Are Psychedelic Drugs Helpful in Spirituality?

by YOUxTalks | Sep 26, 2025 | Lifestyle

The Fascination With Psychedelics

Recently, I came across discussions about psychedelic drugs and was surprised to see that a large part of the spiritual community consumes such substances. Many claim that it has helped them immensely to remain in a peaceful state. Even more surprising is that some known spiritual teachers encourage the use of psychedelics like LSD and DMT.

Osho once said, “The drug opens up a door and helps you to understand that man’s life and his experience need not be confined to the ordinary, mundane world. He can fly high towards the stars. He is capable of knowing things which are not ordinarily available. Psychedelics can open doors, not lead you through them.”

When you want to be intoxicated, there is a lot to be intoxicated upon. The mind is eager to go beyond daily, mundane experiences, and that’s why seekers go to teachers. But if the teacher fails to take the seeker beyond, recommending psychedelic drugs is a clear signal of the teacher’s inability to guide the seeker to higher consciousness.

It’s like wanting samadhi, and instead being given nidra. Both are removed from your usual state of consciousness, so there is a superficial similarity. But giving nidra instead of samadhi lowers the state of consciousness rather than raising it. You experience a change, yes, but is it a change that takes you higher? No. It’s a bad change. And if this is the route many spiritual seekers are taking, then it is nothing but a verdict upon both the seeker and the teacher — failure disguised as progress.

Understanding the Illusion

Osho’s statement is laden with danger. While it is true that under the influence of psychedelics, one can realize that the universe is not confined to ordinary consciousness, it can be mischievously interpreted.

Here is what happens: you see a wall. The wall is white and standing. It has remained white and standing for twenty years. You see it, your mind accepts it, and it becomes “truth.” Truth is that which does not change. The Moon, the Sun, your relationships — they all appear constant, so you start calling them truth.

Now, you take a psychedelic drug. Suddenly, the wall appears as a rainbow, dancing. The standing white wall is no longer the truth; your mind has changed, because your brain is under the influence of the drug. You experience that the wall is a rainbow and dancing. You come to know, at least in one sense, that experiences are deceptive. The wall has no objective reality. The whiteness of the wall existed only in your mind. Now you see the rainbow.

From this, you can infer that your usual perception of the universe is not the absolute truth.

The Danger of Misplaced Truth

A great danger arises here. After seeing the rainbow, you may start thinking the rainbow itself is the truth. If the rainbow is the truth, you will want to be with the rainbow all the time. If the rainbow becomes your truth, you want to be under drugs all the time, because you now have an unflinching desire for Truth.

The white wall was the truth until now. And if that truth is gone, your mind will quickly substitute it with another truth — the rainbow. This is not a useful method. You have negated one thing that was acceptable and substituted it with something more problematic.

Drugs and Habitual Escape

The world itself is a habit, but drugs are the worst habit. When you are free of drugs, you can look at facts. Facts are the door to Truth. But under the influence of drugs, you cannot even see the facts. If you do not know the facts, you are further away from Truth.

Those who seek refuge in drugs are tired of the usual consciousness. That is certain. But they are taking a wasteful route. It is like feeling cold in Delhi in December, and wanting to escape, so you book a flight to Srinagar instead of dressing properly or finding warmth locally. That is the kind of misguided wisdom contained in using drugs for spiritual attainment.

The Illusion of Elevation

Psychedelics create an illusion of expansion, but they do not lead to real spiritual growth. You feel elevated, but you are actually lowering your state of consciousness. Instead of guiding you to higher awareness, you are pushed into an altered, unconscious state. The change you experience is not necessarily for the better.

Yes, psychedelics open doors — but they do not take you through. You may catch a glimpse of possibilities beyond ordinary experience, but without guidance and proper practice, you remain dependent on external substances.

The Reality Check

The usual universe you perceive is not truth. That realization can be valuable. But when you take drugs, your mind substitutes one illusion for another. The white wall disappears, replaced by a rainbow. You may chase that rainbow thinking it is the ultimate reality. That is dangerous.

True spirituality is not about intensifying unconsciousness or seeking escape. It is about dissolving unconsciousness and seeing the facts as they are. Drugs may create temporary experiences, but they do not cultivate clarity, understanding, or lasting inner peace.

Those who find refuge in drugs are indeed seeking more than ordinary consciousness. But their path is wasteful. They replace the facts with illusions, the ordinary with chemical experiences. Real growth does not require a shortcut. True insight arises from seeing clearly, without dependency, without substitution, and without reliance on external intoxicants.

Psychedelics may open a door, but they will not take you through to Truth.

By Acharya Prashant. Read more such articles at www.apgita.in