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Psilocybin Assisted Journeying Into Right Relations by Wrathall et al. 2026

This is an unconventional action research project! And yet.

These times urge us to shed our conventions and act with some courage! Read David’s blog below, access the full paper and/or listen into the podcast interview here.  

Dr. David Wrenthall writes: “We imagined the headlines:

• “Global Environmental Change scientists take magic mushrooms to learn how to save the world.”
• “Frustrated environmental scientists take psilocybin when global leaders ignore their recommendations long enough.”
• “Are climate scientists really so depressed, anxious and burned out that they’re turning to psychedelics?”

We agree with you: what an unconventional research project!

And yet.

And yet, these times urge us to shed our conventions and act with some courage. I have never been prouder to co-author a paper than this one. We took a big risk putting this group together. We surrendered to a very, very powerful experience together. We wrote like we’ve never written before. And while scholars always learn a lot from research, this time, the findings are etched into our bones, muscles, sinews and synapses.

So what did we learn?

First, everything is connected. To quote John Muir, “when one tugs at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.” But what is it like to really experience this as a literal truth? Properly facilitated psychedelic journeys provide a direct experience that the Universe is, in fact, a Great Relational Web. 

Secondly, it is generally understood that to heal our broken planet, we must begin to repair our relationships: to self, to others, to Nature. However, we learned that it is impossible to practice “right relations” within this Great Relational Web outside of relationship itself! We learned the power of embracing radical vulnerability with each other. And in each other, we found kinship.

Third, we learned that healing ourselves is foundational for planetary transformation. If you want to heal the world, start with healing the fractures in your own life –and go deep! You will emerge with meaning that will help you repair the world immediately around you. THAT is transformation!

Fourth and most importantly, if we can accept that Nature has much to teach us, we open ourselves to a vast, deep reservoir of knowledge. There is profound intelligence in these Earth-based psychedelic medicines. They are teachers. Accepting Nature’s agency and wisdom can reveal the limits of the anthropocentrism at the heart of the world’s multiple crises. This acceptance may even breathe new meaning and relevance to the sciences and our work as educators.

Our final message is an invitation. The process of transformation is learning how to float in a powerful river that carries us to unexpected places, to move with the current rather than swim against it. Psilocybin is one approach for learning to float in the Great River of Transformation. Come on in, folks, the water’s fine!”

Citation:

Wrathall, D. J., Gosnell, H., Wickson, F., & Spanger, E. and Associates (2026). Journeying into Right Relations: Scientists Turn to Psilocybin to Shift Psychological Burdens of Global Environmental Change and Find Transformational Pathways Forward. Action Research, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/14767503251404263