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Psilocybin & Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in South Carolina

Praised for its verdant wooded areas and alluring coast lines, South Carolina’s interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy is quickly climbing. This comes as little surprise since the state received a ranking of 47th in the nation for access to mental health care. Today, the ‘Tastiter Peach State’ is experiencing a revival of psychedelic interest. 

With new studies regularly surfacing on the efficacy of psychedelics in treating disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, South Carolinians are looking to get in on a slice of the ‘magic’ mushroom pie. Of course, one of the biggest impediments for the progression of psychedelic therapeutics is state legislation on the matter. 

Today we’ll be discussing the current laws on psychedelic substances in South Carolina. When can we expect state legislators to take supportive action of psychedelic-assisted therapy? Of equal significance, where can residents go to receive legal psychedelic-assisted therapy in the state, right now? 

Current Legislation of Psychedelics in South Carolina

Oftentimes, the legislation on cannabis use can help us gauge a state’s prospective support for psychedelic-assisted therapy. In South Carolina, cannabis remains illegal. Though the state has laws permitting cannabis with low THC and high CBD contents, medical and recreational permissions remain fairly rigid.

Unfortunately, the state’s cannabis laws are an accurate reflection of psychedelic legislation. As of right now, all psychedelic substances like psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and DMT are illegal in South Carolina. In fact, these drugs are classified as Schedule I substances. 

Schedule I substances are considered to have a high potential for abuse with no recognized medical value. Of course, the results of emerging studies tell us that this could not be further from the truth as psychedelics are notoriously non-addictive and neurologically restorative.

If caught possessing psychedelic substances, residents could face up to six months in prison with fines of up to $5,000. Of course, these consequences may depend on the amount in possession. If found possessing with the intent to distribute or if found cultivating psilocybin mushrooms, incarceration time and fines would increase.

Though this all sounds very dispiriting, luckily, there’s a ray of hope. In July of this year, President Joe Biden announced that he anticipated regulator approval for MDMA and psilocybin therapy within the next 2 years. This means that psychedelic-assisted therapy may become federally legal sooner than we think.

As is the case with most states, psilocybin spores are completely legal to possess and can often be purchased at local shops. Psilocybin spores don’t contain any psilocybin. Keep in mind that once the spores are grown into maturation, psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin mushrooms, starts to become present in the fruiting body.

It’s at this point when charges for possession and cultivation of a controlled Schedule I substance, can ensue. Some psilocybin mushroom species are known to grow in the humid terrains of South Carolina. The most common species in the state are Psilocybe caerulescens and Psilocybe cubensis.

The Therapeutic Benefits of a Psychedelic Experience

If you’re researching psychedelics in South Carolina, it’s likely that you’ve already heard of the many benefits these mighty medicines can offer. In fact, we’ve written an entire article on the diseases that psychedelics may help to treat

From a neurological perspective, several studies have proven that psychedelics can restore synaptic functioning. Most people with mental health disorders experience dysregulated neurotransmitter relay due to cellular atrophy (shrinking) or dampened connectivity. 

Researchers have found that psychedelics increase the size and density of dendritic spines. Dendritic spines are membranes that protrude from a neuron which receive messages from other neurons. Picture them as the very limbs of a brain cell. 

Increasing the size of these spines would strengthen neural connection by creating more points of contact between neighboring neurons. Psychedelics also promote neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons), which can be especially helpful for replacing dead or damaged cells.

The Default Mode Network or DMN, is a brain region that maintains our sense of self. Like a radio station we’re regularly tuned into, the DMN is responsible for curating and circulating the internal narratives that frame our personalities and the patterns we identify with.

In people with a mental illness, the DMN often experiences significant overactivity. Someone with ADHD or OCD might perceive this as regular hyper-fixations that draw them away from focusing on their external environment. Someone with anxiety may experience this over-rumination as panic or hyper-awareness of self.

In people with depression, heightened DMN activity can correlate to negative ruminating thoughts about their self worth or lack of purpose and motivation. Amazingly, psychedelics reduce this overactivity by promoting neuroplasticity. 

Our physiological response to the subjective experience of a psychedelic journey is quite literally fortified in our brains by the psychedelic compound, as they reorganize synaptic connections in proportion to the information and self awareness that’s acquired on the trip.

On a perceptual level, psychedelics allow us to adopt new ways of analyzing and interacting with our inner and outer worlds. They sit your mind, body, and spirit in a state of pure awareness. For many, this is a state that’s not commonly accessed. 

From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, our minds are running at 100 mph. We’re thinking about the tasks that have yet to be completed and the ones we didn’t spend enough time on yesterday. Physically, we’re here, but mentally we’re living in the future and in the past.

Even when we do get an opportunity to rest, there’s a societal tendency to distract ourselves from the present moment. In fact, for many, there’s a sort of discomfort in being without doing. 

On the train ride to work or at the coffee shop next door, we might feel out of place sitting in observation, without relying on our phones or on the thinking mind to make the time go by. 

Our bodies have a natural ability for transmuting and expelling stagnant and accreted energy. The mind, though, is equally powerful. We find satisfaction in probing our afflictions under the belief that this will somehow dismantle their effect on our lives. 

But how can we come to new conclusions using the same mental trajectories that have already proven to be unfruitful? For many, this is achieved through long term meditation practices that rekindle our relationship to our intuition. Psychedelics though, allow us to briefly access the meditative states that monks have spent their entire lives attempting to connect with.

Through our childhood and adult lives, we experience a disconnect from that intuition as traumatic events recondition our behavioral and thinking patterns. Our defense mechanisms override our intuition and over time, they can become almost indistinguishable from one another.

For example, is your intuition telling you that the person you’re dating seems to be suspiciously overly attached to you? Or are your defense mechanisms inappropritely relating the love bombing of your narcissistic parent or ex, to the healthy attachment of a new lover?

The only way to connect with our deepest knowing is by getting very still and quiet. It’s by listening to the body without hindrance of thought. By reducing activity in the DMN, psychedelics allow us to process without thinking about processing. 

In fact, some of the most therapeutic psychedelic experiences present themselves when we fully surrender to the present moment, without attempting to control the journey or our response to it. One of the most prevalent scenarios that occur is what some refer to as a ‘somatic release’.

Because trauma and stress is stored in somatic memory, their release is often expressed in a psychedelic journey through crying, convulsing, bowel movements, yelling, yawning, and even vomiting. These forms of purging and the emotional catharsis that accompanies them, in and of themselves, offer journeyers a new perspective on the relationship between body and mind

They reframe the way we approach emotional processing. It’s one thing to be told that stillness is healing. It’s another to fully experience the benefits of unwavering presence in the here and now, within the span of just 6 to 12 hours. This experience is not only stored in our thinking minds, but also in our somatic memory.

After sitting in such an all-encompassing state of awareness, we don’t have to believe that these states can be accessed. We now know that they can, and that our brains and bodies already have the innate tools for entering this intuitive space of being.

Where To Find Legal Psychedelic Experiences in South Carolina 2022

As of right now, there are two options for exploring a psychedelic experience in South Carolina: Ketamine clinics and guided psychedelic journeys with Psychedelic Passage.

1. Ketamine Clinics

Ketamine has been used as an anesthetic in hospital operating rooms since the 1960s. More recently, the FDA has approved this drug for “off-label” use. This means that ketamine is now legal not only for surgical purposes, but also as a therapeutic medicine.

We should note that ketamine is not a psychedelic drug, it’s a dissociative anesthetic that produces out-of-body experiences. These experiences can be extremely beneficial as journeyers can quite literally view their body and mind from a second person perspective.

Instead of sitting in the foggy, ruminating patterns of our depressed or traumatized minds, we can observe ourselves and our conditions from a place of empathy and love. We come to feel sorry for the way we choose to narrate ourselves and our life events. 

Equally, such an out-of-body experience makes us aware of the larger and deeper cosmic order that permeates our day-to-day routines. We can come to a more whole sense of purpose by aligning with the power of our minds, in and out of a ketamine session.

If you’re seeking to find a ketamine clinic near you, it’s important that you consider both the benefits and pitfalls of ketamine clinics. Many clinical protocols don’t offer preparation and integration support. Both of which are vital for instilling informed expectations and transitioning from such an altered state of consciousness into daily life. 

2. Guided Psychedelic Journeys With Psychedelic Passage

Here, at Psychedelic Passage, our 5-week program includes preparation, integration, and in-person support during your psychedelic experience. From the comfort of your own home, you can take a journey through your mind with full trust in your mental and physical safety.

You can choose to work with any psychedelic medicine. If we can make it to you, we will sit with you. We acknowledge how vulnerable and personal these experiences are and that’s why we guarantee full autonomy every step of the way. 

Because our program is specifically designed for transformation, every part of the experience can and will be tailored to your specific needs. Mental health cannot and should not be approached through a one-size-fits-all protocol. 

That’s why our facilitators take the time to screen for possible medical contraindications. Through extensive preparation, they will get a clear and comprehensive picture of your personal history, which helps us understand how we can truly be of support to you and your healing journey.

One of our missions is to provide equal access to these potentially life changing experiences. That’s why we’ve created a BIPOC and low-income fund to subsidize the cost of our program for those that may require financial assistance. 

In fact, our income-based pricing tiers allow us to tailor program costs to the financial circumstances of each and every client. We cannot do the healing for you, but we will help you, help yourself, come to a more connected and whole sense of self.

Find Your Next Psychedelic Journey in Any Major South Carolina City 

  • Charleston
  • Columbia
  • North Charleston
  • Mount Pleasant
  • Rock Hill
  • Greenville
  • Summerville
  • Goose Creek
  • Sumter
  • Florence
  • Spartanburg
  • Hilton Head Island
  • Myrtle Beach
  • Greer
  • Aiken

Explore What It Means To Be Connected

By now, you might be wondering how you can get started on your healing journey with psychedelic medicines. If so, we empower you to book a consultation with us. Our carefully curated and pre-vetted network of qualified psychedelic facilitators are eager to assist you in your healing.

Of course, there may still be many questions lingering in your mind about psychedelic-assisted therapy. We invite you to visit our resources page for more informative articles like this one, on all things psychedelic. Well our fellow psychonauts, that’s all for now. We wish you a safe and nourishing journey!

Looking for a professionally supported in-person psychedelic experience?

Take the first step and book a consultation call with us today. We'll walk you through every step of the process after getting to know you and your unique situation.

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At Psychedelic Passage, we offer professional 1-on-1 guidance and companionship on your journey of healing. We simply can't sit back and let Americans continue to sit in silent suffering trying to battle mental health issues within a broken health care system, all while knowing that effective alternatives exist. We stand for the sacred, at-home, ceremonial use of psychedelics for consciousness exploration, which we believe to be a fundamental human right.

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