Scientists Are Using Psychedelics to Help People Cope With Racial Trauma

‘The nice thing about ketamine is it gives you this really nice third-person perspective’

“The ketamine-assisted therapy sessions are the brainchild of Monnica Williams, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who runs the Behavioral Wellness Clinic and the Culture and Mental Health Disparities Lab at the University of Ottawa. She’s one of just a handful of scientists who have made a connection that’s obvious to people of color, but has been slow to take hold among psychologists: Racism can cause psychological trauma. That psychological trauma, called racial trauma, is being increasingly recognized by psychologists.

‘People of color have known forever that racism is traumatizing — this isn’t news to us. But I think now the mental health field is starting to recognize it,’” Williams tells Future Human. — Emma Betuel

Read Betuel’s story in its entirety below.

Scientists Are Using Psychedelics to Help People Cope With Racial Trauma