Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, is gaining renewed attention in psychiatry as a treatment for mental health, building on a history of indigenous healing practices. Although formally identified in 1956, archaeological evidence suggests psilocybin use dates back to at least 6,000 BCE, with depictions in Spanish cave art and documented use among Pre-Columbian, ancient Egyptian, and Greco-Roman cultures for sacred rituals and resolving complex themes. This traditional use fits within Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), offering non-invasive, pleasant therapies that accompany conventional medicine.
Shamanic rituals share the same stages—induction, deepening, suggestion, and enactment—as modern hypnosis. Shamans claim to gain information through visions and journeys, which they use to heal community members. Tribal members who did not respond to shamanic treatment may have lacked the ability to mobilize self-healing, so their genes were rarely passed on. Contemporary humans retain adaptive traits like responding to placebos, suggestion, imagination, and hypnotic induction, which likely originated in prehistoric shamanism.