Psilocybin-assisted therapy has proven to be a valuable tool in a sexual abuse victim’s quest for peace of mind.
Although many report that taking magic mushrooms is beneficial for overcoming past demons, this particular case is exceptional.
Last year, a 63-year-old Pennsylvania man convinced The Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown to pay for him to undergo legal psychedelic-assisted therapy in Oregon.
Chuck Lovett was sexually abused by church priests when he was 12 years old and had been struggling mentally because of it ever since. Now, he says the weight he had been carrying for decades has been largely lifted.
“It was a beautiful, warm experience,” he said in an interview with Portland-based media outlet Willamette Week on Oct. 22. “It felt like the universe had me in its hands.”
It wasn’t easy for him to convince the church to pay for his unorthodox treatment though. They were reluctant to do so initially, saying that he needed a referral from a licensed Pennsylvania therapist. Unlike Oregon, psilocybin is illegal in Pennsylvania and obtaining such a recommendation wasn’t possible.
Lovett didn’t give up though and continued pressing. He said he was going to receive psilocybin therapy anyways and go public with his story of abuse and funding refusal if the church didn’t agree to foot the bill for his psychedelic ambitions.
Once he did that the diocese agreed to give him US$6,000 for psilocybin therapy within about half an hour, as highlighted by Willamette Week. In 2024, he spent the money on a four-day trip to Oregon to receive the psychoactive fungi with facilitators in a therapeutic setting.
The diocese’s victim assistant coordinator said it was a “one-time exception” made for Chuck and that the church generally only supports traditional counselling therapies.
Lovett was inspired to try psychedelic mushrooms after reading Michael Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind,” which was eventually made into a Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) (ETR: NFC) series.
He also discussed his experience with psilocybin on the Karma Koala Podcast earlier this year.
“Remarkable that the Catholic Church — once punishing psilocybin use with death — now funds psychedelic therapy,” commented one psychedelics enthusiast.
Oregon was the first American state that agreed to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic purposes five years ago. There are approximately 30 licensed magic mushroom treatment centres statewide, primarily concentrated in Portland and the southern/central region.
Read more: California governor signs bill to promote state psychedelics research
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