Queer healing in altered states: A critical interpretive synthesis of psychedelic therapy in queer and non-binary individuals

Summary

Queer and non-binary people are often excluded from psychedelic therapy research. This review of 44 studies found that clinical trials frequently lack data on gender-diverse participants, while qualitative studies highlight identity affirmation and community care. Only 10.2% of research addressed intersecting oppressions. The authors argue for queer-affirming, intersectional approaches to ensure these therapies promote collective liberation rather than reinforce marginalization.

Study at a glance

Abstract

As psychedelic-assisted therapies gain prominence, queer and non-binary individuals remain largely marginalized within this emerging field. This Critical Interpretive Synthesis (CIS) reviews 44 empirical studies (2014–2024) to explore how queer experiences are represented and erased in psychedelic research. Guided by queer theory, intersectionality, and post-psychiatry frameworks, the synthesis reveals a dominant biomedical paradigm, 36.7% of studies where clinical trials often lack disaggregated data on gender-diverse participants or fail to recruit them adequately due to structural barriers or oversight. In contrast, qualitative studies (32.7%) emphasized identity affirmation, somatic healing, and community care. Yet, only 10.2% of research meaningfully addressed intersecting oppressions. Three core themes emerged: clinical exclusion and epistemic violence, embodied healing through altered states, and grassroots queer psychedelic practices. The findings call for queer-affirming, intersectional, and decolonial methodologies that center lived experience and politicized healing. Reimagining psychedelic science through justice-based lenses is vital to ensuring these therapies serve as pathways to collective liberation rather than reinforce systemic marginalization.

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