Religions
May 24, 2024
Jaime Clark-Soles
6 citations
The current psychedelic renaissance presents two intersections with Christian practice: Christians in psychedelic-assisted therapy may need help integrating mystical experiences into their religious lives, and others may explore psychedelics spiritually outside medical contexts. This essay argues the Bible provides rich material for such integration because it contains accounts of mystical experiences involving altered states of consciousness. It summarizes the psychedelic renaissance's relevance to Christian spiritual formation, reviews biblical scholarship on embodied religious experiences, examines the Apostle Paul's mystical encounter in 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 as an example, and suggests directions for further research.
Psychedelics
April 29, 2025
Ishan Pasricha, Caroline Peacock, Roman Palitsky et al.
3 citations
Spiritual health practitioners (healthcare chaplains) increasingly facilitate psychedelic-assisted therapy. A qualitative study of 15 such practitioners (60% female, average age 46.57) found two main themes: initial motivations and ongoing sources of meaning. Personal psychedelic experiences were a key initial motivator. Ongoing fulfillment came from witnessing healing in others and positive personal impacts of facilitating care. Personal experiences provide valuable firsthand knowledge of psychedelic phenomenology but may introduce bias. Training guidelines from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, emphasizing self-literacy and reflection, may help address these risks. The authors introduce a reflective learning exercise based on these findings.
Journal of Religion and Health
February 28, 2026
Stephen P. Lewis, Jaime Clark-Soles, Oriana Mayorga et al.
2 citations
Professional clinical chaplains, as subject matter experts in spirituality and health, are an asset to psychedelic-assisted therapies and should be utilized in research trials and clinical practice. The article argues that participants in clinical trials consistently report mystical-type experiences during dosing sessions, which may mediate clinical improvements in depression, PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Given a relative lack of training in spirituality and religion among interprofessional practitioners, chaplains can provide spiritual and emotional support, helping participants navigate non-ordinary states of consciousness with safety and insight. Competencies include spiritual and religious care, spiritual inquiry, empathic presence, ethical engagement, and advocacy. Chaplains will need specialized education and supervised experience beyond standard requirements.