Clinical research with psilocybin, MDMA, and related compounds is demonstrating measurable efficacy for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety — conditions that have resisted conventional intervention. These substances appear to work partly by temporarily disrupting the default mode network, dissolving the rigid self-structures that maintain suffering, and creating a window for new perspective and integration. The tradition has always recognized that altered states can catalyze insight; what is new is the capacity to study the mechanisms with precision.
Each step builds on the last.