Michael’s note: I recently met Matt Zemon at Emory University’s Science on Spiritual Health Symposium and was deeply moved by his compassionate, informed approach to vital questions about psychedelics and psycho-spiritual integration. Matt’s new workbook, The Beginner’s Guide to Psychedelics, offers clear, practical guidance for anyone asking these questions — and he also works with churches and other spiritual communities to help make such experiences safe, and legal.
Whether you’re seeking personal growth, emotional healing, or a deeper sense of connection, this guide provides simple, accessible tools to prepare for and integrate a psychedelic experience in a thoughtful way. Here’s an excerpt from this ground-breaking book. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers.
I was 22 when my mom died- she was just 49. I felt like a part of my heart had been torn away, leaving behind a deep emptiness. Have you ever cried so hard you couldn’t breathe? I didn’t know I was capable of that kind of depth of sadness. And then, life moved on, as it does for the living.
Fast forward more than twenty years. Some friends invited me to participate in a guided magic mushroom journey. I am a responsible person—a business owner, a parent, a spouse. This isn’t the kind of thing that fits into my world, yet something inside me said yes. And what happened next was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Suddenly, I melted into the earth. Everything around me—the ground, the sky, the trees—felt alive, connected. And for the first time in forever, I felt unconditionally loved.
And then, my mom was there- I could feel her. It was like I could pull a string from her to me and to my children. I could see that we were all carrying each other forward. I came out of this experience and wondered, “what the hell was that?” And I knew I had to learn more.
I went back to school to study psychedelic medicine and traveled the world to work with respected practitioners—Taitas, shamans, doctors, and researchers. What I uncovered on this journey was that having an incredibly meaningful experience with psychedelics was not uncommon and that psychedelics were catalysts, and not cures. Let me explain.
In a study from Johns Hopkins University, 77.8% of participants who took psilocybin, the active ingredient in the magic mushrooms that I took, described the experience as one of the five most meaningful moments in their lives. More than half described it as THE most meaningful. What is important to understand is that this meaning wasn’t given to the participants by the psychedelic. The meaning came from the participant, enabled by the psychedelic.
I now spend my days working closely with both medical professionals and spiritual leaders, all using psychedelics for healing, expanding consciousness, and personal growth. In this book we are going to discuss a few different psychedelics, some of the settings in which they are taken, and best practices for the process.
Before we dive too far into this, I need to be clear about a few things:
- First, while I have a Masters in psychology and neuroscience of mental health, I am not a medical doctor, and nothing I say should be construed as medical advice.
- Second, I am not advocating for anyone to engage in illegal activities or use psychedelics recklessly. This book is to provide information for a better understanding.
- Finally, contrary to one of my previous book’s titles, psychedelics are not for everyone to take. Some people have pre-existing conditions or are prescribed medications that make psychedelic use unsafe. Please talk with a healthcare provider before engaging with psychedelics.
All that being said, it is time we have this conversation because we are seeing psychedelics everywhere- medical ketamine clinics and clinical trials, legalized psychedelics in the state of Oregon, and, soon, Colorado. Psychedelics have been decriminalized in a number of cities. There are even American psychedelic churches that are receiving federal exemptions to use psychedelics as sacraments as a part of their sincere religious practice. After thousands of years of psychedelics being used for religious purposes, I love that the US government is finally giving the OK!
And I get it. During the last 50 years of prohibition we have heard so many lies about psychedelics that it is natural to have questions as to what to believe.
Did you know there are more than 200 academic institutions studying psychedelics? And while scientists don’t know every aspect about exactly how psychedelics work in the mind and body, there is a general understanding that they often quiet down the part of your brain that is the inner narrator. This is the voice in your head that is constantly telling you to do more, produce more- that you are not worthy. Does that sound familiar?
It quiets that part down, and for me, that feels like the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders.
Let’s pause here for a moment. Take a moment to think about a time in your life when you felt stuck in the same routine, repeating the same thoughts or behaviors day after day. Like a record needle stuck in a groove? You are not alone- as we get older, we pair down our neural pathways and, biologically, we do get a bit “stuck in our ways.” Some of us more than others.
It’s like at some point, our minds went from running all over a playground to running on a treadmill, and no one told us. When we take a psychedelic, it often puts our minds back on the playground, and we remember that we are free to move all over this beautiful world. For our minds, this means we don’t have to think about our relationships, or our jobs, or our lives the way we have been thinking about them. Psychedelics can help us break out of our repetitive thinking patterns and help us remember—remember that we have choices beyond the thought and behavioral patterns we are stuck in.
This breaking of repetitive thought patterns is why we are seeing psychedelics being studied for such a wide range of things, including substance use challenges, OCD, eating disorders, and even autism.
Let’s go back to the “this is your brain and this is your brain on drugs” propaganda we were fed as kids. Remember the frying pan and the egg? When we actually look at brain images of our brain on psychedelics, what we see are lots of neural connections between areas of the brain that don’t usually interact. And, from the point of view of the participant, these new connections allow them to make new insights. This “lit up” brain is a visual representation of the insights and awarenesses that are happening while under the psychedelic.
Now, at this point you might be wondering, what about everything I learned about drugs leading to addiction and causing me great harm? Let’s continue to explore that by looking at psilocybin as an example.
According to multiple studies, psilocybin is non-toxic and non-addictive. There is a famous study from Dr. David Nutt at Imperial College London who compared various substances based on their harm to self and others. Alcohol tops his list as the most dangerous, scoring a 72. Psilocybin mushrooms are at the opposite end of his scale, scoring a six.
I don’t want to gloss over that “six” number. This doesn’t mean that psilocybin is “safe”, a lot of harm can happen in that six, and everyone considering taking psilocybin should be aware of this risk. Remember, all drugs have risks. Even acetaminophen, the active ingredient in some over-the-counter pain relievers, causes a few hundred deaths per year. What we are talking about is relative risk.
Some keys to minimizing relative risk is understanding “Source” (where your psychedelics come from- real harm can be done from drugs being laced or contaminated), “Set” (the mindset of the participant- this speaks to the importance of preparation and to having strong support for after) and “Setting” (the physical environment- we are in quite a vulnerable position when in a non-ordinary state, it is important to really be in a safe place and around safe people). We are going to spend a lot of time discussing Set and Setting in this book.
One more important side note: psilocybin may be an FDA breakthrough therapy, but it remains classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the DEA, meaning in the US it is federally illegal outside of research.
Let’s briefly look at another psychedelic, MDMA. You might have heard this called Molly or Ecstasy. MDMA is often referred to as a “heart opener” because it facilitates emotional breakthroughs by bringing suppressed memories, feelings, and traumas to the surface. It helps people view experiences without the weight of shame, blame, or guilt, allowing healing to begin. But again, MDMA is not a cure. It’s a catalyst—it doesn’t do the emotional work for you, it enables you to do it yourself.
To better understand the potential impact of MDMA, let’s focus on veterans.
Did you know more than 17 US veterans commit suicide every day?
Since 9/11, over 7,000 US service members have died during military operations, which is an awful amount of loss. In that same time period, over 30,000 US veterans and active duty personnel have taken their own lives. This is more than four times the number lost in combat.
One reason is that conventional antidepressants, the kind prescribed most often, don’t work for a lot of people who try them. This is what science is trying to solve for but here is some good news. There was a Phase-3 clinical trial focused on those treatment-resistant people using MDMA-assisted therapy. People where none of the existing treatment options worked.
After just three sessions of MDMA combined with therapy before and after, 71.2% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD.
Let that sit in for a moment. Here are people- humans just like you and me and these people are suffering with PTSD and they have tried everything. Finally, something worked. This is remarkable.
And, it wasn’t the medicine working by itself. The key here is that the therapeutic process was crucial to the success. This is why when submitting MDMA for regulatory approval, the drug developers bundled the therapy with the medicine. This is highly unusual in drug development.
Unfortunately, this phase-3 data didn’t quite meet the FDA’s requirements for approval just yet—they’ve asked for more data. But these results are incredibly promising for people like our veterans who are desperate for a new option.
What’s also been encouraging is the rise of non-profit organizations stepping in to support veterans where the VA and our medical system falls short. Organizations like Heroic Hearts Project, VETS, and the Mission Within are helping to send veterans to places like Central and South America—and now Oregon—where they can legally access psychedelics.
I had the privilege to spend a week in Peru with Heroic Hearts Project and a group of veterans working with Ayahuasca under the guidance of Shipibo healers, and I witnessed and experienced the profound impact these sacred ceremonies can have. I have also seen how veterans use group and individual integration sessions to transform the newfound insights and awarenesses that they discover during ceremonies into real, meaningful lasting change.
The integration process amplifies the benefits of the insights and awarenesses brought on by the medicine. It is also the place where we have the time to process and unpack what came up during our psychedelic experiences. For some people, the integration process takes months or even years. This book has a number of integration exercises for you to try.
Again, psychedelics are powerful catalysts, not cures.
Let’s look at one more group that may be profoundly impacted by psychedelics—those facing end-of-life distress. For people confronting end-of-life, they know psychedelics won’t change the outcome, but they hope it can transform the quality of the time they have left.
Pause here and take a moment to imagine you were given a terminal diagnosis. It would be understandable for you to feel depressed, anxious, scared, hopeless. Now, during this period, would you like to take a few months to try out an antidepressant to see if it helps? And then, if it doesn’t, ween yourself off and try again?
A study at New York University found that a single dose of psilocybin offered rapid and profound relief from depression, anxiety, and hopelessness in cancer patients, with an 83% response rate.
But what’s even more incredible? In a follow-up study, about 80% of the patients still alive reported that the positive effects had lasted for 4½ years. This means that a single psychedelic session provided long-term emotional and psychological benefits.
Many participants reported a completely new understanding of life and death. Instead of fear, they were able to confront their mortality with acceptance. I believe it was this shift in perspective, brought on by the psychedelic but assigned meaning by the participant, that helped alleviate their suffering.
Now let’s make this even more interesting. In the spiritual or ceremonial practices with psychedelics, sometimes psychedelics aren’t just given to the person who is dying, but also to their friends and family. Can you imagine how transformative it must be for everyone involved to share in this healing process? Can you imagine the conversations that unfold, the emotional breakthroughs that happen, and the peace that’s found?
The medical world is also thinking about this. There’s now a phase 2 study exploring just this very idea- not just treating the cancer patient but including one significant other.
Over and over we are seeing research that says that this medicine is powerful but not just because of a bio-chemical reaction, but because of the journey it takes the patients on. The “trip” if you will. Sometimes these journeys are beautiful, and sometimes these journeys are challenging.
Let’s do one more exercise. Can you think to yourself of anything in your life that you carried (or still carry) that felt too heavy to share with anyone? Maybe you tried to move on, pretending it never happened, but deep down, you knew it did?
For me, this moment came during puberty, involving an extended family member. It was something I had buried for over 25 years. And then, during a psychedelic experience, that memory resurfaced and I was able to see the experience differently.
One of the things we are taught when working with psychedelics is that when we have challenging experiences, not to resist them. What you resist, persists. If you see a dragon, we are told that rather than running away, crawl up through its nose and look out its eyes.
When this memory surfaced, I did as I was taught, and suddenly I was able to see her not through the lens of my pain and shame but through hers. Without condoning her actions, I could understand her loneliness, her sadness. Without condoning her actions, I could see her not as a person to fear, but as someone deeply wounded. And then my own healing began. Through this newfound empathy, I could finally release years of shame, blame, and guilt, and I found peace.
And this is the promise of psychedelics—They don’t rewrite the story for us magically. They enable us to rewrite our own stories.
Psychedelics don’t help us avoid or numb the pain; they help us discover it, understand it, and transform it.
And this process is why, with psychedelics, in many ways, you are the medicine.
Psychedelics can’t rewrite the past or bring back those we’ve lost, but they can help us find deeper meaning in the present.
Psychedelics are catalysts, not cures.
Praise for The Beginner’s Guide to Psychedelics
“… provides clear, thoughtful direction for newcomers looking to explore the healing and transformative power of psychedelics.”
—James Fadiman, PhD, psychedelic researcher, and co-author, Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance
“An excellent resource for those seeking new avenues for healing and growth.”
—Dr. Matthew W. Johnson, PhD, Senior Researcher, Sheppard Proll Center of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment
“A wonderful resource for those ready to explore the therapeutic and transformative potential of these ancient medicines.”
—Dennis McKenna, PhD, President, McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy; Founding Board Member, Heffter Research Institute
“… distills complex science, ancient wisdom, and modern best practices into a clear, accessible guide that demystifies the journey.”
—Jesse Gould, Founder and President, Heroic Hearts Project; Former Army Ranger
“This book is a true act of love, guiding readers toward healing, self- discovery, and peace.”
—Spring Washam, Co-Founder, Spirit Underground Liberation Project; Author, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman
About the Author
Matt Zemon, MSc, an Educator, Author, and Leader in Psychedelic Wellness, specializes in the impact of psychedelics on mental health. Author of the best-selling Psychedelics for Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide to These Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness, Beyond the Trip, and the newly-released The Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelics. Matt holds a Master’s degree in psychology and neuroscience from King’s College London and combines academic insights with a passion for safe and sacred psychedelic use. He focuses on broadening understanding and access to these transformative substances while consulting with healthcare practitioners to advance the responsible integration of psychedelic therapies into modern treatment frameworks. His work is especially relevant for veterans and those seeking deep personal transformation. To invite Matt to speak to your group or event about Psychedelics for Everyone: A Journey into Mind Expansion and Healing, Psychedelic Insights for Entrepreneurs: Unlocking Creativity and Resilience for Business Success, Psychedelic Pathways: Navigating Psychedelic Therapy for Mental Health Restoration, go here.
The Beginner’s Guide to Psychedelics Website
Matt Zemon online.
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