The Heart of Healing: Why Spiritual Care Providers are Embracing Psychedelic Therapy

A New Calling for Spiritual Care Givers

The landscape of mental health care is undergoing a significant transformation, with psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) emerging as a promising approach for conditions that have long resisted conventional treatments. As this field expands, a particular group of professionals is increasingly finding a calling within it: spiritual health practitioners (SHPs), often known as health care chaplains. These are individuals trained to provide spiritual and emotional support to people facing illness, crisis, or end-of-life transitions. Their growing involvement in PAT raises an important question: what motivates these spiritual caregivers to step into this novel and sometimes controversial domain of healing? This article will explore the key motivations drawing SHPs to psychedelic-assisted therapy, drawing insights from a recent Emory University study published in Psychedelics (Peacock et al., as cited in Medical Xpress, 2025). We aim to shed light on the deeply personal and professional reasons behind this trend, making the information accessible to individuals curious about psychedelic psychotherapy but perhaps uncertain about its spiritual dimensions or the roles of different practitioners. Understanding these motivations is crucial not only for appreciating the evolving role of spiritual care in modern medicine but also for optimizing the training and support for those facilitating these profound healing experiences.

Who Are Spiritual Health Practitioners (Health Care Chaplains)?

Before delving into their motivations, it's helpful to understand who spiritual health practitioners are and what they do. Health care chaplains are professionals who provide spiritual care to patients and their families in hospitals, hospices, and other health care settings. They are trained to support individuals from all faith backgrounds, as well as those with no religious affiliation. Their role is not to proselytize or impose beliefs, but rather to help people connect with their own sources of meaning, hope, and comfort during challenging times. Chaplains are skilled in active listening, empathetic presence, and facilitating conversations about existential questions – questions about life, death, meaning, purpose, and legacy. They help individuals navigate grief, find solace, and make sense of their experiences. Given this focus on the deeper, often spiritual, aspects of human suffering and healing, it is perhaps not surprising that many SHPs are finding a resonance with the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies, which often catalyze profound spiritual or mystical-type experiences.

The Pull of Personal Experience: A Primary Motivator

The Emory University study, led by Drs. Caroline Peacock and Deanna Kaplan, involved 15 spiritual health practitioners with experience in facilitating legal psychedelic sessions. A striking finding was that the most frequently cited initial motivation for entering the field was the practitioners' own healing experiences with psychedelics. This is a powerful testament to the transformative potential these substances can hold. One participant in the study shared how a psychedelic experience led to unexpected relief from chronic pain, stating, "Through this work, I was able to release it. I started to feel better in every way." Others reported transformative spiritual experiences that fundamentally altered their worldview and their sense of vocational calling. These firsthand encounters with the healing power of psychedelics often serve as a profound catalyst, inspiring SHPs to want to share these possibilities with others who are suffering. This personal connection to the healing process is not unique to SHPs in the psychedelic field, but it takes on a particular significance here. The subjective nature of psychedelic experiences means that having some experiential understanding can be invaluable for a facilitator. It can foster empathy, help in understanding the often ineffable nature of the journey, and provide a framework for supporting individuals through a wide range of potential experiences, from blissful to challenging.

Ongoing Meaning: Witnessing Healing and Connection

Beyond the initial impetus of personal healing, the study also identified ongoing sources of meaning that sustain SHPs in their commitment to psychedelic care. A major factor is the fulfillment derived from witnessing profound healing in others. Seeing individuals break through long-standing psychological barriers, find relief from debilitating symptoms, or gain new perspectives on their lives can be incredibly rewarding for any therapist, and chaplains are no exception. Furthermore, many SHPs reported experiencing a sense of mutuality with their clients during psychedelic sessions. This doesn't mean the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship are blurred, but rather that there's a shared humanity and a deep connection that can emerge in these altered states. The vulnerability and openness often present in psychedelic therapy can foster a powerful therapeutic alliance. Chaplains also expressed appreciation for the patterns commonly associated with psychedelic experiences, such as a heightened sense of interconnectedness, a feeling of being part of something larger than oneself, and profound spiritual insights. One participant described this as: "Seeing the similar experiences of participants in studies ... creating new stories but also coming into a sense of being part of something larger ... that to me is spiritual, however anyone defines their spiritual journey." These experiences align closely with the core concerns of spiritual care – helping individuals find meaning, connection, and transcendence.

The "Double-Edged Sword": Navigating Personal Experience in Practice

While personal experience with psychedelics can be a powerful motivator and a source of insight for SHPs, the Emory study also highlighted a potential challenge: the risk of "experiential encapsulation." This term, coined by the researchers, describes the possibility of a facilitator assuming that their own psychedelic experiences and the way they interpreted them are universally applicable to their clients. This is similar to "cultural encapsulation," where a clinician might unconsciously impose their own cultural values or beliefs onto a client from a different background. Dr. Kaplan explained, "SHPs who have experienced personal healing through psychedelics often describe a deep sense of meaning in guiding others through similar processes. However, this raises the risk of what we term 'experiential encapsulation'—assuming one's own psychedelic experiences and interpretative frameworks are universally applicable." If a client's experience differs significantly from the facilitator's, or if they interpret it differently, an encapsulated facilitator might struggle to provide truly client-centered support. This underscores the critical need for robust training programs for psychedelic facilitators, including SHPs. Such programs must help practitioners develop self-awareness regarding their own experiences, biases, and potential blind spots. The goal is to equip them to hold space for a wide diversity of experiences without imposing their own frameworks.

Novel Training: Fostering Self-Literacy and Objectivity

Recognizing this challenge, the Emory research team proposed a novel approach to facilitator training, drawing on models from Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), which have long emphasized self-literacy and reflective learning. They introduced a structured self-literacy reflection exercise designed to help psychedelic facilitators become more aware of their motivations and what they might overlook due to their personal experiences. This exercise guides practitioners through an exploration of four key areas:

1. Personal experiences: What psychedelic experiences am I bringing into this work?
2. Motivations to facilitate: Why am I drawn to this work? What do I hope to achieve?
3. Identifying gaps in awareness: What might I be likely to miss or misinterpret, given my own experiences and motivations?
4. Addressing areas for growth: What steps can I take to broaden my understanding and enhance my objectivity?

Dr. Peacock, who is a trained PAT facilitator, noted, "These approaches help practitioners balance the value of personal experience with the need for clinical objectivity." By encouraging deep self-reflection, training programs can help SHPs and other facilitators harness the benefits of their personal insights while maintaining a patient-centered and ethically sound practice.

Implications for a Growing Field

As psychedelic-assisted therapies move closer to mainstream acceptance, with potential FDA approvals on the horizon and expanding legal frameworks in some states, the quality of facilitator training is paramount. The Emory study suggests that rather than debating whether personal psychedelic experience should be a prerequisite for facilitators, a more productive approach is to acknowledge that it is a significant motivational factor for many, and then to integrate this understanding into training. Dr. Roman Palitsky, a co-author of the study, clarified, "It is unclear whether having firsthand experience with psychedelics makes someone a better facilitator. Our findings suggest that, even if prior psychedelic use by facilitators is linked to better patient outcomes, that connection could be explained by heightened motivation and not special insights or skills that come from personal psychedelic use." Therefore, helping future facilitators understand their motivations is a crucial part of preparing them to provide this unique form of care.

For Those Uncertain: Understanding the Spiritual Dimension

For individuals considering psychedelic psychotherapy, understanding the role of spiritual health practitioners can be reassuring. These professionals bring a wealth of experience in supporting people through profound, often spiritually charged, experiences. Their presence in the field underscores the recognition that healing often involves more than just symptom reduction; it can also involve a search for meaning, connection, and a renewed sense of self and purpose. If you are uncertain about the spiritual aspects of psychedelic therapy, know that the aim of a good SHP, or any ethical facilitator, is not to impose a particular spiritual framework. Instead, it is to help you explore and integrate your own experience in a way that is meaningful and helpful to you, whatever your personal beliefs or background. The focus is on your journey and your healing.

Conclusion: A Convergence of Care and Calling

The increasing involvement of spiritual health practitioners in psychedelic-assisted therapy is a testament to the profound and often spiritual nature of these healing modalities. Motivated by their own transformative experiences and a deep desire to alleviate suffering and foster connection, SHPs are bringing valuable skills and perspectives to this emerging field. The insights from the Emory University study highlight the importance of acknowledging these personal motivations while ensuring that training programs equip facilitators with the self-awareness and objectivity needed for ethical and effective practice. As psychedelic therapies continue to evolve, the integration of spiritual care principles and the dedicated work of SHPs will likely play a crucial role in shaping a holistic and compassionate approach to mental health. For those exploring the possibility of psychedelic psychotherapy, the presence of these dedicated caregivers offers an additional layer of support, acknowledging that true healing often touches the deepest aspects of our being – our spirit, our sense of meaning, and our connection to the world around us.

Disclaimer: Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy has not been approved by any regulatory agencies in the United States, and the safety and efficacy are still not formally established at the time of this writing.

Reference

Medical Xpress. (2025, April 29). Spiritual health practitioners reveal key motivations in psychedelic-assisted therapy practice. Retrieved from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-spiritual-health-practitioners-reveal-key.html