10/11/2025
At a 2022 talk with âHow To Academy,â trauma expert Dr. Gabor MateĚ was asked about psychedelics and didnât hesitate.
In carefully measured words, he called them a âwonderful modalityâ for healing, while warning of their potential misuse.
In the right conditions with proper guidance, clear intention, and a safe setting heâs seen psychedelics support recovery from addiction, improve autoimmune symptoms, and spark transformations that leave people more grounded, more whole.
âIt all depends,â he emphasized, âon whoâs using it, and in what context, and for what purpose.â
MateĚ has long argued that much of what we call âmental illnessâ is rooted in trauma. And when used responsibly, psychedelics can surface that trauma with a clarity talk therapy often canât reach. They help people not just manage symptoms but re-encounter their own story with compassion.
But heâs also seen the darker side: the exploitation of vulnerable seekers, and the spiritual bypassing that can mask unresolved wounds. This is not a shortcut, he insists, but a path that requires preparation, integration, and care.
Yet despite mounting evidence and decades of research, these tools remain criminalized in most of the world.
In MateĚâs view, thatâs not just misguided itâs irrational. âGiven their demonstrated potential,â he said, âand the sparsity of other methods,â their continued prohibition is a failure of both science and compassion.
Ultimately, psychedelics arenât a cure-all. But they can open a door. And for many, thatâs been enough to begin.
Source: How To Academy
