Why Psychedelics for Addiction Recovery?
The Forgotten Origin of AA
Few people realize that Alcoholics Anonymous was born from a psychedelic experience.
In 1934, AA co-founder Bill Wilson had a life-changing "white-light" spiritual awakening while being treated at Towns Hospital in New York. The treatment involved belladonna alkaloids, a psychedelic compound. That mystical experience became the foundation of AA’s spiritual program.
Later in life, Wilson became fascinated with LSD therapy, believing it could help alcoholics experience the kind of ego dissolution and spiritual connection that changed his life. He even wrote to Carl Jung, saying he believed psychedelics could offer access to grace where traditional recovery failed.
"It is a generally acknowledged fact in spiritual development that ego reduction makes the influx of God's grace possible... such a temporary ego reduction can be achieved by the use of LSD and can lead to a deeper spiritual experience." — Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA
Sadly, Wilson’s advocacy for psychedelics was buried by AA’s leadership. But the truth is: psychedelics were part of the original recovery vision.
Why Psychedelics Work: Breaking Default Mode Network Patterns
Here’s what modern neuroscience tells us:
Psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD disrupt the Default Mode Network (DMN)—the brain system responsible for repetitive self-talk, rumination, and ego identity. Downregulating DMN activity opens space for new perspectives and mental flexibility.
These substances act as psychoplastogens: they rapidly promote neuroplasticity, rewiring habitual neural pathways and helping the brain form healthier emotional, behavioral, and spiritual patterns.
Research shows that even a single psilocybin session can desynchronize resting brain networks for weeks—opening a window for lasting transformation and increased psychological openness.
Put simply: psychedelics help erase rigid, painful loops so the brain can soften, reconnect, and remember what it feels like to be alive.
Neuroplasticity: The Critical Window
In the days and weeks after a psychedelic journey, the brain enters a heightened state of neuroplasticity—its ability to rewire itself and form new patterns.
This is a critical learning window—a time when your brain is more receptive to change. Old behaviors become easier to release. New habits and beliefs can take root with more ease and staying power.
It’s like being given a second chance at rewiring your brain—with intention, with support, with heart.
A 2019 study by Johns Hopkins University found that 83% of participants who used psilocybin to treat alcoholism significantly reduced or eliminated their drinking over eight months.
Integration: Where the Magic Happens
Psychedelics are not a magic bullet. They’re not an escape. They are a mirror—a magnifier of truth.
There’s a saying that they show you the mountain top - they show you what’s possible. But the real transformation happens in what comes next - in taking the steps to climb back up that mountain.
That’s why integration is everything.
It’s the process of turning those insights into real-life change - and it’s where I come in.
Through one-on-one coaching, I help clients:
Build new habits, rituals, and neural patterns
Break cycles of guilt and self-sabotage
Reclaim emotional resilience and spiritual connection
Anchor into purpose, truth, and empowerment
This is where the medicine becomes your new way of living.
Backed by Research
Final Word
We live in a culture designed to keep us addicted and disconnected. But addiction can be the very thing that wakes us up.
Addiction is not a disease.
It’s a catalyst. A spiritual initiation.
The beginning of your return to wholeness.
Psychedelics helped me remember who I am, why I’m here, and how to live in alignment with my deepest truth.
This is why I do what I do.
If you’re ready to reclaim your life and step into your purpose—
I’m here. And I’d be honored to walk with you.
