🫠 Psychonaut POV

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that tells it like it is. The only sugarcoating we’re interested in is that stuff they sprinkle on mushroom gummies. 🍬

Mattha Busby writes about psychedelic culture for the likes of Vice, DoubleBlind, and Rolling Stone. At times, that’s meant exposing its seedy underbelly. Mattha’s still optimistic about psychedelic therapy, but he says the community needs to get its act together before things go off the rails.

We asked Mattha about the psychedelic stories mainstream media has overlooked, the danger of unchecked psychedelic narcissism, and a double standard that’s doing the public more harm than good.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

These days, everyone and their mom's a "shaman."

But how many duos have 50+ years of ceremonial experience, 48 years of therapy facilitation, and a neuroscience PhD? (Yeah, that’s what we thought.)

Reunion, a not-for-profit center in Costa Rica, combines Indigenous traditions with modern therapy in intimate ayahuasca retreats that flex to each group's unique needs.

35 guests max, so you get the attention you deserve.

And—for Cyclists only—book a March or April retreat, and you’ll get a free 1:1 integration session with their shamans.

Take $250 off at registration with code TRICYCLEREUNION.

How did you find your niche in psychedelic journalism? What drew you to covering this beat?

My relationship with psychedelics started when I was 21, traveling in Peru with an ex-girlfriend. She suggested we try ayahuasca, which I'd never heard of. We ended up deep in the Amazon, four hours from Iquitos with a Quechua medicine woman. While my experience wasn't particularly intense, my ex communed with her late mother. It was really healing for her.

A few years later, in 2017, when I was 23 and living in London, psychedelics started coming back into my life. Friends began taking mushroom drops and 2C-B in the rave instead of other substances. I was already working as a journalist and had been writing a bit for Vice, so I pitched them something about psychedelics. The editor wasn't super interested in that specific story but suggested I write about how people think they can communicate with nature while on LSD. That ended up being my first psychedelics piece. I then did a viral story for the Guardian on the late frost in 2018 being a boon for magic mushroom hunters after being tipped off by a friend.

By then, I was already on my own path of discovery and growth—the search for meaning, and God, you could say. It culminated in being invited on a pilgrimage to Wirikuta, Mexico—the Mecca for peyote people—in March 2019. That was a really profound experience.

What do you think mainstream outlets are getting right and wrong in their reporting on psychedelics?

The same story has been done over and over on veterans seeking psychedelics in Mexico. There's been coverage of Elon Musk and other influential figures doing psychedelics. But I don't think there's been much exploration of how psychedelics and psychedelic culture are really changing society, or what the actual risks of mass access to psychedelics are.

For example, I did this piece for Vice about people livestreaming themselves doing massive doses. One guy ate 100 grams of mushrooms and has set himself a challenge to take 120 grams next time. Another took five tabs of acid on a plane. I fully respect their right to do so, and I’m sure the experiences had some benefit, but the exhibitionist element points to bigger issues coming around the bend. The answer is greater psychedelic education, more mainstream discussion about set and setting, and better explanation about dosages and the effects of different substances.

But it's difficult because there are still legal gray areas, and companies may be hesitant to provide harm reduction advice since it could be seen as condoning drug use. You've got people on social media getting shut down for providing harm reduction advice, but then you have Oprah and Anderson Cooper talking about psychedelics on their shows. There's a real double standard.

You're working on a proposal for a book about the dark side of psychedelic healing. What important stories aren't being told in the current narrative?

If there's an issue at a psychedelic retreat center or clinic, all the staff are likely under NDAs. So the number of actual issues getting into mainstream journalism is probably just a fraction of what's happening. The cases I'm aware of are concerning. The consequences aren’t always as catastrophic as death, which has happened in rare cases. Still, things like sexual abuse and assault, and weird dynamics with shamans that can leave an imprint on somebody, are more common than one might think.

There's a lack of proper oversight. The history of shamanism in the Amazon shows that some key uses of ayahuasca have been for sorcery, cursing and removing curses, love magic, and even energetic attacks between shamans. It's difficult to place into our rationalist framework, but these practices indicate we're dealing with powerful tools that require proper training and understanding.

I was chatting with a friend last night who knows somebody about to start running ayahuasca ceremonies with zero training. This is happening all over. People trip a few times and want to run the show. It’s psychedelic narcissism, and it can be dangerous. Even at a place as high profile as SoulQuest in Orlando, looking into the founder Chris Young's history raises serious questions about his lack of qualifications to run an ayahuasca church, not to mention his character more generally. Someone died there, and there were other medical emergencies. Yet this has ended up being probably the non-religious organization that has served the most psychedelic trips in US history. The guy made a fortune while mostly volunteers staffed the organization.

What can we do to address these problems and keep people safe?

I think the best thing would be for the psychedelic sector to set up something like a Trip Advisor website with paid moderators to ensure quality control. People could share their experiences with particular shamans and organizations. The challenge is that it's fairly common for organizations to take legal action against websites just for hosting a few negative comments.

It's really difficult in this corporate environment to have a grassroots public square where people can share subjective information about subjective experiences. Some people will have challenging experiences and may unfairly blame the facilitator. There's no easy answer, but I'd say more psychedelic education and some kind of legally protected review platform would be a start.

Tell us about your upcoming pocket book on psychedelics. Who is it for and what are you hoping it will accomplish?

It's for Hoxton Mini Press in London. They do beautiful little books. It's similar to the one I did for Thames & Hudson called "Should All Drugs Be Legalized?". It's almost like an idiot's guide to psychedelics, covering about 60 different topics and figures. Rick Doblin has his own page; the CIA's MK-Ultra project has its own page. It's quite quirky and offbeat, not a super generic text.

I think people will get a balanced view of both the promise and perils of psychedelics. There's good advice for seekers, lots on history and culture, and thoughts on where the movement is heading. Not everyone wants to read a 300-page book. Some folks want something they can pick up, read a couple pages, and put back on the coffee table.

But writing this little book has given me more hunger to develop my opus on the dark side of psychedelics, which is the proposal I'm working on now. The way I see it, we're at a critical moment where psychedelics are clearly permeating mainstream culture. There’s obviously a ton of benefits to this shift, but the psychedelic community needs to step up. If psychedelics are meant to increase compassion and understanding, then it's time for the movement to hold itself to that higher standard.

Want more from Mattha?

Keep up with his coverage of psychedelic culture on Instagram and X, and preorder a copy of Psychedelics: A Pocket Primer, out on May 6.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

• 📣 Put your brand in front of 64k psychedelic enthusiasts by sponsoring Tricycle Day. Book an ad.

• 📈 Grow your psychedelic business with our marketing agency. Apply to work with us.

• 🫂 Get professional support from a vetted therapist, guide, or coach. Browse Maria’s List.

• 😎 Style yourself out in our iconic merch. Collect a shirt.

• ✍️ Need something else? Reply to this email. (We read every response.)

ONE CYCLIST’S REVIEW

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.