How Psychedelic Tourism Is Reconnecting People With Nature
The world is waking up to the potential of psychedelic experiences. There’s less stigma, there’s more research, and one of the profound benefits might be in helping us form stronger bonds with Mother Nature.
The financier Ben Goldsmith always loved nature, but after the tragic loss of his daughter in 2019, he reached for a cup of ayahuasca tea to help him manage his grief.
The psychedelic experience that followed changed his perspective on the nature of life and consciousness, commenting that “The deeper you go, the less individual it is, to the point where eventually there is just a single glowing consciousness.”
Goldsmith is far from the only person to find a sense of oneness with life after taking a hallucinogenic—they have been used for thousands of years in related spiritual capacities.
This raises an interesting question: Can psychedelic experiences reconnect us with nature and perhaps prompt more pro-environmental activity?
The Rise of Psychedelic Tourism
Psychedelic tourism, sometimes called “psychotourism,” is becoming increasingly popular as the legal restrictions and social stigma give way to a growing interest in the therapeutic and transformative benefits.
Psychedelic retreats often involve guided ceremonies that blend cultural, spiritual, and therapeutic elements. They typically involve an experienced guide who leads participants through songs and other activities, creating an immersive experience.
Psychoactive substances used in this way can be referred to as ‘entheogens’. Some of the common choices include:
- Mushrooms (Psilocybin), have been used in many cultures for thousands of years.
- Ayahuasca (DMT), typically found in the Amazon, translates roughly to “vine of the soul” in Quechua.
- San Pedro or Peyote Cacti (Mescaline), is commonly used in Native American ceremonies.
- LSD, the young one, was first synthesized in 1938 and became very popular with the 1960s counterculture.
- Bufo (5-meO-DMT), also sometimes called the ‘God molecule,’ it’s derived from the Bufo Alvarius toad, and is closely related to ayahuasca (hence the DMT).
Writing for Condé Nast Traveler, Michaela Trimble described her experience with bufo as inducing “a full and total ego death”, leading her to the realisation that “we are all given this chance to be human only once, and that we are born from the same place and will return to that place.”
Most of these psychedelic retreats require travelling to exotic new locations where the psychedelics are legal and widely accepted. There are many options, with Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Netherlands being common.
These journeys often place you in stunning natural environments that help amplify the experience, and likely contribute to the shifts in perspective and attitudes that you come away with.
The Therapeutic Benefits
Psychotourism isn’t the only industry to be benefiting from an increased acceptance of psychedelics—scientists have started testing these various substances in more rigorous ways.
While it’s still early days and the research is limited, the findings so far suggest there can be much to gain through psychedelic experiences.
Psilocybin has been found to help with treatment-resistant depression, reduce a range of psychiatric symptoms in people with cancer, reverse stress-related memory deficits, and improve sleep quality.
Ayahuasca, meanwhile, has also been shown to help with depression with only a single dose, and improves self-perception in those with social anxiety.
A large study of 377 people who participated in ayahuasca ceremonies in the Netherlands reported “better general well-being, fewer chronic or lifestyle-related diseases, more physical activity, and a more balanced diet.”
The fact that this is a young science means we shouldn’t expect all of these results to hold, or that new effects won’t crop up, but so far things are looking promising.
Robin Carhart-Harris is a UK-based neuroscientist and pharmacologist who primarily studies the effects of psychedelics, and with others has argued that one of the main reasons psychedelics have such strong therapeutic effects is the sense of connectedness they foster.
Biophilia and Our Connection to Nature
The term ‘biophilia’ means “love of life”, and was first used by philosopher and psychologist Eric Fromm in 1964, then popularised by E. O. Wilson in a 1984 book by the same name. However, the concept has been stated in other words long before.
It refers to an innate tendency to seek connections with nature, and the positive experiences that natural environments create.
It’s something most of us know on an intuitive level, it’s one reason why we populate our homes with plants, or go for walks in the woods. Something about immersion in green environments pleases the senses.
Science is searching for the mechanism behind it, with a great many studies highlighting the positive effects of nature on our minds and bodies.
Biophilic experiences can lower stress, blood pressure, and cortisol, which reflects the calming effects of nature while also hinting at the stressful conditions in many modern environments.
Long-term health also greatly benefits. Nature tends to boost the immune system and reduce the prevalence of about 15 different diseases, helping you live a longer life.
To top it all off, there’s also some evidence that time spent in nature can improve your sleep quality and increase your creativity. All the more reason to find some more houseplants.
Both biophilia and psychedelic therapy appear to be quite beneficial to our bodies and minds, bringing them together only seems natural.
Biophilia, Psychedelics, and the Environment
Carhart-Harris argued for the sense of connection that psychedelics encourage as a primary reason for the benefits we’re seeing in psychedelic therapy.
There are a few different scales for measuring our connection to nature, and accordingly, recent research suggests that psychedelics can improve it.
One study writes that “psychedelics have the capacity to elicit a connection with nature that is passionate and protective, even among those who were not previously nature oriented.”
Psychedelics may do more than just amplify our biophilia—this innate love of nature—but also encourage a more fundamental shift in perspective, to a sense of oneness with nature.
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The deep feelings of unity within psychedelic experiences are often referred to as a ‘dissolution of the ego’ or even ‘ego death’ as Michaela Trimble noted of her experience with bufo.
Carhart-Harris et al write that “Conceptually, one can consider the ego as a counter-force to connectedness.”
When the walls and boundaries of the self widen to incorporate the other varieties of life around us, we tend to develop stronger care and concern for this new extension. We begin to care for the environment in the same way we care about our own well-being.
A 2017 study found that experiences with psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline, increased pro-environmental behaviour. They write:
“[R]esults suggest that lifetime experience with psychedelics in particular may indeed contribute to people’s pro-environmental behavior by changing their self-construal in terms of an incorporation of the natural world.”
In his book Other Worlds, David Luke reports on a survey of 150 psychedelic users, all of whom felt an increase in connection to nature, 66% stating their environmental concern increased, and 16% saying they even changed their careers to be more environmentally focused.
Taking Care Of Your Mind
While the benefits of psychedelic tourism are compelling, it’s important to consider the ethical concerns and risks present if you want to ensure it’s done right.
Travel and tourism impact the climate and the communities involved, considering shorter trips or more efficient travel means is helpful, and showing respect for the people and places you go is essential.
You should also be cautious about the risks associated with psychedelics—not all experiences are pleasant, and given this is a young science, we don’t know enough to discern all the effects of these substances.
For first-timers being in a safe environment with the right people and the right dosage is important, this is why guided retreats with experienced professionals are usually the safest option.
Done right, psychotourism appears to offer profound benefits—expanding the mind and increasing our biophilia, reaping improved health through the therapeutic effects of nature, and encouraging pro-environmental behaviour.
Individuals, societies, and mother nature could benefit from having a few more intelligent psychonauts about, planting the seeds for a more harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.
