Joseph Campbell, famous for coining the literary term the Hero’s Journey, once said that “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” In recent years, westerners have been more vocal about using psychedelics as a tool to help them deal with both the day-to-day stresses and health issues that stem from living in contemporary society. In an attempt to better their lives, they embark on this inner journey towards self-discovery and connection with nature.

The psychedelic journey is very similar to the monomyth or the Hero’s Journey, as described by Campbell. The monomyth is a storytelling archetype that describes a hero’s journey through various stages of transformation, ultimately leading to their return to the ordinary world with newfound wisdom and insight. Similarly, individuals who use psychedelics often undergo a transformative journey through various stages of self-discovery, leading to a newfound understanding of their place in the world and the interconnectedness of all things.

In a study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, patients with life-threatening diseases who received psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy reported significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and existential distress, as well as an increased sense of spirituality and quality of life. It can be speculated that the state of heightened awareness allowed them to see beyond the limitations of their everyday reality, and to reclaim their position as the hero of their own story by gaining a sense of interconnectedness with the universe. 

If Campbell is right, then individuals who work towards living in harmony with the natural world, are contributing to a more sustainable and interconnected future for all of us.