A theory-building paper compares the trajectory of psilocybin mushroom experiences—aversive comeup, awe-inspiring peak, relief and clarity in the comedown—with spiritual and incipient psychotic experiences. It argues that these shared trajectories inform cognitive scientific perspectives on religion. The authors propose a causal pathway where stress, uncertainty, and arousal increase perception of extra agency (PEA), which may lead either to states that downregulate PEA or to states that perpetuate it. Religions could modulate this pathway to promote social cohesion. The paper emphasizes the need for phenomenological nuance when comparing psychedelic, spiritual, and psychotic experiences.
A psychedelic healing protocol developed by Bénédicte Mannix uses psilocybin to treat childhood trauma, drawing on philosophical and psychological traditions. The protocol aims to heal minds, bodies, and souls from psychological trauma and contribute to transforming humanity's relationship with the ecological environment. The chapter outlines the therapeutic schools informing the approach, reviews clinical studies and pharmacological mechanisms supporting psilocybin therapy for trauma, and explains why childhood trauma is a key target for entheogenic healing. The three phases of the protocol are presented: pre-session, the session itself, and post-session integration. The approach's implications are summarized.