Meet the Psychologist Using Psychedelics to Treat Racial Trauma
A clinical psychologist at the University of Ottawa is on a mission to end racism, bring equity to healthcare, and treat racial trauma.
The psychologist, Monnica Williams, believes that psilocybin and MDMA can help people of colour address the trauma they’ve endured from racial biases.
“Using psychedelics can not only bring these pain points to the surface for healing, but can reduce the anxiety or response to these memories and allow them to speak openly about them without the pain they bring,” Williams says.
She notes that POC are vastly underrepresented in the mental health care sector, specifically in psychedelic-assisted therapy, and expresses the need for specialized training to work with marginalized groups.
Williams has struggled to find funding for her research in this area in the past, but she’s hopeful that her work will gain more traction with the recent increased attention to racial justice.