{"id":13241,"date":"2025-06-04T12:50:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T16:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=13241"},"modified":"2025-06-04T12:50:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T16:50:47","slug":"clergy-on-psychedelics-study-finds-deep-spiritual-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2025\/06\/clergy-on-psychedelics-study-finds-deep-spiritual-impact.html","title":{"rendered":"Clergy on Psychedelics: Study Finds Deep Spiritual Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A decade-long study by NYU and Johns Hopkins found that most clergy who took a single dose of psilocybin\u2014a psychedelic compound\u2014reported it as one of the most profound spiritual experiences of their lives, with lasting effects on their faith and ministry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Preachers have been known to use drug-related references loosely to show the depths of an authentic relationship with Christ. \u201cGet addicted to Jesus,\u201d \u201cTry bingeing on the Lord,\u201d or \u201cYou should be hooked on the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Orthodox or conservative believers cringe when those references are said, but for today\u2019s youth, it\u2019s alarmingly understood. A <\/span>November 2024 study<\/span><\/a> uncovered between 34 and 39 percent of young adults aged 18-25 have used illicit drugs in the past 12 months. Pastors or evangelists are known to utilize current trends to make a point and win a soul for Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What if some religious leaders were using drugs to enhance their own spiritual experiences? It\u2019s their job to understand the Lord, so would it be surprising that psychedelics allowed clergy in various religions to \u201cfeel\u201d the Lord?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a <\/span>10-year-long study<\/span><\/a> from New York University (NYU) and Johns Hopkins, a litmus test of rabbis, priests, ministers and imams were recruited and researched <\/span>\u201cto take part in a research study of psilocybin and sacred experiences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Psilocybin is the leading ingredient in hallucinogens, particularly toadstools or \u201cmagic\u201d mushrooms, as they are called among psychedelic enthusiasts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In October 2015, NYU bought ads in Christian publications with the headline: \u201cSeeking Clergy to Take Part in a Research Study of Psilocybin and Sacred Experience.\u201d The objective of the recruiting class was for religious leaders who \u201chad an interest in further exploring and developing their spiritual lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each participant was given a \u201clegal 20-milligram dose of psilocybin\u201d one time and then sustained over 16 months. Following the first dose and study findings, participants took a 30mg dose of mushrooms. The caveat was that those taking psychedelics must be \u201cpsychedelically naive.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers attached to this comprehensive study wanted to reduce stigmas toward \u201centheogens\u201d in \u201creligious spaces\u201d (i.e., churches, mosques, temples). The feared result of this study was generating nonchalant emotional and mental behavior toward psychedelic drug use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Entheogen comes from two Koine Greek words: \u201centheos\u201d for divine and \u201cgenesthai\u201d for generate. In other words, these psychedelics or hallucinogens have a name meaning \u201cconnections to the inner divine.\u201d Coincidentally, \u201cpsilocybin\u201d is Latin for two different words: \u201cpsilos,\u201d meaning bare and \u201ckyb\u0113\u201d meaning <\/span>head. <\/span><\/i>All told, these magic mushrooms are meant to connect you to God somehow and feel it within your mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study’s findings among this focus group validate the etymologies. When asked how to describe the psilocybin experiences made them feel:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n