Abstract:
Psychedelic substances have a long history of use in various indigenous populations for spiritual and ritualistic purposes. However, their use in healing with Māori is unclear. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is emerging as a novel treatment in Western medicine and recent research indicates therapeutic benefits for those with conditions such as depression, anxiety, and end of life distress. While this literature shows promising effects, many stakeholder groups hold concerns about its acceptability and cultural safety and little is known about how it might be viewed in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Māori face significant health inequities across most health conditions and there is a need for kaupapa Māori rangahau (Māori led research) to explore the perceptions of psychedelic-assisted therapy. This mixed methods study, led by student researcher of Ngāi Te Rangi descent, aimed to explore Māori healthcare professionals’ current awareness, knowledge, attitudes and perspectives on psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy. To explore these aims, Māori healthcare professionals and healthcare students were recruited to participate in an initial quantitative survey (N=82) and a sub-group of this sample also completed in-depth qualitative interviews (N=13).
Overall, results showed that Māori healthcare professionals had low awareness of psychedelic-assisted therapy and had a positive, yet cautious, attitude towards psychedelic-assisted therapy as an intervention. Regression analysis demonstrated that females, those who placed a greater importance on religion and spirituality, and being a treatment provider for depression and/or anxiety all predicted openness toward psychedelic-assisted therapy. Most significantly, greater awareness of psychedelics was positively correlated with referring patients to clinical trials and believing that psychedelic-assisted therapy warrants future research, has potential benefits, and should consider spiritual and indigenous considerations. Qualitative findings reinforced these results and showed that participants perceived several benefits and concerns about psychedelic-assisted therapy. Participants also highlighted the significance of stigma around psychedelics as well as the importance of new treatment approaches such as these working toward health equity. The kōrero with participants also highlighted the importance of ongoing consultation and engagement with tangata whenua throughout the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
This study was the first to explore Māori healthcare professionals’ perspectives of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Results indicated that there is a need for more psychedelic-assisted therapy trials and education around the indigenous uses of psychedelics and evidence-based research. Improving the awareness of psychedelic-assisted therapy is likely to influence its acceptability as a treatment option and will inform the cultural safety of its use with Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.