Psilocybin is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. It changes the way the default mode network (DMN) in the brain works. The DMN is a set of linked brain regions activated when people muse on the past, present or future. Psilocybin switches some of the DMN off while activating other neural pathways, allowing for new ways of thinking. Scientists are exploring how it may help treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (see psychedelic medicines).
A study at Johns Hopkins University gave psilocybin to 29 "psychedelic-naive" religious clergy from Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The results, published in the Journal of Psychedelic Medicine, were striking: 96% ranked a psilocybin trip in the top five most spiritually significant moments of their lives, and 42% declared it the single most profound experience they had ever had. Almost half described their trips as "psychologically challenging", but none reported severely adverse effects. More than a year later, participants reported a deeper connection to their faith and improved prayer.
The study also found that psilocybin promoted universalism across faiths. Several participants founded organisations to explore the benefits for believers: Hunt Priest established Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society; Zac Kamenetz launched Shefa for Jews; and Sughra Ahmed created Ruhani for Muslims.
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