Examining the Discursive Role of María Sabina in Modern Psychedelic Therapy

As the West has gained increasing interest in the healing potential of psilocybin and the mushrooms that contain it, there has been growing criticism of this movement from an Indigenous perspective. Mushroom healing traditions have existed all over the world for tens of thousands of years. However, with the rise of colonialism and the puritanical Christian ethic that came with it, nearly all of these traditions were wiped out long before any American became interested in these ceremonies. The specific tradition that did survive and went on to inspire the “psychedelic renaissance” more broadly, was practiced by the Mazatec—an Indigenous group who inhabit the Sierra Mazateca in the state of Oaxaca. Now the oppressive attitude of the West towards these sacred ceremonies has shifted towards something closer to fetishization. Westerners can feel the corrosiveness of their own culture and are grasping at other Indigenous cultures for help. This has led to a slew of different issues including biopiracy and cultural appropriation.

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