Tripping Towards Recovery: The psychedelic rebrand emerging from Aotearoa’s mental health research

Psychedelics, known for festivals or freaky nights. They’re linked to ego deaths, spiritual awakenings, saturated visuals, hallucinations, and the occasional questionable dance move at bush doofs. A gateway drug or a gateway to the soul – depending on who you ask. 

Art / Luka Maresca

But now, these once ‘sketchy’ drugs are undergoing a rebrand. Last month, deputy prime minister David Seymour announced NZ’s first approval to prescribe magic mushrooms, or more specifically the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms – psilocybin.  

Seymour said psilocybin will remain an unapproved medicine, but "a highly experienced psychiatrist has been granted authority to prescribe it to patients with treatment-resistant depression.”  

After four years of trying to get approval, Christchurch based psychiatrist Dr Cameron Lacey is the first in Aotearoa able to prescribe it to patients with treatment-resistant depression. 

This change comes as substances like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine are being trialled globally for their mental health benefits. Acting on the serotonin receptors in our brain, microdosing alongside mindfulness and therapy can help rewire mental pathways and offer breakthroughs for people who have struggled with traditional treatments.  

Think of it as a mental reset button for the brain. If done in the right setting and space, it can provide mental clarity, higher conscious and renewed sense of self. 

This popularity of psychedelic can be seen among all types of celebrities too. Ahead of her new album Virgin, Lorde told Rolling Stone she turned to MDMA and psilocybin therapy to overcome her crippling stage fright. She said she would take one of the psychedelic drugs and “let the euphoria free her body and her mind”. 

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has reportedly used ketamine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms to manage his depression and stress. Around that same time, he started his new political party, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Perhaps the microdosing boosted his god complex a tad.  

Even Prince Harry revealed in his memoir, Spare, that psychedelic use was transformative while processing the grief and trauma of the death of his mother, Princess Diana.  

But it’s not just the popstars, tech bros, or royals who are taking the trip. Science is backing them up. And in Aotearoa, the research is rapidly growing.  

The University of Auckland have embarked on explorations of LSD microdosing, looking at a range of studies into its effects on mood, neuroplasticity, and creativity. It found that microdosing LSD lifted mood and increased mental flexibility in healthy participants with minimal side effects.  

No god complex, ego death or melting walls, rather a gentle push out of the fog. 

Meanwhile at Otago University, researchers are testing ketamine for severe depression. While they are still looking for more patients, the lead investigator has said, “Ketamine is probably the most exciting new treatment for depression for a generation.”  

Now, no one’s saying you should drop acid before your next exam. But what this wave of research could be showing us is that our brains aren’t broken, perhaps they may be wired into cycles we don’t yet know how to escape. 

A small marae 30km out of Gisborne is also taking matters into their own hands, addressing meth addictions in the community. Health practitioners and local whānau at Rangiwaho Marae are trialing the same indigenous drug recently approved for prescription, psilocybin. 

The study is grounded in tikanga Māori and conducted on ancestral land. The psilocybin is treated as taonga with karakia included throughout the trial, and a matakite (someone who is clairvoyant/clairaudient), a tohunga (healer) and a clinician are on site the whole time. 

The marae has been flooded with calls for help from both Pākehā and Māori, and hope they can make a big change to anyone struggling with a meth addiction.  

This groundbreaking research has been a long time coming, but barriers since the 1950s held us back.  

Research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics first emerged in the 1950s and 60s. LSD was on the rise both culturally and clinically, and early studies explored the drugs as potential treatments for alcoholism, depression, and anxiety in terminal patients. “Turn on, tune in, drop out” was the slogan hippies used in the 60s to represent the rise of counterculture. Many embraced psychedelics to reach higher consciousness and detach from mainstream society.  

But for political leaders, it sparked widespread concern for rebellion and resistance. By the end of the 1960s, US President Richard Nixon launched a ‘War on Drugs’ crackdown. Declaring the substances “public enemy number one”, psychedelics were criminalised, research was shut down and the narrative shifted. 

Decades later, microdosing has become quietly mainstream in and outside the labs. Taking just a fraction of a tab or a singular mushroom to shift your mood — not your reality — and reset the mind. 

 That’s not to say the substances are without risk. It’s crucial to remember that not all mushrooms are magical, and some are rather fatal. Online communities such as The Shroomery or Facebook groups can help with safe identification. 

Mindset, surroundings, safety, and intentions matter. Whether you’re working through trauma, seeking clarity, or curiosity, the space we put ourselves in can make all the difference. 

Whether it’s mushrooms, mindfulness, or taking a moment to lie in the sun with your phone off, perhaps our brains aren’t broken — they just need to find a new way to reset.