Understanding Patterns of Psilocybin Use Among Native Spanish-Speakers: A Hidden Population

Background and Purpose: Over the past decade, clinical research on the applications of psychedelic drugs has shown promise in the treatment of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and problematic substance use. However, few data exist about the impacts of psychedelic drug use among native Spanish speakers, who have largely been excluded from modern clinical trials in the United States. Therefore, the aim of this study is to better understand the acute and enduring effects of psilocybin use in native Spanish-speakers as a step towards decreasing barriers to clinical trial participation in this population. Methods: Advertisements were sent out asking native Spanish-speakers to complete a web-based survey designed to assess their previous experience with psilocybin and the acute and enduring effects associated with its use. Results: Out of a total of 165 respondents, 100 identified as Latina, 38 identified as white/Caucasian, and 17 as mixed race. 113 respondents identified as male, 48 identified as female, and 3 identified as genderfluid. 146 respondents identified as Hispanic. 129 respondents identified as heterosexual, and 23 identified as bisexual. The majority of respondents were from Mexico (25.5%), followed by the United States (15.8%), Argentina (13.3%), Columbia (10.3%), Chile (7.9%), Spain (7.9%), and Costa Rica (4.2%). Respondents were asked to report on their most memorable psilocybin experience. The majority of respondents reported that this experience took place in their own home/apartment (38.8%) or outside in nature (38.8%). The primary reasons why respondents reported using psilocybin was for exploration/experimentation (29.7%), spiritual exploration (20%), and recreational use (17%). Many respondents reported a history of depression (52.7%), anxiety (56.4%), PTSD (20.6%), problematic alcohol use (13.9%), or problematic drug use (20%) before their psilocybin experience. After their experience with psilocybin, most respondents (75.8%-91.3%) reported improvements in these conditions. Most respondents (62.4%-78.2%) reported their psilocybin experience to be among the top ten most personally meaningful, spiritually significant, psychologically insightful, and psychologically challenging experiences of their entire lives. Furthermore, almost all (76%-98.2%) respondents reported desirable long-term changes in well-being and life satisfaction, life purpose, significance of life, relationships, attitudes about life, attitudes about self, relationship to nature, behaviors, level of spirituality, attitudes towards death, and beliefs about reality and the universe. Conclusions and Implications: Though results are preliminary and larger sample sizes are needed in order to build a clearer understanding of the impact of psilocybin use in native Spanish-speakers, these data suggest that naturalistic use of psilocybin with the intent to explore/experiment, explore spiritually, or recreate resulted in long-lasting positive changes in many aspects of respondents’ lives. These data corroborate the findings from other naturalistic surveys and clinical trials with psilocybin, which suggest that psilocybin may be helpful in improving mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and problematic alcohol and substance use. Larger rigorous clinical trials with more diverse samples are required in order to determine the mechanisms of action for improvements in mental health conditions following use of psilocybin.