SUPPORTING PARTNER

Good morning and welcome back to the Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter delivering independent journalism about psychedelics straight to your inbox.

How are we all feeling on this side of Psychedelic Science?! Considering we’re sending out the Drop In a day late, I think it’s safe to assume we’re all experiencing a collective comedown. (And I don’t mean that figuratively lol). So I’ll keep this brief, light, and a little weird as a way to help ease — or integrate — us back into another week of regularly scheduled responsibilities. 

Our lead story today is about how the general public feels about psychedelics. We have stats on public opinion and how to effectively communicate with people about these compounds. If you keep scrolling down, you’ll find pieces on where magic mushrooms are ~legal~, how to find a good ketamine clinic, and how to manage a psychedelic-induced god complex.

Enjoy the brain food,

Mary Carreón
Editor-In-Chief

Together with Nectara

Safer, deeper, and more supported plant medicine retreats—without burning out your team.

If you run a plant medicine retreat center, you already know the weight of holding sacred work, business logistics, and guest care all at once. It’s a beautiful mission, but it can also be overwhelming, time-consuming, and emotionally taxing, especially when your team is already stretched thin.

That’s why we love Nectara for Organizations—a thoughtfully crafted ecosystem of support made just for retreat centers like yours.

With Nectara, you’ll receive:

Expert guidance, from backend systems to client care

World-class guest support and experience design that helps you stand out, streamline operations, and save up to $10K/month

A private, branded community space to continue the healing journey beyond your retreat

Less team overwhelm and more guest safety, retention, and transformation

We’re excited to share this with you because Nectara actually gets it. Their ecosystem was built by facilitators and journeyers, for facilitators and journeyers.

“I don’t think we’ve had a better collaboration at Soltara. It’s been such a dream to work with you on our new guest experience. I’m relieved to see a company with integrity and deep knowledge of this work take on a holistic solution from intake to integration, with us in mind.” — Melissa Stangl, COO of Soltara.

Whether you’re a small, founder-led team or a world-renowned retreat center, now is the time to step into your full potential, with Nectara as an ethical ally on your path of service.

👉 Explore the ecosystem and get started.

🎁 Get 10% off when you mention DoubleBlind.

Psychedelic Literacy in the U.S. Is Still Extremely Low

A new national survey reveals most Americans know little to nothing about the use of psychedelics and are looking to healthcare pros for guidance.

Despite a flood of promising research touting the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, most Americans remain largely unaware of their clinical use for mental health conditions. A new Ipsos survey, released on June 17, 2025 — just days before the data was discussed on a panel about shaping public opinion at MAPS’ Psychedelic Science conference (in which Suzy Shirley, Shelley Rahe, Anne Donohoe, and Mary Carreón presented, for full disclosure) — highlights that the public perception around psychedelics is still negatively influenced by stigma, underscoring a general lack of awareness and an urgent need for more education. And not just blanket education about the benefits of these compounds. The data presents an opportunity for strategic communications based on who the public trusts and wants to receive information from regarding psychedelics.

According to the nationally representative poll, fewer than 3 in 10 Americans consider themselves even “somewhat familiar” with medical research involving psychedelics for mental health. The data implies that the widespread unfamiliarity is a decisive factor in how people feel about legalization, usage outside of a medical context, and access. More specifically, the general public remains generally closed off to the idea of using psychedelics outside of therapy. Those who know about the research, however, are significantly more likely to back therapeutic use of psychedelics, with support jumping from 44% among the unaware to 75% among the aware.

Still, support for broader legalization remains tepid across the board. Even among those who are aware, enthusiasm for wide accessibility is limited, reflecting an ongoing tension between promising science and lingering stigma.

There’s an issue with trust, too. The survey found that, regardless of their awareness level, Americans don’t trust traditional media, social media, or platforms like Reddit for information about psychedelics. Rather, they place a high degree of trust in primary care physicians and mental health providers when it comes to what they deem as trustworthy sources of information about psychedelic therapies. 86% of those unfamiliar with the science say they would trust their primary care doctor, and 79% cite therapists and psychiatrists as reliable sources. That trust only deepens among those who are aware, climbing to 88% and 89% respectively.

The data says people want trusted professionals to guide them, not just about psychedelics as a concept, but on how to actually use them. They’re looking to healthcare and mental health providers for real education and recommendations. And yet, most clinicians haven’t received any formal training on psychedelic therapies themselves. Without proper psychedelic training, it’s unrealistic to expect healthcare professionals to offer informed or nuanced guidance to the public.

What’s also clear is that many Americans are disillusioned with the status quo for mental health. A broad majority agree that current treatments — long-term psychiatric medications and talk therapy — are falling short. Theoretically, this creates fertile ground for alternative approaches, especially if information comes from the providers people already rely on. The data also shows that people don’t necessarily want to take psychedelics themselves, but are open to other people accessing them should they need them for mental health purposes, potentially pointing to the stigma around mental health issues.

The poll, conducted between May 16-18, 2025, through Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel, surveyed 1,034 adults and carries a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points. Demographics were weighted to reflect the U.S. population, taking into account age, race, region, education, and income.

As science advances, the findings suggest that the public isn’t resistant so much as it is uninformed. That gap is where education, trust, and thoughtful messaging — especially targeted towards mental health professionals — can change minds, enhance literacy, and increase awareness.

Mushrooms, Matisse Dreams, and the Italian Duo Mapping an Unknown Forest by Hand

This Friday, we’re wandering into the Foresta di Mercadante in southern Italy, where two longtime friends—armed with a camera, a notebook, and the occasional psychedelic—have spent years cataloguing nature’s quiet mysteries in their ongoing art project, Paesaggio Ignoto.

The story follows photographer Piero Percoco and illustrator Emilio Mossa as they trade city life for sunlit meadows and mind-bending walks through the same stretch of forest, week after week, chasing simplicity, presence, and something like home. Along the way, they’ve built a kind of devotional practice—part creative ritual, part existential reflection— rooted in drawing, photographing, and simply noticing.

Upgrade your subscription to get it in your inbox Friday morning.

DoubleBlind Digs

STUDY: The Carhart-Harris Lab, in collaboration with Neuroscape and UCSF, is seeking adults aged 21-70 to participate in a study evaluating the short- and long-term effects of psilocybin in individuals with lower-than-average emotional well-being but no serious physical or mental health conditions. Participants will be paid $420. Learn more here.

NEED A BOOST? Tired of feeling off and being told you’re fine? Superpower gives you 100+ lab tests, personalized tracking, and real medical support – no fluff. Own your health. $499. Join now.

WANT RELIEF? Pain, anxiety, or depression? Try the 10-minute trick. Reveri is a Stanford-developed hypnosis app that works in 10 minutes—no side effects, just science. Use the code DOUBLEBLIND to try it free + get 25% off a plan. 

*We may make a small commission from purchases using this link. Proceeds through advertising help to fund our independent journalism.

Together with Nectara

Running a retreat center is sacred, but let’s be real, it can also be overwhelming.

Nectara for Organizations helps ease the load with systems, support, and community tools designed specifically for plant medicine retreats. From guest care to integration, their team gets it—because they’ve been there.

Streamline your backend, deepen your impact, and save up to $10K/month. Mention DoubleBlind to get 10% off.

🍃Explore the Nectara ecosystem here.

Are you interested in expanding your creative thinking through the intentional use of psychedelics? Join us for a hands-on workshop with Laura Dawn, M.sc on June 29 at 1 PM PT, where we’ll dive into the science behind creative cognition, explore how psychedelics can amplify it, and share real-world ways to fold these tools into your creative process, so you can dream bigger, think sharper, and create work that actually moves the needle. Learn more