When Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane sang of ingesting “some kind of mushroom and your mind is moving low,’’ from the 1967 song “White Rabbit,’’ listeners were invited on a psychedelic musical trip.
But as hallucinogen use continues to rise, researchers at the University of South ۴ý’s (COPH) are examining psilocybin mushrooms through an epidemiologic lens, exploring community practices, motivations for use, and the influence of set and setting among mothers using psilocybin.
A team led by , assistant professor, , presented on the topic at the 10th annual ۴ý Perinatal Mental Health Conference in Tallahassee. Their psilocybin research explored the benefits and risks of the drug, perceived changes in parenting, mental health and changes in substance use among mothers that use psilocybin outside of medical settings. In a related project, the team spoke on ways to strengthen ۴ý’s support systems for mothers affected by addiction.
Dr. Amanda Elmore (Photo courtesy of Elmore)
“It was an honor to present our research and learn alongside the leaders in our state who are fighting to improve the health of mothers and families,’’ Elmore said.
Anusha Parajuli, an MPH student in and , and Amber Hernandez, an MPH student in epidemiology and , co-presented a psilocybin study titled “Motherhood and Psilocybin: Exploring Psilocybin Practices and Perceived Mental Health, Substance Use, and Parenting Changes.”
Their colleague Amandeep Ratta, a doctoral candidate in , shared data from a poster titled “Lessons from ۴ý Leadership Institute for Families Touched by Substance Use (FL LIFTS),” a community-based organization that brings local voices into research about perinatal drug addiction.
Both projects were focused on improving maternal well-being by learning from people with actual experiences.
But how can a hallucinogen help someone recover from a drug dependency? In what some heath care officials call a “psychedelic renaissance,’’ psilocybin is being revisited for psychoactive properties that could have lasting medicinal value.
However, psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I substance, which restricts funding for research on certain drugs with a high potential for abuse. Although still illegal in most states, psilocybin offers a wide range of possible medical applications, according to clinical studies. Addiction medicine, depression and end-of-life mood disorders are among the areas with the most evidence of benefit. The FDA has granted psilocybin "breakthrough therapy" designation for depression, signaling it warrants more investigation.
Recent clinical trials have shown promising results for psilocybin and psychedelics for substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health conditions. And because women and mothers have higher rates of mental health conditions, trauma and are highly impacted by SUDs, these results could lead to tangible benefits, Elmore said.
“There was limited knowledge about psilocybin use practices, intentions for use and perceived changes after using psilocybin,’’ she said. “But we learned that many moms had positive experiences using psilocybin and reported improved mental well-being.’’
Elmore was recently accepted as a faculty fellow for the (U-PEP), a two-year fellowship to support psychedelic curriculum development and collaboration with faculty throughout the United States.
Dr. Amanda Elmore and colleagues attending the 10th annual ۴ý Perinatal Mental Health Conference. (Photo courtesy of Elmore)
The USF team’s survey found that 97% of postpartum mothers that used psilocybin reported enhancements in their mental health; 83% experienced positive parenting changes; and 49 % decreased their use of other addictive drugs. The research by Elmore, Parajuli and Hernandez offered three conclusions:
- Advances the emerging evidence base on psilocybin use by focusing on mothers and benefits a population largely absent from psychedelic research
- A number of public health gaps exist between understanding maternal psilocybin use and health outcomes
- More evidence is needed to inform clinical decisions, treatment protocols and safety considerations for mothers using psilocybin
These are pioneering studies exploring how psilocybin could have the potential to offer something impactful—rapid and profound relief for mothers who are out of options or simply stopped trying.
Amber Hernandez
“Navigating this kind of research feels like charting unknown waters,’’ said Hernandez. “I feel lots of excitement and the weight of what we might uncover (potential benefits, harm and insights) for women and child health is what keeps me grounded in it. These are pioneering studies exploring how psilocybin could have the potential to offer something impactful − rapid and profound relief for mothers who have run out of options or simply stopped trying.’’
Parajuli said that advocacy alone isn’t sufficient to drive meaningful change without strong empirical evidence to support it. Working on this project and examining naturalistic psilocybin use among mothers deepened her interest in understudied populations within emerging areas of public health research.
She was drawn to the project because clinical trials on psychedelic-assisted therapies systematically exclude pregnant and breastfeeding women, creating a significant gap in evidence about safety and health outcomes for women and mothers.
“Analyzing this data allowed me to explore these gaps through a maternal health lens,’’ she said. “Conducting the statistical analyses and interpreting the findings, particularly between acute and enduring effects of psilocybin use and reported outcomes, was rewarding and reinforced my interest in applying epidemiologic methods.’’
USF’s complementary topic in the conference was about FL LIFTS, which gives a public voice to mothers with lived experience of substance use. It helps women seek less prejudice and more understanding and support from the medical community and ۴ý birthing hospitals.
“We need to take an anti-stigma, harm-reduction approach to reducing perinatal substance use, which means meeting mothers where they are in their recovery journey and not judging, shaming or being punitive,’’ Elmore added. “The latter approach only increases poor outcomes for moms and babies.’’
Through FL LIFTS, Ratta experienced first-hand how research, lived experience and policy conversations can create meaningful change.
“Listening to not only women affected by substance use, but also their families as they shared their journeys of supporting loved ones during pregnancy, recovery and parenting has been incredibly moving and has greatly shaped the way I think about this population,’’ Ratta said. “Working in this project has reminded me that behind every statistic is a family trying to do their best in difficult circumstances.’’
Niki Tartal, a licensed clinical social worker who serves on the FL LIFTS advisory board, has a history of substance abuse that helps her understand what many women encounter as a new parent. She conducts focus groups and shares her findings with local researchers.
Niki Tartal (Photo courtesy of Tartal)
“I was someone who struggled for a very long time with substance use issues before I got sober,’’ she said. “I believe through my own experience and the work that I do that the voice of someone with lived experience needs to be the loudest one in the room. I think any opportunity to showcase this is extremely valuable.’’
Before joining FL LIFTS, Tartal found little assistance in the state for women with addiction issues. She was often treated as if she where “sick and morally unsound,’’ and found the dependency system to be unnecessarily cruel. But after she regained custody of her child, she decided to share her experience and work to reshape the system to better serve the most vulnerable.
“I know the feeling of thinking that I will never recover, that I will die this way,’’ she said. “But that isn’t so. We all have the capacity to recover and live happy and fulfilling lives.’’
“I’m now a mother of three and a fierce advocate for those with a history of substance use and a champion for parent's rights. I want nothing more than to see things improve for parents impacted by substance use.’’
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