If psychedelic reform was a wildfire, then the flames are currently rushing through Michigan. In the last year, several cities have passed legislation decriminalizing psychedelic plant medicines, with many more to come. It’s more possible than ever to have a safe, supported psychedelic experience in the Great Lakes State.
However, if you’ve found yourself on this page because you’ve read Michael Pollan’s book, How To Change Your Mind, or because you’ve heard of psychedelic therapy in clinical trials, a clarification is needed: psychedelic therapy is not the same thing as a therapeutic psychedelic experience.
The word therapy implies a mental health professional licensed by their state government. Because their licenses are provided by the state, therapists must practice emotional healing work that abides by the rules of the state— i.e. no psychedelics.
However, providing a therapeutic psychedelic experience does not require such licensure. Therapeutic simply means “to have a beneficial effect on the body or mind.” An experienced and compassionate person can thus support someone through a psychedelic journey without facing the same legal repercussions as a licensed therapist.
What qualifies such a person if not a license? We take this question seriously at Psychedelic Passage. Our facilitators have extensive experience with a variety of medicines, from psilocybin mushrooms to DMT, and more than anything, we serve with integrity— safety is our highest priority, we work with mentors, and we are honest about our limitations.
We believe the transformation of consciousness is a fundamental human right. In this article, we’ll explore the legal landscape of psychedelics in Michigan and how you can have a supported psychedelic journey in your area.
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For harm-reduction purposes, we provide links to online psilocybin vendors, local stores, delivery services, and spore vendors for growing your own medicine at home.
Benefits of Having a Therapeutic Psychedelic Experience
A therapeutic psychedelic experience can be one of the most significant events in a person’s life. In the news, the benefits typically focus on emotional wellbeing. MDMA is on track to become a legal treatment for PTSD by 2023 because of its ability to eliminate the disorder in just one or two sessions. Psilocybin, the primary compound in “magic” mushrooms, is challenging every major pharmaceutical drug as a potent treatment for depression.
But psychedelics are not just an emotional medicine— their most transformative benefits can reach much deeper. Traditional psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca all interrupt a neural network called the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN is like a conductor telling the rest of the brain how to play the “me” song— who “I” am according to the stories and beliefs I hold about myself.
When the DMN is turned off, that conductor disappears. The rest of the brain is now free to play the “me” song in completely new ways, and what happens here is the true magic of psychedelics: our sense of self expands, shifts, and transforms.
People become the wind and the earth, they step into the bodies of people on the other side of the world, and their consciousnesses expand to become that of the whole universe.
Regardless of your mental health status, these kinds of shifts in self are transformative because they invite a greater sense of interconnectedness, humility, and love for all beings. In the midst of so much chaos and destruction, a therapeutic psychedelic experience can be a powerful asset to cultivate a more beautiful world.
The Current Legislation on Psychedelics in Michigan
Michigan is an exciting state to be in right now. On September 21st, 2020, Ann Arbor passed a resolution that decriminalized all entheogenic plants. “Entheogenic plants” refer to psychedelic plants and fungi, like ayahuasca or psilocybin mushrooms, that are used for spiritual purposes.
This resolution was very comprehensive— it decriminalized “planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing” entheogenic plants. In addition, it removed any funding from the city to investigate, arrest, or prosecute someone for using these substances.
To make things even better, the city passed another resolution that makes September “Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month.” More recently, Detroit has also decriminalized plant medicines. Proposal E was passed on Nov 2, 2021, making it the second largest city in the U.S. to decriminalize. However, Proposal E does not cover cultivation.
Grand Rapids passed a resolution on September 27, 2021 expressing support for local, state, and federal efforts to decriminalize entheogens, and several other Michigan cities are rallying support for further awareness around psychedelics.
The state government even has some movement— Michigan senators introduced a bill in September 2021 to legalize possession, cultivation and delivery of a myriad of entheogenic substances. As the situation continues to evolve, check out our state page for updates.
Your Legal Options for Therapeutic Psychedelic Experiences in Michigan
In Michigan, you have two options for a therapeutic psychedelic experience: ketamine clinics and guided psychedelic journeys.
It’s important to note that if you do decide to pursue a guided psychedelic journey, you are responsible for sourcing your own medicine. If you have questions or concerns about this process, check out our Resources page for more information.
1. Ketamine Clinics
Ketamine is not a traditional psychedelic, but it has been shown to provide rapid relief from a variety of mental health conditions, most notably depression. And unlike psychedelics, it’s federally legal to use for medicinal purposes.
Most ketamine clinics administer the drug through an IV, but some use oral lozenges. If you do pursue a ketamine clinic, the most important thing to consider is support. Not all clinics provide comprehensive therapy throughout, which can be disorienting if you have a particularly intense experience.
Make sure to do your research. If the clinic doesn’t provide adequate support, and you don’t already have a therapist who is knowledgeable of psychedelics, try seeking out a psychedelic integration specialist from this MAPS directory.
2. Guided Psychedelic Journeys with Psychedelic Passage
At Psychedelic Passage, we’re committed to providing you a fully supported psychedelic experience. No matter where you live in Michigan, if we can physically get to you, we will sit for you.
Our programs are typically five weeks long. They include two virtual integration sessions, an in-person ceremony with the medicine you choose, and two virtual integration sessions. If you don’t feel ready to jump into a high-dose journey, we can provide coaching on microdosing, or taking small doses of a psychedelic substance a few times a week.
Our clients typically choose to work with psilocybin mushrooms, but all of our facilitators are experienced with a wide variety of psychedelic medicines, including LSD, MDMA, and mescaline. We also sit with cannabis, which has been recreationally legal in Michigan since 2018.
We Provide Guided Psychedelic Journeys in Every Major Michigan City
- Detroit
- Grand Rapids
- Warren
- Sterling Heights
- Ann Arbor
- Lansing
- Clinton Township
- Flint
- Dearborn
- Livonia
- Canton
- Macomb
- Troy
- Westland
- Farmington Hills
- Shelby
- Kalamazoo
This list is not meant to be exhaustive. We provide our trip sitting and guiding services in all major cities in Michigan, including those which are not listed above. If we can physically get ourselves to you, we will sit for you. If you are curious whether we are able to service your area specifically, please contact us.
Ready to Take the Next Step in Your Healing Journey?
Psychedelics are not panaceas. But they are revolutionary— with a single therapeutic psychedelic experience, you can completely shift your understanding of who you are and what relationship you have to the greater universe.
From the Upper Peninsula to Ann Arbor, we’re committed to providing you a safe, supported container for you to experience the transformative potential psychedelics can provide. If you feel this is right for you, book a consultation call with us. We’d be stoked to hear from you.