Reclaiming Nature’s Pharmacy from “Industrialized Drugs”
Psychedelics are “Superfoods”
In his work “Industrialized Psychiatry,” Adam O’Brien (PhD) challenges one of the most deeply ingrained distinctions in modern society and the industry of medicine: the line between “drugs” and beneficial substances like classical psychedelics that are really superfoods because they are plants, fungi, roots, cacti, and molds. He doesn’t just advocate for the therapeutic potential of psychedelics; he radically redefines them, elevating them to the status of “superfoods” and natural agents of healing, while simultaneously condemning conventional pharmaceuticals as “industrialized products” or “drugs”.
O’Brien meticulously defines a “drug” as a “man-made, cognitively conceived, industrialized, production-based product, and usually synthesized or manufactured and sold as a material item to provide relief or address some condition for improvement.” This definition is loaded with negative connotations, associating “drugs” with artificiality, disconnection from nature, and a focus on symptomatic relief rather than holistic healing. He includes everything from ketamine and MDMA to nicotine, alcohol, and even common antidepressants like SSRIs in this category.
In stark contrast, “psychedelic superfoods” are presented as naturally occurring plants, fungi, cacti, roots, or molds that have not been chemically altered for increased potency. These are “spiritual plants and psychedelic foods” which, despite being deemed to have “no medical value” by conventional systems, possess significant “psychological value.” Cannabis is explicitly named as a psychedelic. This re-classification is a powerful rhetorical strategy, aiming to strip the medical and legal systems of their authority to define and control these substances. By framing them as natural and sacred, O’Brien sets to establish a moral framework for their use based on natural law and inherent human rights (Moral-Ethics above the law).
The mechanism of psychedelic healing, according to O’Brien (2023b), is not about “fixing” a problem with an external substance. Instead, psychedelics “activate existing healing centers inside the unconscious body (e.g., endogenous cannabinoid, DMT, and opiate systems).” They are “infused into our innate healing systems,” which he terms the “psychedelic healing system.” This perspective suggests that the healing capacity resides within the individual, and psychedelics serve merely as catalysts, facilitating “memory reconsolidation” and deep trauma integration.
O’Brien even goes so far as to argue that “psychedelic healing is meditation, which would mean that it is already evidence-based,” directly challenging the scientific community’s perceived bias against qualitative science and natural healing modalities. He contrasts this with the medical model approach to psychedelic administration (e.g., ketamine), which he criticizes for believing “that the drug does the healing” and for ignoring the crucial elements of “set, setting, and the healing relationship” vital for true healing, suggesting a lack of skill, education, and understanding of these psychological “superfoods”. But what isn’t “mind-manifesting” if the physical body is the psychological unconscious?
This blog asks us to reconsider our preconceived notions about what constitutes a “drug” and what truly facilitates healing. Are we overlooking nature’s profound wisdom in favor of industrialized solutions? O’Brien’s work compels us to question who gets to define what is medicine, and whether our current definitions are serving our highest good or merely perpetuating a flawed paradigm some are calling civilization.
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References
O’Brien, A. (2023a). Addiction as Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Addictive State. International University of Graduate Studies. (Dissertation). Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023b). Memory Reconsolidation in Psychedelics Therapy. In Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023c). Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024a). Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer and healing professions as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024e). Path of the Wounded Healers for Thrivers: Perfectionism, Altruism, and Ambition Addictions; Re-education and training manual for Abusers, Activists, Batterers, Bullies, Enablers, Killers, Narcissists, Offenders, Parents, Perpetrators, and Warriors. Re-Education and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2025). American Made Addiction Recovery: a healer’s journey through professional recovery. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
