💧 Is ayahuasca now a privilege just for the wealthy?

Welcome back to The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s psychedelic newsletter serving up news, culture, and independent journalism about the underground straight to your inbox.

Hard to believe we’re down to the final 48 hours of 2024. If reflecting on the year feels a little overdone, hopefully, today’s dispatch offers a welcome distraction. If you scroll down, you’ll find a link to our latest print mag, which includes a beautifully written profile of Jim Fadiman, the godfather of microdosing. You’ll also find a story on how to take GHB safely (!), a guide on the art of combining drugs, and a podcast episode featuring psychedelic liberation philosopher Charlotte James. Brilliance abound!

As we wrap up the last newsletter of 2024, we want to take a moment to thank YOU, our community, for joining us on this cosmic literary ride. Your curiosity and engagement have made this publication what it is — and what it is transforming into. If you value independent journalism, consider upgrading to our premium tier. Your support doesn’t just keep the lights on around here — it also ensures our journalists can continue telling groundbreaking stories that reshape the history of psychedelics. It truly takes a village to keep publishing in the 21st Century. ❤️

Lastly, if you’re not doing anything at the top of the year, we have a workshop on how psychedelics can help us rewrite the narratives we have about ourselves on January 5. You can find all the details here 🌟

Happy New Moon,

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

Together With Numinus

Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

The psychedelic movement isn’t just about transformation for clients—it’s about transforming our entire approach to mental health. 

Numinus’ Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy offers a chance to step into the cutting edge of healing and find where you fit into this new paradigm.
Through live sessions, group work, experiential learning, and case-based practice, you’ll gain the tools, skills, and confidence to bring psychedelic therapy into your own practice in a way that feels right for your orientation to the therapeutic world.

From mastering preparation, medicine, and integration sessions to navigating burnout and ethical complexities, this course covers it all—grounded in evidence and designed to cultivate safety, trust, and spiritual intelligence.

Your journey as a psychedelic therapy practitioner starts here. Use code DOUBLEBLIND5 for 5% off course fees.

Join the Future of Mental Health Today

Our Latest

Vibrational and energetic information is flowing around us all the time, but most of it doesn’t translate into tidy strings of limited words. Imagery is the language of dreams, the unconscious, and the spiritual world. Cultivating a daily tarot practice is a simple yet powerful way to cultivate your intuitive connection and fluency so you can better read the book of the universe. Here’s how to get started.

& More Must-Reads

• Plant medicine ceremonies are often priced at a difficult intersection of life-changing value and inaccessibility. Many of the people who could benefit most from the medicine simply can’t afford it. Is ayahuasca a privilege reserved for the wealthy? Read the full store here.

• There’s a saying that those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it. So in the interest of not repeating the last several centuries of witch burning, imprisonment, torture, and genocide of people engaged with plant medicines, let’s take a deeper look at the full history of magic mushrooms.
  
  

Join Us

Psychedelic Storytelling Catharsis
January 5 | 11am PT

Our lives are driven by the stories we tell ourselves. Changing our internal narrative and how we frame our past and current challenges can profoundly impact everything from our life’s direction to how we show up in our day-to-day relationships. Simple storytelling becomes a catalyst for healing, growth, and empowerment.

This free workshop brings archetypal storytelling frameworks and psychedelic integration techniques to help you better define your life’s narrative. Unpack the wisdom you carry and experience the powerful catharsis of sharing your story in a supportive environment, illuminating your inner light while deepening your collective understanding of how psychedelics facilitate transformation.

Your story can be a source of depression and resignation or inspiration and resilience. Which will you choose in 2025?

Register for the workshop here. It’s free with a 30-day trial to DoubleBlind+.

Learn with Us

🧪 GHB is known as “the date rape drug,” but if you do it right (and NEVER mix it with alcohol), it can be quite fun. It’s relaxed, social, and doesn’t give you a hangover. Here’s what you need to know.

🍌 In 1967 the federal government took a hard-line stance against getting high on bananas. Only “smoking banana peels” was a hoax from the beginning. Here’s how it happened.

💊 If you plan on partying tomorrow night, just know what you’re getting into. Read our guide on combining drugs first.

DoubleBlind Supports

It’s not all about humans 

The Fungi Foundation is a global organization that explores Fungi to increase knowledge of their diversity, promote innovative solutions to problems, educate about their existence and applications, as well as recommend public policy for their conservation.

Help Fungi Foundation bring the fungus to the people: Donate Here.

At DoubleBlind, we believe in reciprocity—the idea that everything in the world is interconnected and that we have a responsibility to uplift a psychedelic ecosystem that centers equity, inclusivity, and healing for all. Through our work, we hope to help our community participate in this effort with us.

From the Magazine

Jim Fadiman used to believe the psychedelic experience was all about mind-blowing transcendence. The idea of microdosing seemed to miss the point entirely. 

But after decades of experimentation and groundbreaking research, he became its greatest champion. His book, Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, was a watershed moment in psychedelics, and in the last 10 years, microdosing has exploded in popularity.

Now, at age 85, Fadiman is still preaching the power of LSD and psilocybin. His newest book, Microdosing for Health, Healing and Enhanced Performance, is built on the back of the largest dataset on microdosing ever collected. His conclusion: Microdosing isn’t about reaching new heights — it’s about raising the floor. Read the full article in our print magazine.

Order the magazine here or upgrade to a Digital + Print Premium Subscription and get it alongside our online paywalled content, coming in January!

Watch Now

As we move into the new year, we’re reflecting on how less is more. We spoke with psychedelic facilitator Charlotte James about the intricate relationship between minimalism, ethical psychedelic use, and community dynamics. Explore how reducing life’s excesses and embracing ethical practices can lead to profound personal and communal healing. Check out the conversation here.