace-loving protestors.
Entheogens such as LSD and psilocybin (associated with the anti-war movement) were swiftly made illegal and placed in the very highest category of harmful substances – Schedule 1. This was reflected across the world through a UN treaty.
By the late 1970’s, research into psychedelics ceased altogether and all of the fascinating research which could have led to revolutionary treatments was discarded. We are still in a period of psychedelic prohibition across much of the world but there is hope. More and more states in the US are decriminalising psychedelics and approving them for ‘guided’ treatment of depression, anxiety and PTSD. As well as the decriminalisation of the actual compounds, more and more respected academic institutions are conducting groundbreaking research which jumps off from the point in 1977 when everything was shut down. Again, the results are remarkable and people who previously have had no relief from their excrutiating mental afflictions through ‘Western Medicine’ are finally finding the transformational solutions in natural entheogens.
It seems clear that the fear that existed in the 15th century of the unknown is the same fear that gripped the Nixon administration in the 1960s, and is the same that started the Vietnam War, in a tragic irony. It is a fear of a completely new way of looking at things. A fear that your paradigm is not the truth. When the conquistadors landed in Mexico, they sought material wealth and expansion of territory and ideology. This hunger has ravaged our world and our mental health for centuries. With the recent global pandemic and subsequent financial meltdown, we need more than ever to embrace these natural remedies for our very real modern day emergencies. There is no doubt, however, that these substances need to be treated with reverence and respect. When seeking help from entheogens for issues around mental health, it is important to find the right people to work with. The number one fear that people have when embarking upon psychedelic therapy is having the ‘bad trip’. A loss of control. This is almost always due to the environment that you are taking the substances in and the mindset that you enter the experience with.
At our Sanctum retreat, we provide a safe and nurturing environment for you to explore your mind and find the ‘inner healing intelligence’.
We use psilocybin – the active molecule in magic mushrooms – to activate that inner healing. Unlike Ayahuasca, the experience on high-dose psilocybin is gentler on both the body and mind.
Our mission is to introduce people to this transformative treatment technique in the most accessible way possible.
Our day sessions are incredibly popular. During the day you will receive a comprehensive introduction to the way psilocybin works within your body, a head and neck massage, and guided meditation before the session itself.
We meet you before your session – in person or on video call – and discuss your particular needs and expectations in advance of your session.
Afterwards, we create a tailored ongoing advice plan and keep in touch should you wish to discuss the process of integrating the experience into your day-to-day life.
For more information on how to apply to Sanctum Spain for a psilocybin treatment session, please contact Graham at info@sanctumspain.com or visit www.sanctumspain.com
Graham Jack is founder and a guide at Sanctum Spain. Following his own long mental health battle, Graham is passionate about educating people on magic mushrooms and depression, and sharing the true purpose of healing plant medicines. For more information on his retreat centre, visit: www.sanctumspain.com
