ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There’s a new psychedelic revolution sweeping the United States, and it has nothing to do with getting high.

New research is coming out every year showing certain hallucinogenic drugs can help treat serious substance abuse and mental health disorders.

Now, there’s a growing movement to make those therapeutic treatments easier to access in New Mexico. We’re not talking about decriminalizing, or even legalizing, psychedelic drugs for everyday New Mexicans to use whenever they want.

There are some groups pushing for that, but the movement we’re talking about wants to open the door for controlled, psychedelic-assisted therapies. It’s a relatively new field of research and there are still a lot of unknowns.

Advocates say the evidence we do have is enough to show these treatments could be a game changer for New Mexicans.

“A lot of times you’ll hear people say that using a psychedelic medicine a few times is the equivalent of years of psychotherapy, and medication that they might be taking otherwise,” said Jeffrey Holland, a board member of the New Mexico Psychedelic Science Society. 

For psychotherapy advocates, Marisa C de Baca and Holland, magic mushrooms, MDMA and ketamine are the keys to a therapeutic revolution.

“It’s been over a couple decades that we’ve seen any really profound innovations as far as psychiatry. And we have suffered for a very long time in our state as New Mexicans with systemic trauma, the drug abuse,” said De Baca. 

Their nonprofit, the New Mexico Psychedelic Science Society, is working to establish a framework for psychedelic-assisted therapies in New Mexico. They want to follow Colorado’s lead, and it’s a conversation that’s already gained momentum in the Roundhouse.

But they know psychedelics are still a touchy subject for a lot of New Mexicans.

“These are very powerful substances. We also want to be very clear about that, you know, and so it’s important to have that data outreach, for sure,” De Baca said. 

Some of that data is coming from University of New Mexico researchers, like Dr. Larry Leeman.

“These are not panaceas. These are not going to resolve all the trauma and the depression in the world,” said Leeman. 

But with a guided, therapeutic approach, he says psychedelics can form new connections in the brain, allowing patients to finally treat old wounds.

“MDMA is a good example. If you can use MDMA, you find that you’re able to process trauma that normally is not bearable. It’s like if it gets triggered, people go into a panic attack, and so they can process the trauma,” Leeman said. 

Leeman is currently studying how certain psychedelic drugs impact patients suffering from PTSD, postpartum depression, and opioid addiction.

A previous UNM study already showed psychedelics can significantly impact alcoholism.

“We’re trying to address some of the most serious health and mental health problems in the country that are having significant effects on us,” said Leeman. 

He’ll be the first to tell you more research is needed, and it is coming.

Psychotherapy advocates say that’ll be crucial for convincing state lawmakers and New Mexicans to get on board. They also say this isn’t a race to the finish line.

“It’s very important that we do this right, that we are making sure we collect the data, and that this is going to be helpful for our people,” said De Baca. 

The New Mexico Psychedelic Science Society is planning to bring a new bill to the Roundhouse in January aimed at building that regulatory framework for psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Just allowing the treatments is one hurdle. But they say accessibility and affordability will also be major factors that need to be thoroughly discussed.